Summary Of The Attack Judith Miller

In her article “The Attack,” Judith Miller describes the events leading to and of the 1984 Rajneeshee bioterror attack, which affected approximately one thousand individuals and a total of seven hundred and fifty one confirmed persons in the city The Dalles, Oregon. Miller’s story unfolds as she begins a few years prior to the attack:

In Wasco County, 1981, not too far from The Dalles, Oregon a man named Rajneesh purchased a 64 thousand acre “Big Muddy Ranch,” which soon after became its own community. This area was initially intended to be a “Buddhafield,” an agricultural commune; however, soon after establishment followers of the ‘Bhagwan Shree’ created their own political leadership, enforcing rules and laws to the surrounding community

Of these, 4 specific individuals were involved in the development of the bacteria at the Rajneeshpuram medical laboratory. Miller unfolds that the main mastermind was Rajneesh himself and the 2 main planners of the attack were: Sheela Silverman (Ma Anand Sheela) Rajneesh's chief lieutenant, and Diane Yvonne Onang (Ma Anand Puja), a nurse practitioner and secretary-treasurer of the Rajneesh Medical Corporation. They purchased the salmonella bacteria from a medical supply company in Seattle, Washington and their staff cultured it within the labs located inside the commune. Furthermore, these individuals were the ones who contaminated the produce at the salad bars as a trial run. The Rajneeshee group also tried to introduce pathogens into The Dalles' water

Most importantly, this unfortunate event showed how the first significant biological attack on a U.S. community was not carried out by foreign terrorists , but by legal residents of a U.S. community. This in turn helped increase knowledge on how to be prepared and how to deal with such an event. This attack also helped increase the partnership between law enforcement officials and their scientific colleagues, and helped establish laws that now strictly regulate who, where, how and the type of germs that can be purchased.

2. Discuss what you feel the potential of a bioterrorism attack involving our food supply is today, and why. What are some weak points in the food security system in the United States, and what can be done to strengthen food security and prevent a potential bioterrorism