The ricin story

The Las Vegas ricin story really doesn't make much sense.

It's certainly not surprising that Homeland Security, the FBI, Nevada authorities, etc might try their darndest to downplay any foiled plots involving such substances, after all we still don't know who sent anthrax through the mail at this late date. That's especially true in that place, where a scare could cause millions in lost business in a blink [of course, it IS Vegas, where some people would probably keep gambling even if terrorists were running through casinos spraying white powder out with giant fireplace bellows].

What always raises the flag fast is the speed with which they announce an event is not terrorism related. The Minneapolis bridge collapse was cleared as non terror-related before the NTSB even got on their plane to come investigate. Perhaps that's why we have a Homeland Security Department?

Now they tell us the man's motel room contained "anarchist textbooks" and some firearms. Guns aren't surprising but anarchists having textbooks seems a tad oxymoronic. Don't they do things without rules? Is it necessary to have a rulebook to tell someone to throw out all the rulebooks? Perhaps the main use for these manuscripts is to distribute ricin recipes, rather unsettling in and of itself.

There's also the 'pets'. They said a dog had died, attributed to not having kibbles and water for a week but most dogs can live longer than a week without sustenance, especially if the toilet bowl lid is up. And why didn't the other 'pets' die? What were they, snakes, lizards, spiders? Too awful to tell?

As to the room's sick inhabitant, we now know his name, which almost sounds fake. By the way, does Homeland Security have everybody listed in their rolodex these days? Why would they have his name on an "internal document"? What kind of document would that be?

As to his previous transport to the hospital, did the ambulance crew pick him up in the room or the lobby? If the man was cooking ricin why wouldn't he stash it or destroy it before taking a chance the EMTs might find it? He had the recipe--he could have made more. That seems to bring in a possible frame-up scenario, especially since the dog also died, which suggests the room might have been sprayed at some point. Wonder if he knows anyone in Russia?

The investigators are doing their thing and facts will come in due course--perhaps--unless this gets buried in the 24/7 news cycle. Wouldn't be the first time. We're still waiting to see what happened to cause that west Texas refinery, owned by Israel, to blow up a few weeks ago.