10.18.11
Corporate science welfare in the homeland security industry
Today, a press release, one of a steady stream from the homeland security industry.
This one on a DHS contract for ricin detection to small business that wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for taxpayer money.
Keep in mind the only market for ricin detection is the artificial one created by the rise of powder hoaxing as hobby for the disgruntled white survivalist nut or felon in the United States. And, primarily, that owes much of its existence due to the explosive growth of the homeland security complex, one which has spent the last ten years loudly telling everyone that ricin is easy to make.
The press release, from PositiveID Corporation:
PositiveID Corporation (“PositiveID” or “Company”) PSID
+32.14% , a developer of medical technologies for
diabetes management, clinical diagnostics and bio-threat detection, announced that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) Science and Technologies (“S&T”) division has directed and funded the development of the Company’s immunodetection assay for the identification of Ricin toxin to meet the specific needs that DHS has in securing the nation against biological threats. Ricin, a chemical warfare agent, is derived from the seeds of the castor oil plant Ricinus communis and has become a tool of terrorist groups across the world due to its effortless production and high toxicity.
Straight off there’s a good bit of lying. In ten years, ricin has not been much of a tool for terrorists. Only 22 castor seeds were found in the infamous Wood Green case in 2003.Castor powder cake was found in Iraq, ground after we invaded the country. And — of course — more recently, the rubbish story about potential ricin bombs being made somewhere in the wastes of Yemen.
Over the last decade the overwhelming majority of incidences of ricin in the news come from stories about powder hoaxes or cases where white American loners (and the occasional British neo-Nazi) have decided to grind castor seeds into a mush.
These are the facts. Amply documented in the Ricin Kooks tab at right, over many years.
Consider this: The country can lay off public sector workers en masse — 250,000 teachers. But no expenses have ever been spared for research and development of detection for a “threat” that has killed absolutely no one in the last ten years.
One can now think of this as something of a Ponzi scheme, entitlement spending, or a small but still significant Keynsian jobs program akin to paying people to dig holes and fill them back in the next day. For years.
Robert said,
October 18, 2011 at 11:03 am
You have no idea what you are talking about…you must be a terrorist trying to “disarm” the American Public with your weak and groundless comments. Do not believe what you read above folks…this guy is not correct.
George Smith said,
October 18, 2011 at 11:30 am
Yes, obviously. I’m a terrorist working from the inside. Next time try not posting from an IP so close to the company in the story.
John Robertson said,
October 18, 2011 at 11:44 am
It really is depressing. The press release cites an academic paper to claim ricin is a terrorist threat and the academic paper bases that on references in – wait for it –
USA Today and the New York Times, those two well-known peer-reviewed scientific journals.
Plus the BMJ’s ‘Scientists at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratories at Porton Down in Wiltshire identified a small quantity of material found in the flat as ricin’ from 18th January 2003 rather than any of the later reports confirming that no ricin was found.
George Smith said,
October 18, 2011 at 11:59 am
I missed that. Eesh. But it’s not an uncommon tactic. I’ve seen other press releases from the homeland security industry that either selectively cull or misrepresent the literature.
George Smith said,
October 18, 2011 at 12:03 pm
In addition, market valuation equals shares for one thin dime and a handful of pennies.
Bonze Anne Rose Blayk said,
October 18, 2011 at 1:08 pm
Oh, I’ll go with Joe Random IP anyday!
Why… if Dick actually knew anything, he’d be an “insider” like Mr. IP, and likewise not permitted to post under his Real Name, because, well… otherwise they’d have to kill him!
(eyeroll)
PS: Dick, I beg to differ if only a little bit here… threat inflation was a highly profitable business back in the Cold War… but it was mostly arranged by agencies in the community (CIA, DIA, Army Intelligence, Air Force Intelligence… AFI was particularly infamous for its hysteria-tinged assessments of Soviet Might.)
George Smith said,
October 18, 2011 at 1:57 pm
Then the big beneficiaries were in aerospace. Now, through the originally well-meaning effort by the US government to allow small businesses into the security market, it’s been privatized so that anyone can practice incorporation and predatory behavior. Just take a look at the company’s management and board of directors.
Jason said,
October 18, 2011 at 3:28 pm
George Smith has a great track record in illuminating this issue, “Robert.” Go soak your head somewhere.
Bonze Anne, yes, we’re all familiar with threat inflation, but let’s be honest, it’s not the intel agencies inflating the threat, it’s rather the vague threat assessments from those agencies that other federal government agencies and industry partners then inflate to justify their millions spent on countermeasure efforts. It’s a well-known dance in the Beltway.