Anthrax

[Moonliner]

Originally Posted by Motorboat Cruiser

I don't know how closely anyone has been following the developments in this case, but I have.

Yes, I have heard about this... Daily, extensively, excessively... (Did I mention I live in Maryland?) So please, let me comment...

Originally Posted by Motorboat Cruiser

First, there is the reaction from co-workers, who don't believe that he is the guy.

Friends/co-workers hardly ever believe the guy they knew could have done whatever it was...

Originally Posted by Motorboat Cruiser

Then there is the fact that the only negative opinions that have been reported of this guy are from a social worker, who seems to have a questionable past.

It was a group session where he recited detailed fantasies about getting guns and killing people. So it's not just the word of this one social worker. Also people go see a physciatrist , he was "assigned" to see a social worker. Some type of mental disorder must have been present for that to happen. In fact we are hearing from a number of sources in his past about "instability" issues.

Originally Posted by Motorboat Cruiser

There is also the problem that the DNA tests that were supposedly used to trace the strain, not to Ivins, but just to his laboratory, should have been able to have easily been performed 6 years ago, but were just done recently.

From Wikipedia:
DNA sequencing of the anthrax taken from Robert Stevens (the first victim) was conducted at The Institute for Genomic Research beginning in December 2001. Sequencing was finished within a month and the analysis was published in the journal Science in early 2002.

Those test showed the Anthrax came from Fort Detrick. They might have re-run the test recently but they did not wait 6 years.

Also toss in the fact that Ivins holds a patent on a synthetic vaccine for Anthrax from which he stood to make heavy profits if the government suddenly needed a large supply. So for me the only real question is what took so long?