Journalists, diplomats, inspectors, and civil servants are being urged to evacuate the capital. A timetable of 48 hours has been given. "The Evil Doers will be rooted out and the Evil Ones punished," said one spokesman. However, as of midnight, Eastern Standard Time, there is no evidence that Washington residents are taking these warnings seriously. Needless to say, this is not a threat. I am 3000 miles away, relatively safe on my hilltop. Being the survivalist that I have been for much of the past 30 years, I have a pantry closet filled with canned goods, rice, cereal. And I have a generator, which I expect not to use much. And solar battery rechargers (sufficient to recharge AAs and Ds for my various small radios, even recharge my laptop...this in case my 24-packs of AAs and Ds run out, or my several lead cell battery packs, etc.). And I have my perimeter alarms, my solar-powered intrusion alarms, my rifles, my handguns, my shotguns, my other weapons, my water filters, my colleagues. I don't expect to need this stuff, but I am, as always, happy to be able to just stay at home on my hill and watch the chaos unfold. About the threat to Washington: I think it's relatively high. A nerve gas attack on buildings or the Metro seems likely. (The Japanese AUM cult had Sarin, but was inept. A more capable, military-trained operative has had many months to get into D.C. and wait for the obvious time to attack. And he need not even be a suicide bomber. A cannister of VX with a reliable timer is child's play. If I were Declan, I'd get out of Dodge. --Tim May