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The Smallpox Hoax
by Charley Reese
Oct. 4, 2002
I'm curious why the United States government is trying to frighten the
American people with the possibility of a biological attack that uses
smallpox.
The U.S. government is well-aware that smallpox was pronounced eradicated
from the world and that only two governments possess smallpox viruses —
the United States and Russia.
Not even in its wildest accusations has the Bush administration suggested
that Iraq or any other member of its "axis of evil" has access to the
smallpox virus. Yet it has made a big deal about buying vaccines and
talked much about plans to vaccinate the entire population if an attack
occurs.
Well, there is only one way an attack can occur, and that is if someone in
the United States or Russia makes the virus available to terrorists. I
would think that is highly unlikely. But, by the by, it is known that
Russia has developed a super-virulent form of smallpox against which
vaccination would offer no protection. The U.S. government has paid the
Russians for samples of this super-bug, yet Russia has found one excuse
after another to avoid delivering the sample we paid for.
Since Mr. Bush has stared into Russian President Vladimir Putin's eyes and
pronounced him a trustworthy friend, I wonder why President Bush hasn't
picked up the phone and asked his pal, Putin, to hand over what we've
already paid for.
This is just another example of why I believe the United States should be
focusing its diplomatic and intelligence resources on Russia and China
instead of diddling around with Third World countries. When you are in
bear country, it pays to watch the bears and not be distracted by foxes
and squirrels.
Unfortunately, biological agents are easy to produce, though the methods
of distribution are much more complicated. It is probably only a matter of
time before there is a biological attack. Yet you should know that one
country stands in the way of a worldwide treaty, backed up by inspections,
to ban biological-weapons research and production. That country, of
course, is the United States. It seems that drug companies object to the
idea of international inspections.
The outbreak of what was called Spanish flu in 1918 is a reminder of what
biological warfare could do. This was, apparently, a natural disease. It
appeared in the spring of 1918 and disappeared in the spring of 1919, but
during that short duration it killed 20 million people, mostly children
and young adults. In France, 166,000 people died; in Germany, 225,000; in
Great Britain, 228,900; and in the United States, 550,000. In India, the
death toll was 16 million.
At the time, nobody knew what it was or where it had originated. It was
certainly not like any flu we are familiar with. About 25 percent of its
victims were 15 and younger, and another 45 percent were between 15 and
35. It was said that people would develop symptoms in the morning and
often be dead by the afternoon. Since viruses mutate all the time, the
possibility of another such pandemic can never be ruled out. Of course, at
the time, nobody knew anything about viruses.
When I was boy, smallpox vaccinations were mandatory, and comparing scars
was one of those silly things that occupy the minds of elementary-school
children. I cannot recall any cases of fatal reactions, though naturally
children at the age of 6 are not the best-informed human beings.
But nevertheless, there are far more immediate threats than a possible
smallpox outbreak, and one has to wonder why the government has put so
much attention on it. I suspect it is just part of the administration's
ongoing campaign to scare people into supporting its endless war against
terrorism
See also Dr. Sherri Halfpenny's
Smallpox Outbreak. |