Tim Mooring: We need at least an autopsy in the death of Dr. Bruce Ivins

A BUZZFLASH READER CONTRIBUTION
by Tim Mooring

The circumstances surrounding the death of Dr. Ivins needs to be thoroughly investigated. Maryland state "health officials" have apparently ruled his death a suicide without even performing an autopsy -- deeming it unnecessary as a blood sample sufficed to show the cause of death. Are CSI fans watching the show just to view the commercials? This is a most ridiculous finding. It leaves unanswered critical medical questions such as: How were the toxins introduced into his system? When were the toxins introduced? You can't know the answer to the second question without addressing the first -- and that can't be done without a full autopsy.

This is not a minor question. It is instead indicative of a pattern of behavior by government agencies connected with this investigation. Why, if Dr. Ivins was suspected of being a mass murderer, was he released from custody on the day he was to be charged? This is a weird legal process to follow. None of it makes sense.

The government seems determined to try Dr. Ivins' case in the court of public opinion on the basis of purely circumstantial evidence. People will make the point that circumstantial evidence is the determinant in many cases. The essential difference is circumstantial evidence is normally presented in support of at least a minimum of physical evidence or eyewitness testimony. Additionally a motive for the crime needs to be produced in evidence. None of this is being done in Dr. Ivins' case. Of course the defense is necessarily hampered in their ability to defend Dr. Ivins by the fact that he is not actually charged with a crime -- being conveniently dead.

There is a great deal of circumstantial evidence, including the points made above, to indicate that government officials are yet again lying through their teeth -- as has been their want for 7+ years. Political poisonings are a popular tool of autocratic regimes right now. For instance: it's almost certainly inadvisable to be on the enemies list of Russia's prime minister. Putin was recently quoted as conveying Cheney's advice for Leahy to Georgia's president in reference to his agreements with Western governments. A careful diet is definitely indicated for Mr. Saakashvili.

The Frederick News Post has published an aggregation of Dr. Ivins' letters to the editor. In these letters, Dr. Ivins comes across (IMHO) as a deeply religious man of high moral values, an opponent of discrimination, even a champion of human rights. He writes with the precision and formal courtesy that you would expect of a scientist. These are obviously misimpressions if he was indeed the ogre that the government seems willing to go to any length to convince us that he was. But these same authorities can't even be bothered with the formality of an autopsy -- it might introduce an unwanted element of physical evidence into their idle ruminations on the certainty of his guilt.

It is clear to me that every aspect of Dr. Ivins' death must be investigated as if it were a homicide. This is a national security issue of the very first order. If Dr. Ivins was not an ogre, that fact alone would almost certainly illuminate the entire matter in every direction. The death of Dr. Ivins would have been, by all accounts I have read, particularly protracted and unpleasant. If the anthrax killers (necessarily plural at this point) are still out there -- then Dr. Ivins' death would be very much in line with their modus-operandi. We should all consider this very carefully and write to Congress demanding a full investigation into the death of Dr. Bruce Ivins.

My thanks to BuzzFlash for helping to keep this issue in public view. Thanks for nothing to MSM.

A BUZZFLASH READER CONTRIBUTION

Tim Mooring
San Francisco, CA

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