Anthrax Suspect Kills Self - How Conveeeeeeeenient…
Bruce Ivins, a bioweapons scientist at Ft. Detrick, Md. reportedly killed himself via overdose earlier this week. He was about to be indicted in connection with the 2001 anthrax attacks (remember those?). But there are pieces of this story that simply don’t add up at this moment…
Most of the time, I bypass stories that just don’t pass the smell test, even if they’re ultimately found to be correct. This one is just too strange to pass up.
In the immediate aftermath of 9/11/01, while America was still extremely jittery about terrorism on U.S. soil, people started dying from weaponized anthrax spores that were placed in the mail. By historic standards, 5 deaths and 17 sicknesses were not all that significant, but it was the fear of the unknown - combined with 9/11 itself - that sent the country into another panic, and gave the talking newsheads on TV fodder for ratings for a couple of months.
A long time passed before any suspect was identified, even though it was clear early on that the anthrax originated from within the U.S., rather than being imported from one of Saddam’s alleged (though non-existent) mobile WMD labs. As the investigation progressed, the FBI identified a scientist who worked at the bioweapons lab at Ft. Detrick, Md. as a “person of interest”. Turns out the guy ultimately had nothing to do with the attacks, but that didn’t stop the government from leaking info and essentially destroying the guy’s career. He recently settled with the government for nearly $6 million in compensation.
In subsequent years, the entire investigation seems to have slipped down the memory hole, but in reality it just proceeded apace outside of the window of media interest. It was old news. Still, every now and then, someone would ask: “Hey, what about the anthrax attacks in 2001? Whatever happened with that? Why did BushCo lose interest?”
The short answer: because the attacks were domestic terrorism, and likely originated from inside one of the U.S. government’s own labs.
Today, it was reported that Bruce E. Ivins, another scientist from Ft. Detrick, was about to be indicted by a grand jury on charges stemming from the attacks. And conveniently enough, Ivins committed suicide earlier this week by taking an overdose of what was originally reported as Tylenol w/codine. It’s likely that the investigation will now be closed.
Several things don’t ring quite right with this story:
- The timing is certainly curious. If Ivins offed himself several days ago, why is the report just coming to light?
- Reports indicate that Ivins had been informed of his pending indictment. I’m not sure how that happened, as federal grand juries operate in secret, most importantly so indicted suspects don’t hit the road before they can be detained.
- The method of his reported suicide simply doesn’t square with how men kill themselves. Men put guns to their head or jump off a bridge; they generally don’t pill themselves to death. Plus, I’d hazard a guess that someone would have to take a whole lot of Tylenol III’s (a controlled substance) and get no medical attention in order for death to result.
- The first question that any amateur CSI sleuth asks is, “What’s the motivation?” According to earlier reports, Ivins was loosing the deadly spores into the wild in order to field test a vaccine that he’d been involved in developing. Is that a normal government protocol for testing bioweapons? (Just kidding. Maybe.)
My internal BS detector is fairly reliable when incidents like this hit the media. There’s more to this story than meets the eye. Stay tuned…
Update, from the comments: Apparently, Bruce Ivins was a strong opponent of the Jack Kevorkian school of suicide. And Ivins has also written some interesting letters to the editor over the years. Link here. Also, for someone so vehemently opposed to creeping christo-social fascism, it’s strange that he would target Democratic Party congressional representatives (no Republicans received anthrax letters) if Ivins was indeed the person behind the attacks.
Update II: Most of the reports I’ve been hearing and reading today have focused on the quirks in Ivins’ personality. It’s clear that the intent is to develop a public portrait of him as an unstable individual; a loner driven to do heinous acts at the behest of his interplanetary masters. (Magic bullet, anyone?).
Ok, so the guy had more missing screws than a Chinese-made ValuPak box of drywall fasteners at Home Depot. I’m not sure I know any scientists or PhD-level researchers who don’t have some “beautiful mind” type of quirks (except for maybe our good friend and former ASZ colleague Oolius).
………..yet Bruce Ivins had the clearance to work at a U.S. military bioweapons facility for over 30 years? By all accounts, he was a published, well-respected researcher in the field, and had written a peer-reviewed science journal article as recently as two months ago.
This is like an itch that I can’t scratch. There’s something terribly amiss in this whole situation.
yeah i heard this story on npr this morning and had the same reaction as you. tylenol with codeine??? gimme a f’in break. can someone chime in here with how many hundred of those would make a fatal dose as the amount of codeine in them is miniscule.
the indictment thing is fishy too. i mean, he may have known that he was being investigated, but he wouldn’t be told that he was indicted until it was actually handed down. the whole thing stinks. positively reeks. but having a little experience with how these federal prosecutors work, i’m sure the grand jurors were made to think he was public enemy number one and that their own deaths were imminent from this guy releasing anthrax on them personally. to test the vaccine? who knows?
Hey, good post…According to an editorial letter from Ivins to a local newspaper, he seemed quite opposed to the idea of assisted suicide….
http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?StoryID=78274
Sounds like somebody did a “DC Madam” on the poor scientist…
what testubemoron said.
This is one shoddy-ass coverup. the kind of thing you’d expect from a c-student, even a c-student who went to Yale.
which is to say, I’m not buying it. at all.
I agree, this is definitely a ’stay tuned’ story; smells funny, timing funny, quacks funny!! Much more needs to be disclosed, or this could just be another Steven-Hatfill-wild-goose-chase non-story.
It’s not the codeine that killed him; it’s the Tylenol. It’s quite lethal in large doses.
It’s not the codeine that killed him; it’s the Tylenol. It’s quite lethal in large doses.
Define “large dose”. You have to have a prescription to get Tylenol 3’s, and it’s a controlled substance, so no auto renewal of a prescription. 50? 100? Even then, unless the guy was a hermit, it would take quite awhile for a lethal dose to take effect, and the guy would be in quite a bit of pain, despite the codine. Guys don’t like pain. I agree with the earlier commenters and the gist of this post. Something ain’t quite kosher here.
Standard Tylenol also known as Paracetamol (generic name ibuprofen) Is lethal with a dose of 20 to 30 grams. There is enough in a large bottle of OTC Tylenol to kill most people. The death is not pleasant. The liver is destroyed which will cause the person to turn yellow and die from a buildup of toxins in the blood. The process takes 3 to 7 days.
Standard Tylenol also known as Paracetamol (generic name ibuprofen) Is lethal with a dose of 20 to 30 grams.
Wrong. Tylenol is acetaminophen. I just did some research, and a lethal dose can be as little as 20 500mg caps (10 grams). So, Susie is essentially correct. But so is Coultergeist. Apparently, it’s a very agonizing death (multiple organ failure), but there is an antidote if given within 18 hours of an overdose. So, Ivins was feeling mighty poorly for quite awhile - and remember - the guy was married. Where was his wife? It seems very strange that his condition wasn’t discovered prior to his hospitalization, when it was apparently too late. The whole situation reeks.
Then of course, there’s a “related?” story covered a few days ago by the AP and posted over at Cryptogon.com:
“U.S. Air Force General, Thomas L. Tinsley, Dead from Gunshot Wound to Chest”
Kevin’s post begins: “Interesting Coincidence: Tinsley’s previous boss, Michael “Buzz” Mosely, resigned in the wake of the Minot Nukes incident.” Kevin has a link to the “Minot Nukes” story which most of you should remember.
Finally, there seem to have been lots of strange deaths associated with the Minot incident. I suggest folks Search minot nukes air force deaths.
Why would a bioweapons researcher with access to all matter of poisons a helluva lot more potent than Tylenol fuck around with Tylenol in any strength/quantity?
I mean he was dealing with stuff that was so lethal that they had to bleach out areas because of possible spore contamination.
“Several things don’t ring quite right with this story:
1. If Ivins offed himself several days ago, why is the report just coming to light?
2. …federal grand juries operate in secret”
What report ? The one that says some random guy somewhere in the US killed himself for an unknown reason or the one where that secret indictment would have prevented immediate reporting tying his death to a specific motive ?
You’re literally asking us to help you get from your own point A to point B.
3. “The method of his reported suicide simply doesn’t square with how men kill themselves”
Yeah, because the method of suicide chosen by biochemists who work on vaccines for bioweapons would be totally representative of half the human species. And besides, those aren’t statistics suggesting probability, they’re the suicide rules. You simply don’t get to choose.
And remember Webb’s aide was just found shot by the side of the road too, I think someone somewhere is cleaning house.
ok i just figured out the reason why the gov’t needs this now so badly -”home grown terrorism” as an excuse for gutting the constitution. why did it take me so long to figure it out? and what a great example! and on the same day the story comes out that dhs gave border agents permission to seize anything from your date book to your laptop for no reason, no reason at all. this guy with super duper clearance can commit a terrorist act, anyone can…therefore no one is entitled to any privacy protections, for our own good. your neighbor could be plotting a mass murder - better spy on him!
I’m sorry, but this is a “stay tuned story” if ever I heared one. Alot of this just doesn’t pass the smell test. But I will withhold judgement until more information comes to light.
The anthrax scare was created as an excuse to install mail surveillance, once they got what they wanted the incidents stopped.
60-70% of the CIA and NSA budgets are paid to private contractors, some of them are corrupt.
When Hatfill wouldn’t fall they pinned it on Ivins.
The harassments Ivins endured are classic CIA / NSA tactics to discredit, disgrace and destroy. It reads like a bad remake of Arlington Road.
Oh, I’ve got my quirks [like finally waking up and checking the internets late on a Saturday afternoon].
I call bullshit. Get ready everyone, the NWO is about to pull the plug on this country.
Woe betide our enemies
Why was he in counseling? Why did the SW disclose confidential info in her complaint (even if she thought he was a danger to himself or others, it should not have been disclosed. She should have conditioned the confidentiality, and who is the psychiatrist who would authorize her to disclose his/her diagnosis like this?)
Why is a supposedly suicidal man released from a psych hospital? Was this his first bout with depression? Was he medicated (legitimately or otherwise)?
He was found on the bathroom floor on Tuesday and did not die until Thursday. Is there a hospital report?
In my google search, I came across a site “pipl”with 2 comments. From there, I was directed to MySpace where Bruce, age 62 of Frederick Maryland, was listed…as Single and as a Taurus. (His birthday is 4/22). A member only recently.
For the FBI to have so many “corroborating” details but not many common-sense facts, has to be seen as a very smelly story meant to sway the stupids.
This case needs investigative reporting. If not to clear or condemn Ivins, then to point out serious deficiencies in the bioweapons labs of the US. e.g.: How could a lab of 6 add 85 more people, without major management and planning, after the letters came out and all the possible contaminated samples were being sent to them? Who was in charge? Who wasn’t? That’s like a family reunion that lasts more than 2 days! It was months under those conditions!