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"Pay close attention to that man behind the curtain!"

Tuesday, February 03, 2004

Conspiracy on Capitol Hill

[A "correction" to this post -- marked with an asterisk -- has been made below, but other than the addition of the asterisk, the content remains the same, as do the premises of the post. INDIAC regrets being fooled by the mainstream media. Shame on me for not paying close enough attention to the "man behind the curtain"!]

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist has received mail suspected of containing ricin. [Frightening profile here.] Well, not exactly.

You see, the envelope* containing the "suspicious white powder" was found in the Dirksen Senate Office Building adjacent to the Capitol. Frist "normally uses his Capitol majority leader's office instead of the Dirksen office." So if it were actually mailed to him, he wouldn't have been in any danger from it. (Smart!)

It's also rather suspicious that in March 2002, Frist wrote a book called When Every Moment Counts: What You Need to Know About Bioterrorism from the Senate's Only Doctor. The book:
"... provides basic information on the most likely bioterrorism agents, such as anthrax, smallpox, plague and botulism. Frist clearly and knowledgeably explains the symptoms, incubation period and available treatments for each agent, providing specific details, like the definition of "weaponized" anthrax and the government plan for containing a smallpox outbreak."
Now, perhaps it's merely coincidental that Bush is currently discussing an inquiry into "intelligence failures" (double entendre) which is likely to occur only after the November presidential election. Naaaaaaaaaaaaah!

Can you say "weapons of mass distraction"?

UPDATE: Since this story broke, the reporting of the details has changed. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution article linked above* [on the words "suspicious white powder"] has a headline reading "Mail sent to Frist office contains ricin," hence my use of the word "envelope." It's not until paragraph 24 that the article says:
Frist and police chief Gainer said investigators were still uncertain which, if any, piece of mail the ricin had come from. Gainer said officials had not yet found any "visible threat," such as a menacing letter. The ricin was found on a device that opens mail, authorities said.
Subsequent reporting says:
About a tablespoon of powdery ricin was found on a countertop in Frist's mailroom Monday afternoon. An intern had noticed it and alerted the police.
This doesn't necessarily clarify the previous report, but perhaps even contradicts it. Was the ricin "on a [machine]" or was it "on a countertop"? Was Frist unclear, or did the reporters on the scene fail to ask enough questions?
Posted at 10:03 PM by: [Permalink]
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