01.05.11

Protecting rich old duffers at country clubs from bioterror

Posted in Bioterrorism, War On Terror at 2:55 pm by George Smith

Coming straight in from the I-sh**-you-not desk is this press release on bioterror defense.

It announces a Ph.D dissertation from Kansas State grad student Dave Olds, entitled … wait for it … “Food Defense Management Practices in Private Country Clubs.” All 200 pages of it — here — published for the K-State Dept. of Hospitality Management and Dietetics.

The abstract, in part, reads:

“The purpose of this study was to survey country club professionals’ importance perceptions of food defense and the frequency with which preventive practices were implemented in their clubs to prevent bioterrorism.”

“Most club managers stated that they did not think their clubs were at risk of a bioterror attack,” it continues, an assertion which would seem beyond dispute.

The dissertation informs that as of 2008, “there were 6,000 private country clubs in North America.”

“These clubs represented extensive financial assets … Country clubs are exclusive and cater to the affluent, with initiation fees charged to new members as high as $250,000.”

Presumably, this means they ought to be able to afford bioterror defense.

Since turnover is obviously high in the servant class to the rich, country club owners find employee background checks cost prohibitive.

But “[because] country clubs are often exclusive and cater to the wealthy and influential members of society, they could be selected as potential targets for would-be terrorists,” it asserts.

Therefore, servant food service employee infiltration could be one gateway for an attack, it is reasoned.

But back to the press release which has this gem of a recommendation:

Move ice-makers to more secure locations where they can be monitored. “So many times these machines are kept out of the way, but ice is a heavily used product,” Olds said. One of the country clubs he visited kept the ice-maker on a dock outside the building.

The dissertation describes various documented terror attacks — none seemingly specifically aimed at the affluent, the influential, or ice-machines on country club boat docks.

Kansas State, it should also be noted, recently lost to Syracuse in the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium, 36-34.

The only case of country club terrorism DD could find.

Permalink