Science Culture

Anthrax took-off as a media-frenzy story when tabloid photographer Bob Stevens from Florida was the first confirmed person murdered by it.

Three physicians from JFK Memorial Hospital diagnosed him, miraculouslymiraculously, actually, within 24 hours -hours.  firstFirst Anthrax case in 30 years - but these dudes lockedzeroed intoin on it almost immediately.  Made the connection to Islamic bio-terrorism that fed the resultant media-frenzy.   Of them,this heroic trio, Wolf and Abrams were subsequently convicted, of running, separateseparate, Oxycontin drug-pushing dispensaries - while the third, Larry Bush, aka Doctor Bug, rode his Celebrity Scientist fame all the way to Covid.Covid In- 2020,ended he ended-up heading the AZ AZ-trial in the US. 

To quarantine the fall-out, Bruce, personally, unfortunately, had sacrificial lamb written all over him (look away Pete Daszak).

By 2008, Bruce's gooseBruce was cooked.fucked.  He'd gone from top, respected scientist - Pentagon Award for bio-warfare defense  - to sole suspect.  

Long before that,  there were bloggers pressing for an investigation into a Fort Detrick lab-exit event, Mueller belatedly responded - began tightening the noose, but get this, on the wrong neck.

Another scientist,  Steven Hatfill.  The FBI even outed him as their sole person of interest,  thus ensuring a full-blown media circus - hadHatfill watched his own house being raided on TV at a friend's place.   He did have a reputation as a cowboy Bio-defense weapons scientist - which he was - but innocent of the Anthrax attack.  Finally paid-out  5.8 million for wrongful persecution. 

But thenFinally, Bruce Ivins, their expert advisoradvisor, did become the FBI's chief suspect.  Quietly, this time, outside the public's eye, though full-throttle state-surveillance.eye.  Ivins denieddid it.keep denying it but by the end Bruce was in deep depression, under pressure from the Feds.Feds, his professional life seeping away.  Sadly took his own life in July 2008 - an overdose of Tylenol - his wife found him dead at home - lying on his bed - a note said Let me sleep.

The FBI said it was set to execute an arrest but he'd beaten em to it. Conveniently so - disappearing a messy public show trial - Ivins had maintained his innocence  - so there'd have been a contest.   Mueller ruled he was as a loner acting alone. Case closed.

Ivin's colleague remarked: They seemed to harp on he was a loner. He was not a loner. …. He had a lot of friends ..

Indeed, 20 to 30 colleagues showed up at his 1st & 2nd death anniversaries - he was something of a hero.

lvins was a weirdo though - make no mistake - had a not-so-secret fetish - known around the office - for secret initiations of Ivy-League sororities - that included stalking - breaking-and-entering. But when ya enmeshed in the fenced-off-society of the well-off science community - you'll get away with that shit - you can hide it in plain sight  - it's called: eccentricity.

He also had access to the exact same anthrax strain and a money motive.  Would it've stood up in court? - id've thought line-ball call - there was a bungle in the collection of the key evidence - the danger is where it may have spread.  So it's left open ended.  Meanwhile the real crime was: pretending Bruce Ivins dropped out of the sky

          -      it wasn't like that     -

Ivins was the inevitable result of a culture.  In this instance the science community - a close-knit society - unaccountable - monied-up - playing secret power shenanigans  with security organizations.

I don’t know much about nothin - but i know that’s a recipe for corruption.