Ken Hamblin: Is West Nile more than we know?

The Denver Post ^ | 9.29.02 | Ken Hamblin

[ZULU]

Thank our open door immigration policy and deferential treatment towards immigrants and foreign invaders from third world anarchies. What's next? Ebola Zaire epidemics?


Years ago you couldn't get in here if you had an eye infection or they didn't like the shape of your head.

Today anything that walks and is non-European gets in.

[meema]

I don't know what is going on, but I do know that our birds have disappeared over the last few weeks. We have 3 songbird feeders and 1 hummingbird feeder... and a forest in our backyard. This is Yorkville in Kendall County, IL.

Snce we moved here last summer, we have always had Chickadees, Hummingbirds, Goldfinches, other Finches, Cardinals and many other species as well. We sit in the our screened in porch and watch all the birds.

For the past week, THEY ARE ALL GONE. Nothing but honking geese flying overhead.

[Dave S]

Dave... this thing has spread like a mutha and just this year gone from a blip on the radar screen to something that is over most of the country and has killed quite a few people. Early in the summer people were saying... well it only affects a few people and most of them don't die, but it has far surpassed that level now.

Its taken three years for the virus to spred across the country but it has only affected a few people. We are a country of what 260 million. Of these at least tens of millions have been bitten by mosquitos. I was even bit by an Illionois mosquito and lived to tell the story. Of these relatively few got sick enough to visit a doctor. Most had either no ill effect or had something similar to the flu. A fraction of one percent had any ill effects and of these less than two hundred have died.

I have a feeling it's going to reach California and the deaths are going to be in the hundreds.

You must have missed it but there have been several cases of WNV in California already. Does the temperature normally get low enough to kill off mosquitoes in Southern California? This could be year round problem for Californians who tend to spend a lot of time outside.

[XBob]

Dear Prime Example,
59 - How true - "Nothing to prevent a conservative from also being a rambling fool. Plenty of examples here on Free Republic"

In the countries where some of these diseases come from, I have seen far too many die from bad diseases. People like you haven't got a clue of the bad things out there. We killed most of the bad ones off in this country before it was illegal (the greenies are preparing the ground, bringing back swamps, and growing mosquitoes, purposely).

Go take your malaria pills - turn orange and spend your own time on the toilet. Watch children shrivel up and die, going at both ends -

And now we are going to war with a bio-terrorist nut, and you want to sit on your ass and ignore searching for preventative methods.

You are a fool, who is willing to purposely let people die for your foolish attitudes.

[Dave S]

And now we are going to war with a bio-terrorist nut, and you want to sit on your ass and ignore searching for preventative methods.

You my stinky friend are more than a little paranoid. Crawl under your bed or stock up your fall out shelter, its 1962 all over again.

[XBob]

As you said and continue to demonstrate, we have at least one too many fools here on FR.

"In the countries where some of these diseases come from, I have seen far too many die from bad diseases. People like you haven't got a clue of the bad things out there. "

I have personally, " Watch children shrivel up and die, going at both ends - ", and been able to do nothing about it.

It is very sad.

Get enlightened, go visit an orphanage in some of these places, and you try and help the children.

Get off your ass you lazy b.....

[Dave S]

Buy some damn insect repellent and be done with it you idiot. I never heard of any thing studidier than spending government funds to find out how to get mostquitos not to bite. That problem was solved years ago. People use insect repellent but based on your self report, your body odor chases off mosquitos. Now thats something to be proud of. LOL

[XBob]

Hey, Jack S.

I wish your grand children and your children and your parents and grandparents all are plagued with mosquitoes, like so many in the world are:

Malaria infects between 300 and 500 million people every year in Africa, India, southeast Asia, the Middle East, Oceania, and Central and South America. About 2 million of the infected die each year. Most of the cases and almost all of the deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa. At the present time, malaria kills about twice as many people as does AIDS. As many as half a billion people worldwide are left with chronic anemia due to malaria infection. In some parts of Africa, people battle up to 40 or more separate episodes of malaria in their lifetimes. The spread of malaria is becoming even more serious as the parasites that cause malaria develop resistance to the drugs used to treat the condition

[Dave S]

If most of the malaria cases occur in sub-Saharan Africa, then dont go there. Geez!

[XBob]

"If most of the malaria cases occur in sub-Saharan Africa, then dont go there. Geez!"

so, we shouldn't explore ways to prevent malaria?

Don't you come to my church, you uncompassionate SOB, who cares not a whit if millions of people are dying every year, as long as it isn't you.

Better get that bug spray on your dog every 3 hours, I love dogs.

Vet confirms Scottsbluff dog had West Nile virus

[1Old Pro]

Will public officials have the courage to protect our citizens and

BRING BACK DDT

[XBob]

no, they won't have the guts. Thank goodness we had it, and I grew up with it, and massive hoards of mosquitoes.

Unfortunately, we have ignorant, uncaring fools, who reject any new ideas to find a better, genetic way of handling the problem, because it doesn't impact them, yet.

[XBob]

Congress weighs Lariam in Bragg deaths
By Mark Benjamin and Dan Olmsted
From the Washington Politics & Policy Desk
Published 9/30/2002 8:14 PM
View printer-friendly version


FAYETTEVILLE, N.C., Sept. 30 (UPI) -- Members of the House Armed Services Committee said Monday they would take a careful look at whether a controversial anti-malaria drug might have played a role in a string of killings and suicides near Fort Bragg last summer.

Several members of the committee traveled to Fayetteville and Fort Bragg Monday for a day of meetings with civilian and military personnel to discuss preventing domestic violence.

Subcommittee Chairman John McHugh, R-N.Y., said the panel would look at whether the drug, called Lariam, might have played a role in the killings near Fort Bragg.

"Particularly with the contraindications that are listed on this particular manufacturer's label, it is something we want to discuss," McHugh told United Press International.

Lariam's label warns of rare reports of suicides, along with aggression, paranoia and psychosis. At least three of the soldiers involved in the deaths near Fort Bragg took Lariam this year. Two committed suicide after allegedly killing their wives. A third is in prison after allegedly strangling his wife, and friends said he has had delusions and paranoia but is improving.

"Obviously, it is a connector" among some of the killings, said McHugh. "I think we owe it to ourselves to at least take a look at it."

Rep. Robin Hayes, R-N.C., said the committee would look into Lariam. "We do not want to discount it," Hayes said.

Reps. Jeff Miller R-Fla., and Ellen Tauscher, D-Calif., also attended the meetings.

The Pentagon sent an epidemiological team to Fort Bragg to look into factors that could have contributed to the violence, including Lariam. McHugh said that team's report might be complete as early as this week.

Just one month before the killings began last summer, McHugh wrote Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld last May to ask for a review of the military's use of Lariam. McHugh's staff is reviewing the Pentagon's 22-page response dated Sept. 13.

The Army, which invented Lariam and says it has been used safely by hundreds of thousands of troops, has said it sees no evidence that Lariam caused any of the deaths near Fort Bragg.

Copyright © 2002 United Press International

[XBob]

a controversial anti-malaria drug might have played a role in a string of killings and suicides near Fort Bragg last summer

[Species8472]

FYI -

U.S. Department of State

International Information Program

05 June 2002

State Dept. Reaffirms Cuba Has Biological Warfare Research Effort

Official says Cuba providing biotechnology to rogue states

A State Department official has reaffirmed the Bush administration's belief that Cuba has a "limited, developmental, offensive biological warfare research and development effort" and that the Caribbean nation has provided "dual-use biotechnology to rogue states."

Testifying June 5 before a Senate subcommittee, Carl Ford, assistant secretary of state for intelligence and research, said the United States is "concerned that such technology could support biological warfare programs" in those rogue nations.

Ford said Cuba has several facilities involved in biological-related efforts in agriculture, medicine, and veterinary science, "which, as in any country, could be used for illicit purposes." This "dual-use problem," Ford said, "presents all who are committed to combating" the biological warfare threat "with the dilemma of how best to assess the capabilities of any given facility against the intent to develop biological weapons."

The nature of biological weapons makes it "difficult to procure clear, incontrovertible proof that a country is engaged in illicit biological weapons research, production, weaponization, and stockpiling," Ford told an open session of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Peace Corps, and Narcotics Affairs. A closed session was scheduled to follow the open forum.

Ford added that Cuba's "sophisticated denial and deception practices make our task even more difficult." But he added that the State Department has a "sound basis" for making its judgment about Cuba's effort in illicit biological weapons research. Ford said he was "necessarily limiting" his public comments on the subject to the subcommittee because of the need to protect sensitive intelligence information. He said he was prepared to discuss the evidence in a closed session.

Following is the text of his prepared remarks:

INTELLIGENCE STATEMENT BY ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE FOR INTELLIGENCE AND RESEARCH CARL W. FORD JR. BEFORE THE SENATE SUBCOMMITTEE ON WESTERN HEMISPHERE, PEACE CORPS, AND NARCOTICS AFFAIRS, SENATE COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS

June 5, 2002

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

It is my pleasure to come before the Subcommittee today to discuss the issue of what we in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research assess to be Cuba's efforts to date in the area of biological warfare. My remarks in this open forum will necessarily be limited owing to the need to protect sensitive intelligence information, but I would welcome the opportunity and am prepared to give classified remarks in a closed session.

On March 19, in my statement in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, I stated INR's judgment that:

The United States believes that Cuba has at least a limited, developmental, offensive biological warfare research and development effort. Cuba has provided dual-use biotechnology to rogue states. We are concerned that such technology could support BW programs in those states.

That assessment and our concerns have not changed in the intervening 2 and half months.

Among the various weapons of mass destruction (WMD) disciplines, biological warfare (BW) is perhaps the most difficult to clearly identify, absent unambiguous reliable intelligence information, owing to the dual-use nature of the technology and materials used to support a BW program. In today's world, many nations, including Cuba, have in place robust biotechnology infrastructures, as some of the world's best scientific talent has turned to this avenue of modern science to promote medical and agricultural advances in their countries. Distinguishing legitimate biotech work from work that is pursued to support either offensive or defensive BW efforts or programs continues to be a difficult intelligence challenge. In a nutshell, since basic BW production does not require large, sophisticated programs or facilities it makes the intelligence assessment function more complicated.

Cuba has several facilities involved in biological-related efforts in agriculture, medicine and veterinary science, which, as in any country, could be used for illicit purposes. This dual-use problem presents all who are committed to combating the BW threat with the dilemma of how best to assess the capabilities of any given facility against the intent to develop biological weapons.

What then can I say about the evidence for our assessment? The nature of biological weapons makes it difficult to procure clear, incontrovertible proof that a country is engaged in illicit biological weapons research, production, weaponization and stockpiling. Cuba's sophisticated denial and deception practices make our task even more difficult. That said we have a sound basis for our judgment that Cuba has at least a limited, developmental, offensive biological warfare research and development effort. I am prepared to discuss the evidence we do have in a closed session or leave behind a classified statement for the record.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

[MinorityRepublican]

I've got a tin foil theory here... Perhaps the US received credible information that the the Iraqi defector was correct in his assertion that Iraq had a version of West Nile that would kill 97% of those affected.

That is an interesting theory. Maybe at the end of this, only 1,000 people would die. If you think that's bad, then compare that to 270 million dead Americans.

What better (and quicker) way to innoculate the population then to spread a weak version of West Nile?

Yep, you're right. This whole thing is probably nothing.

But you never know.