Censored Study on Bioterror Doubts U.S. Preparedness (NYT)

[VolcanoJen]

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/29/politics/29ANTH.html?pagewanted=1&hp

This seems like one of those little, forgotten stories that, in today's climate, could become a great, big story...

Key Excerpts:

Two years after a report on the 2001 anthrax attacks was completed, the Pentagon has released parts of the unclassified document, which concludes that the nation is woefully ill-prepared to detect and respond to a bioterrorist assault.

In a sweeping assessment, the report identifies weaknesses in "almost every aspect of U.S. biopreparedness and response." But perhaps equally significant is the two-year battle over the Pentagon's refusal to release the study. That struggle highlights the growing tension between public access to information and the government's refusal to divulge anything it says terrorists could use to attack Americans.

<snip>

In a statement issued Friday, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, the Pentagon unit that commissioned the $150,000 study, said it had initially refused to release the document and was still preventing parts of it from being distributed. The statement said the study could "circumvent" Pentagon "rules and practices established to prevent the spread of information associated with W.M.D.," referring to nuclear, biological, chemical and other weapons of mass destruction.

<snip>

Censored parts of the document were read to a New York Times reporter. In one instance in the redacted version, the summary states, "The fall 2001 anthrax attacks may turn out to be . . . to confront." The deleted passage reads: "the easiest of bioterrorist strikes."

[nodehopper]

1. lovely

"The fall 2001 anthrax attacks may turn out to be . . . to confront." The deleted passage reads: "the easiest of bioterrorist strikes."


and we all know how well they handled that one.

[DeepModem Mom]

2. Could, and certainly should, become a big story, VJ --

[Dogmudgeon]

3. Thus highlighting the failure of The Bush Doctrine™

Five trillion dollars later, we have a craven, moronic "War President" who is convinced that he has been annointed by God to remake America into the New Jerusalem, atavistic faddish "patriotism", half the Muslim world in flames and taking up jihad, 3000 restless ghosts from the 9/11 attacks, the death of the Middle Class and a slow, cool holocaust against the poor, the contempt of the entire civilized world, the ghettoization of scientific and philosophical study, burgeoning crises in energy supplies and prices, an on-going massive extinction event coupled with a sudden change in global climate, and an inexplicable facination with and outrage over Janet Jackson's right nipple and the threat of Gay Marriage.

We are no safer from terror attacks than we were on September 10th, 2001; in fact, owing to the superficial nature of our "Homeland Security" enterprise, it may be easier for terrorists to go about their deadly business unmolested, simply by paying attention to the most recent "profile" and doing the opposite. As for biosurveillance, it simply doesn't exist.

But it's now official -- even whole sections of the Conservative constituency oppose Bush's Stately-Pleasure-Dome-On-The-Potomac regime. And I'm sure the remaining insiders must be looking at Richard Clarke as a bellwether of their own futures, being fed to the wolves when their usefulness is at an end.

History will not be kind to the Bush Administration. But worse, history will not be kind to our own generation -- unless and until we repudiate the error that is Team Bush.

--bkl
</rant>

[MaineDem]

4. How good a study does $150K get us?

Doesn't that seem like a small amount to spend on a bioterrorism study?

[DeepModem Mom]

5. You're right -- it sounds completely inadequate --

[chelaque liberal]

6. This was written by Judith Miller. I can't help but be suspicious....

I have a problem whenever Anthrax is talked about, even if it is seeming to point out neglegence of the Bush Administration. It is such a loaded word, capable of creating panic, much like "mushroom cloud."

What is her motive?

[RainDog]

7. Huh?

"The anthrax letter crisis was slowly winding down in December 2001 when the 40 government and private biodefense, national security and pubic health experts met at the center for a daylong discussion of lessons learned from the attacks.

In April 2002, Mr. Heyman completed his report, concluding that the attacks revealed dangerous "gaps in our scientific base" and badly strained the country's public health offices and laboratory infrastructure."

--excuse me, but WHY has the anthrax letter crisis wound down? Has the anthrax letter terrorist been found?

Have questions about this incident been adequately vetted by the press for the American people?

For instance, how many Americans know that this terrorist act was most likely perpetrated by an American with access to American anthrax labs?

How many people know that the attacks focused on Democrats and members of what American right-wing extremists call "the liberal media?"

How much time and attention has the Ashcroft DOJ and the FBI paid to an investigation into this incident? How much time and effort have they spent on this, relative to, say, attempts to prosecute Tommy Chong for selling bongs?

How many people know that at least one anonymous letter tried to blame the attacks on a Middle Eastern scientist that a group of right wingers with connections to bio attacks by right wingers in Rhodesia had previously harrassed while they were at the same lab?

Wasn't America part of an agreement to stop the development of bioweapons...and wasn't this attack evidence of these labs continuing development of bio weapons by our nation?

How many right wing nutcases, since the anthrax attack, have been found to be dealing in bio weapons? I can think of two offhand, the military guy and his wife in the Northwest...Washington State, I think, who were storing chemicals in their garage and contacting KKK front organizations in the south,

and the recent terrorists in east Texas.

Why isn't the media all over the place warning about the dangers to America from right wing extremists in this country, who are the ONLY ones, thus far, to have had any connections to any incidents which might be construed as attempts to carry out bio terror attacks on Americans?

Why does the Bush administration, and Congress, for that matter, seem so unconcerned with protecting the people in this country from domestic enemies?

[RainDog]

8. And why...

as Gordon Lafer noted in an article in Dissent magazine, from Fall 02, did Bush refuse to use his clout to break the patent on Cipro, like the Canadian govt did?

This refusal meant that it took an additional 17 months to produce enough Cipro for American citizens, at the cost of an additional 8 BILLION dollars, compared to allowing generic makers to help supply this cipro.

Why were Bayers' profits more important to Bush than the seeming threat of a bio attack?