300 Sacks Castor Beans Found In Iraq By U.S.Troops[per MSNBC]

MSNBC ^ | June 25, 2003 | vanity

[Lady In Blue]

I was watching TV this evening and started to flip cable channels when I saw a streaming on MSNBC on our forces finding castor beans. The following is a part of what their website said about it.

NBC News’ Jim Miklaszewski that within just the past week, U.S. investigators had found two shipping containers filled with millions of much more recent documents relating to chemical and biological weapons.

One of the documents, from 2001, was titled “Document burial and U.N. activities in Iraq,” the sources said. It gave detailed instructions on how to hide materials and deceive U.N. weapons inspectors, the sources said.

Other documents related to the concealment of VX nerve gas, the sources said.

The sources said U.S. troops also discovered about 300 sacks of castor beans, which are used to make the deadly biological agent ricin, hidden in a warehouse in the town of al-Aziziyah, 50 miles southeast of Baghdad, the capital. The castor beans were inaccurately labeled as fertilizer.

U.S. search teams have also been led to a site near Nasiriyah, a key Euphrates River crossing 200 miles south of Baghdad, where Iraqi informants said Scud missiles were buried.

Anybody else see this?

[Brad’s Gramma]

Saddam brigade

Nice way of putting that. It's sad but OH SO TRUE.

[Lady In Blue]

True. Do you remember where traces of ricin was found? A few months ago? I think it was in Paris in one or more of their subways. I maybe wrong but I think so.

[Lady In Blue]

hehehehe! You little rascal you!

[Lady In Blue]

Did you see the part about all of those DOCUMENTS?

What do you have to say to Saddam? He's the one who admitted that he had all of those chemicals/biological weapons? If you don't want to believe the intelligence agencies of the U.S.then maybe you believe Saddam and the U.N.

[alnick]

I guess that would explain the 2001 document with detailed instructions on how to hide material from UN weapons inspectors.

I'm curious. Why is it the idea that there are no WMD so all-fired important to you, to the point that you will argue against the facts?

[capitan_refugio]

That picture reminds me that after "Buck Wheat" grew up and retired from acting, he joined the Nation of Islam and changed his name.
He is now known as "Kareema Wheat."

[InvisibleChurch]

the left: beans? har har har!!! Bush is saying that coffee beans will kill us now!!! har har har!!

[Tamzee]

I'm curious. Why is it the idea that there are no WMD so all-fired important to you, to the point that you will argue against the facts?

Apparently ideology is more important than facts... Bush is not "conservative enough" for some folks here, so that makes him their political enemy. That mutates into irrational criticism of anything and everything they can try to grab onto to turn people against him.

[lowbridge]

U.S. OFFICIALS said the discoveries were not proof that Iraq had managed to build or obtain banned weapons of mass destruction, as President Bush asserted before the U.S. invasion of Iraq in March.

Did he assert that? Or is this MSNBC making things up?

http://www.bushcountry.org/bush_speeches/president_bush_speech_032003.htm

http://www.bushcountry.org/bush_speeches/president_bush_speech_031803.htm

http://www.bushcountry.org/bush_speeches/president_bush_speech_030703.htm

[bjcintennessee]

Just checked my recording of Hannity and Colmes tonight to look for their e-mail address for you, and discovered that they aired this same report Wednesday night.

For future reference, I think Hannity's e-mail is simply Hannity@foxnews.com.

[alnick]

I'm always suspicious of sentences that start, "U.S. Officials say." Which U.S. Officials and why aren't they named?

[SendShaqtoIraq]

I know they found some in England not long before we invaded Iraq

[Destro]

They read it and it did not register---cognitive dissidence.

[Mo1]

I wonder what John "Ketchup Boy" Kerry and Howard "Barney Rubble" Dean will say about this ?

They will be falling over themselves to get in front of the camera first and telling the public that they knew all along that our military would find them

[kayak]

For those who may not be familiar with UN Resolution 1441, it is an interesting read. One section of it states the following:

3. Decides that, in order to begin to comply with its disarmament obligations, in addition to submitting the required biannual declarations, the Government of Iraq shall provide to UNMOVIC, the IAEA, and the Council, not later than 30 days from the date of this resolution, a currently accurate, full, and complete declaration of all aspects of its programmes to develop chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons, ballistic missiles, and other delivery systems such as unmanned aerial vehicles and dispersal systems designed for use on aircraft, including any holdings and precise locations of such weapons, components, sub-components, stocks of agents, and related material and equipment, the locations and work of its research, development and production facilities, as well as all other chemical, biological, and nuclear programmes, including any which it claims are for purposes not related to weapon production or material;

All the emphasis is mine.

The complete text is here .... and it is surprisingly plain and easy to read.

U.N. Security Council Resolution 1441

[JohnHuang2]

Good catch!

[Brad’s Gramma]

Pretty cut and dried, if you ask me. Thanks for posting that!

[Brad’s Gramma]

FYI, #55

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Thanks!

Getting interesting, lots of pieces to the puzzle!

This is further proof of Iraq's emphasis on "dual use" chemicals, production facilities, etc. That was the strategy.

HatSteel ---I agree with your statement at #25. We certainly found lots of pesticides all over the place, at Military locations!!!!!

[Bonaparte]

"...the deadly biological agent ricin..."

Huh? Ricin is a toxin, ie. chemical agent, not a biological agent.