Bruce Ivins - Anthrax Killer or Regular Guy?

Slate.com has posted the online comments of Bruce Ivins. It's interesting to watch the Mainstream Media go on a hunt for signs of psychopathy.

FIrst, let's examine the "obsession" with Kappa Kappa Gamma. True, he seems to be remarkably well-informed about the history and rituals of Kappa Kappa Gamma. And? The man is hardly alone there. The Internet has enabled all of us to be informational geeks about some obscure topic or other. Personally, I am into WWII espionage and gardening. I shudder at what a malevolent eye could see in my blog postings. At least he didn't try to get pictures of the girls with their clothes off. I can see that as problematic. But he didn't do that, not even close.

Second, there's the "he's a delusional alcoholic" charge. How bad could it be if he is able to work at the highest level of scientific inquiry in a very specialized field surrounded by people who would know in an instant if he was off his game? Not that the "delusional alcoholic" part is necessarily false, maybe it isn't. But how bad could it have been, really? And how much different than someone in your office right now who may be a little off in terms of mental stability or alcoholism?

Third, "he threatened his coworkers," as backed up by a psychotherapist. That's a little harder to dismiss. What she states is a serious charge and I don't think she's lying. What it demonstrates is mental instability, his feelings of powerlessness and that he was a potential danger to his coworkers. Of course, this was after the FBI harassment began. All of that can be said about a lot of people who are not bioterrorists.

Bruce Ivins may have been a man with a few problems. But the harassment he experienced pushed him over the edge into more extreme behavior. I feel sorry for Bruce Ivins. His suicide is not a sign of guilt, but rather that of a man who couldn't take it any more. Let's all pray for him and his family.

Bruce Ivins: Sorority stalker! Anthrax killer!

Now reports are coming out that Bruce Ivins, the scientist driven to suicide by an impending arrest as the Anthrax killer, was obsessed with a sorority.

Way to go, FBI leakers, way to go. And shame on the media for going along with it, once again.

So it isn't enough to harass the wrong scientist for years. It isn't enough to try to ruin his life through leaks in the investigation. Once his innocence is shown and actual damages are needing to be paid, the F.B.I. then does the same routine with another scientist.

It is interesting to note the evolution of the leaks. Right off the bat, the FBI knew they had pushed the guy too far. So they let loose with his alleged homicidal plans. But let's face it, there isn't real evidence to connect Bruce Ivins to the Anthrax killings, so the next piece of evidence to emerge was the DNA connection.

Funny thing about DNA. It's everywhere. DNA from your coworkers is all over your house. The presence of DNA in itself doesn't prove anything unless there is no other way for it to be there except that the person committed the crime. The FBI knows that. Most people don't.

And in leaking little tidbits to the media about DNA, the FBI is trying to justify its actions in harassing a man to death.

The latest salvo in the "Slaughter Ivins" campaign is to paint him as a weird sorority stalker. Again, there is no evidence. But who cares? The media is eating this up just like they did with the first innocent scientist.

Where is press responsibility in all this? It is not their role to eat up whatever is given them and spit it out at well-timed intervals. Reporters are supposed to ask questions and challenge assumptions. Why aren't they now?

There is NO EVIDENCE linking Bruce Ivins to being in Princeton the day those Anthrax letters were mailed. NONE. Let's not forget that while you are pounding the drums for yet another potentially innocent man.