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DHS Pathogen Lab To Be Built In "Tornado Alley"
Hugh Pickens writes "The Washington Post reports that Department of Homeland Security is relying on a rushed, flawed study to justify its decision to locate the $700 million National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility for highly infectious pathogens in a tornado-prone section of Kansas. A GAO report says that it is not 'scientifically defensible' to conclude that lab can safely handle dangerous animal diseases in Kansas. Such research has been conducted up to now on a remote island on the northern tip of Long Island, NY. 'Drawing conclusions about relocating research with highly infectious exotic animal pathogens from questionable methodology could result in regrettable consequences,' the GAO warned in its draft report. Critics of moving the operation to the mainland argue that a release could lead to widespread contamination that could kill livestock, devastate a farm economy, and endanger humans. Along with the highly contagious foot-and-mouth disease, NBAF researchers plan to study African swine fever, Japanese encephalitis, Rift Valley fever, and other viruses in the Biosafety Level (BSL) 3 and BSL-4 livestock laboratory capable of developing countermeasures for foreign animal diseases. According to the article, DHS lobbied a Congressional committee to try and convince them that the GAO report was flawed, and to head off any hearings on the controversy. Despite this, the House Energy and Commerce Committee's oversight and investigations subcommittee plans to hold a hearing Thursday on the risk analysis."
True, putting the lab underground should prevent any problems.
Actually, putting the lab in anything but a trailerpark should reduce any risk a reasonable amount.
"linux is just DOS with a UNIX like syntax" -- Galactic Dominator (944134)
H1N1, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore
New Yorkers have shown their ingenuity in fizzling out countless disasters according to the action and disaster movies I've seen. Any problems that happen in Kansas, however, will eat a path of destruction until it reaches the outskirts of New York City, just before the crackpot scientist (who happens to be a close, personal friend of the president) is able to unleash his creatively-devised weapon to stop the problem, and burn it back to its core.
I am the richest astronaut ever to win the superbowl.
Revolutionary. It will be resistant to terrorists attacks because it will obviously be _guarded_ by tornadoes.
They should put the lab in an underground complex under Raccoon City, Colorado. What could possibly go wrong?
>4. That's more of a HR issue than anything else. My guess is it wouldn't be that big of an issue. How many super duper Level 5 trained people want to move out to some little island in the middle of the fucking Pacific ocean?
Substantially more than want to move to Kansas?
Some mornings it's hardly worth chewing through the restraints to get out of bed.
Look at it this way: at least in Kansas, there's no way an escaped pathogen could evolve!
I think the rebuttal is to ask you how many cows live in NYC ?
Apparently there are a lot
Typical New Englander mentality: Fuck the Irish.
It's what my wife has, always sticking her foot into her mouth.
Funny, she's got bird flu too, from putting too much cock in her mouth.
Ba da bing!