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?

[Gemini Cricket]

An intended recipient of one of the anthrax-laced letters sent in 2001's anthrax scare said Monday he was "very skeptical" of the government's investigation. Former Sen. Tom Daschle, who was Senate majority leader at the time, said he is suspicious of the case against researcher Bruce Ivins because of the government "bungling" of Steven Hatfill's case.
Hatfill, who was named by the Justice Department as a "person of interest" in 2002, was never charged and later sued the department. They reached a multimillion dollar settlement in June.

Source

[Motorboat Cruiser]

Originally Posted by Moonliner

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

Do they commonly have the expertise necessary to state that the accused had no access to the equipment necessary to commit the crime?

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.

Do you have any cites to back this up? I've heard that he recently suffered from depression, which might better explain his suicide, but doesn't seem to suggest that there were any problems with his mental condition at the time the crime occurred.

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.

So, then why was his security clearance allowed until July 10th. If they knew that far back of where this came from, I find that pretty surprising.

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?

Doesn't seem that the actions he was going to be charged with had the ability to create the type of demand that you suggest.