Scott Shane, "Expert Panel Is Critical of F.B.I. Work In Investigating Anthrax Letters". February 15
Jerry Markon, "Anthrax report casts doubt on scientific evidence in FBI case against Bruce Ivins." February 15
AND, yes, the first one was actually conducted in December, 1941.
It's now nine and-a-half years later. It's beyond time that subpoena power was applied towards getting the facts on an attack on the US government before the American people.
Yesterday was the capper: the FBI, which had resisted all efforts for independent oversight, and, instead, funded its own evaluation restricted to the scientific evidence--presumably the strongest part of its case--has its own panel cast doubt on that.
And there's plenty of reason to wonder about the rest. There's $5.8 million reasons we paid Steven Hatfill after the Bureau tried him in the papers. What reason do the rest of us have to believe the case against Bruce Ivins was any stronger? Not the lab work, apparently.
Look: this was a direct attack on the U.S. Government. 9/11 was not, despite the apparent belief in some circles that the Pentagon is one of the Two or Three Other Branches, Depending on Who's Counting. We've decided that 9/11 was an Act of War, conveniently, since that was what we were prepared to respond to (though, in the event, not as well as we imagined). The anthrax bombings were an act of pure terrorism, though the FBI has somehow managed to conclude they were more like Ivins' ill-conceived ad campaign for More Lab Work. (And these are the guys who invented, or "invented", Criminal Profiling, but the fact that the bomber targeted Tom Daschle, Patrick Leahy, and the news operations of the three major networks, under the cover of a sort of cartoon Islam, is evidently chalked up to coincidence.)
It's time to live up to our War on Terra rhetoric in a way that will, for once, make a difference. It's time to get to the bottom of this. The investigation hasn't answered any questions, and there are serious questions about the investigation.
Doghouse, I admire your work. I am not sure I buy the distinction between 9/11 and the Anthrax "attack", since they both seem of a piece with a common goal - kick off the advertising campaign. Targeting of Daschle and Leahy is pretty obviously a push to put the Patriot Act in place. But the FBI behavior during and since 9/11 has been somewhat odd. The "investigations" of both have answered almost no questions, and the amateurs, or professionals working from outside the government, have produced most of the answers.
ReplyDeleteThe Bush Administration promised proof that Bin Laden and Al Qaeda were responsible. Didn't happen. His wanted poster still doesn't mention 9/11. He is very likely dead, and has been since Dec. 2001, but he is handy to keep around since he hardly stinks at all. So just as in Nov. 1963, we have a coup changing the direction of our country from the inside, and we still nurse the myth that we are a democracy. Pitiful.
The story is also covered in today's Washington Times (motto: "To the ramparts, white with foam").
ReplyDeleteYou can look, if you must; I won't pick one up without a tetanus booster.
This is the ultimate expression of IOKIYAR. I mean, they just targeted dems, right? Why bother?
ReplyDeleteAll of the evidence so far points to the Fascist elements that infest our government/military-industrial complex. There is no opposition party that is strong enough to force any meaningful investigation or enforce the necessary punishment.
ReplyDeletePR nails it, perfectly. It was an inside job, made all the more obvious by the high level of technology required to weaponize the stuff, and of course the fact that the bugs were of the official US research germ line. Fascists within the military/industrial complex is the only logical answer.
ReplyDeleteThere won't be an official investigation or plausible explanation to the antrax attacks, OR the real facts about 9/11 during our lifetimes. I hardly ever buy into vast conspiracy theories, but I'm not buying ANYTHING on either of these official explanations.
ReplyDeleteAs soon as someone comes up with a plausible explanation for WTC Building Seven I'll tune in...
It always comes down to the simple answer to one question: Cui bono?
ReplyDeleteWhoever benefitted from the anthrax attacks was responsible for them. We don't need John Douglas (famous FBI profiler) to figure this out.