It is simply a test for efficacy of the vector for future action with a much more potent pathogen. But by whom????
Wow, talk about loaded questions! :)
Offhand I can only think of two broad categories of possible actors -- "us" or "them" -- and as cynical as I am, I can't quite bring myself to accept that its "us" (and yes I know of the history of similar "tests" of (ahem) "harmless" pathogens in various locations to determine how they would spread during a real attack.
That leaves us with "them" -- and I think there's quite a lot to support the "them" hypothesis. Just off the top of my head, we have stuff like:
* They hate us
* They are sociopathic bastards, with no restraint against such unconscionable acts against us
* They have made threats along the lines of attacking us via this sort of thing (caveat: I am 99% sure I recall reading of these threats having been issued but I can't remember when or which agency reported it)
* We have a large undefended border with a less-than-friendly state which is used as a conduit for middle eastern muslims entering this country
* We are extremely vulnerable to this sort of attack, and, we have no real way to either prevent it from happening, or, protect ourselves from it after it happens. If the toxin was something more deadly, more insidious -- either something with a higher fatality rate and a very short latency time, or, something with a high fatality rate and a LONG latency time, we'd be screwed. Straight into horror movie territory.
What I find the most surreal is the apparent lackadaisical approach taken by "our leaders" -- they either don't take it seriously, or, are working overtime to convince us that they don't take it seriously. Neither is a comforting thought. On the one hand, we're being "protected" by morons; on the other, by liars.
Finally, all of the above is based on this "event" being taken out of context. Putting it IN context -- a scenarion in which we are enduring what I consider to be an ongoing act of war, tantamount to a naval blockade, with the goal of destroying our economy -- and which, by all appearances, WILL succeed in destroying our economy -- and in the process, us (I fully expect there to be tens if not hundreds of thousands of Americans freezing to death this winter -- and that will be the ones who haven't first starved to death).
Something is terribly amiss. Hell, everything is terribly amiss. And, the combined forces of the media and the state are engaged in a "nothing to see here, folks" strategy.
I presume that THEY are meanwhile stocking THEIR larders, making sure they will have nice, warm, safe "secure locations" to hibernate come autumn. I guess it's in THEIR interest to keep US at our posts, so that THEY will be able to go about their business of preparing for things without interruption. Gosh, imagine how rough it'd be for them if WE stopped the presses and began hunkering down ourselves?
Damn, I am in a foul, cyinical mood, aren't I.
Even so, I still believe that it's most likely that the actors responsible for the "non-tomato" event are "them" rather than "our leaders" -- if for no other reason than "our leaders" being too busy making sure that "Mount Weather" and "Site R" and all the other warm cozies are shipshape, cupboards filled, and ready to host them and theirs come first chill wind of fall.