The anthrax scares have hit home in Mississippi. No legitimate cases of anthrax have occurred, yet that has not stopped some of our state’s most ignorant citizens from finding humor during this time of catastrophe and using the panic created by the attacks to play practical jokes on the public. The pranks have occurred at MSU and other areas of the state. It is pathetic that in a time of national concern, some people are finding humor in the ability to scare others and wasting the time of the professionals working to protect us. False terrorist scares have occurred on campus. WCBI News reported that three students have been charged in a prank on Allen Hall. This past week, a mother claimed that her child was given an envelope that contained a white substance at the Halloween Carnival that the university sponsors for the community. In Laurel, a white powder was found in a balloon at Wal-Mart.
This is a ridiculous problem. The fact that anyone finds this funny is disturbing. The government is not catching the punchlines to these sick jokes. It is now considered a terrorist act to attempt to cause hysteria with a fraudulent anthrax scare. A woman in Florida was sentenced to 15 years in prison for sending an ex-boyfriend a letter that contained white powder. It seems only just that the full measure of the law be used to convict those who cause these panics. Not only do the scares create apprehension among the American public, they take away from the time that qualified workers spend on real anthrax cases.
A person with any sense of respect for others would realize that these pranks are not appropriate any time, but especially not now. I still feel very safe living in Mississippi, but these jokes do startle the public and lead to civil unrest. I hope that our elected judges do what is right in the cases of public pranksters. The punishment should fit the crime, and this crime deserves only the most severe judgments that can be rendered. In this era of uncertainty, it is important that no unnecessary fear be brought into our everyday lives. There is enough real fear in society. Jokes that increase nervousness are not needed.
It concerns me to think what type of an individual would play such a joke on anyone. Surely one would realize that a “harmless prank” of this nature would cause big problems to both the public and themselves. Everyone is taking these pranks seriously, and the public is not laughing. It seems that the fastest way to be hated by one’s fellow Americans would be to attempt one of these acts. I do not understand the motivation behind it. Is it to get a laugh? I really do not think that anyone is entertained. Maybe these acts are perpetrated in an attempt to receive recognition to gain attention and to achieve one’s “15 minutes of fame.”
Despite the assailants’ purpose, I hope the results will be the same. The 15-year sentence in the Florida case seems like a great starting point. If that is used as a standard for convicting these jokesters, I do not think that the pranks will continue much longer. Once again, the punishment needs to fit the crime, and at this time, a fake anthrax scare is a dangerous crime.
It is a crime that occupies the people sworn to protect our nation, and it causes panic among the citizens of that nation. It is hard to imagine someone going to jail for a joke, but serious times sometimes call for extreme actions, and we are living in serious times.