Re: IP: Silent Weapon of Mass Destruction

[chatski carl <chatski@gl.umbc.edu>]

A powerful statement of the obvious, with one important ommission: The
United states is the largest researcher, producer, experimenter with, and
user of biological weapons.  Despite 'honest' Dick Nixon's unilateral
pledge in 1972 that the US would not produce offensive BW weapons, they
have been doing so, keeping pace with developments in molecular biology.
Much research and development is privatized; it is not prohibited for
private corporations to develop such weapons.

A few observations:

The Army has used the term "Ethnic Biological weapons" since the late
60's.

There are 2 kinds of BW weapons development:
  o	battlefield weapons
  o	weapons of class warfare ( suitable for covert long term use
	against all or subsets of the civilian population ). 

And finally as one observes "new" diseases, one should remember that the
main thrust of the major BW research since the end of wwII, has been
against the immune system ... so that no defense can be mounted.

On Fri, 16 Oct 1998, Vladimir Z. Nuri wrote:
>........
> Microorganisms, it should be noted, are a very inexpensive
>  way to exterminate entire populations. Above all, many
>  microorganisms can be cheaply grown, each having its own
>  unique uses. As stressed by Carl Yaeger of Utah Valley State
>  College and Steven Fustero, IACSP Director of Operations,
>  this is a great advantage in deciding the effect wished to be
>  brought about on the section of the population at which the
>  attack is directed. Since the organisms are capable of rapid
>  reproduction, only a small amount is required to infect a very
>  large area.
>.... 
> But possibly more interesting than the large area to be
>  infected is the selectivity. With the development of biochemistry
>  and genetic engineering, it might be possible to target ethnic
>  groups .......
>..........
> Still another advantage could be secrecy and concealment.
>  Limited attacks could be carried out secretly before open
>  "hostilities" even began. As you can see, a whole new age of
>  warfare is beginning. According to an excellent PBS "Frontline"
>  documentary aired this week, the Soviet Union, even under
>  Mikhail Gorbachev, had already broken an international
>  agreement restricting chemical and biological weapons.

- Carl