The Pitiful Timing of U.S. Anthrax Scare


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THIS IS A READ-ONLY ARCHIVE FROM THE SORABJI.COM MESSAGE BOARDS (1995-2016).

By somniferum on Thursday, September 26, 2002 - 05:33 pm:

    The anthrax mailer proved to be a scientist with CIA ties working on counter measures to defend U.S. against "foreign" biological attack.
    The FBI profilers theorized that this bio terror counter-measures expert was doing what he thought was a patriotic act by showing how vulnerable U.S. was to foreign biological attack through mail, in order to increase funding for the work he was engaged in. i.e: BioTerror Counter-measures. There was a 90minute BBC/"Frontline" documentary broadcast on PBS 2 weeks ago tonight that made the case for this. The suspect list had been narrowed down to just two people . . . both scientists working at the U.S. bio-terror countermeasure center located at Fort Detrick, Maryland. When the FBI requested samples of handwritten documents by both of these men, who were the only two suspects, in order to nail the culprit, the FBI was suddenly faced with a brick wall that stymied their investigation. The request for the handwriting samples was declined by the CIA in the interest of "National Security."


By TRUE OR FALSE And OTHER . . . .STUFF on Friday, September 27, 2002 - 08:02 pm:

    1. TRUE or FALSE: When George W. Bush was asked what Independence Day meant to him, he replied, "Well, it's an unimaginable honor to be the President during the Fourth of July of this country. It means what these words say, for starters. The great inalienable rights of our country. We're blessed with such values in America. And I--it's--I'm a proud man to be the nation based upon such wonderful values....But the true greatness of America are the people."

    (1)answer:(TRUE)

    2. Who defended the Bush Administration's advocacy of nuclear power by saying, "If you set aside Three Mile Island and Chernobyl, the safety record of nuclear is really very good."?

    (a)E.P.A. Administrator Christine Todd Whitman
    (b) Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill.
    (c) Chief of Staff Andrew Card.
    (d) Interior Secretary Gale Norton.

    (2)answer: b,

    3. Who Is Mia Lawrence?
    (a) The Vermont social-studies teacher who was honored as National Teacher of the Year at a White House ceremony, which Senator James Jeffords was pointedly not invited to.
    (b) One of the Yale faculty members who protested the university's decision to present George W. Bush with an honorary doctor-of-laws degree.
    (c) The Austin bar manager who told the police that Jenna Bush was trying to buy a margarita with a fake I.D.
    (d) One of three mooning protesters in Sweded upon whose exposed bottoms was spelled out "We Hate Bush."

    (3) answer c,

    4. Which headline did Not appear in an American newspaper?
    (a) "BUSH IS CHOOSING INDUSTRY INSIDERS TO FILL SEVERAL ENVIRONMENTAL POSTS"
    (b) "WHITE HOUSE WANTS TO BURY PACT BANNING TESTS OF NUCLEAR ARMS"
    (c) "BUSH TO DELAY PLAN FOR CLEAN WATERWAYS"
    (d) "U.S. WARNS IT MAY SKIP CONFERENCE ON RACISM"
    (e) "U.S. REJECTS BIOLOGICAL ARMS BAN PROTOCOL"
    (f) "TREASURY IS PLANNING TO BORROW TO COVER COST OF TAX REBATES"
    (g) "178 NATIONS REACH A CLIMATE ACCORD; U.S. ONLY LOOKS ON"
    (h) "PUSHING HIS MISSILE PLAN IN SPAIN, BUSH CALLS ARMS TREATY A 'RELIC'"
    (i) "ASHCROFT SET TO LIMIT U.S. HOLDING OF GUN DATA"
    (j) "BUSH'S APPROVAL RATING SLIPS TO 50 PER CENT, A FIVE YEAR PRESIDENTIAL LOW"
    (k) "BUSH ACKNOWLEDGES HE HAS TO WORK HARDER, KNOW MORE"
    (4) k,

    5. What nickname did George W. Bush come up with for the Dalai Lama?
    (a) Exile Man.
    (b) Dolly Parton.
    (c) Tony Lama.
    (d) No nickname leaked out.

    (5) d,

    6. What did George W. Bush say when a Philadelphia writer shook his hand at a Fourth of July block party and said, "Mr. President, I hope you only serve four years. I'm very disappointed in your work so far"?
    (a) "I sincerely hope to change your mind about that."
    (b) "Let me disappoint you a little more. I'm going to steal the next election, too."
    (c) "What a set of cojones on you!"
    (d) "Who cares what you think?"

    (6) d,

    MATCH the observation about George W. Bush with the observer.
    7. "He's a terrible ignoramus."
    8. "He has selected nominees from the Taliban wing of American politics."
    9. "He doesn't know how much he doesn't know and is in no rush to find out."
    10. "I have been disappointed in almost everything he has done."
    11. "It seemed to me that his mental reasoning is very deep, very profound."
    12. "He is determined to squander the unique oportunity the Presidency provides--the opportunity to call us to a cause greater than a three-hundred-dollar rebate."

    (a) N.A.A.C.P. chairman Julian Bond.
    (b) TIMES columnist Frank Rich.
    (c) Los Angeles TIMES columnist Arianna Huffington.
    (d) Actor Robert Redford.
    (e) Former President Jimmy Carter.
    (f) Russian President Vladimir Putin.

    (7)d, (8)a, (9)b, (10)e, (11)f (12)c

    13. Which of the following observations was Not made by George W. Bush?
    (a) "It's negative to think about blowing each other up. That's not a positive thought. That's a Cold War thought. That's a thought when people were enemies with each other.

    (b) "An equal society begins with an equally excellent schools." (exact quote and spelling)

    (c) "Fathers have a unique and irreplaceable role in the lives of children.

    (d) "Africa is a nation that suffers from incredible disease."

    (e) "The amazing thing about this job, though, is the job seems to follow you around."

    (f) "Karl Rove has all the ethical finesse--not to mention the belly and the jowls--of Ed Meese."

    answer to (13) f,

    14. TRUE or FALSE: When a child in London asked him what the White House was like, George W. Bush responded with an impromptu ten-minute description of some of the historical rooms.

    answer to (14)False; he replied, "It is white."


By spunky on Friday, September 27, 2002 - 08:19 pm:

    A. Fuck you you ass


By semillama on Friday, September 27, 2002 - 10:09 pm:

    B. Truth Hurts, don't it, there?


By spunky on Friday, September 27, 2002 - 10:33 pm:

    No, most of this is opinion, not fact


By semillama on Friday, September 27, 2002 - 11:56 pm:

    Are you denying those people said what they
    did?

    Why are you such a bush apologist? It's really
    freaky.


By Nate on Saturday, September 28, 2002 - 12:14 am:

    trace, you're really the work of satan, aren't you. poor guy. you should really leave him alone.


By spunky on Saturday, September 28, 2002 - 12:26 am:

    leave who alone? satan?


By spunky on Saturday, September 28, 2002 - 12:27 am:

    i am not a bush apologist, but I do think he is far more honorable the gore.


By Platypus on Saturday, September 28, 2002 - 03:01 am:

    a fellow new yorker reader, i see.


By semillama on Saturday, September 28, 2002 - 03:05 pm:

    You really do need to lay off the Tylenol,
    spunky.

    A silver spoon baby, c+ student, coke head,
    alcoholic, drunk driver, probable insider
    trader, Ken Lay pal, draft-dodger pretender to
    the throne more honorable than Gore?
    Note that I am not claiming that Gore is
    honorable.
    Whatever.


By a concerned New Yorker reader on Saturday, September 28, 2002 - 04:00 pm:

    (the quiz was from The New Yorker and it is true)
    had forgotten where it came from .

    Gore opened the flood gates when he out an out said that this war was a ploy to win the congressional election coming up.

    Have to hand it to Gore who dared to come out and say the above at this particular time.(about Wednesday night of this week)
    The next day Bush was quoted as saying that the democrats were unpatriotic to put politics in the class with national security.

    Dashiel said 'how dare he say that, he owes an apology to Sen. Inoye and to every democrat who fought in a war to protect this country.'

    Shrub never apologizes for anything, ever. It's not his style.

    If Bush gets control of the senate it's going to be BIg trouble for the country.
    The election is the first Tuesday in November.

    There will be no one to stop him.



By OTC Journal on Saturday, September 28, 2002 - 04:33 pm:

    Dear Mr. President:



    The Honorable George W. Bush, President of the United States
    The White House
    1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
    Washington, DC 20500

    September 28, 2002

    Dear Mr. President:

    The editors of the OTC Journal are writing on behalf of stock market investors everywhere. Our newsletter is about the stock market, not politics. However, occasionally political agendas have a significant effect on the market, and now seems to be one of those times.

    The possibility of war with Iraq is having three major negative effects on the market as follows:

    Firstly, investors are frozen like a deer in the headlights, afraid to act with war on the horizon.
    Secondly, the possibility of war is artificially inflating the price of oil. High oil prices only benefit large oil companies and middle eastern producers. This hurts everyone else, and has a deflationary effect on the economy as activity slows due to higher costs.
    Thirdly, the climate of uncertainty and lack of available capital is hampering expansion. Companies are afraid to invest in new products and technologies, focused only on preservation of cash. This is not a climate which bodes well for the end of the recession.
    This past Thursday an informal poll conducted by CNBC indicated 66% of respondents believed your primary focus should be on the economy. Only 28% believed the Iraq situation should be your first priority.
    The editors of the OTC Journal are certain you believe you are acting entirely in the best interest of the American people. However, your critics are building a compelling case which suggests there could be conflicts of interest which diminishes your credibility.

    Inflated oil prices hurt the American economy badly. In fact, the only winners are the large multi national companies. With oil at $32 per barrel, these companies are enjoying windfall profits from their North Sea and Gulf operations. Prices go up without a corresponding increase in cost creating windfall profits.

    In the meantime, higher oil prices are hurting many other American industries which are desperately in need of help. Specifically, lower fuel prices would have the most significant positive effect on the airline industry, which just this past week was on Capitol Hill presenting its case for aid to avoid more bankruptcies. Costs in the airline industry have skyrocketed as they have borne the brunt of increased security measures at our airports. Air travel has decreased significantly since 911. Now their costs are skyrocketing again with increasing fuel costs brought about by the unrest in the Middle East.

    Your critics are quick to point out how deep both your and the vice president's roots are in the oil industry. Recently we have read many scathing editorials about perceived favoritism to the oil industry community, especially in light of the windfall profits major oil is enjoying thanks to your aggressive rhetoric towards Iraq.

    As you pointed out in Thursday's speech, a great deal of progress has made towards rooting out corporate fraud. Your special Justice Department Task force has to date brought 100 cases in 2 1/2 months. Charges have been brought against 150 defendants. The SEC has filed 156 actions claiming financial fraud. High profile arrests have occurred in WorldCom, Tyco, and Adelphia.

    However, your critics are quick to point out that there has no been one single of indictment of any executives from former energy behemoth Enron. Several news organizations have been reporting the first indictment of the former CFO may come out next week. Former Chairman Ken Lay is still a free man, enjoying any one of his 18 homes he chooses to visit while former Enron employees have watched their life savings evaporate.

    Particularly curious is the long standing relationship between Vice President Cheney and middle eastern oil producers. It is widely known a consortium of oil industry giants were negotiating with the Taliban in the late 1990's to install a pipeline through the heart of Afghanistan. Here is a quote directly from Mr. Cheney in 1998 when he was CEO of oil services giant Haliburton:
    "I can't think of a time when we've had a region emerge as suddenly to become as strategically significant as the Caspian. It's almost as if the opportunities have arisen overnight. The good Lord didn't see fit to put oil and gas only where there are democratically elected regimes friendly to the United States. Occasionally we have to operate in places where, all things considered, one would not normally choose to go. But we go where the business is."


    On May 2, 1997, Dow Jones reported several oil giants, with Enron and Haliburton at the forefront, were looking at spending $22 billion for a pipeline through Afghanistan. Here is an excerpt from that report:
    For many years under Soviet control, the mineral-rich nations of central Asia have had little return for their wealth. Now two of the republics, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, are looking west for assistance in exploiting their resource, and major companies, including Unocal Corp. (UCL) and Enron Corp. (ENE), have moved swiftly to try to fill the void. Argentine oil firm Bridas, an early entrant in the fray, is trying hard to defend its ground against U.S corporate and government muscle.
    In an effort called the ''project of the century,'' by its creators, Mitsubishi Oil Co. (J.MBO), China's National Petroleum Corp. and an affiliate of Exxon Corp. (XON) plan to build a massive $22 billion gas pipeline from central Asia through China to Japan.

    Asia's need for energy to power its growing economies is increasing rapidly. Japanese gas demand is expected to double by 2010 and China and Pakistan will soon face acute fuel gaps, some of which could be fulfilled with reliable, and possibly cheaper sources in central Asia.

    Now the U.S. oil and gas companies face their sternest test - getting the oil out of central Asia while avoiding Russia, Iran and China. Their main option: Afghanistan . The latest Review details the power plays of the new Great Game, the intrigue and the betrayal as the West's executives, diplomats and other experts court both the dictators of central Asia and the radical Islamic fundamentalists of Afghanistan 's Taliban.

    The Far Eastern Economic Review is published by Dow Jones & Co., publisher of The Wall Street Journal, Barron's and this newswire.

    (END) DOW JONES NEWS 04-02-97

    4:29 AM



    There is clear evidence major oil companies were looking to do business in Afghanistan in the late 90's. The door is now open with the Taliban unseated. Furthermore, the current President of Afghanistan, Hamid Kharzai, is a former oil executive at Unocal. The Enron, Unocal, and Haliburton ties are all well documented, and unfairly erode your credibility in this arena.

    After the technology bubble burst in March of 2000 investors felt the Bear market might be waning towards the end of last summer. Then 911 came.

    Investors felt the bear market might be waning towards the end of 2001 as we recovered from 911, then Enronitis hit the market and triggered the unveiling of many other instances of corporate fraud.

    Stock market investors have now suffered through the worst bear market in history, and the longest bear market since the Great Depression. We have all been praying for some relief.

    The technology bubble, 911, and corporate fraud were out of your control. However, it is in your control to take steps to rein in the price of oil. Corporate expansion is at a standstill as capital in no where to be found. The consumer, the only group that has been keeping us out of deep recession, is running out of steam.

    We ask you to carefully consider the effect of your actions on the American economy. High oil prices will kill any possibility of a return to growth. Therefore, we ask you to use your powers to bring stability to the Middle East as quickly as possible. The longer this drags out the worse it is for the market. Work with the oil producing countries to reduce the price of oil. The American economy would flourish and everyone would benefit from your efforts.

    We realize our national security has to be priority one, and we certainly don't have all the answers. We just know stock market investors are sick of this never ending bear market, and would love to see an upside bias return. Our hopes and prayers are with you. We know you have the best interests of the American people at heart.

    Regards,

    The Editors of the OTC Journal


By semillama on Saturday, September 28, 2002 - 11:06 pm:

    What I really want to know is what teh shrub
    plans to do about the terror that is Anna Nicole
    Smith.

    I know! Maybe we can use her to break down
    those POWs-I mean, those "detainees" down
    in Sunny Cuba!!!


By .. . on Sunday, September 29, 2002 - 03:06 pm:

    the family protested but she got roughly 800,000,000.


By J on Monday, September 30, 2002 - 12:34 pm:


By patrick on Monday, September 30, 2002 - 01:05 pm:

    what is it with Bush apologists/supporters/morons who think he's doing the right thing to keep referring to Gore?

    What is it with you sick people? Youd think you have some sort of obsession.


By spunky on Monday, September 30, 2002 - 01:29 pm:

    J, that cartoon was great!
    Thanks for the link.


By J on Monday, September 30, 2002 - 02:58 pm:

    You are welcome.


By Antigone on Monday, September 30, 2002 - 04:04 pm:

    Proof in the congressional record that the US provided several strains of weapon producing bacteria to Iraq in the 80's.


By spunky on Monday, September 30, 2002 - 04:07 pm:

    I got the same info from Reuters.
    Not at all suprising.


By patrick on Monday, September 30, 2002 - 04:33 pm:

    "Are we, in fact, now facing the possibility of reaping what we have sown?" Senator Byrd asked Rumsfeld after reading parts of a Newsweek article on the transfers.

    "I have never heard anything like what you've read, I have no knowledge of it whatsoever, and I doubt it," Rumsfeld said."




    oh...yeah. Brilliant Rummy!!! You'll doubt Congressional record but you'll put all kinds of faith of the most absolute kind in Saddam having chemical, biological and nuclear weapons and the desire to use them against us, unprovoked.


    dumbass.


By J on Tuesday, October 1, 2002 - 02:59 pm:

    I have deep admiration for Senator Byrd.


By patrick on Tuesday, October 1, 2002 - 03:07 pm:

    hahahaha! hey trace...you think Rummy was lying here?


    Fuckin liars.


By Postmaster General on Wednesday, October 2, 2002 - 09:42 am:

    As if the U.S. Postal Service didn't have enough problems after the September 11 attacks, with anthrax and all, it actually held letters addressed to Osama bin Laden. Yes, that Osama. Final destination: Afghanistan. Really. Justice investigators came in to rip them open. But being legal sticklers, they went to the Customs Service, which handles international goods. Rules being rules, Customs said nobody could get a warrant to open the letters without probable cause. And, believe it not, Osama's name wasn't good enough. "The mere fact," the service said, "that envelopes were addressed to Osama bin Laden without any other evidence was considered to be insufficient to establish probable cause to obtain a warrant authorizing the search of the envelopes." The result? "They were allowed to proceed to Afghanistan via the U.S. mail." Well, it has taken a while, but Congress has changed those silly rules, and from now on Osama's mail and packages can be opened. "Lord knows what we'll find," says one official.


By The Watcher on Wednesday, October 2, 2002 - 01:05 pm:

    Maybe a few anthrax spores marked return to sender?


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