DEADLY BIO-AGENTS TO THE UC DAVIS CAMPUS!!!

The NUCLEAR ADMINISTRATION is ready to start a shameful war risking global catastrophe. It is saying that it does so in order to disarm a nation from weapons of mass destruction. At the same time, they themselves are developing new nuclear weapons. Their intent now is becoming apparent even to many skeptics. The real face of the empire is becoming known to more people day after day worldwide.


Most of our youth and students will end up working for the war machine not only in the national labs but even at the universities. Not that the universities have not been involved in this work for a long time, but now it will intensify.


It seems that a plan is under way to completely militarize education. We are moving towards the abyss. Humanity's future is at risk as never before in the history of the world.


The plan to construct and operate a bio-warfare agent facility at the University of California at Davis should not be a surprise to anyone. On Dec. 16, the Dept. of Energy (DOE) gave itself the green light to construct and operate a bio-warfare agent facility at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, thus bypassing the nation's environmental laws regarding public hearings.


I wonder if the nazis under Hitler had reached this degree of militarization, but I seriously doubt it.


Kris O Mandatoforos




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WE NEED TO STOP A CLASS 4 BIOTERRORISM LAB FROM COMING TO OUR CAMPUS!

Why the University is interested? Last year Congress allocated $6 billion dollars to research on bioterrorism. That's a pretty large pie and UCDavis has a good chance of getting a very large piece of that pie, a Class 4 Bio"Safety" Lab. The University is pushing this thing hard and fast, with meetings having been quickly set for this week and next. The proposal for the lab is due February 10th.

Why you should care? This lab will cost $50 million dollars of University monies initially, put your University and city at greater risk from incurable disease, and would further militarize your campus. The lab has the potential to increase the number of biological agents, destabilize bioweapons production worldwide, and make Davis a target for terrorist attacks.

There are only 3 Class 4 bio "Safety" labs in the US today. The anthrax sent by letters to Washington D.C. came from one of these labs in Fort Detrick, MD! Plans are to build more. UC Davis is preparing to submit a proposal on February 10th to bring a Class 4 bioterrorism lab that is 240,000 sq. ft. to Davis, 5-10 times larger than any existing Class 4 lab in the United States.

The Class 4 bioterrorism lab proposed to be built on campus are designed to work with Ebola, anthrax, smallpox and other deadly diseases in order to, ostensively, find new ways of stopping their spread should they get into the human population. It is now relatively easy to bioengineer existing diseases to get around existing or potential means of treatment. For this reason, class 4 bioterrorism labs will also be designing new forms of diseases in order to find new ways of counteracting them.

Unfortunately, the only difference between developing new deadly forms of diseases for defensive purposes and developing new forms of diseases for offensive purposes is "intent." New diseases could be employed into our county's stockpiles of biological weapons of mass destruction. Since the work at these laboratories will be secret, neither the individuals working at the labs not the general public will be apprised of the plans for these new diseases. Since the United States has vetoed international efforts to allow inspections of bioengineering and bioterrorism labs we, as citizens of this country, and the leaders of other countries can only guess at the intent of our government. This will lead to distrust, an escalation of research into weapons of mass destruction, the increased stockpiling of biological weapons, and the possible targeting of UC Davis by potential terrorists. . With an increase in the number of labs working on bioengineered diseases, the likelihood of a disease getting out to infect humanity is increased. For these reasons, to call these labs "biosafety" or "biocontainment" laboratories is a misnomer

Bringing a bioweapons lab to UC Davis will further militarize our campus due to an increased, and potentially growing, reliance on the Department
of Homeland Security, Department of Energy, and Department of Defense funding. Increased security, including presumably, check stations, armed guards and razor wire, will be needed to thwart illegal entry in the proposed lab.

Currently all designs of new nuclear weapons in the United States, including the new battlefield-sized (read "town-sized") super penetrating nuclear bomb being developed, are being designed University of California employees. Los Alamos, where the nuclear bombs used on Japanese civilians were developed, and nearby Livermore Laboratory, which is a partner in the new proposed lab, are both under the supervision of the University of California under a long-term contract with the Department of Energy - the agency responsible for nuclear weapons development in the US. The question is, do we want the University designing the next generation of bioweapons as well as nuclear weapons (the University of Weapons of Mass Destruction)? The University has a history of poor management of both Livermore and Los Alamos. Do we want to add UC Davis to the list?

The president has let the world know his intention of using nuclear weapons against any adversary as he sees fit as a first strike weapon, regardless of whether that country has nuclear weapons or is a threat to citizens of this country. The makers of the first nuclear bombs at Los Alamos were dismayed that the weapons they help to design were used to kill tens of thousands of innocent civilians. Most thought the bombs would only be used as a demonstration of power off the coast of Japan in order to end World War II. Can we know what will be done with any bioweapons developed on our campus? Wouldn't the release of smallpox or Ebola, which could potentially kill 80-90% or more of humanity, dwarf the destruction of humans caused by the use of nuclear weapons in World War II? Is your insurance paid up?!

The University is proposing to put up $50 million dollars to help bring this dangerous lab to campus at a time of rapidly escalating student fees and the largest deficit in our State's history! The mission of the University of California is to educate and undertake research in the public interest. The principle at the heart of research is the open dissemination of information which provides scientists the opportunity to both verify and build on each others discoveries. Universities are built around this principle openness. Classified projects go against this principle and the mission of the University.

Rest assured, once a bioterrorism lab comes to Davis it will be nearly impossible to get rid of it. As I mentioned at the top of this letter, it is up to us to see that this situation is not taken lightly. There is a need for immediate, peaceful but forceful action to bring this issue to the attention of the citizens of Davis and our campus.

The University is trying to move through its proposal rapidly. The university is unveiling its plans for the proposed lab this Wednesday at 4 PM in
Freeborn Hall. The City is having a discussion at 7:30 PM. There may be room for questions to be asked. It is essential that a large number of people show up to ask them and to speak out against the proposal. Signs will probably not be allowed in Freeborn. However, posters and pamphleting around the City of Davis and campus would be a great idea.


WHAT YOU NEED TO DO!

¸ Organize and let people know what's going down, what's at stake. Let them know what THEY can do! Help table, pamphlet, and put up posters
¸ 4 PM THIS WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 29th - Show up for the presentation by the University that will be in support of the lab and politely show your disagreement. Bring questions and follow-up questions to ask.
¸ 7:30 PM THIS WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 29th - The City of Davis will be conducting a Town Hall Informational Meeting on Wednesday, January 29, 2003 at 7:30 p.m. in the Community Chambers, 23 Russell Blvd. on the proposal by the University of California, Davis for a National Biocontainment Laboratory. Questions received via phone ((530) 681-8935) or email (townhall [at] cityofdavis.org) will be answered on the air
¸ 7 PM NEXT WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5TH - Do the same thing at the Town Meeting being held to allow the city to endorse the lab. Again, bring your questions AND friends. Be polite and rational as well as impassioned!
¸ Visit http://www.simpalife.com/stopUCDBioLabNOW/ , the web site for a Davis coalition that has been gearing up to oppose the lab coming to Davis.







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"It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness."
-- Chinese proverb --

"I myself would wish neither; but if it were necessary either to do wrong or to suffer it, I should choose to suffer rather than to do wrong."
-- Socrates --