Postal Service needs support

Since the terrorists attacks on Sept. 11, an off-site Capitol Hill mail facility, an off-site White House mail facility, an off-site Justice Department mail facility in Landover, Md., an off-site State Department mail facility in Sterling, Va., an off-site Supreme Court mail facility, NBC, ABC, the Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Embassy in Lima, Peru and other locations have faced the terror being reported by media outlets across the world -- anthrax.\nThe potentially deadly disease has been delivered by the same means as birthday cards, invitations and a letter from grandma saying "hi." Anthrax has appeared on the doorstep of some of the biggest organizations in the world postmarked by the United States Post Office. \nEight people who have come in contact with the disease have contracted the often deadly inhaled form, three of them postal workers. Some have called for the shut down of the Postal Service, and the Miami Postal Workers Union has gone so far as to sue the USPS for a shut down and clean up of local post offices.\nThis is not the way to go about curbing the public's and postal workers' fears in this national emergency. The last thing the country needs is a shut down of a major contributing organization like the USPS. It is understandable that the nation is in a state of fear from the anthrax onslaught that is seen in the nightly news and daily papers, but there are ways to combat the tragedy without a shut down of normal -- whatever normal is after Sept. 11 -- routines and ways of life. \nThe postal service must take greater safety precautions when it comes to the handling of the daily mail. For starters, postal employees should wear gloves when separating and sorting the mail. It is against federal policy for employees to use gloves while on the job. While gloves will provide minimal protection from the deadly spores, it is a start in implementing safety measures against this very real threat.\nAlso, the USPS should put more emphasis on a more detailed screening process rather than speedy delivery with no hassles. Sacrifices must be made at war time, and sacrificing one day of travel time for a Halloween card to reach someone's residence is a suitable sacrifice, but a stoppage of mail is not.\nAs difficult as these times may be, we must take our national leaders' advice and strive for a "return to normalcy." Shutting down the USPS will not only combat these wishes, but it will hurt more than it will help. The postal service should use the highest forms of precaution, but a total shut down would be one more victory for terrorism. \nStaff vote:10-0-0