November 8, 2001 Diary: America Strikes Back

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Pharmacist aids N.Y. efforts
Thursday, November 8, 2001
By Mindie Paget

Pharmacist Amy Osborn of Oskaloosa dispenses antibiotics every day. But during the past few weeks, the Kansas University graduate's ability to perform that seemingly unremarkable task has helped quell the fears of thousands of New York City postal workers worried about exposure to anthrax.

Crisis drives power back to Washington
Thursday, November 8, 2001
By David Shribman
The Boston Globe

The terror attacks of September ended America's blithe holiday from global concerns, spawned a diplomatic offensive, prompted a military buildup — and fundamentally altered the relationship between various levels of government at home.

Blair stands firmly by U.S. in war against terrorism
Thursday, November 8, 2001
President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair, allies in the war on terrorism, confidently offered back-to-back pledges of victory on Wednesday, no matter how long it takes.

Senators want to expand opportunities to serve country
Thursday, November 8, 2001
With military reserves stretched to capacity and America throbbing with a "New Patriotism," two leading senators are proposing to greatly expand voluntary national-service programs so that ordinary Americans can help defend their homeland.

Terrorist assets frozen
Thursday, November 8, 2001
In a crackdown at home and abroad, the Bush administration targeted Osama bin Laden's multimillion-dollar financial networks Wednesday, closing businesses in four states, detaining U.S. suspects and urging allies to help choke off money supplies in 40 nations.

Taliban opposition claims gains
Thursday, November 8, 2001
The Afghan opposition claimed its fighters edged closer to the strategic northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif on Wednesday, and U.S. special forces reported northern alliance fighters on horseback charged Taliban tanks and armored personnel carriers.

Bush seeks to assure, rally uneasy Americans
Thursday, November 8, 2001
(Updated Thursday at 7:24 p.m.) President Bush urged an uneasy nation Thursday night to meet "our great national challenge" to protect America against future terrorist attacks by volunteering for community service and watching for suspicious activity.

Drugs tested for germ, radiation, chemical attacks
Thursday, November 8, 2001
American smart bombs zero in on programmed targets in Afghanistan. Bioterrorism protection at home may demand drugs that do just the opposite — kill just about any germ target in sight.

Bush to get firsthand look at medical epicenter — CDC
Thursday, November 8, 2001
Officials at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have complained for years about their World War II-era facilities, with leaky roofs, termite-chewed floors and bad wiring that last month delayed the anthrax investigation.

Postal Service turns to Congress for help with money problems
Thursday, November 8, 2001
Grim new revenue projections could lead the U.S. Postal Service to ask Congress for more than $5 billion today to offset higher security costs and lower revenues due to the anthrax scare and terrorism.

Pakistani president heads West for talks
Thursday, November 8, 2001
With violent protests at a minimum and key opposition clerics in detention, President Pervez Musharraf is confident enough to take his first foreign trip since Sept. 11, leaving his military government to deal with any threats at home.

Scarves don't define women
Thursday, November 8, 2001
By Ellen Goodman
The Boston Globe

"I've been called oppressed and depressed and repressed and every other kind of pressed you can imagine," says Milia Islam, as she counts off the adjectives with a smile. The subject of such "pressing" concern is the head scarf that the young Missouri woman wears over her hair.

Food safety needs better security net
Thursday, November 8, 2001
Legislation to fight agroterrorism is a higher priority now than passing a farm bill, U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts told farmers on Wednesday at the Kansas Commodity Classic. Roberts — speaking by telephone from a basement room where his office was relocated after anthrax was detected on Capitol Hill — said the agricultural economy and the farm sector should get no less attention than security at airports.

Powell puts Iraq on notice of campaign
Thursday, November 8, 2001
Warning Iraq, Secretary of State Colin Powell said Wednesday the U.S. campaign against terrorism will extend beyond the drive to root out the al-Qaida network in Afghanistan. "That is our first priority," Powell said in a joint news conference with the acting prime minister of Kuwait, Sabah al-Hamad al-Sabah.

Anti-global activists tone down WTO protests
Thursday, November 8, 2001
After bursting on the scene two years ago, anti-globalization activists are struggling to find direction in the aftermath of Sept 11. Some groups are adding an anti-war theme to protests during the World Trade Organization meeting, which begins Friday in the Persian Gulf nation of Qatar and is the first major test of how the anti-globalization movement will respond to the new mood.

Postal officials ask Congress for funds to make mail safe
Thursday, November 8, 2001
(Updated Thursday at 7:17 p.m.) The government, not people who buy stamps, should cover $5 billion of the enormous costs of recovering from anthrax attacks and making the mail safe, Postmaster General John Potter told Congress.

Pentagon reveals human toll of bombing
Thursday, November 8, 2001
(Web Posted Thursday at 6:46 a.m.) U.S. airstrikes in Afghanistan have killed scores of Taliban and al-Qaida fighters, although precise numbers are impossible to confirm, the Pentagon says.

Pakistan asks Taliban to stop press briefings
Thursday, November 8, 2001
The yard on a dusty residential side street has become a major point of attack in the Taliban's monthlong war with the United States. But the yard, a front line in the fight for world opinion, fell silent Wednesday after a pointed warning from the Pakistani government.

Japan to expel Afghan refugees
Thursday, November 8, 2001
Japan, after pledging more than $1 billion to the United Nations to support the care and feeding of Afghan refugees, is closing its doors to nine Afghan citizens seeking asylum from brutal Taliban rule.

U.S. military making progress, says top commander
Thursday, November 8, 2001
(Web Posted Thursday at 12:06 p.m.) The top U.S. commander of the war in Afghanistan defended the military's effort on Thursday, saying, "We like the progress we have had up to this point.

For incoming NY mayor, it's all uphill from here
Thursday, November 8, 2001
Michael Bloomberg's upset victory in New York's mayoral race will test the central premise of his campaign — that a man who built a major media company from the ground up can now rebuild a city with a devastated downtown and a fragile economy.

Tests find no more anthrax at KC center
Thursday, November 8, 2001
Additional tests taken inside a contaminated Kansas City postal facility turned up no new anthrax spores, the state's top health official said Wednesday.

Fighting fierce around northern Afghan city
Thursday, November 8, 2001
(Updated Thursday at 7:28 a.m.) Afghan opposition forces said Thursday they were advancing steadily toward the key northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif with the help of round-the-clock U.S. bombing. The ruling Taliban, however, said they pushed back several opposition attacks.

Briefly
Thursday, November 8, 2001
• Washington, D.C.: Poll: Some still fearful of future terrorist attacks
• Chicago: Three O'Hare workers fired
• Arizona: Death penalty sought in backlash killing

Trickle-down trick
Thursday, November 8, 2001

A rigid fiefdom
Thursday, November 8, 2001