Iraq attempted to smuggle anthrax to U.S., Britain

World Tribune ^ | Saturday, October 27, 2001 | MIDDLE EAST NEWSLINE

[Professor Jim]

BTT

[MHGinTN]

The neutron bomb ... and what am I doin' pacin' your posting? Hmmmm

[dighton]

You know I have a weakness for kitties. If I wuz to steal one from your home page, 't would be for some worthy cause.

[MHGinTN]

I tried to use Felix for my screen name, but someone already had it. I suppose I could use a numerical designation with it though. Hmmmmm

[John Jamieson]

Our government is trying SO HARD to tell us that it's NOT Iraq, that it must be. I hope W goes on TV soon and says,"Fooled you, we just wiped out Iraq this afternoon. Nothing left, nil, zelch, gone. It was prudent"

[Rightwing Conspiratr1]

Our government is trying SO HARD to tell us that it's NOT Iraq, that it must be. I hope W goes on TV soon and says,"Fooled you, we just wiped out Iraq this afternoon. Nothing left, nil, zelch, gone. It was prudent"

I sincerely hope so. But then I'm afraid denial isn't just a river in Egypt.

[Nuke'm Glowing]

Yeah, but that requires our military and political leaders growing a backbone. Right now this is beginning to smell alot like Vietnam again.

[enigma]

"Dany Shoham, a research associate at Tel Aviv University's Begin-Sadat Center of Strategic Studies, said the regime of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein attempted to bring biological weapons agents into Britain and the United States in 1998. The attempt was reported by Israeli intelligence. "

I guess now we know why we've been vaccinating our military against anthrax since 1998. It appears our government knew of this threat.

[toddst]

George W. and his advisors have the resolve it takes to get this job done. It's way too early to be critical of the military plan or actions taken. No parallel to Vietnam can be drawn at this point. As George W. said, this is a different kind of war.

[Tunehead54]

This report makes no sense. First of all, we know that Iraq, Russia, and the US all used different methods to make the anthrax air-borne. We would know by now if the stuff found here was the Iraqi variety. That doesn't seem to be the case.

Also, the terrorists couldn't just transfer it from a flask to envelopes in an ordinary motel room. Even if they wore masks, there would be motel workers or later occupants with symptoms. Where are they?

The stuff sure seems like it was "Made in the USA".

Jeez - where to begin? Its been reported that the samples in the senate used Bentonite for optimum aerosol qualities - an Iraqi technique.

It would be trivial to construct an airtight box with a glass top with chemical gloves for manipulation. Pop in your vial, envelopes and letters, plastic bag for the letters, bleach for clean up.

Lastly, if you can't find any evidence of where it was made why would you conclude that its "Made in the USA"?

[politeia]

Your post makes me wonder why there is so much effort by the administration to convince us that this is a homegrown, right wing anthrax threat despite all the evidence that it is related to Islamic terrorists. The same thing happened after Oklohoma City and Waco. It seams like the only opportunity the US public has to get uncensored, uncontrolled and unmanipulated "truth" is in the first few hours after the event, before the political controllers get into gear and start steering the "facts" and the news to a desired conclusion.

For example, how can anyone assume that knowing where the strain of Anthrax originated would tell us anything about who is mailing it? Do you suggest that Islamic terrorits could not obtain strains from Iowa? Why reject the letter writers claims of association with 9/11 acts when we have no reason to? So far, we have heard no real evidence of right wing involvement but plenty of information connecting it to Iraq, yet we still witness the media/government pushing the right wing speculation. Why? Who benefits by changing public opinion on this? I have concluded from the past 10 years that our government will lie to us or will tell us truth, which ever seems to benefit their agenda at the time. I smell the coverup and the media manipulation starting on this already and shame on us if we fall for it.

[Vinomori]

Don't worry, the truth always comes out. You can't hide the truth. The truth is stronger than all of us put together. There is no way the government, filled with self-contradictory politicians and back-stabbing bureaucrats, can contain the truth. The truth blows past them into the daylight. No way even Nixon or even Clinton could hold back the truth. There's always John Dean. There's always a famous blue dress with the stain of a pervert on it. The truth wins, over and over. Liars lose. Over and over. Do you think OJ Simpson and Bill Clinton are happy right now? Happy, deeply fulfilled people? No. They are desperate. Because the truth has torn them apart.

[Seeking the truth]

Even if they wore masks, there would be motel workers or later occupants with symptoms.

Based on your own premise, where are the "Made in the USA" people with such symptoms?

[Clinton's a rapist]

Put yourself in Dubya's position. A few weeks ago, he learned that Iraq was threatening to use weapons of mass destruction against us, should we move against Saddam in retaliation for 9/11. What's he going to do, rush out and announce it to the world? The range of options available in this situation is very limited, and all are pretty frightening. Basically, he can give into biowar blackmail, or string this out and prepare a response that will take Saddam out while minimizing the casualties we take in return. The longer we wait, the more time there is to build up antibiotics stocks and mobilize our civil defense system. Don't be surprised if the "mystery" of the origin of the anthrax stays a "mystery" for some time to come. Also, the anthrax campaign may not ramp up and may even taper off, now that the message has been delivered. It is not in Iraq's interests to tweak our tail any more. Once a credible threat to kill millions of Americans has been presented, they don't really need to do anything but sit back and wait.

[afuturegovernor]

The funny thing is that we could wipe out Iraq today and if we didn't tell anybody aboutit, nobody would notice for weeks that it was gone.

[itsahoot]

Yes, nothing to see here, we already know it's the right
wing people doing the anthrax.

Absolutely, I heard it on the news at 11:00, last night, with my own ears. Lets move on here nothing to see, don't you know the attorney general is doing all that he can.

[speekinout]

Its been reported that the samples in the senate used Bentonite for optimum aerosol qualities - an Iraqi technique.

That report hasn't been confirmed. But even if so, Bentonite is widely available here, and probably would be what a small lab would use.

It would be trivial to construct an airtight box with a glass top with chemical gloves for manipulation.

OK. (Although airtight is not that trivial) And how do they get it into the mail system? See below.

Lastly, if you can't find any evidence of where it was made why would you conclude that its "Made in the USA"?

If this stuff came from overseas, how did they get it here without any spores being released until either the NJ or MD post offices? If the envelopes were leaking spores that readily, they sure were leaking them from near the point of origin.

[speekinout]

Your post makes me wonder why there is so much effort by the administration to convince us that this is a homegrown, right wing anthrax threat

When did they do that? I have been wondering why the admin. doesn't point out that only left leaning types got the envelopes. I think that should be a clue, but I don't know what it means.

despite all the evidence that it is related to Islamic terrorists.

What evidence is that? I've been watching and haven't seen any.

The same thing happened after Oklohoma City and Waco.

After Ok City, people were quick to blame Arabs, but McVeigh wasn't an Arab, was he? On Waco - well, neither Koresh nor Reno were Muslims.

For example, how can anyone assume that knowing where the strain of Anthrax originated would tell us anything about who is mailing it?

Yes, knowing where it came from would tell us a lot. You can't just stuff envelopes with Anthrax in your kitchen without leaving traces. We could find out exactly whgo did it by following the tracks back to the source.
And I have no guess as to the politics or nationality of the perpetrators. There are wacky people of all descriptions.