-Caveat Lector- Anthrax Vaccine Could Be Dangerous .c The Associated Press SAN DIEGO (June 29) - A high-ranking military leader has acknowledged that the mandatory anthrax vaccination for American troops can be potentially dangerous, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported today. Citing military documents, the paper reported Army Secretary Louis Caldera agreed in September that the government would accept the burden of potential liability claims by service members against the vaccine's manufacturer. According to a memo signed by Caldera, the vaccine ''involves unusually hazardous risks associated with the potential for adverse reactions in some recipients and the possibility that the desired immunological effect will not be obtained by all recipients.'' Caldera also said there is no certainty that the anthrax used in tests to gauge the vaccine's effectiveness ''will be sufficiently similar to the pathogen that U.S. forces might encounter'' during warfare, the paper reported. Department of Defense officials last week insisted that the vaccine is safe, despite wording in Caldera's letter, the paper said. Army Col. Dick Bridges, a senior Defense Department spokesman, said the agreement was ''legalese'' and likened it to a newspaper buying libel insurance. ''You don't expect to libel anyone, but you can't say it's never going to happen,'' Bridges said. The Army is the lead agency in acquiring the vaccine for all of the armed forces. Caldera's decision to shift liability to the government may mean that Michigan-based BioPort Corp. would not have to pay for lawsuits contending the vaccine caused adverse reactions in recipients or failed to protect service members. The manufacturer has a single-source contract with the government to produce about 6.3 million doses of the vaccine. Caldera's acknowledgment of the vaccine's potential dangers comes at a time when the Pentagon is conducting an educational campaign to assure service members that the vaccine is safe. ''This is another stunning example of the misleading and false statements made by senior military leaders about the vaccine's safety,'' said Marc Zaid, a Washington, D.C., lawyer who helped represent five Marines in Twentynine Palms who have refused to take the vaccine. ''It appears to indicate either the service members are just and correct in their reasons for refusing the shots, or the Army has blatantly distorted the true picture of the vaccine's safety,'' Zaid said. The Pentagon started the $130 million anthrax inoculation campaign in March, with plans to inoculate nearly 2.5 million active-duty personnel and reservists with six injections over an 18-month period, to be followed by a booster annually. According to the Pentagon, more than 220,000 members of the military have been immunized and about 200 have refused. Forty-two of those who had the vaccine reported adverse effects. All recovered. On Monday, two Marines were convicted of disobeying a lawful order by refusing to take the anthrax vaccine. The courts-martial completed prosecutions of five servicemen at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms. All were convicted. Lance Cpl. Michael McIntyre, 22, of Mount Vernon, Wash., was given 30 days in confinement and a bad-conduct discharge. Lance Cpl. Jared Johnston, 19, of Henryetta, Okla., received 25 days in confinement and a bad-conduct discharge. The previous three Marines received similar sentences. DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance�not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
