BS: Best of the best US bio weapons

Subject: RE: BS: Best of the best US bio weapons
From: LadyJean
Date: 15 Oct 03 - 11:15 PM

There was an article in "Rolling Stone" several years ago, about the Spanish Influenza. The suggestion was that it might come back, and do more damage. I've also seen a PBS documentary of people excavating the graves of people who died of the flu in Scandinavia and Alaska, on the theory that he permafrost might have preserved the virus.
This doesn't mean I think we need the damn virus! I don't think it could be controlled.
My father and his brothers survived the 1918 epidemic. Though my granparents were told that dad would be a permanent invalid, because of the damage the flu did to his lungs. (The "permanent invalid" was on his high school track team, and won a medal in the Penn Relays.)

Subject: RE: BS: Best of the best US bio weapons
From: mack/misophist
Date: 15 Oct 03 - 08:50 PM

Fear not. Many of us may be immune. Several years ago it was determined that Spanish Influenza is closely related to Swine Flu. Remember that?

Subject: RE: BS: Best of the best US bio weapons
From: GUEST,CrazyEddie
Date: 15 Oct 03 - 09:24 AM

The military developing a nasty strain of 'flu'?

Anyone read "The Stand" by Stephen King?

Subject: RE: BS: Best of the best US bio weapons
From: mooman
Date: 15 Oct 03 - 08:27 AM

Dear Donuel,

Interesting information. I'm glad I'm not a bioweapons research scientist (wouldn't do it anyway), just a humble forensic biologist turned medical safety scientist!

Peace

moo

Subject: RE: BS: Best of the best US bio weapons
From: Donuel
Date: 15 Oct 03 - 08:12 AM

The dislocation used to be an intentional compartmenalization of scientists in the work they were paid to do. In fact some researchers at RIT sued the CIA for one of their duplicitous research schemes.

But now, there are few willing to just say no.

Those that do have not survived long - just in case you haven't noticed the long and bizarre list of murdered/suicide/accident victims who just happened to be bio weapon reasearch scientists.
18 strange deaths in 2 years sets actuarial tables on end.

Subject: RE: BS: Best of the best US bio weapons
From: mooman
Date: 15 Oct 03 - 07:49 AM

As a scientist myself (and one who takes the ethical dimension of my work very seriously) this contributes to an increasing unease I have about the ethics of some areas scientific research and the activities of some scientists. The fact that some medical insight might result appears to be secondary to the fact that this research is being conducted under the auspices of the military.

There have been quite a number of articles recently on such ethical aspects of science (see recent issues for example of the New Scientist and, in terms of general public perception, there is "growing sense of dislocation between scientists and the public" (not my words but those of the one of the UK's leading experts on the public perception of science).

Peace

moo

Subject: BS: Best of the best US bio weapons
From: Donuel
Date: 15 Oct 03 - 07:30 AM

http://www.sunshine-project.org/publications/pr/pr091003.html

I Claudius was to have said upon his deathbed
"Let all the evil in the mud hatch out."


I do not discount the fact that some medical knowledge will come from this project that could claim life saving benefits.

I also know the shortest distance between two points is a discovery and its application to weapons development.