Special Editorial - Anthrax and New Jersey is it really business as usual? Oct. 24, 2001, Well everyone wants to know, just how we local residents are feeling in regards to this anthrax scare. Speaking from personal experience, I'm worried as to what will happen next. When Sep. 11th happened, everyone here was more concerned with the after math. Cleaning up the city, trying to get everything organized. Let's not forget the mass chaos that hit NYC. For those of you, who do not live here, it's difficult to describe the utter feeling left inside all of the locals here, after such tragedy. And now, we have new concerns. Are people worried about going to work? surprisingly, no. When we say business as usual is business as usual, it is indeed the truth ! But how does this Anthrax scare change life for us? Well, it's really scary to be honest. My parents are taking precautions even in our home, by checking mail for anything suspicious. And for all of you out there, I recommend that even though you might not worry about Bio-Logical terrorism in your own home, PLEASE be weary ! What happens in this country affects us all ! There's nothing wrong with being careful. Our government says it has this new bio-logical outbreak somewhat under control. However, they said the exact same thing when the first outbreak of Anthrax was reported in Florida. Don't get me wrong, I think the government is doing the best it can in such a situation. After all, no one ever expected our MAIL to be contaminated with Anthrax ! But as regular everyday people, we can take precautions. Report ANYTHING suspicious to your local authorities. BE EXTREMELY careful if you recieve a package that may be suspicious. Do as the Mayor of New York is asking us, if you find a letter or package that you feel may have been contaminated with Anthrax, DO NOT MOVE THE PACKAGE. Leave it alone, and exactly where you found it. Then immeadiately call you local police or FBI. And they will come to your location to review the contents, and check to see if it's a threat or not. With that being said, Anthrax CAN BE TREATED. So let's stop this mass hysteria that is being created from this. Let's keep focused, and our heads on straight. It's like my mom said, in any serious situation, you have to think clearly, in order to ensure what needs to get done, gets properly done. So for those of you who are wondering about how a local New Jerseyan is dealing with the current scare, that's how it is for us now. I remember when life used to be normal, when my biggest problem was wether I should eat a salad or chiken for lunch. But this is the reality. In the United States right now, if you're a postal worker, you're worried about going to work. You're worried about what you might've breathed in a month ago. I think the US Postal workers are absolutely brave, and I commend them sincerely for cooperating with the government, doing their best to keep the Postal Service functioning properly and doing Business as Usual.