I swear...the media....

I begin to wonder sometimes how much safer we might be if the media and scientist) would use their heads about some things!!!!

I heard on the radio this morning...there were some scientist somewhere here in the US that managed to figure out how terrorist might be able to inflict damage on an unprecedented amount of citizens, simply by poisoning the milk supply in a way that nobody would be able to detect it until it was too late!!

Scary huh!!! Just wait it gets better!!!!

The scientist decided they were going to publish the results of their findings and exactly how it could be done, on the web!! Kind of stupid don't you think...apparently they didn't!! Even after they were warned by the government, that an action such as that wouldn't be smart and/or safe...they did it anyway!! So now...the radio station I was listening to was discussing this issue and talking about how stupid it was to do that, and in the meantime they mentioned what website it was published on and even proceeded to talk about some of the thing mentioned in the article!!

The whole time I'm sitting there thinking...wait a minute you idiots...what do you think YOU are doing!!!!

I am a firm believer of democracy, the constitution, and freedom of speech...and I love the US and would never trade this country to live ANYWHERE else in the world, but...sometimes I wonder if they stretch this freedom of speech liberty tooooooo far!!!!???

I swear...the media...

Roger

 

Well only good thing is that you are warned now, to know the fact that it can be done reduces the effort to do it...
Besides, milk can make you sterile anyway

 

I'm all for 'Freedom of Speech and the Press'; but some things are better left unsaid and unpublished.

 

That's exactly what i'm thinking, but...the media is all about getting the good story!! Do you really think that they give two s**ts about our well being?? I think not!!!!

Roger

 

If the scientist could figure it out, so could terrorists. It's better to find out this way than when you are drinking a glass of milk, isn't it?

 

It would be more of a chance they would use a Ryder truck full of explosives and take down say an entire building at about 9AM. Oops, that was the MO in Oklahoma City- it could happen again! And instead we inflict so many problems on airlines.

 

sure some things are best left unsaid but its all part of the risk we take in having a free and open society. there is benefit in not having things like this as common knowledge but there is also benefit in being informed. i would rather be informed.

Freedom is not free. way to many americans these days seem to think that freedom means free from self responsibility and accountability.

 

You forgot to give us the website link Roger.....

 

What if I do and all the sudden my milk starts curddling!!!!

I think informing us that the risk is there...is one thing, but...to tell exactly how to do it...come on...give me a break...there is NO way us common folk out here can benifit form exactly how to accomplish the certain act...other than some wacko getting ahold of it and attempting it...and once again...how have we benefitted from it????!!!!

Roger

 

Is your point that they shouldn't publish it? Or that they shouldn't have done it at all? Or that they should have done it but not told anyone about it?

It is a little silly to publish explicit instructions on how to achieve something like that, but if you know how it is done, you can work out how to prevent it. i.e. if something is undetectable, you won’t be able to detect it till you know what it is, and why its dangerous! The US still manufactures explosives, yet its all to easy to get hold of them if you are a "terrorist".

I agree that the media is ridiculous. If only it was possible for people to tell the news without pushing to get "the big scoop" at every available opportunity and excite people into some kind of frenzy about the whole thing. Sensationalism is way over-used.

 

All they have to do is tell that they discoverd how terrorist could poison the milk supply, which obviously would hurt alot of people...then...since they do know how one might go about attempting that...use that knowledge and then let us commonfolk know what could be done to prevent it or if it is too late how to combat it!! There is ABSOLUTELY no reason for them to tell everybody exactly how it could be done!!

Would a lock company tell everyone how to crack the code so that you better know what to do if your safe got broken into!!!!???? I don't think so!!

If you notice that when the media gets confronted about their stupidity...they say..."it's freedom of speech, the first ammendment"!! Then they have nothing else to say, because they know it was stupid so therefore they have no defense to justify their actions!! They just get so caught up in being the first one to get the hottest story out...they don't care about the negative consequinces!!

Roger

 

A lock company wouldn't; a group trying to put pressure on the lock company might though. Stands to reason really, if the information IS published, then the lock company will make sure that it is worthless information ASAP, as opposed to if they didn't publish: they'd simply say "yes, its possible" and do nothing about it.

Same goes for computer security. Someone discovers a potential loophole, but nobody takes them seriously, least of all the people responsible for writing the software. Then they write a PoC (Proof of Concept) which demonstrates the threat of the loophole, THEN the software writers notice and sort it out as a top priority.

 

But, in this case, the concern is with the food supply chain. How would one propose securing the food supply chain, without it being cost prohibitive. The information in this case should have never been published. The public should have been informed that it is possible, but should have never been told the how. The remedy in this is cost prohibitive and can not be implemented. Saying that milk can be posoined at the source and here is how; is the same as saying the water supply can be contaminated at the source, and here is how.

Sometimes being aware that it can be done, is the enough to prevent it from happening. Awareness is a key ingredient in security. You can't 'secure' everything; it costs too much.

Just because one can; doesn't mean one should. Food for tought.

 

Milk makes you sterile??? I`ve been doing better than two gallons a week since I was 14....guess those two beautiful girls aren`t mine after all??? And here I`m wondering...wouldn`t it be easier to poison the water supply? I know folks that are lactose intolerant...or just plain don`t like milk...but everyone drinks water.

 

How long d'you suppose it would've taken someone to figure out the how and post it themselves?

 

That's the point, make them figure it out on their own; don't give it to them. That is another facet of security, withholding certain information from the 'bad guys'.

 

True....but I'm guessing that it would've taken them about eight minutes, tops.

 

Think about the wackos out there that would normally be sitting in their dark corner...but now their eyes light up because they seen how to mess with other peoples lives on a massive scale and someone else done all the legg work for them...and that kind of thrill, excites the hell out of them for no reason other than they are just a sick a$$!!!!

I'm talking in general terms here...not just strictly poisoning milk as an act of terrorism!!!!

Roger