Morning Coffee

BU Bio'defense' Labs

Now be realistic, it certainly has the trappings of a germ-warfare facility, or at least strong potential to be used as such. Let's tap into those Homeland Security funds! Everyone else is doing it!

NIMBY! Well, it isn't, but it is not that far, either. Check out this map of the area covered within a five-mile radius of the proposed facility. At least it is conveniently located near the Longwood Medical Center for treatment of city officials and other VIPs. Silber should be there in less than three minutes in case of a breach.

And as an added bonus, it will take those pesky immune-compromised cancer patients, the Roxbury community, and those annoying Brookline and JP hippies right out! Perhaps it is like the Bomb, where it is better to be right at Ground Zero and go out quickly.

Now normally i hate pseudo-scientific hysteria, but Boston University has such a GREAT track record of running things well. Not to mention being so forthcoming with details of their doings.

The list of previous accidents in similar facilities is not that comforting, either. The story about staff having to seal facility doors with duct tape during a total power failure

(because the compressors failed) is particularly fun. In some sense, it is a strange vindication of Tom Ridge and the massive purchasing of duct tape that went on right after September 11th. What color terror alert are we on now? Orange for the DNC? Funny how we don't hear about that anymore.

But of course it is bioterrorists like Professor Steve Kurtz that we have to watch out for.
Posted by sciencegrrl at July 25, 2004 03:09 PM