at-Largely

Terror Roundup Saturday...

Is it me or does this level of threats and "suspicious packages" as well as actual attacks appear higher than normal? I will group by color those that are threats (red), those that are still unknown (blue), and those that are actual incidents (black). So, over the last few days:

California: apartment complex evacuated after envelope with suspicious powder found

California: 2 home-made explosive devices found at UC Davis

Florida: grenade thrown into a nail salon

Mass: company gets bombing threat

Nebraska: federal judge gets suspicious package at home

Nevada: police investigating Ricin scare

New York: small bomb sets off explosion at Times Square

North Dakota: one bomb goes off, police looking for others in Power Lakes

Pennsylvania: convention center evacuated after bomb threat

Ohio: voting disrupted after a polling location gets bomb threat

Oregon: court house evacuated after Anthrax threat and letter

Rhode Island: URI building evacuated because of a bomb threat

South Carolina: passport office on lock-down after a box of passports applications is found to have "white powder."

Tennessee: bomb threat at Walmart

Texas: neighborhood evacuated after a suspicious package is found under a bench

Texas: store evacuated after bomb-threat

Utah: Ricin found

And on incident in Canada:

Explosives found and detonated by police

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Is this out of the norm, if anyone knows?

CBS News: Your welcome!

Raw Story reported about a "little known" research program at Walter Reed into to the effects of the anthrax vaccine. In fact, we got the leaked documents. CBS news did a special on this very important issue, which I am glad for. They had contacted us regarding the article. I was the editor on the piece, Julie Weisberg was the reporter (emphasis added):

"The Pentagon resumed its controversial mandatory anthrax vaccinations program for selected troops last week despite the fact that its own doctors are quietly conducting research into adverse effects of the vaccine, a RAW STORY investigation has found.

While the Defense Department maintains that the anthrax vaccine is safe and poses no long-term risks to recipients, a little-known program at Walter Reed – the National Vaccine Healthcare Center – seems to contradict the military’s assertions."

The Mysteries of General Downing

Posted by Muriel Kane

Glenn Greenwald has a long post today on ABC News' role in October 2001 in spreading false claims that the anthrax attacks of that month had been definitively linked to Saddam Hussein.  Towards the end, he quotes a fascinating passage from Michael Isikoff and David Corn's book Hubris, about the reaction of General Wayne Downing to equivalent claims:

In October 2001, [Bush terrorism official Gen. Wayne] Downing, [Paul] Wolfowitz, and other proponents of a war with Iraq thought they had yet more ammunition for the case against Saddam. A series of deadly anthrax-laced letters had been sent to the Capitol Hill offices of Senator Daschle and Senator Patrick Leahy and to several newsrooms. Mylroie asserted that Saddam was behind the mailings. An early forensic test of the anthrax letters (which was later disputed) appeared to show that the anthrax spores were highly refined and "weaponized." To the Iraq hawks, the news was electric. "This is definitely Saddam!" Downing shouted to several White House aides. One of these aides later recalled overhearing Downing excitedly sharing the news over the phone with Wolfowitz and Feith. "I had the feeling they were high-five-ing each other," the White House official said.

General Downing's name leaped out at me because he was one of the earliest and perhaps most significant -- though also least known -- architects of a policy for regime change in Iraq.

Your daily terrorism round up

Welcome to Big Brother's no fly list:

A top Constitutional scholar from Princeton who gave a televised speech that slammed President George W. Bush's executive overreach recently learned that he had been added to the Transportation Security Administration's terrorist watch list. He shared his experience this weekend at the law blog Balkinization.

Walter F. Murphy, the McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence, Emeritus, at Princeton University, attempted to check his luggage at the curbside in Albuquerque before boarding a plane to Newark, New Jersey. Murphy was told he could not use the service.

"I was denied a boarding pass because I was on the Terrorist Watch list," he said.

When inquiring with a clerk why he was on the list, Murphy was asked if he had participated in any peace marches.

"We ban a lot of people from flying because of that," a clerk said.

Oh really? People who are for peace are terrorists? Nixon could have only dreamed of abusing power to this level.
 

Supporting Our Troops

Raw Story

Pentagon conducting research into adverse effects of anthrax vaccine while maintaining it is safe
by Julie Weisberg

"The Pentagon resumed its controversial mandatory anthrax vaccinations program for selected troops last week despite the fact that its own doctors are quietly conducting research into adverse effects of the vaccine, a RAW STORY investigation has found.

While the Defense Department maintains that the anthrax vaccine is safe and poses no long-term risks to recipients, a little-known program at Walter Reed — the National Vaccine Healthcare Center — seems to contradict the military’s assertions."

Another $5 billion "missing" in action

Not that this made much of an impact in the "news" but it appears that we have $5 billion MIA or as explained by our leadership:

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Government health officials said they can’t show how $5 billion spent on preparations for a bio-terror attack or flu pandemic has made the country safer.

Congress approved the money five years ago in response to the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 and an anthrax scare triggered by tainted letters sent to congressional offices.

State health departments now typically get tens of millions of dollars to prepare for bio-terrorism each year, compared with hundreds of thousands before the attacks.

Congress set criteria and charged the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with evaluating how well the dollars have been spent. CDC officials said improvement in emergency preparedness is hard to measure."   

Oh, and we are not safer either. This is very important news. This in fact requires a serious investigation by oversight agencies and via the media. How is this story not A1 on every US paper?

Civilization

The CIA was once known as "murder, inc." What name should we apply to a government, not just an agency, so insecure, that it will assassinate critics, free killers, and in general support groups similar to the Hitler Youth?

"HA NOI — Viet Nam’s Foreign Affairs Spokesman, Le Dung, said yesterday he hoped Russia would continue to investigate the death of a Vietnamese student in St Petersburg on October 2004.Dung was responding to journalists following the Russian Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the acquittal of 17 people suspected of murdering Vu Anh Tuan at an appeal hearing last Thursday.

"Vu Anh Tuan’s savage murder attracted great public attention in Viet Nam and Russia," Dung said.He added that finding the criminals and bringing them to justice was a matter of urgency."The case is not over," Dung said. "Relevant agencies in St Petersburg need to launch a new probe to find the criminals and properly punish them."

Ward Casscells

Posted by Muriel Kane

I nearly fell off my chair this morning when I encountered a  TPMmuckraker entry from yesterday on the Walter Reed scandal and read: "Kiley and Cody are called as witnesses, as is Walter Reed's commanding general, Maj. General George Weightman, and the assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, William Winkenwerder. In addition to next week's hearing, more Hill action is likely: Winkenwerder is stepping down from his position for what we're told are unrelated reasons. His nominated replacement, cardiologist and Army Reserve Col. S. Ward. Casscells -- who recently returned from Iraq himself -- is sure to face a grilling on veterans' outpatient care as well."

Ward Casscells as assistant secretary of defense for health affairs?  That's just a little too weird to handle before noon.

 

Yet another "all American" terrorist

Thanks to Mortos for pointing this out. Apparently, some right wing wacko/terrorist has made a hit list of people he considers to be traitors and makes quite clear his intentions in addressing the people and organizations on the list:

"There are those that make history. Which one do you want to be?
These people and organizations are Enemies of Freedom, the American people, and the American way of life!!! Each and every one should be considered a "Target of Opportunity""

Anthrax Vaccine and "Where did the Money Go?"

This simply is stunning:

"Federal health officials yesterday scuttled the largest piece of the Bush administration's two-year program to counter bioterrorism, canceling an $877.5 million contract with VaxGen to develop an anthrax vaccine after the company missed a deadline to begin human testing.

<snip>

VaxGen was picked for the project in 2004 despite having never successfully produced a drug. It was known for a failed attempt at an AIDS vaccine, and the company has had accounting and management problems, which caused it be delisted from the Nasdaq Stock Market."

So the money is where then? How much of the money went to this company already? Anyone know?

When I finished this article the one question I had was not answered, despite being alluded to.  This is the type of reporting that really bugs me.  I think the strongest part of the piece is the background on VagGen, as limited as it is, cited above. We have a company with a history of failure who claims to have loads of capital, picked for something as sensitive and serious as an Anthrax vaccine? Don't you want to know why they were picked? Given the cronies of this administration, I would think that a good reporter would have checked into overlapping interests. That said, the most obvious question of, where is the money?, is not brought up by the reporter.  What do you think? Example of good journalism or bad journalism?

I would think this question worthy of a serious investigative piece. My suggestion? Email the WaPo reporter, Renae Merle, who should have already done this and ask her  to check into it.