Nothing To See Here, Move Along

Background:

Ricin can be extremely lethal. As little as 500 micrograms, or about the size of the head of a pin, can kill a human, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention Web site.

The Story as of 2.29.2008:

A man who stayed in a Las Vegas hotel room where ricin was found is in critical condition at a hospital, where he has been since mid-February.

The man called from the hotel asking for medical help on February 14, saying he was suffering from respiratory distress, and was transported to the hospital.

Since he was gone from the extended-stay hotel and not paying his rent, managers began eviction procedures.

Tests confirm the substance found in the room was ricin, police said, but it remains a mystery how it got there. The man hospitalized was not a suspect and police don't know whether the ricin was his, or if he even knew it was there.

The FBI said it was treating the matter as a criminal investigation and terrorism was not suspected.

The discovery of ricin alarms law-enforcement agencies because authorities in several countries have investigated links between suspect extremists and ricin.

Las Vegas police said there was no apparent link to terrorist activity, and no indication of any spread of the deadly substance beyond the several vials of powder found in a plastic bag in the man's room on Thursday. But what the ricin was doing there remained a mystery.

The man, believed to be in his 40s or 50s, was unconscious and unable to speak. Authorities don't know an awful lot about him.

The motel room had been unoccupied since the man was hospitalized. Someone who knew the sick man found the ricin in the room and brought it to the apartment manager.

He claimed to be a relative. Authorities haven't confirmed that yet whether he is a relative or a friend".

Pets were found in the room. Two of those pets are fine. One of the pets is deceased. There was no evidence that the animal died from ricin exposure. The dog that was in there was without food and water for a week.

The man was unable to speak to police, but a doctor at the briefing said he held out hope the man might recover enough to provide information.

Comment:

Now I ask you, just what was a man (who authorities can't or won't identify) doing with ricin and the beans to make them in an extended stay motel? Making tea? They quickly add, not knowing all the facts, that it isn't terrorism. Well if they don't know why the ricin was there or what it was for and it is a known deadly poison not readily available, how can they rule out terrorism?

This is the "Nanny State" in action is what it is. Our government wouldn't want it's people getting all worried or fired up about terrorism. They're afraid we'd stop spending money on frivilous things and start buying firearms or stockpiling food for heaven's sake. Can't have that.

Nothing to see here, move along.

To be sure the television news media is barely covering the story. If it weren't for the internet the story would soon die out. Thankfully most folks get their news from the internet nowadays.

Evil is lurking and it is alive and well. Terrorist are still at the gate just waiting and some of us, many of us will be ready. Americans are tough characters when called upon to act and we will.

The Nanny State can spin the story any way they like but we aren't buying it. It may be home grown terror or a foreign invader but we are listening and this story along with others the government tries to bury are being kept alive and paid attention to by some.

Sure, others may only know what is happening on American Idol but to you terrorist out there, not all of America is asleep.

Stay safe, and never forget 9.11, stay prepared, have a plan and have a back up plan.