Sorry if this has already been diaried, but I'm literally dashing out the door to attend the
Bioneers Conference, where I first heard word of this
news:
The Department of Homeland Security plans to build a 500,000 square foot biolab where they intend to test some of the world's most dangerous diseases on innocent animals.
A high-security biological defense laboratory that might be built near Tracy to store and study incurable diseases such as the Ebola virus and mad cow disease would be no different than a biological weapons research center, according to a molecular biologist from the University of California, San Francisco.
"The only difference between defense research and offense research is your intent," said Dr. Judith Flanagan, who said the Level 4 laboratory would replicate the types of experiments terrorists and rogue states might conduct.
From the
Tracy Press, October 5th:
Even the most basic questions about an anti-terrorism biological research laboratory that might be built near Tracy were left unanswered at a joint meeting between the Tracy Tomorrow and Beyond Committee and representatives from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the University of California on Wednesday night.
The representatives told committee members that they didn't know what types of diseases would be researched, which routes would be used to transport pathogens into or out of the laboratory, or whether the public would be told about accidents.
Now, Tracy is in Pombo's District (CA-11) and we all know what an asshole that guy is. Thankfully, Jerry McNerny is taking the bastard on and has a real shot at being him. McNerny has taken a strong position on the environment and our security, but the woman who told me about this situation at Bioneers on Friday explained that his office hasn't taken a public stance on this proposal.
So, if you think it's a bad idea to test mad cow disease and Ebola on innocent animals in the heart of one of America's largest agricultural areas, please contact McNerny. This is what this community does best, right?!