Author Topic: Anthrax Source (Read 1457 times)

Suave1 · « **Reply #15 on:** October 25, 2001, 12:33:00 PM »

Just my two cents.

I rarely hear Great Britain mentioned but I believe they had it too. And the US was supposed to have destroyed their anthrax weapons in the 70's . And as late as the 90s I believe the USARMY was still vaccinating soldier doing Egypt rotations for small pox, of course not the antiquated one that leaves the scar, so that leads me to believe that it may be out there somewhere . And most soldiers in rapid deployment units were vaccinated for plague, but I believe they stopped doing that in the 90's too, luckily not before I got mine. They had just started giving everyone in my unit anthrax vaccine when I got out in 99.

What I would like to know is, why don't they give postal workers the anthrax vaccine.

[ 10-25-2001: Message edited by: Suave1 ]

Pongo · « **Reply #16 on:** October 25, 2001, 12:51:00 PM »

Small pox isnt contagous till the syptoms are very advanced. At which time the victum is in an exteme flue like state. and covered with small pox.
They addresed this issue with an expert on 60 min last weekend.

Dinger · « **Reply #17 on:** October 25, 2001, 01:03:00 PM »

US, USSR and Iraq were thought to have been capable of doing it. I'm betting there are a lot of people in this country capable of adding that chemical.
Folks, it ain't a conspiracy. Nobody in the Administration has been hiding the desire to go after Iraq (except for Powell, who actually has a brain), just as none of our "allies" so far have been hiding their lack of support for such a move. This kind of leakage, which seems to say something yet doesn't actually say anything, is just the sort of propaganda we need to built international opinion against Iraq.
I'm not saying Iraq didn't do it, I'm just saying this information is worthless as proof thereof. And, no ripsnort, I'm not going to give into the fear that Afghanis, Iraqis, Syrians, Iranians, Lebanese and French are all determined to kill me and my family. If the anthrax-mailers did a better job of delivering their payload, I'd find that a much more convincing argument for an international conspiracy or a hostile state orchestrating it.

Hell, did you even see the quote of Dubya today? He effectively said there was no solid connection between this and Sept. 11. Keep yer pants on everybody. Millions are not in immediate danger of getting Anthrax Halloween Cards first class from Baghdad.

easymo · « **Reply #18 on:** October 25, 2001, 01:08:00 PM »

I was gassed once. It was harmless tear gas. It was a little scary all the same. The army had told us that the V C would mix clorine gas with the tear gas so we would just think it was harmless. The problem was twofold. I had no gas mask. And I was on guard duty. I could not leave my post. All I could do was stand my post and hope for the best.

You cant measure actions by what the military does. Soldier will often be moving towards the danger, rather then away from it. They need to be better equipped, and prepared, then civilians.

Hangtime · « **Reply #19 on:** October 25, 2001, 01:09:00 PM »

Quote

no solid connection between this and Sept. 11.

Besides the date... 9-11-01 shown clearly and boldy across the top of all three letters published.

Dinger · « **Reply #20 on:** October 25, 2001, 01:41:00 PM »

Just looked at them now.
Well, of course, the person sending it wanted to make a connection. We knew that.
But they're all postmarked after September 11th, so it's not exactly a coordinated assautl.
The letter to Daschle is on different paper.
They're all in the same hand, trailing off to the right.
The spelling of Penacillin implies that the author learned english as a spoken language and later as a written one -- that is, someone who learned at a young age and probably has English as a native tongue.
I'll also point out the uniquely american dating system month-day-year. Nobody else in the world does it that way. In addition, the arabic number 9 has a straight shaft, as opposed to a curved one. This style is as far as I know unique to what is taught in American Schools.
So frankly, the evidence isn't conclusive either way.

Saltty · « **Reply #21 on:** October 27, 2001, 02:48:00 PM »

Ripsnort wrote:
They simply want you dead.

Right on Rip, I think we all need to get ready for more bloodshed. Until the US gets over the BAD case of political correctness
and get some balls we will be the target of all these ass-holes.
I don't understand why we are not rounding up every foreign student from that part of the world, revoke their visa's and send them packing...even if we (the US ) had to use the Air Force to fly their tulips home!
YA I'm may sound extreme but I already have 1 bullet hole in my head and I not fond of getting any more!

Wobble · « **Reply #22 on:** October 27, 2001, 03:31:00 PM »

how deadly is small pox

its treatable, rarley fatal if identified and given the proper stuff.. the only fear is the fact that we have almost no suppply of drugs to cure it right now, since it was wiped out years ago not many countries bother stocking any of the antibiotics for it anymore.. also the fact that it is contagous.. its not as easy to spread as most people think (like its a commin cold or something) you have to be quite a ways along in the cycle of the illness to really begin spreading it..

most of the 'horror' of it is placebotic.. its scary to think you might be getting some sort of freaking disease in your mail..

imagine what the average hypocondreac (sp)is going through now.

SirLoin · « **Reply #23 on:** October 27, 2001, 04:49:00 PM »

HAVE TO BE CAREFULL HERE!!!...If we launch on Iraq and it turns out to be the work of some Anti-Government quacks like Tim McViegh..and they offer proof they did it..It could squash the whole effort against OBL and his ring..and backfire big time against USA...That headline about only 3 countries able to produce anthrax sounds like pre-strike propaganda..They better know for sure this is true or the whole ani-terrorist effort could get screwed!!!

Wobble · « **Reply #24 on:** October 27, 2001, 04:53:00 PM »

its not a matter of PRODUCING it.. thats EASY, its milling and chemically altering it to disperse better and whatnot, THATS what takes the technology and stuff.

Gadfly · « **Reply #25 on:** October 27, 2001, 05:31:00 PM »

1.5 mil and 6 months is what it took a group of scientists to produce 2 pounds of weapons grade using off the shelve, locally bought materials under a CIA sponsored trial.

p.s.-they did it in an old barbershop, and were never detected or questioned by local authorities.

[ 10-27-2001: Message edited by: Gadfly ]

Gadfly · « **Reply #26 on:** October 27, 2001, 05:37:00 PM »

My take, for what it is worth:

http://www.theofficersclub.com/osi/Forum3/HTML/000017.html

-dead- · « **Reply #27 on:** October 29, 2001, 12:26:00 PM »

Quote

how deadly is small pox
its treatable, rarley fatal if identified and given the proper stuff.. the only fear is the fact that we have almost no suppply of drugs to cure it right now, since it was wiped out years ago not many countries bother stocking any of the antibiotics for it anymore.. also the fact that it is contagous.. its not as easy to spread as most people think (like its a commin cold or something) you have to be quite a ways along in the cycle of the illness to really begin spreading it..

most of the 'horror' of it is placebotic.. its scary to think you might be getting some sort of freaking disease in your mail..

imagine what the average hypocondreac (sp)is going through now.

Wobble: go straight to biology 101. Do not pass GO, do not collect a medical degree.

Smallpox is a VIRUS. Antibiotics kill BACTERIA.

There is NO TREATMENT for smallpox, only a vaccination, which can only PREVENT you from getting it. In people exposed to smallpox, the vaccine can lessen the severity of or even prevent illness if given within 4 days after exposure (although the incubation period is 12 days - so you won't feel sick until 12 days after exposure).
A vaccination lasts about 10 years. Routine vaccination stopped in 1972, and it is unavailable to the public to prevent the disease spreading (Vaccines have a small but significant risk factor).
Once you've got smallpox however, it is entirely up to your immune system to deal with it, and the doctors just have to sit and watch.

In places with no resistance like America in Cortes' time mortality ran at about 90% - and with widespread resistance (Europe at the same time, where smallpox was endemic) mortality ran at 10%.

Smallpox is spread from one person to another by infected saliva droplets that expose a susceptible person having face-to-face contact with the ill person. Persons with smallpox are most infectious during the first week of illness, because that is when the largest amount of virus is present in saliva. However, some risk of transmission lasts until all scabs have fallen off.

I fear most of the horror is fairly genuine, although the most scary bioweapon would still have to be an airborne variant of a haemorraghic virus - much more shocking to look at. Or influenza - last time that was a bit of a killer in 1918 it wiped out more people than WWI - all that without the benefit of widespread air travel.

[ 10-29-2001: Message edited by: -dead- ]

qts · « **Reply #28 on:** October 29, 2001, 03:26:00 PM »

Are you sure about the vaccine? The best way to immunise yourself against smallpox is to catch cowpox, and that protection lasts for life.

Raubvogel · « **Reply #29 on:** October 29, 2001, 04:08:00 PM »

Yeah, I thought that the vaccine was based on cowpox. And I'm pretty sure that once immunized you are good for life. I'll check with the immunology guys here at the hospital. I'm glad I was forced to get my Anthrax vaccinations now...