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 diagnosed him, miraculously actually, within 24 hours -  first Anthrax case in 30 years - but they locked into it almost immediately.  Of them, Wolf and Abrams were subsequently convicted, separately, of running Oxycontin drug-pushing dispensaries - while the third, Larry Bush, aka Doctor Bug, rode his Celebrity Scientist license to bullshit all the way to Covid. In 2020, he headed the AZ trial.

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

By 2008, he was fucked - in deep depression - it had all gone pear-shaped. Due to bloggers pressing for an investigation into a Fort Detrick lab-exit event, Mueller belatedly tightened the noose, on the wrong neck. Another scientist,  Steven Hatfill.  The FBI outed him as their person of interest - he had a reputation as a cowboy scientist - but innocent of the Anthrax attack.  Finally paid-out  5.8 million for wrongful persecution. 

But then Bruce Ivins did become chief suspect, quietly, this time, outside the public's eye, the FBI focused on the man who was their lead adviser.  Under a heap of pressure from the Feds, Ivins 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.

His 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.  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  - functioning with impunity.

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