The wiping of the anthrax attacks from our collective memory has been one of the weirdest developments over the past few years. Even David Corn, in an otherwise good column, seems to have forgotten.
Perhaps more than the events of 9/11 the anthrax attack scared the shit out of people. The 9/11 attacks were spectacular and scary, but they were still isolated. People could reasonably imagine that improved airport security would quickly reduce the likelihood of a repeat of such an attack. But the anthrax attack was diffuse and uncertain. It lacked a centralized geography. It was coming through the goddamn mail. It said shit could happen to anyone at any time.
"In cipro we trust." Remember?
