Rally Against Dangerous Fort Detrick Expansion on Aug. 25, 2007

Frederick, MD residents and activists publicly voice opposition to cruel and inhumane violence and militarism in their community and in the world

Frederick Progressive Action Coalition is organizing a community education event and public demonstration to draw attention to the on-going expansion of Fort Detrick for the purpose of biological agents' research and development.
We feel these agents are a threat to the local and international community, by not only having this research conducted in a heavily populated area in light of past security breaches1, but also by being weapons of biological warfare. We feel that the United States is in direct violation of international law, specifically the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), which went into effect March 26, 1975. We oppose the cruel and inhumane treatment of animals involved in the research conducted at these facilities. We also oppose the spending of the $43,000,000,000 already allocated by the Bush Admistration for this particularly dangerous brand of militarism. We submit that this money could be better allocated for improving education and healthcare, alleviating the national debt, and financing social and foreign policies which would benefit the United States and the world instead of instigating arms race, creating more hostility, and threatening the population. The demonstration will begin in the Carroll Creek Park in downtown Frederick at 12:00 p.m. where experts Klare Allen, Steve Kurtz, Barry Kissin, and Dick Ochs will speak about the issues at hand.

1“You could walk out with anything,’ researcher says,” “Scientist faults lab’s security;” (Frederick Post, 1/21/02): “Interviews with more than a dozen current and former Fort Detrick scientists provided a rare account of what they described as a lax security system, that could have done little to prevent an employee from smuggling the ingredients for biological terrorism out.” Also, see “Detrick lost pathogens: Army audit,” (front page, Frederick Post, 1/21/02): “Lab specimens of anthrax spores, Ebola virus and other pathogens disappeared during a turbulent period of labor complaints and recriminations among rival scientists...” Also, see “Beyond the breach,” (front page, Frederick Post, 5/13/06): “During a two-week period in April four years ago, officials at the Army’s lead biodefense laboratory at Fort Detrick discovered anthrax spores had escaped carefully guarded suites into the building’s unprotected areas.” Also, see “Risky Business,” (Frederick Post, front page, 5/14/06): “Employees at USAMRIID, the Army’s leading biodefense laboratory, filed 161 biological defense mishap reports between April 1, 2002 and Dec. 1, 2005.”