Prometheus 6

Hubris.

Here is what Thomas Ivins, Bruce Ivins's brother, said:

The eldest of his two brothers, Thomas Ivins, said he was not surprised by the events that have unfolded.

"He buckled under the pressure from the federal government," Thomas Ivins said, adding that FBI agents came to Ohio last year to question him about his brother.

"I was questioned by the feds, and I sung like a canary" about Bruce Ivins' personality and tendencies, Thomas Ivins said.

"He had in his mind that he was omnipotent."

Bruce Ivins had been over the edge for years and few people noticed except his brother.

This should be troubling, but our national media is too invested in bringing us the distraction du jour instead of investigating things like this long-unsolved case.

And look at what is passing for journalism in this story: it's a Washington Post article from an Associated Press account of an Los Angeles Times story that quotes the man's "unidentified colleague" (and not hospital officials, for cripes sake) on the cause of death. Can they care any less?

The classic suicide closing the case nice and neat " move along folks nothing to see here" and the media and the public believe he took the easy way out....but easy for whom? that is the question.

I wonder what the odds are that President Bush will issue a blanket pardon for any and all adjuncts of the executive branch who may be revealed by ongoing and future inquiries to have broken the law. If the Dems were smart they should have waited until the new administration was sworn in to conduct an investigation. Karl Rove is certain to be given his pardon before Bush leaves office. I can't imagine that Alberto Gonzalez and his confederates wouldn't be offered protection for a rainy day.

"Karl Rove is certain to be given his pardon before Bush leaves office."

I don't think Bush can pardon Rove if he has not been convicted of a crime. I know that Bush and his minions think that he should have the powers of a medieval king but Bush can't grant immunity from prosecution to his former employees. Maybe the law has changed? We do live in strange times.

This administration has shown exceptional capacity for manipulating the law to meet its objectives. The new and contorted definition of torture is exemplary. They wouldn't act before November but my guess is that If Obama is the victor then I think it would be plausible maneuver. If they could justify pre-emptive war, then why not pre-emptive pardons?

It wouldn't surprise me if the Dems allowed Bush to give all his cronies and himself a Pardon gift card that can be punched like video rental card "every time they are charged the Justice department can punch the card and the 12th pardon is free"

The L.A. Times:

Bruce E. Ivins, the government biodefense scientist linked to the deadly anthrax mailings of 2001, stood to gain financially from massive federal spending in the fear-filled aftermath of those killings, the Los Angeles Times has learned.

"Money, money, money, money, money [6x]
Some people got to have it
Some people really need it
Listen to me y'all, do things
Do things, do bad things with it
You wanna do things, do things
Do things, good things with it
Talk about cash money, money
Talk about cash money
Dollar bills, yall

"For the love of money
People will steal from their mother
For the love of money
People will rob their own brother
For the love of money
People can't even walk the street
Because they never know
Who in the world they're gonna beat
For that lean, mean, mean green
Almighty dollar, money

"For the love of money
People will lie, Lord, they will cheat
For the love of money
People don't care who they hurt or beat
For the love of money
A woman will sell her precious body
For a small piece of paper
It carries a lot of weight
Call it lean, mean, mean green

"Almighty dollar"

I was reading Glenn Greenwald's column at Salon.com this morning. There are serious questions being raised by Greenwald and others regarding Bruce Ivins' role in distributing anthrax spores. I may have spoken too soon. This case is getting stranger and stranger.

Funny, I just loaded that up...haven't read it yet but I'm about to.

deadly combination with deadly results this time - unfortunately.

I am skeptical of Ivins' guilt in this matter knowing the lies that this government gave us after 911. It all seems too clean a solution after years of no action in this case.