Dr. John R. Wright
Re: [Fwd: Thanks, Brother] RE: Rich Sheridan Meets With The
Sun Oct 21 00:21:43 2001


Early today I returned from the American Chemical Society regional
meeting in San Antonio, and I have thus witnessed the airlines situation
firsthand. I sent the following letter to a friend about two hours ago,
and, having read your mailing I believe you might want to see some of
it. Here it is:

__________________________________


I left here before noon last Wednesday, going to the Southwest Regional ACS
via old truck to Dallas and then Southwestern Airlines to San Antonio.
Security at Love Field was very thick, with added check points requiring
a photo ID, military guards with M-16s roaming, etc. I also witnessed
something unusual coming back: the security people were going into the
gate waiting areas and bringing people out for additional searches (I was
left alone). The people they selected had already been screened as I had
been. Perhaps it was something they found in the luggage? If so this was
humorous to me because I had bought my grandson a toy swimming pool torpedo,
the kind that runs on a compressed air motor, and it looked for all the
world like a small bomblet or maybe a mortar shell, about a foot long!
I could not detect that my suitcase had even been unzipped!

While in the Alamo city I contacted my Air Force friends associated with the
earlier research project and learned that they were hunkered down and not
allowed to use certified carriers at all unless by written approval from on
high. This checked out with the visible facts. San Antonio is largely a
military city with all of the bases around it, and the airport in any normal
setting is just full of uniformed soldiers, airmen and sailors on TDY travel
or other types of movements. Perhaps a third of the passenger volume would
be military, but yesterday and on the inbound flight they were conspicuously
absent. The only military I saw in that airport were the armed guards at
the checkpoints and a lone WAF Captain who was obviously there to meet and
escort a dignitary/VIP. Sort of eerie.

If this is a shenanigan the people I know would be as much in the dark as
you and I (I believe). I am concerned that I'm now hearing accusations of
the militias as being behind the domestic anthrax attacks. I'm not involved
with any militia groups, nor do I know (for sure) anyone in one; however, I
think I have some sense for their probable mindset, which is likely to be
similar to that of veterans like myself. It would be anathema to the vast
majority of us to consider killing American citizens in the ways seen lately.
The motive, instead, is defending the homeland against invaders and
similar dangers, and I suppose most militia people think that way, too. The
accusation thus defies logic. This budding hype needs to be watched
very carefully.

The DC bacteria were said to be weapons grade because of the small particle
size, though you will note that the bug is not antibiotic resistant (if the
truth was told through the media). I suspect that pins it on Iraq. They
could probably work out ways to centrifuge and lyophylize bacteria to get a
small spore clump size, but I doubt if they are wizards at genetic
engineering. Weapons grade spores (for real) would not only start with a
particularly virulent strain but also be genetically engineered for two
objectives: 1. to make them antibiotic resistant and 2. to alter the
biochemistry of the capsular material so that the tendency to NOT make big
clumps was a natural property of the strain. The result is a horrific
weapon. I think both cases are beyond a household (kitchen or basement)

bacteriological warrior. The logic does not point homeward. Of course,

some think it points to the CIA and others to Israel. But this may be what
it seems to be. The Islamics are irrational about anything related to
Israel, and they don't like us either, if only because we support
Israel.

I'm watching carefully.

Rick Wright

jwright@sosu.edu