Observation 1 is Inherency

Squirrels have been running amok since 1975 when Executive Order 11870 banned the
most effective squirrel poison – other approaches require more personnel

Department of the Army Historical Summary, 2004 (27 August 2004,

http://www.army.mil/cmh/books/DAHSUM/1977/ch11.htm, accessed 3/13/2007 7:08 PM,
Google)

The ground squirrel population in that area has increased to a point where the rodents pose
threats on several counts. They are potential carriers of bubonic plague, cause damage to
buildings and facilities, reduce crop production, and compete with other wild life for available
food. Since 1971 the Army has not applied effective pest control measures at Fort Ord.
Resumption of these measures has been precluded since 1975 by Executive Order 11870, which
forbade the use on federal lands of "secondary poisons" which make the tissue poisonous to other
creatures. In the meantime, most private landowners adjacent to Fort Ord continued to use
pesticide 1080, a secondary poison. Although the Army submitted its environmental impact
statements in the winter and spring of 1977, it selected zinc phosphide, a less controversial
rodenticide, as the prime agent to fight the squirrel menace in the spring of 1978 when the
rodents would be most active and susceptible to control measures.

And, Military budget crunch has caused severe cuts in pest management personnel

Kuffner, 2006 (Charles, http://www.offthekuff.com/mt/archives/cat_national_news.html)

A "severe budget crunch" has hit Fort Hood, one of the nation's largest military posts and home
to a U.S. Army division serving in Iraq, officials said Thursday.

The funding squeeze forced the Central Texas installation to impose an immediate hiring freeze
and dramatic cuts in contracts with local providers of support services, officials said.

The move announced Thursday follows "significant internal steps to help manage existing funds
through the end of the fiscal year," an announcement from base headquarters said.

"Additional measures are necessary and will be implemented beginning (Thursday)," the
statement said.

In addition to the "100 percent civilian hiring freeze," other cutbacks will reduce custodial
contracts, on-post housing referrals, grounds maintenance contracts and government vehicle
contracts, officials said.

Additionally, pest management contracts were "severely" cut and other services were
"significantly" reduced, officials said.
Advantage 1 is the Power Grid

Now squirrels are once again on the rampage causing tens of thousands of power outages
yearly, and now is key – attacks have tripled in the past year

Gomez, 2007 (3-11-07, “Suicide squirrels driving utilities nuts”, Alan,

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-03-11-suicide-squirrels_N.htm)

Every year, Neil Engelman carefully collects his data, stands before his company's board of
directors and is asked the same question: What caused more outages? The lightning or the
squirrels?

Four of the past five years, the answer has been the squirrels, says Engelman, vice president of
operations for the Lincoln Electric System in Nebraska. Nebraska is not alone. Many states are
grappling with a big increase in the number of power outages caused by squirrel electrocutions.

Squirrels that fry themselves on power lines and transformers cause tens of thousands of
blackouts every year.

Some states have seen a massive jump in recent years in the number of such outages. In Georgia,
squirrel-related outages more than tripled from 5,273 in 2005 to 16,750 in 2006.

And, Electricity failures cause nuclear meltdowns

EIJ ‘2K (Earth Island Journal, Winter,
http://www.earthisland.org/eijournal/win2000/wr_win2000y2k.html)

The third type could happen if the electricity fails. Reactors depend on off-site electric power
to run cooling systems and control rooms, with emergency diesel generators for automatic
backup. Unfortunately, according to Olsen, even in the US these generators are "not even
90 percent reliable."…

"It takes only two hours without the cooling system functioning for reactor fuel to melt,"
Olsen says. Power failures also could cause "a meltdown of nuclear fuel storage pools ....
These pools must be cooled for at least five years."

Loss of off-site electrical power poses the most prominent risk to nuclear powerplant safety.
Reliable back-up power is needed immediately at each nuclear site. Fuel cells and gas turbines
are more reliable than diesel generators….

The US electric power grid is fragile. In 1996, two disruptions in one five-week period caused
190 generating stations (including several nuclear reactors) to shut down. On August 10,
1996, a sagging tree limb in Oregon caused a short that caused a blackout in California, Arizona
and New Mexico. Millions of people were left without power. In some regions, the blackout
lasted several weeks.
And, Meltdown kills millions and causes extinction by widespread sterility
Wasserman ’02 (Harvey, Senior Editor – Free Press, Earth Island Journal, Spring,
www.earthisland.org/eijournal/new_articles.cfm?articleID=457&journalID=63)

The intense radioactive heat within today's operating reactors is the hottest anywhere on
the planet. Because Indian Point has operated so long, its accumulated radioactive burden far
exceeds that of Chernobyl…

Infants and small children would quickly die en masse. Pregnant women would spontaneously
abort or give birth to horribly deformed offspring. Ghastly sores, rashes, ulcerations and burns
would afflict the skin of millions. Heart attacks, stroke and multiple organ failure would kill
thousands on the spot. Emphysema, hair loss, nausea, inability to eat or drink or swallow,
diarrhea and incontinence, sterility and impotence, asthma and blindness would afflict
hundreds of thousands, if not millions.

Then comes the wave of cancers, leukemias, lymphomas, tumors and hellish diseases for which
new names will have to be invented.

Evacuation would be impossible, but thousands would die trying. Attempts to quench the fires
would be futile. More than 800,000 Soviet draftees forced through Chernobyl's seething remains
in a futile attempt to clean it up are still dying from their exposure. At Indian Point, the molten
cores would burn uncontrolled for days, weeks and years. Who would volunteer for such an
American task force?...

As at Three Mile Island, where thousands of farm and wild animals died in heaps, natural
ecosystems would be permanently and irrevocably destroyed. Spiritually, psychologically,
financially and ecologically, our nation would never recover…

If so, the ticking reactor bombs that could obliterate the very core of our life and of all
future generations must be shut down.
Advantage 2 is the Utilities Sector

Squirrel attacks are dragging down the utilities sector

Gomez, 2007 (3-11-07, “Suicide squirrels driving utilities nuts”, Alan,

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-03-11-suicide-squirrels_N.htm)

Squirrels that fry themselves on power lines and transformers cause tens of thousands of
blackouts every year.

Some states have seen a massive jump in recent years in the number of such outages. In Georgia,
squirrel-related outages more than tripled from 5,273 in 2005 to 16,750 in 2006.

While the outages are usually smaller than ones caused by weather, they are costly. Georgia
Power officials estimate the rodents cost them $2 million last year. Stopping the squirrels is
costing utilities millions more dollars.

Austin Energy in Texas is alone spending over one hundred thousand dollars on squirrel
guards– WE DO NOT ENDORSE THE SQUIRREL GENDERED LANGUAGE IN THIS
CARD

UPI, 2006 (Dec. 25, http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Quirks/20061225-040356-2618r/, United Press International)

A report from the Austin Energy power company in Texas has revealed approximately 20 percent
of all its power outages are the result of squirrels. The Austin (Texas) American-Statesman
reports the rodents have a habit of coming into contact with sensitive electrical equipment on
utility poles and could likely be responsible for nearly 700 area outages a year."He's a formidable
foe," Austin Energy supervisor Karl Hauer admitted. "Ask anyone who has been stuck in traffic
or left in the dark because of a squirrel."By coming into contact with the poles' distribution
equipment, the critters quickly become a conduit for up to 7,200 volts of electricity.To fight the
increasing problem, Austin Energy is spending more than $100,000 annually to install deterrents
on equipment to keep the animals at bay.Yet many in the Texas city maintain such incidents
never occur and that energy companies simply use the squirrels as scapegoats when possible, a
charge Hauer strongly disputes."There is no truth to that," Hauer told the paper. "That might be
the lore, but who wants to carry around a dead squirrel?"
But squirrels cannot be stopped – they can only be killed; they will squirrel their way
around any barriers, making guards a waste of money

Gomez, 2007 (3-11-07, “Suicide squirrels driving utilities nuts”, Alan,

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-03-11-suicide-squirrels_N.htm)

In Lincoln, dubbed a Tree City USA by the National Arbor Day Foundation, "squirrel guards"
have been placed on all 19,391 transformers.

The guards vary. Some are plastic or silicone caps that protect the point where the power line and
the transformer meet. The "Critter Guard" features a flat disk that spins around whenever a
squirrel tries to climb past. Others deliver a minor shock to the squirrel to scare it off.

PECO, which powers Philadelphia and its surrounding counties, spends $1 million a year on
squirrel guards to stop outages from "those rascally little varmints," Engel said.…

But squirrels adapt to the technology, forcing the utilities to switch to different forms of what's
known in the business as "wildlife abatement technology."

"Whenever we think we've got them figured out, they try something else," Engelman said.

And, Electric sector is critical to the economy – any negative effects ripple quickly through
the economy

Singh, 1998 (Hon. Ganja Singh, Minister of Public Utilities, September 11,
http://www.ttparliament.org/hansard/house/1998/hh980911.pdf, accessed 3/12/2007 3:14 PM)

I would now look at the rationale of this Bill by exploring the following areas: the importance of
the utilities sector, global trends, local trends and the limitation of the present Public Utilities
Commission legislation and key provisions of the new legislation. The importance of the sector.
Vital and essential to life in a modern society, utility services constitute the infrastructural
foundations of the development process. The level and quality of the provision of these services
are generally regarded as direct measures of the quality of life or the standard of living in a
country. Providing infrastructure services to meet the demand of users is, therefore, one of the
major challenges of economic development. Utility services have strong linkages to the national
economy and to human well-being. Inefficiencies in the provision of these services are likely to
be felt quickly and throughout the economy and, thereby, impact adversely on the
competitiveness of the national economy and the quality of life of the people. Good utility
infrastructure, on the other hand, raises productivity, lowers production costs and improves the
quality of life of people.
And, Economic struggles in the U.S. directly affect Japan and China and quickly spread
globally

Frontline, 5-6-2005
[India's National Magazine, from the publishers of THE HINDU, Volume 22 - Issue 09,
http://www.frontlineonnet.com/fl2209/stories/20050506002012000.htm]

According to Tomomichi Akuta, an economist at the UFJ Institute in Japan, Japanese subsidiaries
in China exported around 4.9 trillion yen of electronics goods in 2004, of which 8 per cent were
direct exports to the U.S. The exports of electronics related items from Japanese firms to their
Chinese subsidiaries in that year were around 1.3 trillion yen. Of this, about 20 per cent was
linked to exports by these subsidiaries to the U.S. Further, about a third of the 846 billion yen of
unfinished goods exported by these subsidiaries to other Asian countries, were finally destined
for the U.S., Thus a slowdown in the U.S. would, at one remove, affect Japan as well. In fact, the
effect would be far greater than suggested by these figures since there are a number of non-
Japanese firms in China exporting to the U.S. that import capital goods, intermediates and
components from Japanese firms. What all this implies is that a slowdown in the U.S. can not
only rein in growth in the other major growth-pole in the world economy, China, but also have
ripple effects in the form of deceleration across the globe that can spiral into a major crisis.

And, Global economic collapse equals global nuclear war

Thomas Bearden, Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army, 2000 (June 24,
http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3aaf97f22e23.htm)

History bears out that desperate nations take desperate actions. Prior to the final economic
collapse, the stress on nations will have increased the intensity and number of their conflicts, to
the point where the arsenals of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) now possessed by some 25
nations, are almost certain to be released. As an example, suppose a starving North Korea
launches nuclear weapons upon Japan and South Korea, including U.S. forces there, in a
spasmodic suicidal response. Or suppose a desperate China-whose long-range nuclear missiles
(some) can reach the United States-attacks Taiwan. In addition to immediate responses, the
mutual treaties involved in such scenarios will quickly draw other nations into the conflict,
escalating it significantly. Strategic nuclear studies have shown for decades that, under such
extreme stress conditions, once a few nukes are launched, adversaries and potential adversaries
are then compelled to launch on perception of preparations by one's adversary. The real legacy of
the MAD concept is this side of the MAD coin that is almost never discussed. Without effective
defense, the only chance a nation has to survive at all is to launch immediate full-bore pre-
emptive strikes and try to take out its perceived foes as rapidly and massively as possible. As the
studies showed, rapid escalation to full WMD exchange occurs. Today, a great percent of the
WMD arsenals that will be unleashed, are already on site within the United States itself. The
resulting great Armageddon will destroy civilization as we know it, and perhaps most of the
biosphere, at least for many decades.
Advantage 3 is the Plague

New Bubonic Plague Mutations are frighteningly resistant to treatment – we must prepare
a response

UCG, 2003 (United Church of God, “Drug-Resistant Bubonic Plague”, Good News Magazine,
http://www.ucgportland.org/popups/gn9805e.html)

A case of bubonic plague was recently discovered in Madagascar, an island in the Indian Ocean
off the southeast coast of Africa. This is not the first case of bubonic plague discovered in recent
years. Rather, it is the first case identified that is resistant to multiple antibiotics, including the
ones commonly given to treat the plague.

Two years ago a 16-year old boy on Madagascar was diagnosed with a drug-resistant plague
bacterium. Three antibiotics were necessary to save his life. The isolated organism (Y, Pestis
bacterium) was found to carry five antibiotic-resistant genes. The antibacterial drugs that this
particular bacterium was resistant to were streptomycin, gentamicin, chloramphenicol,
tetracycline and various sulfonamide compounds. It was found susceptible to trimethropim.

Although similar multiple drug-resistant gene transfers have been found in other diseases-
causing bacteria, never before have they been found in bubonic plague, a disease synonymous
with debilitating epidemics and pandemics. Researchers don’t know whether the Madagascar
bacterium is rare or common, but they do know that it symbolizes the growing problem of
antibiotic resistance in human pathogens.

Stuart Levy of Tufts University Medical School cautions, “We now know this agent exists, and
have to be alert for it in other countries, where we know antibiotic resistance has emerged in so
many other bacteria.”

Drs. David Dennis and James Hughes of the CDC state that such incidents “provide another grim
reminder that emerging infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance in one location can pose
serious problems for the entire world.”
This response must include squirrel eradication – they carry bubonic plague

NBC, 2007 (“Santa Monica To Give Birth Control Shots To Local Squirrels”, March 5,
http://www.nbc4.tv/news/11173312/detail.html?subid=10101581)

Experts say squirrels are aggressive and may carry rabies or host fleas that can spread disease,
such as bubonic plague.
The larger the squirrel population, the greater the chance for infestation, which in turn could
expose humans and predatory animals to disease, Gail Van Gordon, a Los Angeles County
Health Services Department entomologist, told The Times.

Finally, resistant microbes are the greatest threat to humyn survival

Bruce Sterling February 1995 (science journalist) in Bitter Resistance

At the close of this century, antibiotic resistance is one of the gravest threats that confronts the
human race. It ranks in scope with overpopulation, nuclear disaster, destruction of the ozone,
global warming, species extinction and massive habitat destruction. Although it gains very little
attention in comparison to those other horrors, there is nothing theoretical or speculative about
antibiotic resistance. The mere fact that we can’t see it happening doesn’t mean that it’s not
taking place. It is occurring, stealthily and steadily, in a world which we polluted drastically
before we ever took the trouble to understand it.
We have spent billions to kill bacteria but mere millions to truly comprehend them. In our
arrogance, we have gravely underestimated our enemy’s power and resourcefulness. Antibiotic
resistance is a very real threat which is well documented and increasing at considerable speed. In
its scope and its depth and the potential pain and horror of its implications, it may be the single
greatest menace that we human beings confront – aside, of course, the steady increase in our own
numbers. And if we don’t somehow resolve our grave problems with bacteria, then bacteria may
well resolve that population problem for us .
Thus the Plan: The United States Federal Government should substantially increase the
number of persons serving in the Armed Forces by substantially increasing the pecuniary
and educational benefits as well as end strength for Pest Management (3E4X3) in order to
enable the National Guard to apply its pest control operations procedure to the emerging
squirrel crisis.

And, we aren’t extra T, it is already standard policy for the National Guard to do animal
control

Heath et al, 1998 (“Animals in Disasters”, Secretary/Treasurer, American Academy on 

Veterinary Disaster Medicine, http://training.fema.gov/EMIWEB/downloads/IS11Comp.pdf, 
accessed 3/12/2007 6:11 PM)

If your initial assessment requires resources beyond your local
capability, your State emergency management office should be
notified of this immediately. Most States require the chief
executive of the local government to officially request a
Governor’s declaration of disaster in order to obtain State
assistance. The local emergency program manager is
responsible for local damage assessment and the report to the
State emergency management office.
The State, acting on the information provided, will dispatch
personnel and equipment to the disaster area and assist in the
   National Guard
response and recovery effort. The      may be
   
asked to assist with animal care and control issues and animal­
related claims investigations. Detailed assessments and specific
requests for assistance will receive the most appropriate
response. If the State feels that Federal assistance is also
required, the State’s director of emergency management alerts
FEMA. FEMA may also dispatch representatives to the area.
The National Guard is already assigned to target pest disease vectors, it’s just that these are
subject to prioritizing

Pritt, 2002 (Douglass A., COL GS, Chief of Staff, “Integrated Pest Management Plan”,
http://www.mil.state.or.us/Agi-E/ORARNGRRegs/210-5/Regulations/PESTPLAN-TEXT.DOC.)

PRIORITY. Pest control operations will be prioritized at each facility, for reasons discussed
below, and conducted in the order shown below:
a. DISEASE VECTORS AND PUBLIC HEALTH PESTS
(1) Mosquito species found in Oregon have the potential to transmit St. Louis
encephalitis and Western equine encephalitis, although these diseases have not occurred in the
state for many years.
(2) Rabies has been found in Oregon, mainly in wild mammals.
(3) Plague has been found in field rodents located in the eastern and southwestern parts
of the State, and the hantavirus has been confirmed in rodents during tests at both Camp Rilea
and the Biak Training Center. The ORARNG Occupational Health Office has developed a
hantavirus exposure prevention program.
(4) Ticks may transmit disease organisms within the State. Tick-borne diseases include
Lyme disease, Colorado tick fever, tick-borne relapsing fever, and Rocky Mountain spotted
fever. Some ORARNG training sites were surveyed for ticks in 1992, with negative results for
target species. Since problems have occurred in adjoining states, ORARNG will periodically
complete additional surveys.
(5) Pest control operations will target all disease vectors and public health pests if they
are shown to be a problem. All persons engaged in pest control operations should ensure that
proper procedures are followed for all pest control operations involving disease vectors.
And the job description of Pest Management (3E4X3) is applicable

National Guard Career Detail, 2007

(http://www.goang.com/careers/detail.aspx?career=cf7123bb-e50b-4d45-a71f-22ed999743b8)

Pest Management (3E4X3)

Manages evaluates, and executes integrated pest management and environmental compliance,
hazardous materials and waste, and pollution prevention programs.
Alternate Titles:
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SPECIALISTS; ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENTISTS; AIR
POLLUTION ANALYSTS; SOILS ANALYSTS; INDUSTRIAL HYGIENISTS; AIR
QUALITY ANALYSTS; FOOD AND DRUG INSPECTORS; PUBLIC HEALTH
INSPECTORS
Duties and Responsibilities:
BACKGROUND
Performs integrated pest management functions. Conducts pest management surveys.
Determines pest management actions needed to control and prevent infestations of plant and
animal pests. Interacts with medical activities to control health hazards. Selects chemicals and
operates pesticide dispersal equipment. Provides maximum residual benefits consistent with
environmental protection parameters. Ensures compliance with applicable laws and directives.
Maintains tools, equipment, and facilities. Ensures correct use and maintenance of personal
protective and tools. Maintains facilities, equipment, and storage areas. Plans and coordinates
activities. Evaluates proposed work, determines resource requirements, and prepares cost
estimates. Identifies, budgets for, and acquires specialized equipment. Inspects facilities and
provides assistance to building managers on pest preventative and control practices. Maintains
historical databases, tracking systems, and profile sheets. Provides technical assistance to CE
hazardous material users and hazardous waste generators. Each military base is a small
community. The health and well-being of the residents and surrounding land is a major concern
of the services. Keeping military work places and living areas sanitary helps to prevent illness.
Environmental health and safety specialists inspect military facilities and food supplies for the
presence of disease, germs, or other conditions hazardous to health and the environment.