Posted on 10/26/2001 4:04:38 PM PDT by randita
ABC Radio News just reported that the coating on anthrax spores found in Sen. Daschle's office was the coating used by Iraq. Nothing further.
A government official with direct knowledge of the investigation has said that the totality of the evidence so far suggests it is unlikely the spores were originally produced in the former Soviet Union or Iraq."
I'm glad you provided that quote from the WP ...it seems to me it's a statement that was deliberately crafted to entrap the not very scientifically literate press.
The first part of the statement indicates that the coating technology is indicative of either the US, Soviet Union or Iraq.
The second part of the statement seems to eliminate the Soviet Union and Iraq (inferring the anthrax came from the US to the casual reader).
What it actually infers is that the original spore strain ...the Ames strain ...came from the US ...which is true.
Essentially, it says that the US originally provided the anthrax stock to the Soviet Union and Iraq ...this in no way eliminates Iraq from being the prime culprit as the source of the Daschle anthrax sample.
I would have to say I'd prefer this message.
George W. Bush, Jan 2002 "My fellow American's, I have just finished signing legislation outlawing the Iraq. The MX missiles just launched 25 minutes ago."
Question. Can the bentonite or residue be examined to locate geographically the place of origin of the bentonite used?
Bentonite is a diatomaceaous-type of clay which rapidly absorbs water/mosture. That sort of thing doesn't strike me as being very useful at coating particles of spores to make them either smaller or lighter.
But I suspect the rumor-mill around here will ignore such logic in favor of repeating things that are more likely to get a little excitement pumped into their boring lives...
(You're absolutely right about that; I have a sophomore at gcc.)
But who says there's a mad scientist cooking up anthrax at Slippery Slope who's right-wing? Matthews? More likely a left-wing Dr. Evil.
Do you get a lot of dust hanging in the air when you pour Tidy Cat kitty liter (ie., compare tidy cat to what happened to Daschle's office when the Anthrax letter was merely opened)?
When they in concert turned our heads with the notion just maybe we would have a hard time now getting al Qaeda this week, I saw the same made-for-public-consumption news. Keep on it, your hunches are right on, IMO.
The public is very sensitive to news right now and we are being played by both sides.
We can't lose sight of the big picture -- banks, oil, economies, nuclear weapons, governments, and those seeking to become world powers. When we get through all this, a whole lot will have shifted.
Supposedly the bentonite inhibits the tendency of the spores to clump together to form larger particles that don't stay airborne long enough to find the nostrils of infidels. The experts say the clumping tendency is the hardest problem to solve in weaponizing anthrax.
What is good about it is that it characterizes the location from which it comes since their are many signature differences varying with locale. I think rather than it being the chemical coat, it is either a dessicating additive or spore milling tool. But whatever -- it holds a signature in its composition!
One "boomer" could take care of the whole problem providing the U.S.
can get over their self-imposed guild trip.
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