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guy: "I really think there is a link to your letter and to the terrorist's"
___________________________________________________________
Howard Troxler
FPRIVATE "TYPE=PICT;ALT=mugshot" Times columnist Howard Troxler
Nov. 1, 2001
The following is the transcript of a TimesChat with Times columnist Howard Troxler held on Nov. 1 on TimesChat. To see
the schedule of future chat guests and view previous chat transcripts, go to www.tampabay.com/chat
ModeratorSteve OK, we're ready to start. Welcome to Timeschat. Let me give Howard a chance to introduce himself
HowardTroxler Hey, this is Howard. I'd like to start by admitting up front that whatever you're for, we're probably
biased against, no sense in trying to outwit me in that regard. (Grin.)
ModeratorSteve OK, for our first question.
Bucsalltheway With the very recent occurances of Anthrax appearing with no forseeable link, do you believe we will
now have reports of postal facilities all over the country being tainted? and more people at homes contacting anthrax?
HowardTroxler So far, what do we know for sure? Only the Trenton letters -- no evidence yet this is not a sole domestic
nut who somehow had access...
... they were smart to target the media to get maximum attention though. I am not minimizing the seriousness -- people
are dead -- but in terms of the scale of 5k dead in NYC, Pentagon attack, the fact we are bombing a foreign nation & holding
together an international coalition, it is NOT the biggest thing going, true?
ModeratorSteve If you're just joining us, we're chatting today with Times columnist Howard Troxler. Send in your questions
now by typing them at the bottom and hitting enter or return. And remember, we'll post a transcript later on for anyone who
missed the chat.
shoney Did you get tested for anthrax exposure after you got that powder in the mail?
HowardTroxler Yes, but only after the first NBC test was positive (remember, our St. Pete letter-writer also wrote
to NBC and NY Times Judith Miller
It was a simple nose swab, which of course was negative. :)
ModeratorSteve An important reminder: Anything you guys type in at the bottom is sent to us as a potential question.
Your general comments won't be seen by other participants.
PEGGYB Have you heard any theories as to how someone is putting the anthrax spores into the envelopes that were mailed
without inhaling it themselves? My understanding is that there are no 100%% sure masks or gas masks that will work.
HowardTroxler That is a great question, and I have no clue how it works. I suppose if you were serious about it, you
could work in a glove box?
After all, if they're sophisticated enough to get the right diameter & transport medium, that seems like a relatively
minor technical matter, true?
ModeratorSteve Question from Lee in St. Petersburg: Hi, Howard -- It has been said repeatedly that the sad lesson of
Viet Nam has been learned. No more half measures in war. We will use OVERWHELMING, massive, totally decisive force to defeat
the enemy. Hmmmmm. The current campaign certainly would seem to be an exception. Why is Kabul, or Herat, or any other other
Afghan ""city"" full of Taliban still left standing?
HowardTroxler Maybe the destruction of an entire city is not ""overwhelming"" in the same sense
that hunting down every one of those people and their sympathizers and wiping them out would be ""overwhelming.""
I want total retaliation and no mercy but do not consider that requires killing a bunch of peasants whose only crime is to
be dominated by despots, who themselves harbor terrorists!
TallyMan OK, this is a local question, but it's about the voting technology Floridians are trying to get in place by
the next big election. Here in Pinellas we're mired in scandal about the electronic voting system the County was about to
buy, but my question is: For the $15,000,000 what does the county get? What's the big ticket item? The software? Wonder how
many voting stations the system covers?
HowardTroxler Yay, a local question! The local scandal is mostly about the fact that an officer of the winning company
is under indictment in Louisiana ...
... Louisiana! It HAD to be Louisiana! Anyway, some of the staff people should have blown the horn on this earlier.
I confess ignorance as to whether the big-ticket item is the hardware or the software. I will find out before I write anything
about it. (I believe in confessing ignorance because I have to do it so often.)
catlips99 The state has been hit hard by the drop in tourist tax revenues. How dumb can they be to drop the intangibles
tax on the wealthy?
HowardTroxler What, you don't buy into the doctrine of ""economic stimulus""? The House of Representatives,
under Speaker Tom Feeney, is absolutely dead-set that there will be no compromise on the tax cut. They call it a tax on ""seniors
and savers"" because it is a tax of $1 on $1,000 worth of stocks and bonds, held outside of IRAs, 401(k)s and the
like. In fairness, NOT cutting the tax would generate only an extra $130-million for the state, which is only about one-tenth
of what we need to get out of the current mess.
ModeratorSteve Here's an e-mail question from Edge66 in Tampa: Do You have any more Ice Fishing Jokes?
HowardTroxler Just the one I told in the newspaper a few months back, which I got from my colleague Jean Heller. Tell
you later.
MrBob While admittedly, the Florida State Legislator is fun to watch; do you have an opinion on why the education budget
is always one of the first and most sorely impacted items to be hit with huge cuts when its so important to maintain the educational
process at its best possible level?
HowardTroxler Unfortunately, it's the biggest target. Education takes up 53 percent of the state's general revenue
--- it is impossible to whack $1.3-billion out of the budget without touching that 53 percent... in other words, not doing
so magnifies the effect of the cut on everything else.
shoney You like to give public officials a hard time. Is anything off limits in wartime?
HowardTroxler Sure. In fact, most of the time I DON'T give pubic officials a hard time. I find that they respond better
to honey than vinegar. Nobody thinks of themselves as a bad person, or a dummy, so calling them such rarely persuades them.
As to your question, I know that I, for one, had no stomach for criticizing the president in the days after Sept. 11, even
though I personally wished he had been slightly more visible that morning, I accepted the WH explanation for why he wasn't.
I think this is a matter of taste, not censorship.
ModeratorSteve Here's a question from ""Seahunt"" in St. Pete: This year the Florida legislature
will balance the budget through some combination of budget cuts, using the ""Rainy Day"" funds, and possibly
delaying the intangible tax cut. If the economic downturn continues through next year, how do you think the Florida legislature
will balance the budget?
HowardTroxler Well, last week the Legislature did NOT choose to dip into the rainy-day fund or to delay the tax cut.
The ONLY thing lawmakers have done so far is make spending cuts, and by themselves they will be insufficient to get us through
-- probably another special session will be needed even before this fiscal year ends. Next year, by the current prediction,
is even worse -- many more cuts needed in the spring.
ModeratorSteve Here's a question from Bucsall the way sent via e-mail: My question is in regards to the Hoax anthrax
letter you received. Nothing more was said about it. I assume it was negative but are you on Cipro? Was the building tested?
It seems the reporting on that subject got awfully quiet quickly.
HowardTroxler Our letter was merely a local hoaxter. He got himself nat'l attention by also sending to NBC and NY TImes'
Judith Miller -- all negative. All hoaxes. But it came just before the Trenton letters and for a while it was not clear the
actual source. My test was negative. Our envelope was negative. All negative. I think we said so in print, and if we didn't
make it clear, I'm saying it now.
brandondan Why no bowtie anymore Howard? Is there a good story behind why you originally wore one?
HowardTroxler (Smile) Yes! When I started as a young reporter in a crowded courthouse, your bread and butter was getting
news tips from tipsters... you had to be known. I noticed that a young prosecutor was known by everybody because he wore a
bow tie, so I got him to teach me. For a while it was most visible. However, in recent years I quit wearing one because it
started getting in the way.... it was a distraction from the actual content. Besides, everybody knew it ""proved""
I was biased (either I was conservative, like Georrge Will, or a wild-eyed liberal, like, er, uh, whatever wild-eyed liberal
wears bow ties.) Most days I'm not in public now, I wear jeans.
guy Howard my daughter & her friend collected over $7,000.00 at a auction sponsered by the Victors waterside Sport's
bar in Terra-Verdi now I hear that this money is not being given by the Red Cross to the victims of 9/11.
HowardTroxler I am not well-informed enough to talk about what the Red Cross is doing. If I write anything about it,
of course I will try to learn the score. Sorry not to be helpful but I found it's better to know what you know, and say what
you don't know!
tampabucfan What do you think of Republican vs. Republican in the fla legislature's latest set-to? Is this just for
show?
HowardTroxler Great question. It's not just for show. There is a lot of tension in the party - legislators versus Bush,
and House versus Senate... ordinarily I would call it healthy tension, except last week I think our House and Senate allowed
their egos to get in the way of best public policy.
guy Your letter was postmarked 10/5 and contained similar things that no one could know about the other letters unless
they were involved
HowardTroxler Yes, the same guy in St. Pete wrote me 10/5 and the NY Times letter postmarked 10/5. I am not certain
of the postmark on the first NBC letter. I am not aware of what the letter said that referenced the other letters -- I saw
the text and we printed it, and I don't think the text supports that.... please clarify?
ModeratorSteve Guy, please go ahead and send us a clarification on that question and we'll try again
guy I really think there is a link to your letter and to the terrorist's
HowardTroxler Of course, anything is possible -- but to me so far, it seemed purely like a local nut... unfortunately
I get a lot of them! (It was flattering, in a weird way, to be included with the NYTimes and NBC, but I realize it was only
the accident of having my pic in the local paper.... sigh).
ModeratorSteve Question via e-mail from Beth in Tampa: Please comment on the article in today's SP Times that reports
US involvement in the country's presidential election. If you could add comments on Ortega in general and perhaps what the
alternative view of his politics look like... thanks Howard!
HowardTroxler Again, I am a poor B-section guy with no knowledge or expertise in this area. My apology.
Bucsalltheway I believe the mailing to the media indeed was to get Maximum exposure, now that they have it and as I
said eariler, the cases now being found if no links could mean they are still out there and branching to private homes as
the FBI said they are investigating. what's your take on Irradidated mail? For or against?
HowardTroxler No evidence of private homes yet, although the NY hospital worker is still a mystery. If irradiation
works and is feasible and doesn't jack postage to $3 a letter, what does it hurt? But maybe there are more efficient precautions?
brandondan Will Floridians ever repair the damage to their national reputation in the wake of the voting fiasco? Or
were we considered rubes before, just like we are now?
HowardTroxler Okay, this is a favorite topic. Believe it or not, every OTHER state was saying, ""There but
for the grace of God..." Remember that New Mexico actually kept flipping back and forth in the Electoral College -- had
it not been us, THEY would have been the laughingstock... In fact, don't you think it amazing that the entire nation waited
for a month for the thing to be settled duly in the courts of law -- even if you didn't like the specific result? That we
didn't decide it by highest bidder in the Army, as in imperial Rome?
ModeratorSteve For those just joining us, we're talking with Times columnist Howard Troxler. There's still time to
send in your questions. Just type them at the bottom and hit enter.
Now, on with the questions
shoney Who most annoys you these days?
HowardTroxler (Laughing) Myself. It is very hard for anyone else to annoy me. I confess to being annoyed at folks who
use sweeping labels such as liberal to call me up and berate me because they disagree on a specific topic. ""Liberal""
has become a synonym for, ""something I disagree with.""
ModeratorSteve Two part question from Tom in Clearwater ... part one: Howard, Isn't it true that if we did not have
an oil based economy (i.e.: Detroit's vested interested in internal combustion engines that represent an antiquated technology
developed in the 1880's) that we would have no valid national interest-based reason to ever become mired in or meddle in the
affairs of the fifedoms and states in the middle east?
Now for part two: In hindsite would not this have been a better course - to have encouraged alternative energy development
- and wean our national economy from dependancy on foreign oil. Is this not the ultimate solution for our national security?
HowardTroxler Yikes! It would be better for the planet, no question. If I coudl wave a magic wand we all would have
solar collectors on our roofs -- I mean, this is FLORIDA. However, energy dependency is only part of our national-security
problem. Also, would we not still have human-rights, treaty and other obligations in the Middle East, and a moral obligation,
even without energy dependency?
Seahunt Who do you think would be the best Democratic candidate to challenge Jeb Bush and who do you think will get
the nomination?
HowardTroxler The conventional wisdom is that Janet Reno is a dead duck -- last poll showed Bush beating her 60-26.
But she is the overwhelming favorite to win the Dem nomination of course. I am not so sure -- she is most unconventional and
unafraid. Certainly she would cut into that margin. The safe pick for Dems right now I suppose is Bill McBride of Tampa, but
he has been awfully unexciting so far and remember, you have to get MORE VOTES than the other guy. It is brutal, simple math.
SaraLee What do you think about Jeb Bush's hands off approach to governing?
HowardTroxler Hmm, that is a general question. He has not been ""hands-off"" when it comes to tort
reform, abolishing the state university system, repealing part of civil service, seizing the mechanism of nominating state
judges, etc....
ModeratorSteve From Louis in St. Pete sent via e-mail: What do you think of the whole voting system issue in Pinellas
County? Any predictions on how it will be resolved?
HowardTroxler Still learning about it. As I said earlier, the main problem is we're just finding out a representative
of the winning company is under indictment in another state. No evidence of anything untoward in Pinellas, true? Good they
stepped back to take a closer look.
shoney I've seen some profiles of Jeb Bush that call him ""thin-skinned"" esp. with the press.
Have you met him? Do you think he's thin skinned?
HowardTroxler I have known the governor since before his first race in 1994. I do believe he is thin-skinnned, not
just with the press, but with Democrats, critics, etc.... his staff is young and he does not have a salty, crusty old hand
to tell him when he is wrong! I hope that he continues to grow in this direction; I think there are signs of it.
ModeratorSteve Long question coming up next from Mr. Arm sent yesterday via e-mail ... Here goes: I read (don't remember
where) that the US State Dept (which I gather runs the Voice of America and perhaps one more similar broadcasting medium)
does not have any effective means, e.g. radio or TV broadcasts, for reaching the people of Afhganistan or for that matter,
the mid-east. Is this true. I later heard that State Dept is just now starting to work on this problem. I guess my question
is what is the US government doing to send our message (call it propaganda if you like) to these countries where anti-american
sentiment runs strong.
HowardTroxler William Safire in the NYTimes has been a strong critic of our failiures in this arena... his columns
are all I know about it, but it sounds as though he agrees with you! Personally, I have always found the best propaganda is
the unadulterated truth though!
ModeratorSteve We've still got time for new questions for Howard Troxler. Go ahead and type them in at the bottom and
hit enter and we'll get them answered.
MrBob Relating to Beth's question, do you have an opinion on whether we should really try and orchestrate the selection
of the make-up of foriegn governments, like in Nicaraugua or, more importantly, in Afghanistan? Are we really that good?
HowardTroxler Well, you could argue we haven't been that good at our OWN elections... (rim shot). I am feeling a little
more Teddy Rooseveltian lately but do not feel the need to arrange actual elections. I would settle for issuing ultimatums
to turn over certain people. Or else.
drivera First of all, I miss the bow-tie. Does the public pressure that saved the aquifer from untreated water ""bubbles""
indicate that the average voter is more capable of understanding complex issues and communicating their concerns than politicians
generally acknowledge?
HowardTroxler Yes. Yes. Yes. That was a done deal. The House and Senate rammed it through, against the warning of scientists.
The governor wanted it. I do not know why, even today, it was such a greased deal. Then the public got involved -- and they
ran in terror to reverse themselves.
ModeratorSteve Here's a question via e-mail that just arrived from Barbara in Ocala: Do you know anything about cuts
to the medicaid waiver program, in particular, anything to do with autistic children being denied therapy treatments. My grandson
is autistic and we have been on the waiting list for 2 years to try to get help for some of his therapies. Is this money going
to be available or cut from the budget?
HowardTroxler It has been hard to know line-by-line. Also in some cases it depends on percentage above the poverty
guidelines. I am afraid I cannot give you a specific answer on autism therapy.
ModeratorSteve A question from Francis in Tampa: Mr. Troxler, One of your reporters, David Wesson I think, wrote a
most interesting piece several weeks ago. It had to do with an investigation called Operation Jericho that he said was conducted
by FDLE in the eighties and the ninetees. It looks like FDLE and the state had knowledge of many of the potential terrorist
support networks here in our state for many years in advance of the September 11 tragedies. Has there been any follow up to
this, and how can we now trust law enforcement which should have known about terrorist sympahizers?
HowardTroxler Hmm, you might be talking about David Wasson, who is a reporter for a certain Virginia-owned newspaper
that circulates mostly in Tampa...
tampabucfan By the way, what do you think about Mike Alstott vs. Warrick Dunn?
HowardTroxler Alstott. I mean his record is 2-0.
Seahunt Sen. Pres McKay has suggested removing some items from sales tax exemptions and reducing the tax to 4%. What
do you think would be a more recession resistant tax for Florida?
HowardTroxler Seahunt, that is exactly the way Florida should go -- a broader tax (on more segments of the economy)
at a lower overall rate. That would be more resistant to recession. We tried it in 1987, but special interests (including
the media) beat it back, and instead Florida was forced to increase the tax on retail sales from 5 percent to 6 percent. Wicked.
ModeratorSteve A question from Vincent in London, UK: I have a son, daughter in law and grandson in St. Pete. I saw
on TV where the FAA is allowing curbside check-in again. I hope it's at least forbidden in Tampa. Please let me know why anyone
would alllow this to continue.
HowardTroxler Personally I did not understand the benefit of suspending curbside check-in.... the real thing is either
to search every checked bag, or not to!
guy I sent letters to everyone The Mayor, Your Paper, MJM, And finally to Jeb Bush, about the Skyway being so vunerable
to an attack. Jeb Bush is the only one that responded and thats why the Coast Guard is so prevalent .
HowardTroxler In that sense, the whole infrastructure is vulnerable... in fact, the cops keep a fairly good watch on
the bridge because of suicides, true?
brandondan If Tampa Bay had to lose a pro sports franchise, which one would you choose and why?
HowardTroxler Wow, what a question! Can I wimp out, or do you insist on it being the Bucs, the D-Rays or the Lightning?
If I had to choose, it would be #3. Good thing I am not the guy choosing.
ThelmaLou I've heard that the tail section of the plane that went down in Penn. was approximately 6 miles from the
crash site. This leads one to believe it was shot down and the government is letting us believe it was overtaken by the passengers.
Any word on this rumor?
HowardTroxler They can't keep their mouths shut about anything else; I doubt they could keep this secret. Besides,
there were plenty of eyewitnesses and none saw it.
brandondan Should Bob Buckhorn be taken seriously as a candidate for Tampa mayor? Don't most people think he's an idiot
for the whole lap dance ban over there?
HowardTroxler Yes. Yes.
tampabucfan Please refresh us on your view of Tampa's now ill-fated pursuit of the 2012 Olympics? Should we keep on
truckin?
HowardTroxler Nothing fails like failure. It is easy now to say, told ya so. I was dubious of the whole enteprise and
said so in print, but I do admire Turanchik's brass and for a while I thought he might be able to pull it off. I was not willing
to sacrifice the St. Pete waterfront for a dive tank, though!
As for what to do now... why not take some of the civic spirit and put it toward privately financed mass transit, regional
water solutions, etc? --
You know, boring stuff.
brandondan What's your opinion on Bob Graham and how he's acted in his role during the post Sept. 11 period? Has he
helped or hurt his cause for a future bid as vice president or president? Or is he destined to serve out his public service
as a U.S. senator.
HowardTroxler As the Senate Intelligence Committee guy, he seems to have spoken fairly responsibly... which means not
too much grandstanding... more interesting to me is Graham tried to interject himself into the state-level fight over disbanding
the state university system, but NOW has been fairly low-profile there! I think in that area, Graham's guys made a mistake
by being too partisan, and lining up only Democrats.
guy Next time you grace us with your presence Howard lets keep to one subject matter cause you must get back to us
grubs.
HowardTroxler (Grin) But everybody has a different idea of what the one subject should be!
drivera I have stopped at the top of the Skyway, put up the hood and taken photos for 30 minutes without being challenged.
HowardTroxler Re: Skyway: I know I tried to stop there one time, and they made a BIG deal of it... of course, that
was soon after a jump, so maybe at that time they were especially sensitive. If you say you have been there 30 mins unchallenged,
then they should do better, right?
Seahunt Love your Column. It's usually one the first things I read in the paper. What do you think would be a good
idea for an improved public transportation system in the Bay area?
HowardTroxler I think you should be able to get off a light-rail car at Tampa Stadium, downtown St. Pete & Tampa,
Tropicana Field, etc.... but have no clue as to how to pay for it. Also, there should be an expressway route so that Gandy
Bridge doesn't dump out onto congested Gandy Boulevard, but that probably has to be a double-decker -- the current plan for
a southern route hurts a lot of innocent people who live down there.
ModeratorSteve OK, we're out of time. Thanks for the great questions. We appreciate Howard spending time with us today.
Look for his columns in the Times metro sections on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Our next TimesChat is Tuesday with Bob Harig on college football.
Remember, we're posting a transcript soon.
Look for it off the main home page. Have a great afternoon and weekend, folks. See you again soon.
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The walk of daily life now seems full of peril
St. Petersburg Times; St. Petersburg, Fla.; Oct 10, 2001;
HOWARD TROXLER;
Abstract:
So far most Americans I talk to think the U.S. is getting it right. The attacks seem targeted enough. The president's
words were excellent when he explained to the world our war was not against Islam, or the Arab world. Limited strikes on terrorists
and the regime, food drops for everybody else - how often has that happened?
Meanwhile, we go to work, go to the ball game, go to the mall (although not as much as the retailers want us to), and
return to "normalcy," or at least, what passes for normalcy a month after the worst terrorist attack in U.S. history.
Then there's anthrax. Naturally, it had to be in Florida, didn't it? Surely it is just some weird incident involving the
tabloids, and not part of a greater scheme. They said that somebody sent them the stuff in an envelope. Honestly, would that
be the terrorist order of priorities? The World Trade Center, the Pentagon, maybe the White House - and then America's scandal
sheets?
This week it seems as though we have been living a double life, or, more appropriately for the age of 24-hour cable news,
a split- screen life.
One side of the screen is "normal" existence. This is the life in which we go to the ball game, take the kids
to school and get outside to enjoy the first hints of fall weather.
Normal. Isn't that what our leaders say they want? A feeling of normalcy is what made it possible, say, to be at Tropicana
Field on Sunday to watch the Devil Rays play the New York Yankees for the last game of the regular season, or at Raymond James
Stadium to watch the Bucs hold off the Packers (whew).
But wait! Before the baseball game, President Bush comes on the big screen and announces that we are bombing the Taliban.
A cheer goes up. Then they go on with the ball game - almost as if, in this American League park, we had just heard an update
from the National League, and now were getting on with our local business.
There is no established etiquette for how to behave while your nation is launching air strikes. The general consensus
seems to be a somber approval by the majority (thankfully, not many people are yelling, "Yahoo!" and holding parties),
and unchanged opposition by the minority.
So far most Americans I talk to think the U.S. is getting it right. The attacks seem targeted enough. The president's
words were excellent when he explained to the world our war was not against Islam, or the Arab world. Limited strikes on terrorists
and the regime, food drops for everybody else - how often has that happened?
Did you watch the videotape of Osama bin Laden? Did you get the idea that he was expecting us to overreact, to flatten
Kabul or something like that, and was basing his prerecorded appeal on that assumption? If so we are beating him (and terrorism)
already.
Meanwhile, we go to work, go to the ball game, go to the mall (although not as much as the retailers want us to), and
return to "normalcy," or at least, what passes for normalcy a month after the worst terrorist attack in U.S. history.
Normalcy is playing on one screen.
Yet the other half of the story is that we are darned tense. It is just beneath the surface of almost every conversation.
That helicopter hovering in the sky, the prop plane circling overhead, each unusual thing draws extra notice. Say, isn't that
an unusual trail for a jet? There is nothing now that seems too incredible to believe.
Then there's anthrax. Naturally, it had to be in Florida, didn't it? Surely it is just some weird incident involving the
tabloids, and not part of a greater scheme. They said that somebody sent them the stuff in an envelope. Honestly, would that
be the terrorist order of priorities? The World Trade Center, the Pentagon, maybe the White House - and then America's scandal
sheets?
This is what I was saying Tuesday morning, just before grabbing a bite for lunch, coming back and getting my mail out
of the office mailbox. One letter, a standard business envelope, had my name scrawled in front with no return address. On
the back across the flaps was a sticker depicting the American flag, turned upside down.
I started to open it, and a few grains of something white, kind of like salt or sugar, poured out. There was more of it
inside. What would you do at this point? A month ago I would have read it and thrown it in the crackpot file. Now I announced
to the room in general, "Excuse me, I have an envelope full of white powder here."
Somebody called security. The police came, and then the Fire Department's hazardous materials team, who carefully sealed
it up and took it away. Everybody was efficient, professional and impressive. I apologized for taking their time, but they
said this was the right way to do things. I was glad they were there. Everybody including me said, about 100 times: better
safe than sorry. A new national motto."
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