I heard on WTOP news radio (here in Washington DC) that government handwriting analysts have concluded that the notes left in the anthrax envelopes were written in a style consistant with that of an American, not someone from the Middle East.  Does anybody have additional confirmation of this??

Did the analysts offer any theories on why the addresses were written so crudely?  They look to me like they were written by a 10 year old (although I've known a few adults with similarly dismal penmanship [;)] ).

And were the envelopes postmarked on 9/11?

The addresses were written in a simple block script that cannot be "analyzed".  It's not like handwriting.  Use a pen and a ruler to make block letters and no-one can link you to the writing based on the letter shape alone.

The letters were dated 9/11 but they didn't say anything about the postmark date.

I thought that was the intent of the letters.  The return address had something about a 4th grade class.

It could people educated here, and have lived here for years.

This attack is being done by al queda terrorists.  There is no question.  Although some domestic groups have supposedly been testing anthrax, there is no way they could have gotten the whole thing up and running so quickly after the 9/11 attacks.  It'd be a hell of a coincidence that some domestic group was manufacturing weapons grade anthrax that just happened to be finished in the middle of September.

The govt just isn't stating that its definitely connected because they are worried about creating a panic.  Unlike domestic terrorists, it is extremely likely the terrorists have a lot of anthrax and will mail out in waves continuously for the next few years.

It wasn't "weapons grade".  Weapons grade is a form of anthrax who's spores are reduced in size so as to pass through the lung tissue and therefore increase the damage and guarantee death.  Domestic or naturally produced anthrax spores are considerably bigger and sometimes get stuck in the trachea.

Despite what Rep. Gephardt has been saying, the CDC has indicated that it is NOT weapons grade.  It is not out of the realm of possiblity that it has been domestically produced.  

IMHO terrorist writting written by right handed person using their left hand.

Mike

Why should they continue to mail it out?  They have acheieved their goal of terror. (I guess that's why they call them terrorists!)
If they have anymore anthrax, it will be delievered in a totally different way.  They have already thrown the airlines into a tailspin, and now the postal service.  Why waste resources on something  you have already done.  The will look to wreck/terrorize another aspect of American life while our leaders are fighting the last war or in this case the last attack.  Osama et al are happy with us wasting time  and resources about reinforcing cockpit doors and curbside check etc in while they plan on hitting a Monday Night Football game, or the World Series game, or sinking a cruise ship.
We have to limit our reaction to the attacks and focus on bringing doom on the perps.  You dont win a war by killing just soldiers, but  by killing the leaders and /or their ability to lead and direct their soldiers.  And after you kill them, shoot them again to  make sure.  Dont let em up after they whisper "uncle" like we did with Saddam.

Then again, maybe it was... [url]http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A47864-2001Oct24.html[/url]

If I were them, I'd go for the mall of America.  I'm not them, and therefore I hope that there are systems to stop a biological attack in one of the the most populated indoor spaces in the USA.  Domed stadiums and larger office buildings should be watched too.  Also, if Iraq is involved in this anthrax thing, we MUST use a nuke on them.  It can be a small tactical instead of a large ballistic missile MIRV, but we must use nuclear weapons if a foreign nation is involved in order to make the successful 50 year old idea of deterrence work in the future.  This would be completely legal by international law and all treaties.

Also, the anthrax is obviously small enough not to get stuck before it reaches the lungs.  They just seem to not want to admit that it is weapons grade.  They have also made stupid statements about how a crop duster could not be used to spread anthrax because a complicated mechanism would need to be invented to spray a powder.  I guess it'd be too hard for a terrorist to go to a hardware store, buy a sandblaster, and adapt it to the cropduster.  I swear the goverment must think the terrorists are retarded.  Either that, or our govt's biowarfare experts are retarded.

It's my understanding that the term 'weapons grade' when refering to anthrax is spore < 5 micron AND developed to be resistant to known cures for it.

So the weapons grade theory appears to be half right.

Have you seen the definition of "weapons grade"... it simply means the substance has been refined to the point where it is easily distributed in a highly contageous form.  Seeing as how the powder form is more potent than the liquid form, which Iraq uses as a weapon, I would say the antrax in the attacks was "weapons grade".

good link on the "It came out of a bikers bathtub debate"

Hand[space]Writing??
[url]http://www.usatoday.com/life/2001-10-22-penmanship.htm[/url]

I had heard on the radio that a polish terrorist tried to E-mail the anthrax but it didnt work.  [:D]



[beer]