Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

FEDS FEAR KILLER DELIVERED SPORES
New York Post ^ | 11/23/01 | MURRAY WEISS

Posted on 11/23/2001 12:45:27 AM PST by kattracks

Edited on 05/26/2004 5:02:23 PM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]

November 23, 2001 -- The twin mysteries of how two women - one a hard-working Manhattan hospital clerk, the other a frail Connecticut retiree - contracted inhalation anthrax have raised the specter of the saboteur delivering the lethal doses in person, instead of by mail.


(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...


TOPICS: Anthrax Scare; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS:
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 121-131 next last
To: SmartBlonde
What do we buy at stores that we inhale, breathe in, sniff, smell, or put up to our mouths or noses? Kleenex? Perfume?
21 posted on 11/23/2001 7:31:19 PM PST by Fred25
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: Fred25
Good suggestions! My vote would be for Kleenex, Puffs, or other disposable tissues. If it were put on at the factory, there would be no evidence of tampering. Since Kleenex is usually thrown out after use, there is no evidence. It could even be Kleenex at the beauty shop...hence no anthrax in the house. Dittos for the lady who died in New York.

Very scary. I have scared myself!

22 posted on 11/23/2001 7:38:59 PM PST by Miss Marple
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 21 | View Replies]

To: kattracks
We wondered about the family members of the 94yr old. A grandson, maybe the one who did all the others.
23 posted on 11/23/2001 7:40:06 PM PST by Ditter
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SmartBlonde
Those are many good points,the Leahy angle bothers me,too.And you're right,how come no mail carriers have been exposed?
24 posted on 11/23/2001 7:41:03 PM PST by cardinal4
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: Doctor Stochastic
Cigarette? If someone put anthrax into a cigarette if the particles were small enough would they go through the filter? Probably since they would be so small. If the person smoked when they were out, they might not even get any on their clothing and any residue on the hands gone when they washed their hands. She didn't look like a smoker though. But a thing to ponder. There was another thread where someone posted that the was a smoke shop located nearby to her house owned by muslim?(anyone who remembers let us know).
25 posted on 11/23/2001 7:42:53 PM PST by teresat
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]

To: Fred25
Cigarette?
26 posted on 11/23/2001 7:44:41 PM PST by teresat
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 21 | View Replies]

To: Miss Marple
Your Kleenex Puffs theory is worth sending to the FBI as a suggestion. I was thinking that the spores could also be put in talcum powder then returned to a store (like the Tylenol) but I'm sure the HazMat people would have checked any that was in her home.
27 posted on 11/23/2001 7:55:40 PM PST by JulieRNR21
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies]

To: SmartBlonde
SmartBlonde, you asked the following ...
8. Why attack the Enquirer in FL first? Of all the targets available, why choose a relatively benign little tabloid? Why not People magazine?
It was not just the Enquirer but it was AMERICAN Media. AMERICAN. In the terrorists' twisted minds they may have associated American Media with America/Americans. After all, what do you see at EVERY check-out counter in America? At least one if not more of American Media's publications.
Just a thought.
28 posted on 11/23/2001 8:04:15 PM PST by zeaal
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: teresat
Good point. One of the mysteries about the death of the lady from NYC is that they did not find any anthrax on her clothing either. There has to be a method of delivery that is occuring that goes directly into someone and misses 'spillage' on clothing and surrounding areas. Hmmm?
29 posted on 11/23/2001 8:07:43 PM PST by zeaal
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: Slyfox
How scary? What if these two women were part of a 'testing' by the terrorist to see what methods of delivery are most effective? What if others have been exposed and for some reason their exposure method was not effective enough and they did not get anthrax?
30 posted on 11/23/2001 8:10:19 PM PST by zeaal
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: SmartBlonde
I think there are MANY strange things about this anthrax business.

1. If the Daschle anthrax was so potent and the sample so large, then why aren't Daschle staffers sick? To my knowledge, none developed skin or inhalation anthrax. The nasal swabs tested positive for 29 or so, but that's the last we heard.

All of Daschle's staffers were immediately treated with Cipro, unlike the postal workers.

2. If the Daschle and Leahy envelopes were sealed with tape to prevent the 'powder' from spilling, then it seems very strange to me that enough powder could have leaked onto the mail machines to make those workers so sick.

One of the networks did a demonstration with some kind of powder. They placed a small amount in an envelope, taped it shut and sent it through a machine at the post office. It was scary how much powder leaked through the miniscule holes in the envelope.

3. The one mail worker worked on the docks unloading mail - so we are to believe the powder came out of the envelope, into the bag (closed) and into the AIR on the dock and then inhaled in large enough quantity to kill someone?

I don't know, it's possible that he did come into the facility for bathroom breaks, etc. and became infected inside the building.

4. Why is there no evidence of mail CARRIERS developing anthrax? They, after all, handle the mail twice. Getting it out of the box, and unloading it into the post office.

I know that the theory is that whoever mailed the anthrax went directly to the post office with it. I know that the FBI was checking the blue boxes but I haven't seen any follow up to that.

5. The lady in CT appears to have no family but then niece. Since the niece is her heir and will inherit soon anyway (the doctor said the old lady's health was rapidly failing), I can't see that she would be stupid enough to draw attention to herself in this way. Additionally, how did she get anthrax to do the deed? If it is available on the farm, she would have to know where to get it, how much to get, how to get her aunt to inhale it, and then hope that the health officials would miss the fact that her anthrax was different from the D.C. anthrax. That seems to be a stretch.

I agree.

6. Why did the letter writers go to all the trouble to look up the zip codes of Daschle, Brokaw, the Post, etc, and then make a mistake with Leahy's zip code, causing that piece of mail to be re-routed to the State Department?

I'm going to do a search for Leahy's address. (I have to find the picture of the envelope first so I know what zip code to look for). Somebody posted here, (on one of Alamo-girl's threads), that the envelopes were addressed exactly how they were listed on the internet. Example, the word building spelled out and on a second line. Is it possible that some internet site has a bad zip code for Leahy and they copied it down as it was listed? I'll look.

7. I wonder if the FBI is checking on sales of Cipro BEFORE September 11? Of course, it's possible they brought Cipro with them to the US, but still, I haven't heard anyone address this issue.

The closest I have read about this are two items. One is the pharmacist in Florida near the AMI building who believes that two of the highjackers came in to his drugstore. One had a rash on his hands and the other had a bad cough and was asking for something to treat it. The pharmacist gave the guy with the rash some ointment and the other guy some over the counter cough syrup and told him he'd have to see a doctor and get a prescription if he wanted antibiotics. The other was the recent article where the FBI went into a home in I think it was Pennsylvania? Some of them had hazmat suits on and they removed several bags of something from the house. The man was a local elected official and his wife was on Cipro. She said it was for a pelvic inflamation.

8. Why attack the Enquirer in FL first? Of all the targets available, why choose a relatively benign little tabloid? Why not People magazine?

A test? The anthrax that was delivered to AMI was not as finely milled as the Daschle, & Leahy anthrax. Atta lived very near AMI and tried to rent a crop dusting plane near there too. Bob Stevens' editor's wife rented the apartment to Atta.

9. If it is right-wing 'terrists', then why target the Enquirer? I could probably understand Daschle, but Leahy is a stretch. Only real news junkies would know the significance of Leahy and the Judicial Committee.

The only thing I can think of, (and this might help with the connection to the Connecticut woman who just died), is that the person mailing the anthrax is from CT, or recently lived there. Leahy is a senator from CT so the name would be familiar to him/her.

Many other thoughts, but will save them for later.

Good questions, they made me think! Please Ping me if you have the answers to any of the questions I raised. Thanks!

31 posted on 11/23/2001 8:14:27 PM PST by terilyn
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: Miss Marple
I also am wondering about the possibility that anthrax has been responsible for many fatal cases of pneumonia in the elderly but no one thought to test for it.

Yes, I've also wondered whether anthrax has been around for awhile but, as you said, no one tested. Case reported in Chile this week too, might have been an agricultural worker exposed to animal anthrax spores.

32 posted on 11/23/2001 8:17:53 PM PST by PoisedWoman
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: terilyn
Leahy is NOT a senator from Connecticut.
33 posted on 11/23/2001 8:18:16 PM PST by teresat
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 31 | View Replies]

To: JulieRNR21
A bouquet of flowers? Either sent or at a store. The flowers die and are thrown away with no one the wiser. Just a less than happy thought.
34 posted on 11/23/2001 8:22:08 PM PST by skr
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies]

To: Buck Turgidson
Thank you Buck Turgidson. It seems like we get a new "grasp at straws" by the officials and the commenting public with each new case of Anthrax. I truly believe that we are only going to become aware of the magnitude of the problem when individuals start talking to others whom have had a niece, or uncle, or friend, or neighbor get pneumonia with ultimate recognition of Anthrax. "Background Anthrax" is just another rabbit trail.
35 posted on 11/23/2001 8:23:44 PM PST by infominer
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: terilyn
Your# 31) Very interesting comments!!
Please, keep them coming!
Thanks
36 posted on 11/23/2001 8:23:54 PM PST by maestro
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 31 | View Replies]

To: kattracks
God Help Us All...

The FBI has offically lost their freaking mind...

How much longer before they'll be phoning into the Art Bell Show asking for ideas and any leads his guests might be able to provide...

37 posted on 11/23/2001 8:24:10 PM PST by The Magical Mischief Tour
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: skr; Miss Marple
Certainly a possibility...our first instinct when getting flowers is to sniff the fragrance....she could have bought or gotten the flowers a couple of weeks ago and there would be no trace in the house....same possibility with the NY woman who worked in a hospital....lots of flowers sent to patients.
38 posted on 11/23/2001 8:26:33 PM PST by JulieRNR21
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 34 | View Replies]

To: Myrddin
Neither of these women were "high value" targets in the same sense as nailing a significant government official. Where is the terror element in taking out two women?

Two women, with no real reason to be overly concerned, just like any other two women, or any other two people. To me that sounds more like a terror element than sending it to someone who probably gets a couple hundred pieces of hate mail a day.

I think the FBI should be grasping at straws if that is what you want to call it, I'll call it doing anything and everything to find the murderer(s) and applaud them.

39 posted on 11/23/2001 8:27:39 PM PST by !1776!
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Miss Marple
I think that these two women may have been 'targeted' presicely because whoever did the targeting found them to be easily and readily accessable and precisely because they were just ordinary folks...doesn't that frighten you more than the prospect that all earlier victims were either with the media (or had contact with the media facilities) or with the postal service, or were politicians? Logically, then, those 98% of us who were none of the above could feel somewhat at ease. These kinds of random victims make it much more likely that the NEXT victim could be anyone anywhere...
40 posted on 11/23/2001 8:34:57 PM PST by krunkygirl
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 121-131 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson