R233874
2 years ago

Talk about instant karma.

R233889
2 years ago

Diego Garcia, a Navy Support Facility in the Middle East

The Middle East? I would hardly call the Indian Ocean the Middle East!

It’s part of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), a British overseas territory.

The US lease of Diego Garcia is set to expire in 2016, although both US and UK governments have the option of extending the lease for another 20 years if considered necessary.

Beyond this date, it appears from statements made by Mauritius to the United Nations Human Rights Committee that the United Kingdom has undertaken to cede the islands to Mauritius once they are no longer required by the United States.

Diego Garcia is a part of the Chagos Archipelago which is a member of the African Nuclear Weapons Free Zone Treaty, but both the US and the UK deny that Diego Garcia falls under that treaty. (Which in turn could mean there are nukes on the island!)

Here’s an excellent artilce: Diego Garcia: Paradise Cleansed by John Pilger

Sorry, I’m a islomaniac and I can’t let this geographical blunder go by without attempting to set the record straight…

R233894
2 years ago

Anthony, why don’t you leave stories about the welfare of our heroes to people who care about our troops. You should stick to your favorite issues.

What writing about these issues do is it creates the false impression that you are just trying to villifiy the Administration for its own sake.

R233951
2 years ago

Diego Garcia, a Navy support facility in the Middle East (sic) [Diego Garcia is an island in the Indian Ocean – ed.]

haha, nice one Anthony!

R234032
2 years ago

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
1) Oct 16, 2006 — DoD announces resumption of mandatory anthrax vaccine shots

DR. William WINKENWERDER (Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs bio): ...There is no elevated threat situation, nor are there new specific circumstances that have given us reason to make this change and update in our policy.”...

DR. WINKENWERDER: ...I have not been vaccinated because I’m not in any of the targeted groups to be vaccinated. If I was, I would receive it — the vaccine without hesitation.

Just because the attacks were perpetrated here on U.S. soil does not mean that they were perpetrated by U.S. citizens. And I think the FBI has recently spoken to that issue, that they have under consideration the possibility of threat — of this — (inaudible) — been perpetrated by anyone, domestic or foreign. So —

Q Dr. Winkenwerder, if terrorists are a threat concern for this sort of attack, then why not have all DOD personnel, not just the ones in these specific areas? Why not vaccinate all DOD personnel?

DR. WINKENWERDER: Because in our judgment, the persons that we are now vaccinating are the persons who are at highest risk. (Technical difficulty.) I’m sorry. Have we just been interrupted again?

*
2) Oct 17, 2006 — Pres Bush uses Al Qaeda interest in weaponized anthrax during a speech:

“...The CIA program helped us uncover key operatives in al Qaeda’s biological weapons program, including a cell developing anthrax to be used in terrorist attacks.” *
3) Mar 25, 2002 — former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Richard Myers grudgingly acknowledged that Al Qaeda had zero capability to produce anthrax.

transcript

EXCERPT — DoD press briefing, Mar 25, 2002:

Q: Over the weekend it was reported also that the U.S. military discovered what appeared to be the makings of an anthrax laboratory near Kandahar. Could you tell us, General, exactly what was found at this site? Was it just the equipment? Were there precursor chemicals? Was there any actual anthrax discovered so far in the exploitation of any of these sites in Afghanistan?

Myers: There was a lab in Kandahar where we did find some equipment that was indicative of perhaps manufacturing anthrax. Not all the equipment you would need was there, but there was some of the equipment. Looked like some of it had been tried to have been destroyed. There was no — at least right now, there were no large quantities of anthrax you could see. They’ll do the usual swabs and bring those back for analysis. And — so that’s what we found.

Q: Well, in any of these sites and I understand there were 60 that were exploited so far — has there been any evidence that any actual biological weapons were produced?

Myers: There have been — in the sites we have exploited so far, I think on five or six cases, some of the swabs that we took have turned out positive for anthrax and, I think, ricin. But the caveat to that is that there’s such minute amounts, that the anthrax could be naturally occurring, and the ricin could be there because of the castor bean. It could be that. And so, no, no conclusive proof of active agents.

Rumsfeld: But a great deal of evidence of a desire to have —

Myers: The intent is there to —

Q: Any idea where those five sites were that you just mentioned?

Myers: Oh, I think we know exactly where they were. (Laughter.) Are you asking, Mick? (Laughter.)

Q: I am.

Myers: We’ll have to check on that. I mean, if it’s releasable, we’ll certainly release it.

Q: Can I just follow up quickly? The equipment found, is that clearly to make anthrax or chemical/biological weapons, or was it possibly dual-use equipment?

Myers: Well, every — I mean —

Rumsfeld: Most equipment like that is dual use.

Myers: Dual use.

Rumsfeld: But there is no — we have so much evidence in writing of the desire to develop capabilities, chemical and biological capabilities, that the fact that it’s dual use is saying a pistol’s dual use; it can shoot at a target or it can shoot at a person.

Q: Well, was it clear from what you found that it was clearly for chemical —

Myers: Not only what we found there, but what led us to that particular site and how all that came together, it came together that that was a site they were using, from a good source, and so we went and we found what we found.

And somebody asked if there were agents. There were — there were no precursor chemicals either found, but there was equipment found.

Q: Can you talk about the type of equipment? Would it be things like fermenters or dryers or —

Myers: There was a dryer. There was an autoclave. There’s some other — and that’s the one I saw. There probably are others, and I just don’t know that, but not — like I said, not all the equipment you would need was present.

Yes?

Q: So it looked to you like an attempt to set it up, and they’d not gotten there yet, as far as —

Myers: I can’t — I’m just not that smart. I can’t tell you.

R234182
2 years ago

Oh. Joy. I managed to miss that the first time around. I’mma go hide, if you need me I’ll be under the table…

R234197
2 years ago

Any way to follow the ties to BioPort and this administration? Who has invested in stock… ect. Or do they just contribute heavily to both parties?

R234266
2 years ago

What writing about these issues do is it creates the false impression that you are just trying to villifiy the Administration for its own sake.

It’s really, really hard not to.

I wouldn’t‘ve even conceived of an idea so stupid as an anthrax vaccine before reading this. I always assumed U.S. soldiers were outfitted with NBC protection of some kind. Then again maybe I’ve watched too many war movies.
As I recall, a vaccine at the fundamental level is simply a small dosage of the microorganism, small enough to not cause undue harm as a normal infection, but small enough to allow the body to build up antibodies against it. A modicum of protection, better than nothing but not far above. I’m no biologist, but anthrax? The only successful vaccination against anthrax was with sheep. I figure it’s a little too lethal for a vaccination to be useful against the amount which would be utilized in a terrorist attack.

“There is no evidence that stockpiles of anthrax exist in Iraq or with Al Qaeda in Afghanistan or elsewhere. As a single mother, I cannot afford to unnecessarily risk my long-term health on a highly-reactive vaccine that supposedly protects against a threat that cannot be found.” Horjus noted, “I have a kid to take care of. The Air Force can always fill my slot with someone else, but who’s gonna fill the mommy slot?”

I found that indicative. I wonder how many will resign or be discharged over this.

And one of these days, I’ll figure out the question marks…oh how they haunt me so…

R234267
2 years ago

Darn, so much for that

R234270
2 years ago

“As I recall, a vaccine at the fundamental level is simply a small dosage of the microorganism“

A vaccine can also be inactivated (killed) cells, or segments of the outer proteins or polysaccharides found on the pathogen. As long as it signals the creation of antibodies in the host organism (us).

In the case of the anthrax vaccine, it consists of a ‘cell-free filtrate’ of Bacillus anthracis (or at least it’s supposed to be cell free, but the process is not 100%). However, the primary problem with the vaccine lies in the inability to remove the subunits of the two exotoxins produced by B. anthracis. This has been shown to lead to “ local necrosis and extensive edema.”

Mmm…. necrosis. Thanks, U.S. Army, yer the best!

btw zephid, if you need to, you can edit a post in the forum (follow the ‘view full thread’ link, bottom and modify your post). If you want to fix the above markup, put the double quotations right after the word ‘slot’ and leave a space before the ?”

e.g., ...slot?? ?”

R234413
2 years ago

This article from rense is a helpful piece that explains an important motive for this move…ownership and profits. Could be a good launchpad for a more thorough investigation.

http://www.rense.com/general15/3wwho.htm

R234588
2 years ago

“Anthony, why don’t you leave stories about the welfare of our heroes to people who care about our troops. You should stick to your favorite issues.

What writing about these issues do is it creates the false impression that you are just trying to villifiy the Administration for its own sake.”

Oh, just noticed that. Hey nubbin, I have to take this shot, you don’t. Shut the fuck up.

R238047
2 years ago

Pull up the sleeves of the JCS first.