A curious LTTE's by Ivins dated 1998 + from his local paper.

[Blue State Bandit]

I've spent the past few days reading posts here and at DKos on the Ivins story, and one thing that I came across in my first engin search was this...

Dr. Bruce Ivins wrote several letters to the editors in recent years. Below is a list of letters he wrote dating back to March 5, 1998

Originally published August 24, 2006 Rabbi Morris Kosman is entirely correct in summarily rejecting the demands of the Frederick Imam for a "dialogue."

By blood and faith, Jews are God's chosen, and have no need for "dialogue" with any gentile. End of "dialogue."

(follow link)

http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?StoryID=78274

I just thought that such material...

Sorry mods. But I felt it prudent just in case it gets scrubed since I can't find the archived page with the first LTTE that I saw yesterday.

Study suggests genetic component for homosexuality
Originally published December 29, 2004

Readers of The Frederick News-Post were recently informed via letter to the editor ("Gay marriage not supportable," Dec. 26), that "the newest studies indicate that you are not born gay."

I'm a scientist, as well as a married heterosexual, and I'd be very interested in learning what those "newest studies" are. Hopefully they are based upon scientific study, rather than political, social, cultural or religious ideology. I wonder if the letter writer is familiar with an article in the December 2004, issue of the Journal of Genetics, entitled, "Excess of Counterclockwise Scalp Hair-Whorl Rotation in Homosexual Men." The article (in pdf format) can be found at http://www.ias.ac.in/jgenet/Vol83No3/jgdec2004-jg639.pdf.

The author, Amar Klar, (a geneticist who works in Frederick) states in the final sentence of the study summary, "These results suggest that sexual preference may be influenced in a significant proportion of homosexual men by a biological/genetic factor that also controls direction of hair-whorl rotation."

It's a very interesting paper, regardless what side you take on the debate of how individuals gain their sexual preference.


— — —
Conservative Christians now feeling their oats
Originally published November 21, 2004

I would like to comment on the letter to the editor, "Wants off Christian Nation Express," of Nov. 12.

I am certainly pleased that the writer is dedicated to service in the love of God, even though I find her theological focus on agony and suffering rather than the hope, joy and salvation of the resurrection to be puzzling.

Whether Americans like it or not, the results of the presidential election have propelled charismatic and evangelical Christians into new heights of political power. Many of those individuals would agree that the laws of this nation should be compatible with the Gospel, if not actually based upon it.

Whether we're on the "Christian Nation Express" or not, we all need to be ready for a wild political ride these next four years through a landscape of issues deemed important by conservative Christians.


— — —
All aboard!
Originally published November 09, 2004

I read Deborah Carter's column of Nov. 7, "Election blues," and I have three comments for the good woman, and for everybody else, as well.

First, it's clear that views like hers would put Jesus on that cross again. Second, thy loom and churn best be still, come the Sabbath. Third, you can get on board or get left behind, because that Christian Nation Express is pulling out of the station!


— — —
Meachum right, well almost right
Originally published March 18, 2002

I don't usually agree with Roy Meachum's opinions, but his "Catholic tragedy" (March 13) was quite on the money — almost.

The Roman Catholic Church should learn from other equally worthy Christian denominations and eagerly welcome female clergy as well as married clergy.


— — —
Argumentum ad hominem
Originally published March 27, 2001

At a recent meeting reported on in The News-Post ("Mayor's unity meeting ends in insults," March 21), Tim Schramm was reported to have faulted certain public forums as "... unproductive, because people use them to promote private agendas." Noted local lawyer and activist, Daniel Mahone, responded by loudly and repeatedly calling Mr. Schramm a "jerk." It is unfortunate that Mr. Mahone had to resort to an argumentum ad hominem, rather than present his opposing views in a reasoned and cogent manner. Mr. Schramm must feel pleased that his argument was of sufficient merit to compel Mr. Mahone to attack him rather than what he said.


— — —
Switched
Originally published February 05, 1999

Well, I've switched from WFMD to WTOP (1500 AM), thank you very much. Capstar booted Mike Gibbons off the "Morning News Express" and disposed of the "Mitchell and Miller" program. The company dealt with other persons and programs at the station in a similar manner..

In their place they have given us profanity, racial insults and listener abuse. I tuned into WFMD's "John and Ken" program a few weeks ago. One of the hosts unashamedly used "G--d---" on the air, then a few moments later told a caller, "You talk like a black person!".

Click..

A few days later I tried WFMD's "Mike Gallagher" program. He referred to some of his listeners as "pinheads."

Click. Again..

Capstar owes a special apology to African-American residents of the area, and local businesses should seriously rethink their commitment to sponsoring racial insensitivity, profanity and abuse on WFMD..

As for me, I find the news, weather and sports format of WTOP to be quite acceptable -- and far more civil.


— — —
Moral views not a new trend
Originally published March 05, 1998

Among the front-page articles in The News-Post of Feb. 27 was a rather ominous one entitled "Panel OKs funding for assisted suicide."

The news report dealt with a decision by the Oregon Health Services Commission that assisted suicide should be funded by state taxpayers. Commission chairman Alan Bates excoriated those whose beliefs led them to oppose the commission's decision, and asserted that "religious opponents have no right to impose their moral views on others."

From that statement it is clear that Dr. Bates' knowledge of medicine is substantially greater than his familiarity with American history.

Even before America was a nation, there was strong opposition to slavery from the religious group known as the Quakers, or the "Society of Friends." They were steadfast in their belief that slavery was a sin, and this belief led them to be actively involved in the Abolitionist Movement and the "Underground Railroad" in this country.

We should all be thankful that these religious opponents were quite willing to "impose their moral views on others."

In more recent times we need look no further than those ministers, rabbis and priests whose beliefs brought them to the forefront in the battle against forced, racial segregation in America. Despite real threats to life and limb, they persisted in their efforts to "impose their moral views on others."

Today we frequently admonish people who oppose abortion, euthanasia, assisted suicide or capital punishment to keep their religious, moral, and philosophical beliefs to themselves.

Before dispensing such admonishments in the future, perhaps we should gratefully consider some of our country's most courageous, historical figures who refused to do so.

This goes to state of mind. As aposed to the meme of a one-on-one vindictive nature, his LTTE's seem to fall into a Pasor Hagee-ish radicalization that feeds more towards a "Dominionistic" phylosophy...

that is until you read the rest.


Just doing what little I can.

[Kaleko]

1. Interesting. Thanks for posting this.

Clearly, Ivins wasn't a lone Muslim terrorist who meant every word of this note:





Far from it. He was a devout Catholic, a conservative, practicing Christian.

Ergo, he almost certainly didn't send the anthrax letters with the note.

[Blue State Bandit]

2. Whether or not it was his pen, is of circumstantial concequence...

Whether or not it was his pen, is of circumstantial consequence in the wider look.

"Far from it. He was a devout Catholic, a conservative, practicing Christian.
Ergo, he almost certainly didn't send the anthrax letters with the note."

So we can extract 2 possible lines of INQRI.

1) Looked to instigate a geo-politically exposed nerve by bad luck or persuasion,

2) was just kookie, and fell into history, or was taken advantage of professionally via his clinical proximity to being an idiot-savant.

[fasttense]

4. I think the letter accompanying the anthrax is strange.

Take Penacilin Now? Aside from the misspelling of the antibiotic (which Dr, Ivins would have known how to spell), a murderer trying to tell his victim how to cure himself? I don't think I've ever read that in any other death threat. This is very strange, almost as if the murderer was reluctant to see people killed over his actions. The purposely clumsy writing seems a little bit too sophisticated for a supposed madman. I have my doubts that Ivins acted alone.

[Kaleko]

9. Here's a copy of the the second anthrax letter:

Note the "we", indicating Muslim terrorists, plural.

Does it make sense that these notes were written by a practicing Roman Catholic, top-tier US microbiologist like Bruce Ivins who supposedly acted alone?

No, Ivins was set up. And his counselor/social worker/therapist Jean Carol Duley is an either witting or unwitting part of an ongoing operation to make Ivins the fall guy for what the * administration did in two related false flag disasters: 9/11 and the bio-warfare scare.

[clear eye]

3. Actually the striking thing about these letters are that they don't seem unusual

for a professional person a little proud of his position who explained some of the destructiveness in the world by too few people living in a Christian way. In no way do they evidence a psychopathic mind. To the contrary, they show a rather literalist concern with right and wrong, and no effort or ability to manipulate. He rejoiced when someone espousing his political beliefs became President and believed it would translate into real changes on the ground despite oppposition, just as some in DU would react to the election of Obama. His reaction to the frustration of losing his favorite radio hosts and hearing what he felt was inappropriate and immoral speech was to send a letter to the station saying that they had lost a listener, not one threatening them in any way. It shows someone a little socially isolated and a little grandiose to try to influence the station with his lone letter, but then again in 1999 Internet organizing wasn't what it is now. I can see why his brother felt he had a superior attitude, (how much you want to bet Bruce was better in school than his brother), and the FBI might have made much of that, but reading these I really don't see someone extreme enough in any way to kill in cold blood. He showed empathy to black people and stepped outside the box of his church to say that evidence suggests that gays are born, not made, and that the Catholic church should accept women and married men into the clergy. He doesn't seem particularly nice, and may have been a little passive-agressive with his opinion that a local gov't official would be pleased that he had goaded someone Ivins clearly disapproved of into losing his temper, but still, no killer. I find it harder than ever to believe he sent the letters after reading this paper trail.

And thank you for bringing them to us.

[KharmaTrain]

5. Excellent Catch...

I'm not about to jump from A to D here, but I'd sure like to know a bit more about those letters...especially if those letters were types or handwritten (to get a sample to compare against the notes that the victims received).

I found it quite interesting that Chicken Noodle News continues to run a story on Ivins featuring neighbors with the "he was a great guy" and "a man of faith" crap...more than the mental case he became in his final days. I tend to agree with the other poster who described how this type of investigation can break someone (leading to suicide), but if these are truly his writing, then I not only am led to believe there are more out there, but that he would have left some kind of suicide note or other GBCW note somewhere.

[trof]

6. The 'hair whorl' paper is interesting.

[RainDog]

7. he doesn't sound pastor hagee-ish at all, to me

he sounds like a devout catholic who isn't terribly happy with his fellow conservatives who favor theocracy, who opposes racism and speaks out about it, a person who is pro-life in the same way that quakers are pro-life -- a person who finds the fire and brimstone christians have the wrong focus...

Out of their context, too, it's impossible to get his pov on some of these things.

This murder was so sloppy. I hope that means the bfee knows they are on the way out... hopefully all the way to Den Hague.

But realize this: there are millions of people around the world who see, in real time, a govt. murder that covers up a right wing terrorist attack on members of this govt. We know, based on information available, that the FBI is working for Bush, not the Constitution and not the American people, and most assuredly not to get to the truth.

I don't understand why this doesn't make at least a portion of the FBI a terrorist organization. Should we invade their offices?

[loves_dulcinea]

8. rofl @ hair whorls

at least the man wasn't a racist like so many of the repugs i know.