[terror] Why Anthrax Jihaters Chose Tabloids

[Amazed]

I wouldn't be too sure about the bottled water guys. For those who missed my FOAF story, 3 Middle Eastern men tried to get jobs at Poland Springs plant in Maine. When the HR person got suspicious and got on the phone, they took off. The National Gaurd are on the look out but haven't found them that I know of. Poland Springs supplies bottled water all over the North East. It doesn't have to be Anthrax. Many poisons would do the job.

BTW doesn't it take a lot of spores of Anthrax to infect just one person? They would have to have a ton of the stuff to infect all the ink, wouldn't they?

How to get a LOT of people with poisons?
Coca Cola syrup
Mc Donalds french fries (botulism (sp?)
Bottled Water
Lottery tickets
The list is endless IMO

 

[moocollins]

INK?

So I'm sitting hear on the phone talking to a friend who works for a daily in my neck of the woods and we're talking about this Tabloid deal and he say's to me,<p>
"It's the ink, The ink that is used in these rags is biodegradable, it's made of soya and water , that's it. We have to keep the stuff out of light and under 40 degrees just to keep it usable."<p>I don't doubt your reference but where is the specs on the Soya ink? According to what I surmised my buddy thinks that if the pathogen was added just prior to printing (not during manufacture of the ink) it would be an acceptable method of dispursion.....what do ya think (I'm no ink chemist)

 

[Ottergal]

C.B.-
You and I are on the same wave length. I had just mentioned the same thought about paper money to Stu on IM. Very few people wash their hands after touching money, yet it is one of the dirtiest things around. All someone would have to do is dust the spores on the money and start hitting the fast food restaurants, grocery stores, gas stations etc.

Side drift: one of my most favorite fast food sandwich places, Togos, never lets the money person make sandwiches. While it may slow things down at times, it sure is a lot healthier for all of us. Too bad more places don't subscribe to the same practice.

 

[karlacalif]

that would be "THE ALMIGHTY DOLLAR"..."IN GOD WE TRUST"!


How horribly ironic that would be!

I always thought togo's just wanted to have one person responsible and accountable for the $$$'s. Never thought about the other possible reasons!

 

[W F Godot]

I was listening to NPR on my truck radio on the way home from work today, and I heard the talking head interviewing a biological expert from the CDC, I think. When pressed about the nature of this incident, the expert said that it was truly unique. He said none of the known cases in the last century were contracted INSIDE of an office building. These spores come from the soil or from animals or their parts. They do not come from mailrooms or keyboards. He left the listener with the instant conclusion that they were placed there by somebody, although he did not actually say it.

Welcome to the THRESHOLD of WWIII, it ain't nothin' like my momma told me...WFG

 

[C.B.]

I was listening to NPR on my truck radio on the way home from work today, and I heard the talking head interviewing a biological expert from the CDC... He left the listener with the instant conclusion that they were placed there by somebody, although he did not actually say it.

Well, the fullest account of what happened that I've seen is here: http://www.msnbc.com/news/639937.asp (exclusive)

>Several are focusing on a letter that arrived at the company about a week before the Sept. 11 terrorist attack. It was described by sources as a “weird love letter to Jennifer Lopez”—similar, outwardly, to the types of mail the tabloids often get. But inside the oddly-worded letter was what was described as a “soapy, powdery substance” and in the pile of that a cheap Star of David charm. The letter, per routine, was taken in by the joint mailroom of the company. Employees said the letter was handled both by Stevens and by Blanco. <

C.B.

 

[C.B.]

Re: INK?

So I'm sitting hear on the phone talking to a friend who works for a daily in my neck of the woods and we're talking about this Tabloid deal and he say's to me,<p>
"It's the ink, The ink that is used in these rags is biodegradable, it's made of soya and water , that's it. We have to keep the stuff out of light and under 40 degrees just to keep it usable."<p>I don't doubt your reference but where is the specs on the Soya ink? According to what I surmised my buddy thinks that if the pathogen was added just prior to printing (not during manufacture of the ink) it would be an acceptable method of dispursion.....what do ya think (I'm no ink chemist)

Well, my suspicion is that it would be really hard to transmit a biological through news ink, all things considered. It's a bit of an alarmist theory. Now, if writing a sci-fi novel, however, I'd give it pause.

That said, who really knows? Good thing is the current discussion about the goings-on in Lantana, Fla. suggest a powdered substance was received in an envelope, rather than that someone died from killer ink.

If one really wanted to go out on a limb toward weird stuff, though, they could consider that the company that makes anthrax vaccine (BioPort) is less than 70 miles or so from the headquarters of the self-acclaimed largest U.S.-owned maker of news ink, in Michigan.

Happily, the vaccine maker says it has a little anthrax on hand, but not nearly enough to interest a terrorist, from what I've heard.

For more on the ink industry: http://www.soyink.com

Suspect lots of this is just coincidences floating around near each other. Would encourage rational thought.

 

[Kasota]

The money angle has got me thinking. Being rather into horses, I subscribe to a number of mags. One issue that comes up from time to time is that of horses testing positive for certain drugs that are banned for horses in competition. There have been instances, in certain areas, where a positive test has been traced back to money...money that changed hands as tips and such on the back side of tracks or other competitions. Just a thought.

DH and I kick ideas around all the time. If an organization was seeking to control the American people (terrorism being a form of control) what would they see as objectives? What does America need to function freely? Food, water, transportation, communication, power, etc. Having an agriculture background, I have big fears on the food front. Look at what went on in Britain with hoof and mouth. Some things can cross-contaminate, and cross infect from wild populations to domestic. Maybe not likely as a methodology (less predictable) but just a thought.

What would set Americans against each other? Fear of not having enough to eat. Hit the agricultural industry and transport industry at the same time and there would be riots in the streets. Not a pleasant thought. I worry, in ways, more about civil unrest than many other things. Just one more happy thought...

Got preps?

 

[Loon]

Interesting thread and theories. I'm thinking outloud here and this may be off topic. I'm in the Detroit area and if you remember there were 3 men arrested here recently after FBI were following leads to terrorist activities. These men had been employed at Sky Chef as dishwashers. This is the company that prepares the meals for airlines. They left that job and at the time of their arrest they were working at a company that packages new videos. Both these jobs are low pay end type jobs. Both jobs could conceivably have been perfect places to put anthrax spores (if this is possible) where there could be large circulation......think of all the homes that rented videos go into and how many people eat meals on airlines.

Probably totally wrong in my thinking here, but that is what came to my mind. Gossip papers like the Sun and 'infidel' videos would be against thier strict moral codes. The only thing that doesn't fit into my theory is that all the video stores around here are owned by Arabs.

 

[dimplebutt]

Listen up! Where there's a will there's a way. Anyone can enter into any building disguised as a janitor or workman. If the infilitrator has a target and a means of disposing of bio/chemical warfare, they have already designed their agenda to meet their objectives.

 

[bigwavedave]

Troke wrote - If you open the mag, something goes 'pop' and your face is covered with dust....yup. Otherwise, hard to do.

hmm, i'm starting to see an upside to this entire affair . . .

 

[Squirrel Hunter]

C.B: Love yer train of thought!

Last night, I told my mom, who's a pharmacist, about the second case of anthrax, and she responded ... "Well , I know whose repsonsible for that!" "WOW!' sez I. "Who?!" She sez "Ciprofloxin" (or some such name) the anti-biotic for anthrax, costs $500/bottle. The manufacturer here is going to clean up!" So they make the ink nearby ....?

Back on the main train: You know, just playing along with the speculation: this is a fascinating theory for delivery or distribution and works to make sense of what looks like a terrorist infiltration of the Enquirer's editorial offices. Furthremor, more than likely it would be MUCH easier to get into the actual printing area of the press than it would the journalists and editorial offices....

But what about the sheer VOLUME of anthrax bacillus that would have to be smuggled inside to the presses? It almost precludes the possibility: you'd have to have a delivery bin laden with spores, filled with spores, and somehow make that operable Then there is the matter of the efficacy of delivery: how many tens of thousands of copies of those tabloids never get opened or read, but languish on the newstands then get tossed or "returned" for credit? That would further amleriorate the value of "spiking" the papers one by one ....

The bacillus would HAVE to be in the ink .... even "inkubated" in the ink, during the manufacturing process or a vat of BIN LADEN with the ink would have to be switched for a manufacturer's vat somewere during delivery .... The former would require the complicity of the manufacturer: next to impossible. The latter would also be difficult to accomplish: too much finesse for these dudes.

The guy who died was a photographer. The spores were said to be on his computer keyboard. That's a whole different ball-game from spiking an entire container of ink, methinks.

>"<

 

[fiver2000]

Loon wrote:

Gossip papers like the Sun and 'infidel' videos would be against thier strict moral codes.

===
I don't think strict moral code is a factor here. Didn't Mohammed Atta go to a strip club the night before flying? Besides, the al-Qaeda manual suggests that they not seem to be 'too' moslem, to fit in ...

I think the line of thinking you all are pursuing is very useful - considering behind the scenes types of jobs.

I am personally being *very* careful to wash all fresh produce. As far as dry foods go, heck I've got enough beans and rice to last quite some time ...

 

[Squirrel Hunter]

This is an interesting aside on a MOST CURIOUS feature of the contemporary Islamic moral code -- and by extension at least SOME of the religious sensibilities and cultures of Islam : the koranic and associated islamic laws promulgated by the imams and religious governments SEEM or are DEEMED only to be in force and to apply SOLELY within the geogrpahic limits and jurisdiction of the government! I mean ... it's NOT christianity: a religion of the heart (in it's ideals anyway): it's a religion like the Hebrews of 33 B.C:by the book, babe. It's a relgion of LAWS for slavation!

From what LITTLE I know, the crime of the infidels -- that's us -- is not necessary the sin in itself: they don't really care that we're over here sinning away. But our corruption is Satanic, because we corrupt THEIR cultures through violation of these islamic proscriptions on their own soil: our magazine, our books, our videos, our music, our fashions: a constant barrage and assault on their tender legalistic sensibilities. WHERE THEY LIVE, under their laws.

And of course there's that Israel problem.

I DON'T make a study of this, but have a friend who has taught in Saudi, UAE and a few other Islamic countries for years -- much to his grief. What he relates -- first it was with surprise and humour, then over the years, with increasing disgust at the legalism and hypocrisy of these men, these most observant moslems, -- is that although they will not drink, smoke, or look at a woman while they are on their own territory, AS SOON AS they get out of -- say -- Saudi airspace, they will order cocktails galore and become the most uninhibited and flirtatious and offensive "frat boys" imaginable. Like freshman college kids. In violation of all the laws they observe at home -- but NOT in violation, since they are out of "jurisdiction".

For Atta to be at a strip club REGULARLY would NOT be in violation of Islamic law, if he conceived of his religious obligations like these Saudis and Emiris do.


Wild etc.

>"<

 

[psylenced]

hehehe

 

[Jesse]

G'morning all!

Well, I'm not a terrorist, but I am a fairly decent strategist and if I wanted to conduct some clandestine activity in the East, I'd make *very* sure I had you all looking in a Westerly direction.

I think it is probable that we will see a lot of Anthrax cases surfacing in the next days, weeks, to a few months.

I also think it's a distraction from the real focus of the terrorist movement/cells.

If I were a betting person I'd put my money on the water supply to every major city in N. America. Even with a 50% failure rate (as with the hijackings) this would be devastating.

That's what I think they're going to do next, and have good reason to believe that too.

FWIW, - Jesse.

 

[A.T.Hagan]

Everybody's looking at the newsprint, the ink, the paper money and so on but it sure seems to me the simplest solution would be that the photographer simply tracked the spores in on his shoes along with the usual dirt that people accumulate on their footgear.

Once on his shoes he'd naturally track it to his office/cubicle/whatever where it would spread to other surfaces like his keyboard. Dirt in the carpet is a common source of building dust which could be how the second person who was found with the bacillus anthracis spores in his nose came across it.

The photographer was an avid outdoorsman and who knows where all he walked through. Anthrax spores can survive a long, long time. There's an old anthrax hospital up in the Florida panhandle that was burned and buried in the latter part of the 19th century and I'd be willing to be you could still find viable spores there today. Fortunately, merely encountering the spores isn't enough otherwise we'd have large areas of the country that would be uninhabitable.

..........Alan.

 

[Cascadians]

Mad about Sex?

Markus just posted a thread where reporters are speculating that the American Media building/workers were targeted because they have run articles about AlmostBeenLaid's sex life.

http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=9722
[WAR] Anthrax at Globe/Enquirer: retaliation for articles on Bin Laden's sex life?

We have been reading some very strange articles on Free Republic about the sex habits / proclivities of men in that part of the world ... don't know how much is true.

If overLadin tries to kill everybody who is talking negatively about him ... oh, that IS what he wants to do ...

WHY American Media is the first to outbreak in bioterror will partially be answered when the FBI determines WHEN, how and by whom the spores were planted.

Seriously doubt it's the only place targeted, so keep thinking of reasons and next places / items to be wary of!