Heiser-The-Facade - Sparkling Eyes

virus is extraterrestrial.""Mark also says the virus is non-digestive," Father Benedict continued, eyeing hisfriend. "That's quite important.""Why?""That would mean the cattle couldn't have gotten it by consuming something thatcontained the virus. I'm not sure since it's not my field, but I think it would also mean thatthe animal wouldn't have inhaled it either.""Why not?" asked Brian."How could something inhaled ever get into the intestinal tract?""I don't know, but I'm no scientist either," the young scholar remarked. "For thesake of argument, let's assume you're correct. How would the virus have gotten into theanimal?""It would have had to have been introduced by someone by injection, forexample," the priest explained."Making it a deliberate act.""Right for what reason, we can only speculate. Someone again, for unknownreasons—isolated either an earthly or an extraterrestrial virus and deliberately infectedthe cattle. If they knew what the effect would be, it amounts to environmental sabotage. Ifthey didn't know, it's a huge blunder. I just can't figure out why the Colonel would lieabout any of these details.""Who could conceivably have done it, if that's indeed what happened?" Brianwondered aloud."It could be our own government," the priest offered. "After all, they've beenknown to do this sort of thing—the Tuskegee Experiments, for example.""Yes, I've read about those," Brian recalled."And even in the last few years President Clinton's EPA chief uncovered proofthat the government fed plutonium to people during World War II, including children, asa way of testing the effects of exposure. Still more recently there's the matter ofpotentially toxic jet contrails over the southwestern skies.""Contrails?""Yes. It seems our government has apparently forgotten the changes in the U.S.Code that require civilian permission to perform experiments on populated areas.""Whoa--experiments on people?""I know it isn't very exciting material, Brian, but the U.S. Code is worth readingsometime. Up until several years ago, permission wasn't even required. The governmentcould literally fly over a neighborhood or put something into the water to test its effectswith-out ever informing anyone.""Good grief," Brian shook his head."Most laws of that nature were meant for a Cold War setting, or the threat ofnuclear war. Unfortunately, so few citizens are even aware that Uncle Sam keeps them onthe books. Changes do get made, as I mentioned, when people get wind of what's goingon. Back in October of 1999 I was in Washington during a rally to end governmentsecrecy, and this kind of problem was one of the concerns. And in case you're wondering,no, I didn't carry a placard."Brian laughed. "You really seem to get around.""I go where I'm sent."82