Views > September 5, 2006

Sick to Death of Bush

Disease research at Fort Detrick, MD further undermines U.S. and international law.

By Terry J. Allen

Trust me, George Bush says, perched on the remains of Geneva Conventions, the Constitution and habeas corpus.

From this moral high ground, the United States is assuring the world that a new facility for researching a horror shop of weaponized infectious diseases will be used purely for defensive purposes. The National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center’s (NBACC) $128 million, 160,000-square-foot facility is under construction at Fort Detrick, Md. There, the United States has already weaponized more than a dozen diseases—including anthrax, plague, botulism and ebola—and bioengineered war-friendly “improvements.” Scientists are also using DNA-synthesizing techniques to fabricate genetically altered or man-made viruses, and to study the feasibility of creating germ weapons targeting particular ethnicities.

“De facto, we are going to make biowarfare pathogens at NBACC in order to study them,” Penrose Albright, former assistant Homeland Security secretary for science and technology, told the Washington Post.

The 1972 Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention made it illegal under international and U.S. law to make or stockpile bacteriological or viral organisms for use as weapons. The United States is exploiting a loophole: The treaty allows nations to develop small amounts of biological warfare agents for defensive research.

That, according to a NBACC Power Point presentation, briefly posted on the Internet and quickly removed, is what the Fort Detrick lab does—in secret and without meaningful monitoring. The profound secrecy that surrounds the project, as well as CIA and intelligence involvement, raises alarms; these are ratcheted up to red alert in light of the Bush administration’s track record of violating international treaties and lying to the public. And then there is Congress’ history of defining “oversight” as a failure to notice rather than a duty to oversee.

According to the Department of Defense, the secrecy surrounding the Fort Detrick expansion is necessary for national security. The interests of the public, administration officials argue (as they did to defend NSA spying), would be compromised by legislative and judicial meddling—a.k.a. the constitutionally mandated balance of powers.

Odds are the Fort Detrick research exceeds the purely defensive, rendering the CBW treaty as quaint as the Geneva Conventions barring torture. But even if the research conformed to law, what nation would believe that the United States abides by treaty obligations that limit its “war on terror”?

The possibilities for disaster are plentiful. By undermining the treaty, the United States greenlights other nations and groups to similarly “defend” themselves. And compared with making and delivering nukes, creating and distributing biowarfare agents is dead simple. A competent scientist with a good lab can cook up enough to sicken and kill thousands, perhaps millions.

Second, the lesson taught by recent dealings with Iran and North Korea is that possession of weapons of mass destruction tends to inoculate against U.S. attack. Secret expansion of U.S. bioterrorism research—without monitoring through the CBW treaty—could spark a bioarms race.

And then there is the risk of accident. On its Web site, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), a lead government agency on bioterrorism, asks: “Has there ever been an accident at a BSL-3 or BSL-4 facility?” (Bio Safety Level-4 labs hold the most dangerous infectious agents.)

NIAD cheerily answers: “No,” although “Rare accidents such as needlesticks may cause exposure of laboratory staff,” but not “to other workers or to the community.”

But according to the Council for Responsible Genetics, “mistakes happen.” Fort Detrick and other Level-3 and -4 facilities have had a number of accidents, including the loss of ebola and anthrax samples; exposure of workers to anthrax; a three hour power failure that compromised containment and led workers (you’re going to love this) to seal the windows with duct tape; a leaking test chamber that infected workers with tuberculosis; a researcher who contracted the ebola-like sabia virus and exposed 75 other workers; and two researchers infected with HIV from defective gloves. And, last but not least, don’t forget that the anthrax spores used in the September 2001 mail attacks traced back to Fort Detrick.

NIAD is equally noncommittal about the safety of shipping bio agents to and from labs: “There are specific Government regulations for transportation of infectious materials. Infectious materials are safely transported worldwide on a daily basis under these regulations.” Feel better? Perhaps you didn’t hear that in 2003 a package containing West Nile virus samples exploded and exposed workers at the Columbus airport.

And then there is the insanity of trusting critical scientific decisions to an administration that gives equal weight to the theory of evolution and the fable of creationism, that undermines stem cell research by confusing a zygote with an infant, and that is waiting until it has to govern in scuba gear before acknowledging global warming.

Trust me, indeed.

• subscribe to print magazine

  First Name Last Name Home Address City State Zip Code Email

  2-year, 24-issues, $44.95 1-year, 12-issue, $24.95

• stay in touch with our email newsletter

  Subscribe to our regular weekly e-mail newsletter. It's packed with updates on recent and upcoming stories, events, campaigns and things every progressive should be informed about.

   

• email this article to a friend

  Your Name Your Email Recipient Email

  Personal message Thought you might be interested in this article from In These Times.

   

  Please help us prevent spam by verifying the word you see in the image above

  Send to multiple recipients. Just separate each email address with a comma.

• Reader Comments

  Do as I say, NOT as I do .

  This article is correct , as far as it goes, but there is more to be said.

  Terry does not address the dark history of government scientists (who were not “creationists --- just unscrupulous mad bastards) who experimented on soldiers, prisoners, kids in orphanages, and other civilians over much of the last century.

  A few months ago the britgov paid out £100, 000 compensation to the family of a serviceman killed by a sarin experiment at Porton Down UK, FIFTY years ago. Frog remembers the ‘invitations’ to participate , in the late 1960’s Brit Army.

  There are thousands of other cases if we include radiation exposure.  Gulf War Syndrome, Agent Orange, extend to millions .

  Aerial spraying of civilian areas has already been carried out in US and UK to determine the airborne spread of aerosol bugs / radioactive particles.

  Mad scientists are bad enough, as they will get more research funds if they can demonstrate a threat, and what better way to do it than manufacture one ?

  A new dimension is added with privatisation of research, where the manufacture of vaccines represents gigantic profits. $ BILLIONS .

  The increasing crossover already between BigPharma and gov t Agencies has proved counterproductive, as those in FDA, EPA etc, have often been “owned” by those whose products they were called upon to judge.

  Bio-War Research, and “vaccine-production” is like any other Arms Race.

  Posted by frog on Sep 5, 2006 at 6:40 AM

  A sidelight on this is the H5N1 Bird Flu scam.

  Local vets were ordered to encourage backyard poultry keepers here to keep birds inside, or at least feed them there, install new fencing, lots of BlaBla !

  Big health scare , and Bad science. All was blamed on “wild bird migration”.

  New strains of disease arise with intensive production, spread by international trading of chicks, etc. 

  Globalisation again. Some profit, like Rummy and tamiflu (google that !), the rest of us get scared by the media, and PAY .

  Posted by frog on Sep 5, 2006 at 6:51 AM

  As always, in her expectation of a perfect world, Terry Allen begins by pointing out any and all US faults. Also as usual even accidents and misjudgments are lumped in as vicious plots against alll but the priveliged few. (I guess they must all have been vacinated and will be at zero risk.)

  I suggest Terry go to Iran and demand to inspect any and all research labs and military sites. (I suppose she would have protested the A-bomb development if able. What did your Daddy do in the War, Terry?)

  Let’s have a bit of balance here. Sure there have been stupid and even outrageous decisions — but we don’t have a corner on the market.

  Posted by whattheheck on Sep 5, 2006 at 9:45 AM

  WTH

  Please notice my example IS from the UK Ministry of Defence.

  Your attack on Terry is ad hominem, including a generation back !

  My own Daddy served 1939-46, started at 18 and finished up as Radar Chief of HM Pacific Fleet at age 24. He served in every theatre from a Russian Convoy (under Luftwaffe bombing) to hunting the Bismarck , to Atlantic Convoys (under submarine attacks), but none of that will make anything I say here more accurate.

  Terry’s daddy is not her , either .

  To have a bit of balance here, may we assume that Terry lives in the USA, and looks in her own backyard first before all else ?

  As a general principle, what happens first in the US arrives elsewhere a little later. One example. The riots in Watts were later followed in the UK. Another is the catastrophic increase in obesity in the US , which we are now seeing , first of course in the UK, and now in the rest of Europe.

  As often , you shoot your fingers off onto keyboard before engaging brain, and really researching what this is all about, thinking HARD about where this type of so-called Research will lead, has already led, and COULD lead .

  I can understand any government wisely and quietly researching and assessing the possibilities of BioWar.

  I would do the same, very discreetly. So would you , I know.

  The Soviets did it, we know. There are also indications that the Apartheid Gov in South Africa did so, along the same lines as their Nuke programme.

  When does ‘defence’ become potentiallly ‘attack’ ?

  Ike told us that the BOMBS were completely ‘unnecessary’ against Japan.

  More than my friend rabbit, I appreciate your resistance to propaganda, for you are often right, BUT on some subjects you swallow it whole.

  Carried away by the ‘Iranian Menace’, do you honestly think they are plotting BioWar against Rockford USA ? 

  Nah !

  Posted by frog on Sep 5, 2006 at 2:00 PM

  Hi Frog,

  I only threw in the part about her Daddy because so many WW2 guys I know credit the dropping of the bomb for their lives.  One WW2 Marine friend has a daughter who goes to an annual candle light A-bomb protest — he has to remind her that not for the bomb she would not be here.

  In fact I have only heard opposition from those who would not have been in on the invasion of the Japanese islands. To a man those who participated in amphibious attacks on Japanese held islands are totally convinced that Japan too was better off because of the bombs. They would have fought to the last person and we still would have won.
  
  To effectively counter a biological attack you must have the agent in question first. Of course the potential for mischief is there, but then you could say every woman is a potential whore. (Whatever we do, let’s not ban women:-)

  I see absolutely no reason not to expect a biological attack on the US — it would certainly be my first choice if I were out to create terror and mass destruction. My experience is limited only to army texts of 45 years ago, but I am disgusted that we have not prepared people to be alert for such. Much could be done.

  You and I always seem to find some point of agreement despite our many varying opinions. I too thought the bird flu epidemic was way overstated. How much was political “inoculation” against criticism and how much was just another diversion, I can’t say.

  I talked with a retired doctor about bird flu. He was concerned, since the preparation time for any vaccine virtually eliminated it being helpful to very many. When I asked him about bio attack he said it would be very effective due to the time it would take to identify it. A lot of symptoms are common with less serious medical problems.

  You list a number of past “experiments” some which included participants unaware of the testing. While I believe some is true, this kind of claim still begs the question of how much was predetermined to be dangerous. Since tobacco is still legally promoted and even subsidized there is no doubt unscrupulous people would stop at nothing if money is involved. (btw, creationism/evolution belief is irrelevant)

  There was recently a report here on the thousands of people dying in our hospitals’ mistakes. The use of Agent Orange would not have been used without the experts giving it a “harmless to humans” stamp since not only the enemy but also our troops suffer the result. Medical science is continually revised.

  Humans are often wrong even with the best intentions. All life is precarious and we begin life under threat of death and live it so each day. I am just “sick to death” (to borrow her title) with the constant bitching and moaning and blaming everything on the US government. At the same time the volume of pro-Muslim Extrmist propaganda is swallowed unchewed picturing them as total underdogs without so much as an unkind thought toward the rest of us.

  I heard Germany just had a bomb scare — so much for being “uninvolved” in Iraq.
  
  I guess I should just stay away from this website, since the placing of blame is the primary goal here, much of the talk is just speculation, guilt is established haphazardly and most alternative views are dismissed out of hand and the discussion rapidly degenerates into idiotic name calling and personal attacks.

  There are better things we can do with our time.

  Cheers!

  Posted by whattheheck on Sep 6, 2006 at 7:32 AM

• extended discussion >>>Continued...

  Discussions with more than 5 comments are continued on our special discussion page to encourage continuity and ease of use. There are currently 44 posts.

Member Login

Also by Terry J. Allen

• High Court May Immunize Big Pharma
  The FDA's new "preemption" doctrine jeopardizes consumers' right to sue for drug-caused injuries
• Change We Can Reasonably Assess
  
• McCain’s Aches and Pains
  
• On AIDS, Wright Is Wrong
  
• By the Sewers of Babylon
  
• As Hunger Rises, Chew on This