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From: larry@kitty.UUCP (Larry Lippman)
Newsgroups: net.followup
Subject: Re: Viral infections:  Modern medicine seems virtually helpless!
Message-ID: <314@kitty.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 12-Aug-85 11:05:55 EDT
Article-I.D.: kitty.314
Posted: Mon Aug 12 11:05:55 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 15-Aug-85 00:09:24 EDT
References: <191@tekig5.UUCP>
Organization: Recognition Research Corp., Clarence, NY
Lines: 49

> We've had antibiotics to combat bacterial infections for HOW long now?
> There seems to be virtually NO bacterial infection which doesn't yield
> to SOME sort of chemotherapy.  But there seems to be virtually no
> viral infection that DOES yield to ANY sort of chemotherapy!  ...
> ...
> the inventory of pathogenic viruses is becoming MORE and more interesting.
> Go ahead, get upset about AIDS - How would you like to see an AIDS virus
> that DOES spread like the common cold?  Or a rabies virus? ...
> ... 
> One has to wonder how long we have before the inevitable, particularly with
> some of the rumors I hear about research in biogenetic warfare.  I believe the
> Wall Street Journal published some articles a while back claiming that that
> Russians were attempting to engineer a flu virus which would produce cobra
> venom.  That may be a little far-fetched in reality, but it's certainly
> not beyond the nonexistent morality of some of the nerds in the scientific
> community to attempt it, if they could get the funding (no need to debate
> whether there's anyone amoral enough to fund it, I hope).  ...

	Not only is it possible *today* to engineer a virus which will produce,
say, cobra venom, but it is possible to take it a step further...
	Various governments (the U.S. included) have been quietly but seriously
investigating the creation of *racially-specific* microorganisms, including
viruses which will affect only persons of a specific race.  I am certain that
all of you have heard of racially-specific diseases such as sickle cell
anemia, Tay-Sachs disease, etc.  Think about this a minute...
	CBW is just as appalling as nuclear warfare.  We all certainly hope it
will never happen.  An interesting point is that it would probably require far
less resources for a third world country to develop an effective CBW weapon
than to develop an atomic weapon.  Is such work going on?  Who knows?  This
kind of work can be easily disguised as part of a medical research effort.
	I am certain that a number of people will ask: Why is the *U. S.*
conducting research in the CBW area?  Why has Congress recently approved a
program to manufacture a binary [not the digital kind...] 'nerve gas' weapon?
The answer, as far as I am concerned, is a parallel to the atomic weapon
situation: The U. S. is caught between a rock and a hard place. It must conduct
research to develop effective [if possible] countermeasures.  Why should the
U.S. *produce* any CBW weapons?  As a deterrent in the same manner as the
continuing production of atomic weapons.  Does this really work as a deterrent?
Who knows?

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