[terilyn]

Win one for the Gipper! God Bless You Reagan, We Will Never Forget Your Great Service and Leadership - We here on FR will carry on your great work with diligence. Thanks for the Memories and Inspiration!

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[ghostrider]

I have been wondering about the source of this every since it was first reported near the UN. It has spread all over the US, but I don't hear anything about it going into Canada or Mexico. Every since the government classified the Kennedy assisination data (i.e. hid it from the American public), I have been alert to the dis-information, cover-ups and outright lies that the government gives to the people. The US Government has no more credibility than does a screeching palistinian peasant. There is no way we will ever know what is really threatening us.

[jackbill]

On Friday, Roger Hedgecock - sitting in for Rush Limbaugh - made some mention of this. I don't know where he got his information, maybe a "gut feeling".

He alluded to the fact that the migration pattern of a lot of birds takes them over Cuba. Which begs the question: Could Fidel be tinkering with birds on their way north? Or allowing someone else to do the tinkering?

[DreamWeaver]

Sounds, at least to me, like: "Good luck, we are all on our own."

You got THAT right !! And that goes for all aspects RE: our safety, just don't think the govt is going to do it for you. We are on our own, yet I see too many people that have become very complacent...

[jjhunsecker]

Lets not forget another possibility in this. The Plum Island Reseach Lab run by the Dept. Agriculture that is right off Long Island New York. A lot of research concerning Anthrax and other possible biological agents are tested there. It has long been believed that a lot more goes on there than has ever been admitted to by the gov.
If you look at the pattern of when West Nile first appeared in New York is looks as through ground zero is Plum Island. What may have happened is than contrary to what the Gov. says a strain of West Nile being studied there may have gotten loose and this catastrophe is one of our Gov.'s own making.

[Carry_Okie]

I have seen unsubstantiated reports of Iraquis seeking to cooperate with Cuba to develop their bio-warfare capability. Supposedly, the Iraquis supplied the virus to the Cubans and birds were injected with the virus in Cuba and released. Cuba has one of the most advanced biowarfare and gene-manipulation operations in the world. That a third whirled country should devote so much of their energies to that one field should indeed be concerning.

The real problem with that (and a real tickler for conspiracy buffs) is that we hear so little about that Cuban Bio-warfare program. They didn't even make it into the "Axis of Evil" club.

I have given up on the CDC ever since they violated every known public health principle with regard to HIV by playing down its lethality and ignoring the use of quarantine. CDC effectively advanced the progress of the AIDS epidemic by decades.

[ladyinred]

All of this stirs me to question whether the United States could already be the target of a low-grade biological attack, courtesy of our foes in the Middle East.

A question I am sure many of us wonder about.

[fella]

The birds that it is claimed are the main vector of this disease migrate to and from South and Central America. Has West Nile beeen reported in any of these nations?

[backhoe]

-West Nile Virus- some basic information--

[Johnny Shear]

Ken Hamblin is a rambling old fool.

[JCG]

Health officials had assured the nation that the sudden appearance of the disease in New York City in 1999 was nothing more than a minor infestation.

And, the first anthrax death was just an "isolated case," nothing to worry about; and the shoe bomber was just an "isolated nut," nothing to worry about; and Ahmed "Dirty Bomb" Padilla (or whatever the hell his name is) is just an "isolated fanatic," nothing to worry about.

Well, I'm worryin'.

America's Fifth Column ... watch PBS documentary JIHAD! In America
New Link: Download 8 Mb zip file here (60 minute video)

[Iscool]

Where's the dead birds....There ought to be millions of dead birds all over our lawns...In fact, there ought to be an epidemic of dead dear, bear and all the other wild creatures out there...Not to mention horses, cows, cats and dogs...

How many bird species fly from Cuba to Oklahoma??? Or New York to Colorado???

[FlyVet]

All of this stirs me to question whether the United States could already be the target of a low-grade biological attack, courtesy of our foes in the Middle East.

I think it's possible, but why would they limit themselves to "low-grade"? It's also possible the virus got here in a load of produce or something. Not to discount the damage it has done, because people have died, and that's a bad thing. But putting some perspective on it, I wonder how many have died from the common cold, or the flu, or pneumonia in the past year? I'd bet quite a few more than have died from this virus.

[blam]

I don't know why this is not headline News?

Doctors Link Polio To West Nile Virus

[XBob]

they just had a note on the news that a guy just died from Rabies, the first such death in the US in 50 years. They theorized that he was bitten by a bat????? Guess we have lots of vampire bats here? Saadaam, when did you send us vampire bats?

[Snowy]

Here's a current chart of cases/deaths by state.

http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/wncount.htm

[ZULU]

Thank our open door immigration policy and deferential treatment towards immigrants and foreign invaders from third world anarchies. What's next? Ebola Zaire epidemics?


Years ago you couldn't get in here if you had an eye infection or they didn't like the shape of your head.

Today anything that walks and is non-European gets in.

[1Old Pro]

Will public officials have the courage to protect our citizens and

BRING BACK DDT

[Species8472]

FYI -

U.S. Department of State

International Information Program

05 June 2002

State Dept. Reaffirms Cuba Has Biological Warfare Research Effort

Official says Cuba providing biotechnology to rogue states

A State Department official has reaffirmed the Bush administration's belief that Cuba has a "limited, developmental, offensive biological warfare research and development effort" and that the Caribbean nation has provided "dual-use biotechnology to rogue states."

Testifying June 5 before a Senate subcommittee, Carl Ford, assistant secretary of state for intelligence and research, said the United States is "concerned that such technology could support biological warfare programs" in those rogue nations.

Ford said Cuba has several facilities involved in biological-related efforts in agriculture, medicine, and veterinary science, "which, as in any country, could be used for illicit purposes." This "dual-use problem," Ford said, "presents all who are committed to combating" the biological warfare threat "with the dilemma of how best to assess the capabilities of any given facility against the intent to develop biological weapons."

The nature of biological weapons makes it "difficult to procure clear, incontrovertible proof that a country is engaged in illicit biological weapons research, production, weaponization, and stockpiling," Ford told an open session of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Peace Corps, and Narcotics Affairs. A closed session was scheduled to follow the open forum.

Ford added that Cuba's "sophisticated denial and deception practices make our task even more difficult." But he added that the State Department has a "sound basis" for making its judgment about Cuba's effort in illicit biological weapons research. Ford said he was "necessarily limiting" his public comments on the subject to the subcommittee because of the need to protect sensitive intelligence information. He said he was prepared to discuss the evidence in a closed session.

Following is the text of his prepared remarks:

INTELLIGENCE STATEMENT BY ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE FOR INTELLIGENCE AND RESEARCH CARL W. FORD JR. BEFORE THE SENATE SUBCOMMITTEE ON WESTERN HEMISPHERE, PEACE CORPS, AND NARCOTICS AFFAIRS, SENATE COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS

June 5, 2002

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

It is my pleasure to come before the Subcommittee today to discuss the issue of what we in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research assess to be Cuba's efforts to date in the area of biological warfare. My remarks in this open forum will necessarily be limited owing to the need to protect sensitive intelligence information, but I would welcome the opportunity and am prepared to give classified remarks in a closed session.

On March 19, in my statement in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, I stated INR's judgment that:

The United States believes that Cuba has at least a limited, developmental, offensive biological warfare research and development effort. Cuba has provided dual-use biotechnology to rogue states. We are concerned that such technology could support BW programs in those states.

That assessment and our concerns have not changed in the intervening 2 and half months.

Among the various weapons of mass destruction (WMD) disciplines, biological warfare (BW) is perhaps the most difficult to clearly identify, absent unambiguous reliable intelligence information, owing to the dual-use nature of the technology and materials used to support a BW program. In today's world, many nations, including Cuba, have in place robust biotechnology infrastructures, as some of the world's best scientific talent has turned to this avenue of modern science to promote medical and agricultural advances in their countries. Distinguishing legitimate biotech work from work that is pursued to support either offensive or defensive BW efforts or programs continues to be a difficult intelligence challenge. In a nutshell, since basic BW production does not require large, sophisticated programs or facilities it makes the intelligence assessment function more complicated.

Cuba has several facilities involved in biological-related efforts in agriculture, medicine and veterinary science, which, as in any country, could be used for illicit purposes. This dual-use problem presents all who are committed to combating the BW threat with the dilemma of how best to assess the capabilities of any given facility against the intent to develop biological weapons.

What then can I say about the evidence for our assessment? The nature of biological weapons makes it difficult to procure clear, incontrovertible proof that a country is engaged in illicit biological weapons research, production, weaponization and stockpiling. Cuba's sophisticated denial and deception practices make our task even more difficult. That said we have a sound basis for our judgment that Cuba has at least a limited, developmental, offensive biological warfare research and development effort. I am prepared to discuss the evidence we do have in a closed session or leave behind a classified statement for the record.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.