One of the most unforgivable things Bush has done since 9/11 is to use the threat of bioterrorism as a slick way to suck billions of taxpayer dollars into the pockets of a few corporations, while appearing to take steps to protect the public. Case in point: "Project BioShield." This boondoggle purports to be dedicated to developing treatments and preventive strategies for dealing with biological warfare agents such as anthrax. But what it mady really ultimately amount to is one of the hugest corporate giveaways in US history. Many researchers say that the directives of "Project BioShield" are so grandiose and vague that they cannot be implemented - not even begun, in fact - until the research infrastructure is greatly expanded. This means the construction of new labs, office centers and research clinics, to the tune of billions of dollars (Bush has asked for an initial $6 billion just to get the ball rolling).

However, while asking for $6 billion-plus in tax dollars to fund the project, Bush is simultaneously trying to ram through the privatization of the bulk of national biomedical research. If he is successful, guess who would be handed the keys to all these nice new taxpayer-funded "Project BioShield" institutions? Pfizer, BioPort, Bayer, and the other pharmaceutical pigs already circling the bioterrorism trough, that's who. But fighting bioterrorism would have been merely the ploy that got their Gucci-clad feet in the door. Not that the bioterrorism thing hasn't proven to be a great windfall for them already. So far, Bush "terror mongering" has focused , conveniently, on a few pathogens for which there are existing vaccines, namely smallpox and anthrax, with the heaviest emphasis of smallpox. Why? Because there are more cases of old vaccine stocks lying about for these diseases than any other. Hence we are seeing the whole-hearted peddling of warehoused vaccine that may be up to three decades old - a tidy overhead-free profit for the manufacturers. Meanwhile, Bush & Co. have done nothing to address the very real and potentially immediate threat of the new, modified strains of pathogens that most bioterrorism experts believe terrorists are more likely to use.

But every step Bush has taken in the name of "protecting citizens" has add to the evidence that this administration is far more concerned by loss of corporate profits than loss of citizen lives. Here's a quote from Bush appointee Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). who pleaded on drug company's behalf during a hearing on Project BioShield funding issues: "These companies clearly need some assurances that there will ultimately be a return for their investment. They do not want to be vulnerable to the vicissitudes of the cyclical appropriations process." Vicissitudes such as being required to be accountable to taxpayers.

Another colossal waste of taxpayer dollars in the name of "national security" that benefits no one except a few contractors is Homeland Security's "BioWatch Initiative." In this truly stunning misuse of public funds, well over FOUR BILLION DOLLARS will be spend to retrofit thousands of air pollution monitoring stations across the country with bioweapon sensors. These sensors will be deployed in the open air - nowhere near the enclosed sites (theaters, subways, etc.) where such pathogens are most likely to be deployed. By the time enough stray anthrax or plague bacteria made their way on drafts from the site of an attack to the outdoor sensors, it would be too late. Study after study after study after study has shown that pathogens deployed in the open air are virtually worthless in achieving their lethal objective. The only way to make such an attack a deadly success is to release the agent in an area where it will be concentrated and a high number of people will be forced to come in contact with it. It is highly unlikely many people will be floating near the tops of buildings waiting to sniff the contrail of a low-flying crop-dusting plane.

But this program merely highlight's Bush's greed, croneyism and total ignorance of science (not to mention his failure to listen to the real scierntis ts he has access to)

Meanwhile, a recent survey by the National Association of Counties and the National Association of County and City Health Officials reveals that even now - two years after 9/11, very few states or counties in the U.S. are equipped to deal with any type of bioterrorism attack. While earmarking over $10 billion for smallpox and anthrax vaccine funding and needless air monitoring sensors, Bush expects states to split just $1 billion FIFTY WAYS to cover anti-terrorism public health efforts. The equipment required by hospitals alone to upgrade to an acceptable preparedness standard is estimated at $1.3 billion.

In part, this sad state of affairs is just one of the consequences of America's corporate health care system. In a nationalized health care system, public health preparedness would be a priority. Under the corporate system, it is merely "unprofitable" and thus low to nonexistent in the priorities list. In addition, most cities have lost police, firefighters, and EMTs either to call-up by the National Guard (many of these first responders are in the guard as a way to supplement their often inadequate pay), or to city budget shortfalls, or to redeployment to jobs such as guarding ports (and thus not the citizenry at large) - reasons which are nearly all traceable to G. W. Bush.

In short, Bush is doing what he always has done: squandering billions of dollars on schemes designed to benefit a few big corporate contributors, the public be damned.

"Bioterrorism Defense Priorities" by Thomas May and Ross Silverman

Science Magazine, July 4, 2003 vol. 301 , page 17

"Project BioShield Moving Forward " Ted Agres, The Scientist

http://www.biomedcentral.com/news/20030516/06/

Notable by absence: in a google search, there were only three listings for "BioWatch Initiative" - all simply mentions, no details.