Really, if terrorists really wanted to commit mass genocide on us, wouldn't they just use a few spoonfuls of anthrax in the water supplies? That's the simplest form of bio-terrorism there is, I would think. Would they really bother setting out a virus that could possibly infect themselves, or their leaders, or the powers that be that actually control this world? Probably not. Though I'm inclined to think H1N1 is just a test run for a much larger virus distribution with more lethal means. While, I myself, am not too inclined to read books of this genre, I do watch movies based on books or in this genre. Look at 12 Monkeys, a biological terrorist type of activity happens on such a large scale that humans from the future try to send someone back to fix it. Fight Club was another good example of how easy it is to set up a following and commit acts of terror. I know there are several other movies that go along these lines as well. Are some murders that are depicted in books and movies copied by real life murderers? Sometimes. Will people stop publishing books about murderers and solving crimes? Probably not. If the FBI has any issues with it, as a possible concern, then they'll let you know here. Should you continue with the publication if they give you the green light... That is up to you. You did all this research for a reason didn't you? If you wanted it to not be something that could be realistically done wouldn't you have just made it up, rather than doing the research? Couldn't you change things, remove things, and restructure your story to eliminate the possibility of copy cats if you wanted to? These questions are things only you can answer. With most ethical dilemmas really only the person in it can choose the right path. No one else can say for certain what is right or wrong, since this problem is not black and white. I would imagine you would have realized the ethical issues while writing this novel a while ago, and if you really had doubts about publishing you wouldn't have finished it. To me that says you would rather publish it whether it poses any ethical concerns or not. Otherwise you wouldn't have finished it once you realized it could be used by terrorists as a real life scenario. Do you want the money from publication for your hard work and research? Or are you more concerned with the good of man kind if the odds aren't super high that a terrorist group could copy cat your work? I can't tell you what I would do because I'm not in that situation. Only you can decide...and...well the FBI.
prepare yourself to be taken aside at airport security checkpoints, too, salty!... and to find you're on a 'no-fly' list, as well... did you really think explaining what you want to write to the fbi would make them not worry about you?...
No-fly lists suck too, being on the no fly list automatically makes you unqualified to purchase firearms also. I'm sure the FBI are doing a thorough background check on you. As long as they don't find anything, they might be nice and not put you on the terror watch lists.
I'm not worried about those things. I've held a Top Secret security clearance, have family members involved in black technology programs, did two military tours (including Vietnam) and already own a crap load of weapons. If there was a problem, it would have surfaced long ago. And, they did seem genuinely appreciative that I would include concern for national security in my book's "research" phase. Did you know they have a "Publications Division" that constantly reviews such material?
That is actually pretty cool. I didn't think the FBI would care all that much about what goes to print. Do they make these reviews pre or post print? I wonder if they have the authority to pull a book from the shelves if it compromises national security. I would say i think the other members of the board are just plain paranoid, but then again i don't live in America. btw, if you need any help on your research of israel/israely security i'd be happy to help.
The Publications Division spends most of its time scrutinizing publications for such things as national security risks and compromise of classified information. They do not review manuscripts as a matter of regular activities. In my case, they became interested after I explained how my fictional "terrorists" would breech airport security. As I said, I do not claim to be more intelligent than the average person, but I suspect I stumbled onto a glaring weakness in our security system . . . and he shared that concern. The agent also wanted the details on my replication lab for breeding the lethal virus. I've sent the information they requested and I fully expect them to tell me go ahead with the book because they have already thought of everything I mentioned. As far as Israeli security, I'd be glad to send you a small excerpt from the manuscript, the one where an Israeli soldier trusts his instincts and confronts the terrorist. I'd appreciate your evaluation of the realism in the storyline. If you agree, I'll send it by email attachment.
