Harassment
The Post-9/11/01 Anthrax Attacks
On October 9, 2001, letters containing anthrax were sent to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy and Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle. 1 Both senators had been attempting to slow the passage of the USA PATRIOT Act. Just seven days before the incident, Leahy accused the Bush administration of reneging on an agreement on the bill. 2
The anthrax used in the attack was weaponized -- milled finely that it can remain airbore and be inhaled. Weaponization of anthrax is a difficult technical feat that only the US and Russian militaries have achieved. 3 Investigators believe that the anthrax used in the attack most likely came from the US military laboratory at Fort Detrick. 4
In the wake of the anthrax mailings, thousands of postal workers took ciprofloxacin (Cipro) on the recommendation of federal health officials. The scare induced hundreds of thousands more to buy and take the drug. Bayer corporation, which enjoyed a patent-based monopoly on Cipro, was granted an extension of its monopoly by Congress in late 2001. 5
References
2. Senate Democrats, White House Reach a Deal on Anti-Terror Bill, Washington Post, 10/4/01 [cached]
3. Anthrax As Disinformation, nov55.com, [cached]
4. 'US scientist' is suspect in anthrax investigation, Guardian.co.uk, 2/20/02 [cached]
5. Patently Offensive: Congress Set to Extend Monopoly Patents for Cipro and Other Drugs, Public Citizen,