From the April 2004 Idaho Observer:

The poxers are back

Emergency workers drill for smallpox terror event

COEUR D'ALENE -- “Health officials, police, and other emergency workers across North Idaho drilled for the dark side of modern times Friday, assembling on short notice to deal with a possible outbreak of smallpox that may have been launched by terrorists.”

The sentence above is the lead of a story published in the Coeur d'Alene Press March 20, 2004 -- not March 2003.

By March last year the government's plan to bop every American with a dose of smallpox, beginning with first responders and medical personnel, was in full swing. The plan had to be scuttled after significant numbers of people had adverse reactions that included death.

If you recall, by September, 2002, all the states had submitted their smallpox plans to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). These state plans were modeled after the CDC-sponsored Model Emergency Health Powers Act (The Idaho Observer, Nov., 2001) and describe how a state of medical martial law can be declared if one case of smallpox is diagnosed in the state.

Massive opposition to the plans swelled and, as predicted, people were hurt and killed by the government's test run at mass vaccinating the nation with its stockpiled smallpox.

They're back -- this time with feds

This time the states are practicing for medical martial law with agents from the Department of Homeland Security and the CDC.

The practice run reportedly involved the calling out of 1,400 staffers and volunteers, alerting seven schools and the Coeur d'Alene Tribal Wellness Center -- where vaccines would be delivered -- and trying to keep everybody calm,” wrote the Press.

The federally-funded participants were challenged to “arrange the delivery of enough smallpox vaccine for every person in North Idaho -- some 180,000 doses -- and open eight emergency clinics in the five northern counties.”

Homeland Security exercise coordinator Darrell Wasson stated the teams were to meet seven objectives and they met five on this go around. It seems the plan bogged down with poor communications and excessive paperwork.

Another exercise is being scheduled for sometime this coming June.

No north Idahoan left behind

According to smallpox vaccine package inserts, the shot should not be administered to people with certain medical conditions like skin problems, heart disease, immuno-deficiencies and pregnancy -- about half the population.

The amount of vaccine to be made available to north Idaho (population 180,000 approx.) within 24-36 hours indicates that the plan does not exclude those most likely to experience severe adverse reactions to the vaccine.

The 180,000 doses reserved for Idaho's five northern counties are part of the 300 million doses the Bush administration bought without the approval of Congress in late 2001. The vaccine is reportedly being stored in “secret refrigerators around the country,” said Kootenai County Emergency Management Director Sandy Von Behren.

The history of mass smallpox vaccination is one of scientific failure and social misery. The accurate history of smallpox can be found in Smallpox Alert! The print version is no longer available but the electronic version is available at www.vaclib.org.