back to article The amazing, endless, bioterror pork conveyor

As the final days count down to the US election one can look at the past few years and be deeply disappointed at the country's approach to national security. Rather than count off every single well-publicized major gaffe and fiasco, it's possible to list more minor things which, when taken together, indicate the country …

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  1. jason

    What terrorist?

    The only terrorists I can see are Bush and the elite that governs the world through the US.

    http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7065205277695921912

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Flame

    bin Laden succeeded already with Bush's help

    All it cost was a few airplanes and the slow spiraling crash of the American way of life started. Since 9/11 Americans have lost freedoms through the Patriot Act, been subject to government backed illegal wiretaps, and have seen rampant spending on defense. The Government hemorrhaged cash in near record fashion for all of this as we cheered on like frightened sheep hoping to see the dreaded terrorist be dragged out of his hole. Of course we were slightly satisfied at pulling out a petty dictator out of the Iraqi sands, but he wasn't the mastermind in the fall of our economy--just a tool like our own administration. Bin Laden has been laughing through all of this as he seeded a thorn in our fat side on 9/11 and watched it fester while we tried to pluck it out with our fat fingers in vain. We had a slow bleed out until finally in September our economy started it's death throws. I don't think bin Laden in his wildest dreams could have predicted the level of his success, but then again who knows. Perhaps all it takes is a bit of patience.

    I am not a supporter of terrorism, but I am also not a supporter of panic-driven decision making either. Iraq?--wrong sand pile. Surveillance at home?--no, just need a better border patrol both on the ground and in the air. The real question is whether or not we get someone in office on Tuesday that will use their heads or just another cowboy that likes to play with big guns.

    Dick Destiny you've hit it on the head, I just wanted to throw my $0.02 on the big picture thing.

    (AC'd cause it still scares me to Google my name and see scathing comments on El Reg to something political--heaven forbid that the thought police come and take me away for having an opposing thought.)

  3. Ed Blackshaw Silver badge

    IF we're being accurate about things...

    "And the only time the production of ricin has amounted to anything has been when a lone indigent nut, Roger Bergendorff, poisoned himself, non-fatally, with castor seed powder."

    Might I point the author in the direction of one Georgi Markov, defector from communist Bulgaria, who was poisoned on March 1st 1978, by a pellet containing ricin, which was injected under his skin, most probably from the tip of an umbrella wielded by a KGB assassin.

    The question now should be: Is anyone of non-caucasion appearance carrying an umbrella under significant risk from SO15?

  4. Richard Parkin
    Unhappy

    Georgi Markov

    "And the only time the production of ricin has amounted to anything has been when a lone indigent nut, Roger Bergendorff, poisoned himself, non-fatally, with castor seed powder."

    See:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgi_Markov

  5. dervheid
    Alert

    And the award for...

    "World's Most Paranoid Nation - Terrorism" goes to...

    The 'Global War on Terror.' Another gravy train, just like the 'Global Warming' gravy train.

    "All Aboard the Handcart to Hell"

    Well, at least the greenies will approve of the eco-friendly handcart.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Pirate

    great article however..

    .. since this is internet a couple of advised url to read further would help,

    for example this fight between company for the tender of the vaccine..

    is it possible to read it elsewhere (= not on wiki)?

  7. Schultz

    The best gravy money can buy...

    but you have to be aware that it's just a loaner from the Chinese and Saudi governments, so ride the gravy train while it lasts.

  8. Darling Petunia

    Reading

    Anonymous Coward is right on target.

    Recommended reading: Ron Suskind's - "The Shock Doctrine" and "The Way of the World".

  9. michael

    uk?

    love the article

    you think someone could do one of the sort of thing new lab have been up to in there 10+ years in power?

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Joke

    TWAT has lost its way

    Let's face it... Al Qaeda is a wash. It never even existed until it sprang fully formed from the paranoid imaginings of Bush and the Neo-Cons (see Power Of Nightmares for corroboration). What we need is a new imaginary threat. I fully support the US gubmit in a new war against the imaginary pink unicorn threat!

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Down

    it goes with the terror-tory

    That you have govtards gifting the terror-tards with plenty of lard...after all it's the land of the obese so just pile it on.

  12. Jake
    Unhappy

    not much sense today by these posters

    Just more far left liberal drivel, by both the author and most of the posters obviously skilled in posting untruths, half truths, innuendo, plus a whole LOT of HATE.

  13. amanfromMars Silver badge

    The Flip Side of the Coin

    "What we need is a new imaginary threat." ..... By Anonymous Coward Posted Monday 3rd November 2008 15:58 GMT

    Or a Noble Nobel Cause, AC

  14. michael

    @jake

    "Just more far left liberal drivel, by both the author and most of the posters obviously skilled in posting untruths, half truths, innuendo, plus a whole LOT of HATE."

    pelese do not feed the trolls

  15. J
    Alert

    @"TWAT has lost its way"

    Sometimes, I sympathize with the conspiracy theorists, let me tell you... It's all too good (to a few ) to be true. The moment after the shock of the 9/11 attacks subsided, what I thought was: "this is the Republicans biggest wet dream, come true". Well, I guess it would be fairer to put "government" there instead of Repubes, since they are all pretty similar anyway.

    And some idiots still support all this "War of Terror" thing... they must be profiting monetarily from it through their big companies, there's no other explanation (I know they aren't, they are just stupid, but anyway).

  16. Anonymous Coward
    Flame

    Minor bone to pick

    That is with twaddle like our press whore police chief Bill Bratton. I've got a little news flash for Mr. Bratton and people that some how think any terrorist organization cares who is in office, they don't. Al Qaeda or any other terrorist organization doesn't give a rusty fuck who sits in the white house, their only concern is forwarding what ever agenda they hold on to. Now I have zero love for mccain (so much so I'd give up a months pay for the opportunity to kick him in the teeth) but at the end of the day Bin Laden has no vested interest in the outcome. Their recruiting efforts will continue unabated regardless. So twats like Bratton really do need to STFU because they have zero idea what they are talking about.

  17. Chris G

    @ Jake

    So, Jake which particular bit of the ( Right wing?) gravy train do you work for?

    Or is it just that you think all `ragheads and sand niggers¨are terrorists due to their defective third world genes?

    I doubt very much if there are many far left liberals in the readership of El Reg but I suppose it depends on your frame of reference, most of the `good ol' boys ´that I have met are usually just a little to the right of Attilla the Hun and Genghis Khan! Oops sorry! slopes and ragheads, how could they share your politics?

    So I guess Ronnie Regan was a liberal by your standards.

    In reality it only took the one terrorist attack on 9/11 for Al Quaeda to win due to the excessive reactionary responses of so called democratic countries in the west, the terrists who were responsible for that day must have been beside themselves with glee when they saw just how much they had destroyed the western way of life.

  18. Mark
    Flame

    @Jake

    How does "being liberal" ***automatically*** make the ideas wrong?

    You right wing nazi-boy. Go back to the middle ages, where you belong.

  19. Anonymous Coward
    Black Helicopters

    Seems like the only real news is here

    Because you'll be hard pressed to find an article like this as a headline on CNN or BBC, the truth seems to be too controversial, and that would be bad for ratings and profit. Go figure :-P

    I'm tired of being doomed all the time, and regardless of what the mainstream press would like us to think, so are most of us, and by us I mean human kind.

    The truth is, we CAN all get along, even if we're taught that to say such a thing is sappy. Better than being as asshole I think. Better to be full of sap that shit ;-P

    Keep up the good fight El'Reg!! If knowledge is power you guys seem to have plenty to share, and thanks for sharing :)

    Gotta run, I hear the marshal law coming coming to get us witches/commies/terrorists/un-Americans! AAAAAAAGH!

  20. Dave

    Actually No

    The US is not the first to use CBW. In the Iran / Iraq war Sadam used nerve agents against both the Kurds and Iranians with devastating effects. The Russians used CBW on the Afgans in the 80's including one nicknamed 'flash' that killed so quickly the fighters died while still sighting down the barrels of their rifles. In the the Americas the French gave out infected blankets to native Americans destroying whole tribes and in the middle ages and before anthrax was deliverdd by launching dead animals over fortress walls to infect the populations.

  21. Doug Glass
    Flame

    "We Have Met The Enemy ...

    ... And He Is Us", Pogo, sometimes in the late twentieth century.

    RE: "Rather than count off every single well-publicized major gaffe and fiasco, it's possible to list more minor things which, when taken together, indicate the country essentially as leaderless and adrift at sea as it is in everything else."

    Believe me guys, we the American people, know this. The problems are many; not the least of which is to be able to get enough honest, competent people in positions of political and business leadership. Nowhere else in American society is the Peter Principle more evident that in our political system and the highest corporate ranks.

    We are about to elect a president, and once again we're in the position of having to make our personal choice of the lesser "evil". No matter which goes into office, things will likely not change any more this time than in the past.

  22. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    is it just me, or is this article more of the same?

    Ukrane to Russia = Texas to the USA? Seriously? I could see if you said Mexico or something maybe. I like how you just added Ukrane back into the USSR for dramatic effect. That's almost as dramatic as saying we need to go find the WMD's.

  23. Rogan Paneer

    Experts

    While we're talking about the misuse of 'experts' in the Great war for Pork, commenters (even you, Jake) might enjoy going to Youtube and finding the bitterly ironic "Only an Expert" by Laurie Anderson.

  24. Adam White

    The 'Base

    I've occassionally wondered what software Osama bin Laden's "Qaeda" is actually hosted on. Probably a Microsoft Access MDB file, either '97 or maybe even v2.0

  25. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    No, it's just you.

    This is a device called an "analogy" - it's designed to demonstrate a point in a memorable way, and so doesn't have to be geographically exact. You'll find its quite common.

    Excellent article.

  26. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge
    Alien

    When trivial truth is "far left", you are obviously in the right side gutter.

    "Just more far left liberal drivel, by both the author and most of the posters obviously skilled in posting untruths, half truths, innuendo, plus a whole LOT of HATE."

    Successful Troll is Successful? Don't bet on it.

    Aliens because they are similar to trolls. Though less retarded.

  27. Inachu
    Flame

    Liberalism is the new conservatisim.

    Somehow conservatisim has been equated with making war when the base meaning means to conserve as is to SAVE ENERGY so going to war is not saving energy and These so called christian conservatives are the real ones who are not conservative at all.

    To prevent war at any and all costs is REAL conservatisim. That is really conserving energy when you prevent some exotic war machine from running all over the world killing in the name of freedom when those conservatives are the ones who fed their enemies the weapons they needed to do their crimes then they point fingers at the liberals for not preventing them from selling weapons to them and then the name calling begins.

    At least in a dictatorship everyone knows they are being fed lies and propaganda in a free society nobody can tell when truth is fiction or lies are truths.

  28. Scott

    IT Angle

    I don't like these new fangled new grave trains there introducing theres no IT money making angle not like the good old Millenium bug,i say bring this back at least it only made the corparate bods cower in a corner, now the great unwashed have to be dupped into believing this crap to moake money for the funny hand-shake brigade

  29. jake Silver badge

    The dogs would like me to point out ...

    ... that I'm the lower case jake ... the upper case Jake is somebody else.

    My opinion: Show me the terrorists. Where the fuck are they, already? Lots and lots of noise perpetrated by the various gummints, but nothing to show for it (other than massive unnecessary spending, a boatload of dead innocents, and a few sorry saps imprisoned at Gitmo and elsewhere for reasons nobody can fully explain).

    This has been going on for a LOT of years ... It's bullshit, and I'm tired of it.

    Yeah, I know, Iraq & Afghanistan & misc. embassy and train(station) bombings here and there ... but surely a very clear case could be made that the violence in that part of the world has been ongoing for well over 4,000 years? Does anyone really expect to bring peace to that neck of the woods in a couple of years? When those populations think violence is a part of life? ESPECIALLY when the folks supposedly trying to bring peace are using weapons to enforce that peace? Surely the mythical "thinking man" can see that the English speaking forces trying to bring peace over there is drawing very angry, indoctrinated religious nutcases from all over the world into the fray like moths to a flame?

    There will not be peace in the Middle East in my lifetime. There will be religious extremists of all ideologies blowing things up in the name of $Deity all over the world into the foreseeable future.

    WHY? What a waste of time!

    As a great mind once opined "Isn't fighting for peace like fucking for virginity?"

    These poor saps are religion-driven nut-cases, egged on by the "teacher" of their choice, who have told them what their good book of choice has to say, rather than teaching them how to read said good book for themselves (are you listening, abortion clinic bombers? YOU are terrorists! Goose, gander & all that ...).

    But WHY RILE THEM UP? WHAT'S THE POINT? Do our gummints ENJOY getting some of the

    best of the next generation killed, for no good reason?

    Yes, I know. Follow the money.

    ::sighs::

    </rant>

    As all y'all were, back to whatever you were arguing about ...

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