[CIMC-work] (anarchist-in-subway allegation) Fw: Anthrax in Illinois!!!!!!!

[Chris Kaihatsu]

CIMC,

The sixth item in the press release below refers to an allegation we
discussed at Sunday's meeting -- should we issue any sort of statement to
debunk the allegation?


Chris




----- Original Message -----
From: "MICHAEL FOERSTEL" <m-m-23 at msn.com>
To: "CampusGreensMidwest" <CampusGreensMidwest at yahoogroups.com>; "eclist"
<eclist at chicagomediaaction.org>; "rollingthunder"
<rollingthunderchicago at groups.msn.com>
Sent: Tuesday, November 18, 2003 5:16 AM
Subject: Fw: Anthrax in Illinois!!!!!!!



PROTEST BIOWEAPONS RESEARCH AT UIC
1:00 PM THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20
900 S. Ashland, in the Molecular Biology Research Building (MBRB)
First Floor, Auditorium
West Side of Building Entrance by the sculpture

On Thursday, an informational meeting will be held at UIC about a new
program on campus that involves making ciprofloxacin-resistant
anthrax. The program, funded by a 15.7 million dollar NIH award,
professes to be for developing "life-saving" new drugs against
antibiotic-resistant anthrax. The NIH awarded UIC researchers in the
MBRB, based on a grant proposal they submitted that demonstrated they
already have created new antibiotic-resistant strains!

--UIC is not a military establishment and, therefore, is neither an
appropriate place for bioweapons research nor can it accommodate the
kind of security needed for such research.
--The development of ciprofloxacin-resistant anthrax defies the 1972
International Biological Weapons Convention, the 1925 Geneva Protocol
and is rejected by the Federation of American Scientists (FAS).
--Ciprofloxacin is now effective against anthrax strains known to
exist. It is unethical to develop new strains resistant to the
current therapy even on the pretext that new drugs must be developed
to anticipate an enemy also developing antibiotic-resistant strains.
We must remember that the only deaths due to weaponized anthrax in
this country came from a U.S. strain developed in the Dugway Proving
Grounds, a "secure" military facility.
--Faculty, staff and students have never been informed about the
bioweapons research on campus.
--There are no safety plans in place at UIC in case of theft,
accidental release or attack.
-- Last March, a Wisconsin man was arrested on the UIC campus in
connection with multiple thefts on campus, and was found to be living
in a steam tunnel under the Education, Communication and Social Work
Building, and in possession of a quarter pound of cyanide powder
which he stored in CTA cabinets in the Blue Line one block from the
Federal Building.
--The undergraduate school of social work was quietly axed at the
same time UIC is publicly celebrating its new bioweapons research
award. Has the mission of the University of Illinois changed?

THE INFORMATIONAL MEETING IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!!

See below for a statement and call to mobilize from UIC Students for
Social Justice and the Chicago Coalition Against War & Racism:

Weapons of Mass Destruction Found.and Created...in Chicago

Some researchers at the University of Illinois-Chicago boast that
they have created a new strain of deadly anthrax, and are touting
their creation as a "contribution" to Bush's "War on Terrorism." For
this they have been rewarded with a $15.7 grant from the National
Institutes of Health.

At its worst, the government-sponsored development of a new strain of
anthrax represents a dangerous escalation which could help fuel a
biological warfare arms race. At the very least, this development of
another deadly strain of the disease which terrorized postal workers
and others in 2001, is the height of irresponsibility. The source of
the previous anthrax scare was a highly-guarded, U.S. government
facility out west.

By contrast, the UIC's "research" was conducted at a virtually
unguarded building at the Chicago campus, itself in the middle of a
major population center. That the University would allow and
encourage such conduct is an arrogant affront to the health and
safety concerns of UIC students, faculty and staff, let alone the
rest of the city.

Creators of the new anthrax bioweapon will hold a public meeting at
this Thursday at 1 pm in the Molecular Biology Research Building
auditorium in an attempt to explain away their misconduct. Whether
part of the UIC community or not, all who oppose this should attend
this meeting to protest. 1 pm, 900 S. Ashland, in the Molecular
Biology Research Building (MBRB), First Floor, Auditorium, (West Side
of Building Entrance by the sculpture).

PLEASE NOTE: Some people want to attend the forum in order to ask
questions and raise concerns, some may choose to protest outside of
the room and/or building, and others may choose to engage in
alternative forms of protest.  In any case, we are not dictating to
others what particular form of protest to engage in and are asking
that everyone respect the generic call for a diversity of tactics and
plurality of visions.


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