Sen. Leahy: West Nile Outbreak Could Be Terrorism

NewsMax ^ | 9/12/02 | Limbacher

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Pat Leahy, D-Vt., said Thursday that he suspects the recent outbreak of West Nile virus that has killed more than 30 Americans across the nation this summer is the work of terrorists.

"I think we have to ask ourselves, is it a coincidence that we're seeing such an increase in West Nile virus. Or is that something that is being tested as a biological weapon by the terrorists?" Leahy said in an interview with WKDR (Burlington, Vt.) radio host Mark Johnson.

"There are some people who, credibly, feel [the West Nile outbreak] is a test of our defenses and is a biological weapon."

Just as host Johnson attempted to grill the Vermont Democrat on his West Nile theory, the interview was interrupted by coverage of President Bush's address to the United Nations.

"I've never heard anybody mention West Nile virus as being a possible terrorist attack. What makes you say that?" the Vermont radio talker asked.

"It may be coincidence, the sudden increase [of West Nile cases]. Some of the same people who have ...," Leahy began to explain, just as WKDR broke in for coverage of the Bush speech.

Leahy unveiled his concerns about West Nile terrorism while recounting the anthrax attacks of last fall, when his Senate office was targeted by a weapons-grade sample of the deadly bioweapon.

[areafiftyone]

Wow - another "Rocket Scientist"!

[Bikers4Bush]

And me without my tinfoil hat.

[FryingPan101]

What? Did Senator Leaky get a Top Secret briefing or something?

[antivenom]

West Nile first break outs were documented much longer ago...

With the advent of airline travel, it is very conceivable that infected insects or a bird for that matter had "stowed away" on a flight and voila...

Then again knowing Leaky Leahy's track record...just may be another leak...he IS pretty good at that...LOL!!!

[areafiftyone]

Then again knowing Leaky Leahy's track record...just may be another leak...

Then perhaps we should send him some "DEPENDS" to stop those leaks! ;-)

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Who's the bigger terrorist? OBL or Pat Leahy?

It is a serious question.

[Desdemona]

Well, if this is true, it backfired, at least around here. We're in the middle of a drought. The mosquitoes have been really light compared to other years, like the flood year.

Seriously, the death rate would be much higher with more rain.

Even terrorists are inept at predicting the weather.

[SteamshipTime]

Wrong senator. West Nile Virus is spreading because (1) North African immigrants who carry the virus are coming here in droves; (2) federal swampland, er, wetland protection has vastly increased mosquito breeding grounds; (3) the EPA has banned all the effective pesticides.

The government will go to any lengths to avoid responsibility for its own actions.

[rundy]

I read something about this early last week in the paper (Deseret News, UTAH) indicating that quite possibly West Nile Virus is a first attempt by Sadman Hu-insane to use a bio weapon.

Some of the early evidence indicates, the article said, that many of the initial cases were in New York City and near the United Nations building. Furthermore, the story said Hussain had bragged that he was going to do such a thing.

rundy wishes he had written down the date and source of the story the paper published. Perhaps someone out there with the ability to do a lexis-nexis search could find it.       :-)

[Mitchell]

I think Leahy knows what's going on with both anthrax and West Nile virus.

By the way, there was apparently a book published in 1999, just months before the NYC outbreak, by an Iraqi defector; in it, he claimed that Saddam Hussein was preparing to release a modified form of West Nile virus with a 97% fatality rate. Notwithstanding the incorrect fatality rate, it seems like quite a coincidence: that somebody would say that a release of WNV as a bioweapon was in the works, just a few months before an actual outbreak. (I've done searches, and West Nile virus was not commonly in the news or otherwise referred to, until the NYC outbreak.)

[ResistorSister]

I think we have to ask ourselves, is it a coincidence that we're seeing such an increase in West Nile virus.

The increase is known as: Exponential Growth

[Destructor]

What a knucklehead!

[Thebaddog]

Is he still chasing those cow tippers?

[Diddle E. Squat]

Aha! This is Leahy's fig leaf to jump on board the attack Iraq bandwagon without angering his liberal allies. You see this West Nile Virus doesn't just kill people, it kills animals. Such a terrorist attack isn't just an attack on the US, but an attack on environmentalism. PETA will now approve the use of nukes.

[Sacajaweau]

He's talking about mosquitoes.

We're talking about nuclear warheads right now Mr. Leahy.

Pay attention Mr. Leahy!

Sac

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

The first thing I thought about was bait. Let's hope we're right.

[areafiftyone]

Thank you for stating some facts here. All this stuff about West Nile Terrorism is BUNK! West Nile has probably been around for decades but we haven't recorded it since the 1990's. Because it has Flu-like symptoms doctors probably just dismissed it as as nothing more than the Flu.

[thucydides]

Could the presence of Leahy in the US Senate be some kind of secret terrorist plot? Putting a stupid leftist in the Senate would be a great way to sabotage our country.

[not too stupid]

Do you know that 60,000 people die per year from flu. What are we talking about from west nile virus: 30 deaths. If Iraq is using this as a bio weapon, they need to go back to the drawing board.