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w2pow2's avatar

Is it possible that the swine flu is a bio-terrorist attack?

Asked by w2pow2 (490points) September 8th, 2009

There are some that argue strongly that it undoubtedly is. For those select few that think it is, please provide evidence. And for the vast majority that think it isn’t, please do the same.

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24 Answers

w2pow2's avatar

Unless someone can provide undeniable evidence that it isn’t, I think that it’s a possibility. Why not?

The_Compassionate_Heretic's avatar

I would have to see undeniable evidence that it was engineered as a bio weapon before I believed it was a bio-weapon.
Disease exists. That’s far more believable than a terrorist conspiracy.

five99one's avatar

If it is a bio-terrorist attack, I guess that makes factory farmers bio-terrorists.

Bluefreedom's avatar

I’m in the disbelieving crowd on this one. If someone wanted to unleash a bio-terror attack on an unsuspecting public, there are far more effective and frightening substances/weapons that can have a much larger impact than swine flu.

Dog's avatar

If one was going to create a biological terrorist attack there are much more virulent diseases to choose from.

To create a flu pandemic only eliminates the weak and compromised.

Creating a flu would be like arming suicide bombers with slingshots instead of bombs.

YARNLADY's avatar

No, it is way too weak to be a terrorist attack.

The_Compassionate_Heretic's avatar

@johnpowell It’s on the internet, therefore it’s true!

~

shilolo's avatar

Hey, influenza A killed millions of people in 1918 before we had the technology to bioengineer anything (unless of course the crab people did it, then all bets are off). Thus, there is equal reason to believe that this is yet another natural pandemic which may or may not be as lethal as the 1918 Spanish Flu.

ratboy's avatar

Why? What reason would pigs have to hate us? After all, we worship bacon.

mattbrowne's avatar

Highly unlikely.

oratio's avatar

Those would be very ineffective bio terrorists, wouldn’t they? Not only would it serve no purpose, but it would be plain stupid to create an influenza which is a highly contagious disease that isn’t all that dangerous, and unleash it in the world. You see, diseases strike not only the enemy, but everyone.

If a disease would be 100 % lethal, with a lightning fast incubation time I think it would be more interesting, but then again, there are much better and more controllable ways to attack populations.

Also, what would be the point of a terror attack if people don’t understand it is just that?

The only ones who would stand to gain anything here would be the ones making drugs and vaccines, and the ones making people scared are people going around whispering ”...terrorists…” whenever something happens.

It is very common that people in AIDS stricken Africa believe that the US planted it there to kill of the black people. Countries refusing to share bird flu samples with the us, cause they blame the US for spreading it. There, the US is seen as the Al Qaeda.

We know that there will come a killer-disease. The more humans there are on the planet, the more likely it will come. This might become one, but it seems likely it will not.

If you are looking for terrorists in the US, set your beams on the ones putting corn syrup in all the food.

wundayatta's avatar

There is circumstantial evidence that this could be coming from the Iranians. Recently, an Iranian biowarfare specialist died under suspicious circumstances. Some people speculate that he was a double agent, gathering information on efforts to combat swine flu, so that the Iranians could design a more virulent strain.

His was not the only recent suspicious death. Four other bioweapons researchers died, supposedly while working on anthrax weaponization. It is well known that anthrax is a pretty poor biological weapon. It won’t affect many people, and is best targeted at one person at a time. Flu epidemics are much more effective if you want to attack a large population, and tie up the nation’s resources. There is speculation that these folks were either working on flu technology that was tested on pigs in China and someone got loose, or they were working on anti-viral vaccines and were killed to prevent the development of anything effective.

Other circumstantial evidence is outlined in this article. It raises several grounds for suspicion:

The swine flu virus is described as a completely new strain, an intercontinental mixture of human, avian and swine viruses. Tellingly, there ha More..ve been no reported A-H1N1 infections of pigs.

According to a source known to former NSA official Wayne Madsen, “A top scientist for the United Nations, who has examined the outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in Africa, as well as HIV/AIDS victims, concluded that H1N1 possesses certain transmission “vectors” that suggest that the new flu strain has been genetically-manufactured as a military biological warfare weapon.

The thing you have to ask yourself, is who would be motivated to attempt such a thing? How would it help them? The terrorist factions—Taliban, Al Queda, Libya and Iran may all have reason to attempt to weaken Western nations. Several of these groups already possess bioweapons and other weapons of mass destruction.

We live in a dangerous world. Jealousy of the United States and ideological fanaticism is driving these efforts to bring down the most effective democracy in the world. Conspiracy theorists are too often laughed at. We should be paying attention, not dismissing them as paranoid cranks!

The previous has been brought to you by the FCOA (Fun Conspiracists of America), and in no way relates to reality as known by sensible people. All members of FCOA must score high on the conservatism scale, the pro-gun scale, and the schizophrenia scale. Use of the knowledge printed above can result in a fatwah place upon your head. Doh!

La_chica_gomela's avatar

Daloon: Excellent example of what can be “proven” using the internet. I especially love your last link, and the website’s own summary of what they do:

* Daily links to the latest news and conservative commentary so you can keep on top of the news
* Clear outlines of The Heritage Foundation’s latest conservative policy proposals so you can convince your friends
* A full library of Myth Busters to allow you to combat liberal myths and prevalent misconceptions you hear
* The resources you need to spread the conservative message and promote your vision of America
* A streamlined way to support The Heritage Foundation and promote our values

It’s so objective and truthy, isn’t it? But seriously, that whole website was like watching the Colbert Report. It was so over-the-top as to be quite funny. Highly recommended. Thanks for the link!

Edited to add: Sorry, I just realized the link doesn’t work, it written in java, but if you click Daloon’s link and then find “myheritage.org” you should find it.

mammal's avatar

Far more likely is that the CIA deliberately infected pigs in Cuba with swine flu, with an engineered strain of doubtless efficacy, that an engineered virus should jump species seems more plausible as it tends not to have the stability brought about be millenia of evolution. HIV is a similar story. Unwitting unleashed by predominately US Financed reasearch facilities particularly projects that would get buget approval from congress in the guise of defence/innoculation from bio weaponry threats that particularly target the immune system.

wundayatta's avatar

@mammal Could be. Except there hasn’t been a pig infected with H1N1 so far. At least, not as far as researchers know. So I read during my research, anyway. Can’t cite it now since I’ve lost that search.

w2pow2's avatar

This question’s purpose was to real in at least one person who thinks that the H1N1 flu is bio-terrorism and have that person explain why he/she thinks that.
Needless to say, I epically fail so far.
But please try to be less hostile towards those people should one decide to glance at this question.
Let’s roll out the welcome mat, shall we?

Qingu's avatar

Some of us are pretty hostile to people who don’t understand how the burden of proof works.

La_chica_gomela's avatar

@w2pow2: Sorry, my “Ignorance Embraced Here” welcome mat is at the laundry right now.

w2pow2's avatar

Ok well then can someone explain their deluted arguments and shoot them down?

shilolo's avatar

No thanks. FYI, do you mean deluded or diluted?

La_chica_gomela's avatar

It seems to me that Daloon and many others have already explained them and the reasons shot themselves down.

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