Just coincidence? Terrorist Anthrax strain-->Texas A.M.-->Gates

[keepCAblue]

Because Free Republic member, Chad Conrad Castagna, has put anthrax back in the news, I've been doing some googling. Here is something of interest that popped up. Just coincidence I'm sure, but interesting nonethelesss.

Anthrax Strain

All letter samples contain the same strain of anthrax, corresponding to the AMES strain in the Northern Arizona University database (which has been used for identification). The Ames strain possessed by N. Arizona University is referred to herein as the “reference strain.” That strain was obtained by LSU from Porton Down (UK) in 1997 (the sample was marked “10-32” meaning no. 10 of 32 samples sent); Porton had gotten it from Fort Detrick. Fort Detrick got it from Texas A&M in 1981.

Note that Porton Down, one of the labs in possession of the deadly anthrax strain sent by domestic terrorists in 2001, is in the UK. The anthrax hoax letter sent to Senator Daschle's capitol office was sent from the UK. Should be noted that the anthrax strain identified traces BACK to Texas A&M. Texas A&M has been in the news this past week: Robert Gates, chosen by Bush Jr. to replace Rumsfailed as Secretary of Defense, is the president of Texas A&M. Gates is a long-time political ally and close friend of Bush Jr.'s father, George Herbert Walker Bush, and has been implicated in the Iran/Contra Scandal of 20 years ago and has been accused by fellow intelligence officers of twisting intelligence information to serve political agendas.

[wakeme2008]

1. Old saying

What a Tangled Web We Weave . . .

. . . when first we practice to deceive!


An A&M is a hot bed of Repugs.....

[file83]

2. Was Gates the President of Texas A&M in 1981, when the anthrax left there?

[keepCAblue]

3. Not the point. Texas A&M likely still has the strain...

Gates has been prez for 10 years and the labs at Texas A&M are still likely in possession of the strain, just as is the UK lab.

[keepCAblue]

5. The strain didn't LEAVE Texas A&M in 1981...

The strain is propagated and samples sent out to requesting labs. The original strain remains at the lab of origin.

[file83]

10. Gotcha - okay - well then there is a connection in time & space...

Interesting work keepCAblue!

[nashville_brook]

4. nice dot-connecting... wondering...

what's the chicken-and-egg factor here?

why would a GIANT ex-spook take a university post like Prez of A&M if NOT to have access to cerrtain "resources."

[keepCAblue]

6. Exactly. Seems an unlikely career change for an ex-intelligensia

[file83]

11. I've read that many ex-CIA people become presidents of universities...

...I know it sounds :tinfoilhat:ish, but have you heard the same? Could this be the reason - to have "inside men" in positions of power for all the various advantages it would give the CIA to do "whatever" it is they do?

[jobycom]

12. He was first made the Dean of the George Bush School of Government

which is not unusual. Schools actively recruit former high-ranking officials in government for the prestige, and since Bush's library is at A&M, it's likely Bush helped hook Gates up with the school.

A&M is a big ag school, so it's not surprising that they would have experiments going with anthrax. The "Ames Strain" came from a sick cow in Texas.

Interesting connections, though. I'd be more curious about Bush's proximity to the strain than Gates' by himself. The anthrax attack was far more sophisticated and far more focused than the 9-11 attacks. The anthrax sent to Daschle and Leahy was more refined than the that sent to the media outlets. Which makes it seem more serious an attack. People overlook the fact that if Daschle and Leahy had died, control of the Senate would have gone back to the Republicans. Which makes the attack look like a coup attempt. That didn't have to come from the government (maybe just another Freeper with access to the real thing instead of baby powder). But it certainly came from a Bush supporter. There are a lot of them around A&M, including Bush's dad.

[nashville_brook]

17. whoa! i didn't realize that about Leahy+Daschle. a coup makes sense given

what was happening at the time. am i the only one who remembers Dan Abrams losing his shit on MSNBC during the Anthrax ordeal? everyone was losing their shit at the time, but abrams was totally down with the gravity and absurdity of the anthrax fiasco. so glad he's moved up the ladder there.

and, right you are about the AG-school/anthrax thing, but *prestige* is two-sided... the other side being privilage. the academic glamor jobs aren't bestowed just because the recipieient is such a great guy-- the bestower expects something in return and offers the "honor" only to those who can be trusted to deliver research and resources when asked.

[thereismore]

7. That's a nice nugget of gold. nt

[Old and In the Way]

8. Very interesting....

hadn't heard about this before.

[jobycom]

9. Gates became president of A&M a year AFTER the anthrax attacks

From Wikipedia: Gates was the interim Dean of the George Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M from 1999 to 2001. On August 1, 2002, he became the 22nd President of Texas A&M University.

--

So his connection to A&M was that he was the dean of Bush's school of government. Bush's library is there, also.

Still, it's an interesting coincidence.

[keepCAblue]

15. Correct -- he was there from 1999-2001 in a different capacity n/t

[Drops_not_Dope]

13. Are you talking about this Daschle letter?

[keepCAblue]

14. Another Gates - Anthrax connection...

Gates is a former board member of SAIC (Science Applications International Corp.), a military/industrial defense contractor (in fact, THE largest of all the Pentagon's contractors).

SAIC WAS the employer of Stephen J. Hathill, the anthrax scientist who was (allegedly) framed to take the fall for sending the letters. SAIC, prior to Hathill's departure, had commissioned a 2-year study, the report of which detailed how to successfully send deadly anthrax through the mail.

BTW, Gates was also a board member of the e-voting company, VoteHere. VoteHere was the BIGGEST lobbying company behind getting HAVA pushed through congress.

Things that make you go, "hmmmm..."

[theHandpuppet]

16. Something else I found curious

I'd done quite a bit of googling on this subject when I tripped across this:

The Questia Online Library
College Station: Texas A&M Univ. Press, 2000. 128 pages. $14.95. ... Intelligence Agency Armed Forces Medical Intelligence Center, Ft. Detrick, Maryland. ...
www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o& se=gglsc&d=5002432572 - Similar pages

Name of the paper? "Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace"

If you can't read the article it isn't because of a glitch. Apparently the paper has been removed from public viewing.

There are many other interesting facets to this story, and once we are able to use the DU advanced search function again I'll see if I can dig up some links for you.