Attn: Terrorists

If you are an Islamic terrorist, and you have somehow managed to stumble upon this little blog o' mine, please listen to this important strategic message. Whoever you are, if you know any terrorists, or of any ways to spread this message so that it might reach some terrorists, then please pass it along.

Using smallpox as a weapon might seem like an effective way to kill a lot of people, since the disease may spread among a large unvaccinated population. But there is no way to stop the spread, and it is bound to reach the Muslim world. Since the West has the most resources for dealing with smallpox, the people of the Muslim world are bound to suffer much more from the disease than the people of the West. Spreading smallpox will not help your cause -- it will mostly hurt people in poorer countries.

Thank you for your attention.

This message has been brought to you through the efforts of Matthew Yglesias and Mark Kleiman.