[aristeides]

If you're going to do a field trial, why do it in a way that puts your opponent on his guard? Why not do it inconspicuously, under the radar screen?

[Clive]

Why not do it inconspicuously, under the radar screen?

See reply 26 by Don Joe.

Don, if you are not going to use mutated anthrax, your field try will have to follow quickly on your trials before the boffins at Fort Detrick and Atlanta can come up with an effective defence and the government can put it in place.

OTOH if you already have a tested mutated anthrax and just need to test distribution modalities, hold your mutated strain in reserve and don't let the Fort Detrick boffins get an advanced look at it.

Testing a disease is not as tough as testing distribution, especially if you have no compunctions against risking lives.

[Vinomori]

I agree with you. All this devious "field trial" stuff gives them much more credit than they deserve. Too many LeCarre novels. These are not Smiley's people. These are crude, banal, animalistic, boxcutter-low life with the most basic and primitive Shoot My Wad mentality there is. There isn't a lot of cunning here, it's just that WE have been even more stupid than they are, with our Clintons grinning and selling weapons to the Chinese for campaign contributions and biting our lower lips, we are even more stupid than these banal animals. It's really a game of Weakest Link right now.Who will be more stupid. Who will even be fatally stupid?:::::"He loved animals. He was drinking little spores from a pond in the woods. It must be the Unabomber or right wing talk radio. Garden variety, anyway. Let's not look like techno-bullies. Let's learn from Rodney King."