In some sense. containers could be the 21st century "Trojan horse." The vulnerabilities of containers are evident when one considers a recent incident that occurred in Seattle. In May. several Chinese nationalists illegally smuggled themselves within a shipping container that made its way to Seattle. Now. they were discovered. fortunately. but think if that container had. instead of including illegal Chinese immigrants seeking a better way of life. included individuals. terrorists. who were dedicated to destroying our way of life. The container has also been called "the poor mans missile" because a lowbudget terrorist could ship one across the Atlantic or the Pacific to a U.S. port for just a few thousands dollars. And the contents of a container do not have to be as complex as a nuclear or chemical or biological weapon. As former Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Robert Bonner told the New York Times last year. a single container packed with readily available ammonium sulfate fertilizer and a detonation system could produce 10 times the blast that destroyed the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. Whatever the type of weapon. an attack on an American port could cause great loss of life. damage our energy supplies and infrastructure. cripple retailers and manufacturers dependent on justintime Inventory. prevent farmers from exporting their crops. and hamper our ability to move and supply American military forces. Earlier this year.
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