O gosh, I didn't mean to imply I was waiting for your response, but thank you anyway. I was wrong, I apologised, and I took for a given you wouldn't hold a grudge, and I wouldn't want to imply otherwise.

...then others try to infer that you're harboring some secret suspicion or theory and try to guess at what it is.

Not that you are addressing me and just to be clear, my questions yesterday about any hypothesis you may have about Duley was directly related to my belief that, absent any hypothesis at all, you were engaging in nothing but character assassination and innuendo for the sake of character assassination and innuendo.

I do believe it was a momentary lapse, potentially brought on by the swelling momentum of "charges" against Jean Duley.

As I said in a previous post today--It is good to have you back.

I would be careful about posting just anything you find out there without corroboration. Its not so different than just repeating the sorority thing without looking into it further. I googled Duley and 'writers net' and found no other hit but the website Progressive Independent. In contrast, by taking any writers name at random off that website, and googling it, you will find them at writers net. It could well in fact be Duley, but I am more apt to suspect that the entry is recent, and that it is a prank. I'm sure I could be wrong, but caveat emptory anywayz.

Would a couple of passes through a lyophilizer like that in Ivins Ft. Detrick lab be all that would be needed to do this, given sufficiently high-quality starting material?

In my view, this is a key question. I've asked this of several people who are experts in these things and they all highly doubt it could be prepared with just that -- that it would take much more than just lyophilizing -- though they all say that without knowing exactly what the beginning and end product, one can't absolutely rule it out.

Spertzel WSJ article

Another FBI leak indicated that each particle was given a weak electric charge, thereby causing the particles to repel each other at the molecular level. This made it easier for the spores to float in the air, and increased their retention in the lungs.

In technical terminology, the manipulation of particle charge at the micron level is called "nanotechnology". Only one company in the world combines advanced nanotechnology with vaccine research and directly benefitted from Bioshield

I don't get it. There seems to be no will to do anything at all about this administration. Even the best progressive lawmakers we have will go up to a certain threshold and then turn back. I hope it's not because their hands are dirty, too.

On the progressive side, there are petitions signed, phone calls, emails, letters written, money donated, money bombs on the internet. But then... nothing. Maybe some new face wins a special election to the House, but by the time a vote comes around... nothing.

It almost feels like this entire netroots is meant to keep us busy, make us feel like we're doing something, but nothing ever seems to happen. A lot of noise, a lot of comments on a lot of blogs, but Democratic governors will still face political prosecutions, Democratic congressmen will have their lives threatened with anthrax, majorities change in Congress but...nothing. No one in any important position will ever face consequences for what they've done. Even worse, our heroes in congress, the Leahys and Conyers and the Feinsteins will skirt all around the issue but...nothing.

I'm afraid that until the standard course of business is disrupted through public acts of civil disobedience, nothing at all will happen. Unfortunately, even after acts of civil disobedience, there will be a bunch of progressives in jail and...nothing.

So, I'll sign the petition, give a few more dollars, and watch while our most hopeful candidates are ground into dust and our best leaders in congress take any real consequences for the lawbreakers "off the table".

Glenn, maybe you want to write a column describing how any of these "action items", these petitions and money bombs and so forth actually achieved something. I can't imagine I'm the only one who's getting a little impatient with these "netroots".

the answer to the lyophilizer question

RE: “Time Magazine is now beginning tepidly to wonder "How Solid is the Anthrax Evidence?"

At a bare minimum they allude to the fact that this was a semi-perfect set up. The same lab which ‘makes the weapon’ is the same one who later tests the authenticity of crime evidence.

My question: So our nefarious Government sends the smoking gun back to itself for testing – and then attempts to pin the crime on a crazy in-house employee by reason of shared local shared for processing?

The FBI may have done the actual truth a great service here by their actions – as an arm of the culpable government body why self implicate oneself so obviously - unless government black eyes are the plan?

The material was probably not manufactured at any 'obvious' weapons facility logically in-line to test a weapons release. Or the administration really is that stupid!

Great job Mr greenwald and bloggers,

Glenn & Larry David re: Mental health qualifications

There have been numerous questions here and titles have been used loosely. I think it’s an important issue since it goes to the credibility of statements made. In an attempt to keep things more accurate here, am posting what I’ve found.

Glenn – You’ve adopted the MSM title for Duley of “social worker. “ Found no evidence to substantiate that so far and I don’t think she claimed that herself (remember the “theripist” she used on the restraint request?). "Therapist" is generic and may be used to describe work in a number of fields (and even when there are no professional credentials). "Counselor" may be more accurate – if she had that -- and would be preferred term here.

A newspaper photo of Duley identified her credential as BSW, CSC-AD.

http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?storyID=76901

If it's the same Jean Duley, as of 7/07, she was noted to have made the Dean’s List (!) at Hood College.

A recent BSW would have no clinical significance whatever. A Maryland CSC-AD (addiction counseling) requires only an Associate degree (2 years college) in HHS field plus 15 credits in addiction counseling and 2 years supervised experience (1/2 of which may be accomplished while earning Associate degree) to sit for certification exam. She might have made that if she started before or during college.

While histories of substance abuse don't rule out becoming addiction counselors (indeed, the field is loaded with such people) they have to be in recovery and court records indicate Duley isn't.

This is not to "bash" Duley but to raise credibility issues about information leaked to the MSM that they've swallowed whole and are bleating constantly to build a case against Ivins to avoid further investigation. If Duley were to testify in a legitimate hearing, she would be torn apart. In fact, as stupid as they sometime appear to be, I don't think the FBI is stupid enough to have Duley testify. I hope she isn't permanently underground.

Just to clarify differences for folks here who understandably get confused about qualifications:

To sit for Social Work licensing exam for independent practice requires 4 years of college and 2 years of SW school to get MSW that includes 900 hours of supervised experience.

Licensed Psychologist (PhD or PsyD) requires 4 years of college, additional 5 – 7 years of graduate school, one-year pre-doctoral internship plus another year supervised experience to sit for license.

Psychiatrist (MD) requires 4 years college, 4 years medical school, and 3-year residency in Psychiatry plus specialty exam.

Re: The MIA psychiatrist in the case: Dr. David Irwin.

62 years old, got MD from Case Western Reserve Univ. in Cleveland (full disclosure – where I got my PhD but don’t know him), did residency at Letterman Army Medical Center and Walter Reed. Listed with specialty in Forensic Psychiatry -- it should be noted that this is a very lucrative field and although there are many upstanding folks in this field, there are some that will sell their “expert opinion” to the highest bidder. Rather amusing -- he was listed as a “top doc” in ’06 by Washingtonian Magazine. Interesting that he did his residency at Army hospitals. May have made some military friend. He has an amazingly low profile on Google for a professional (until this case anyway).