# Now Cuba "may have" WMD - I can't make this shit up folks **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 7, 2004, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-cuba-may-have-wmd-i-cant-make-this-shit-up-folks/263516 "2004-09-07T18:19:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2004, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-cuba-may-have-wmd-i-cant-make-this-shit-up-folks/263516/1 "2004-09-07T18:19:54Z")
[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,52049,00.html](http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,52049,00.html) At least Cuba is close, and should be pretty easy to squash. :rolleyes: Is it even _possible_ to cry wolf any harder then we’ve been doing? ---
**Author:** ![RedFury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ec9cab/32.png) [@RedFury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedFury)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2004, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-cuba-may-have-wmd-i-cant-make-this-shit-up-folks/263516/2 "2004-09-07T18:32:19Z")
Why do you hate America so much? I’m in the Dom Rep right now and I could swear I saw a chemistry set in my neighbour’s apartment. Pass it on to the proper US authorities. De nada. ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2004, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-cuba-may-have-wmd-i-cant-make-this-shit-up-folks/263516/3 "2004-09-07T18:36:12Z")
It looks like there have been theories about this out there for a [while:](http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/09/01/world/main640054.shtml) > [@](#): > > Also last year, an intelligence analyst, Christian Westermann of the State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research, told the Senate Intelligence Committee that he had felt pressure from Bolton after the two disagreed over whether Cuba had a biological weapons program. > > Bolton said last year that the U.S. believed Cuba had such a program. ---
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2004, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-cuba-may-have-wmd-i-cant-make-this-shit-up-folks/263516/4 "2004-09-07T18:37:09Z")
I thought Fox News was the bane of liberal Dopers. Would you people decide if Fox is a quotable news source or a cheap-shot-in-waiting? You’re confusing the **duffer** , and it won’t end up pretty. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2004, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-cuba-may-have-wmd-i-cant-make-this-shit-up-folks/263516/5 "2004-09-07T18:42:49Z")
Here’s a bit more info from a [June 2002](http://www.lanuevacuba.com/archivo/notic-02-6-514.htm) article: > [@](#): > > Addressing the private Heritage Foundation on weapons of mass destruction threats, Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security John Bolton said, “For four decades, Cuba has maintained a well-developed and sophisticated biomedical industry, supported until 1990 by the Soviet Union…. Analysts and Cuban defectors have long cast suspicion on the activities conducted in these biomedical facilities. Here is what we now know: > Snip… > > Bolton also said that Cuba has given dual-use biotechnology to other “rogue states” and that Washington fears that this technology could support biological weapons programs in those states. Bolton did not say which countries the United States believes Cuba has aided but mentioned that Cuban President Fidel Castro visited Iran, Syria, and Libya last year. > snip… > Speaking May 10 on Cuban television, Castro dismissed Bolton’s charges as a “treacherous” lie and said that weapons of mass destruction programs would ruin the economy of a small nation, such as Cuba. Two days later, Castro offered former President Jimmy Carter, who was in Havana on a private visit, as well as any specialist Carter might choose, complete access to any Cuban scientific research center. > > spin…(oops, I meant “snip”) > Although Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has said he has not seen the intelligence that led to Bolton’s remarks, other senior administration officials have stood by the undersecretary and further clarified the U.S. position. Speaking to the press May 14, Secretary of State Colin Powell said, “As Undersecretary Bolton said recently, we do believe that Cuba has a biological offensive research capability. We didn’t say that it actually had such weapons, but it has the capacity and the capability to conduct such research.” The bigger question is, who is spoon feeding this news to Fox? Why are they the only ones with a contemporary article about old info like this? ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2004, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-cuba-may-have-wmd-i-cant-make-this-shit-up-folks/263516/6 "2004-09-07T18:47:34Z")
My question too, stpauler. CNN is showing nothing. Google isn’t turning up anything that I would accept, let alone our more stringent members. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2004, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-cuba-may-have-wmd-i-cant-make-this-shit-up-folks/263516/7 "2004-09-07T18:52:53Z")
The speech and article both are from May, 2002. Where do you see contributions that are more “contemporary”? ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2004, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-cuba-may-have-wmd-i-cant-make-this-shit-up-folks/263516/8 "2004-09-07T18:55:17Z")
[http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20040907.wxrymcuba07/BNStory/Business/](http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20040907.wxrymcuba07/BNStory/Business/) Amazing, in order to really try and convince us they’re not developing piles of WMD, they’ve developed a new treatment for cancer. Now that’s going the distance to cover something up, so that must mean they have something really, really nasty. We should go in ASAP. > [@duffer](#): > > I thought Fox News was the bane of liberal Dopers. Would you people decide if Fox is a quotable news source or a cheap-shot-in-waiting? > You’re confusing the **duffer** , and it won’t end up pretty. :dubious: If I’m quoting bullshit that millions of repub suckers will consume without even blinking, Fox is the best place to go. ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2004, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-cuba-may-have-wmd-i-cant-make-this-shit-up-folks/263516/9 "2004-09-07T19:03:31Z")
> [@World Eater](#): > > Amazing, in order to really try and convince us they’re not developing piles of WMD, they’ve developed a new treatment for cancer. Now that’s going the distance to cover something up, so that must mean they have something really, really nasty. We should go in ASAP. So **that** ’s why we’ve been working on all those “cures” for “deadly diseases”. That Lance Armstrong, shilling for a WMD program. I shoulda seen the intent in his eyes all along… ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2004, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-cuba-may-have-wmd-i-cant-make-this-shit-up-folks/263516/10 "2004-09-07T19:04:21Z")
> [@duffer](#): > > Would you people decide if Fox is a quotable news source or a cheap-shot-in-waiting? It’s quotable precisely because it’s one of the few outlets with an editorial policy that deadpans this sort of ludicrous propaganda. The level of credulity given to claims by groups like the Heritage Foundation varies according to looniness index of the outlet. FoxNews is one of the few that consider this AP story printable, but you have to turn to go further out into the fringe to get the [really fun stuff](http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=39864): > [@WorldNetDaily](#): > > While health officials reported this week West Nile virus has sickened 108 people in 10 states this summer, they continue to withhold opinions on how, where and why the mosquito-born disease originated. […] > > Some national security sources ? as well as health professionals ? believe Saddam Hussein weaponized [cultures of West Nile Virus obtained from the CDC] and sent them back to the United States, via his ally Fidel Castro in Cuba, in revenge for his defeat in the Persian Gulf War and the decade-long sanctions imposed on his country by the U.S. OMG! Not only were Cuba and Iraq collaborating on WMD programs, THEY’VE ALREADY ATTACKED AMERICA!. I don’t know if I should laugh or cry. ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2004, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-cuba-may-have-wmd-i-cant-make-this-shit-up-folks/263516/11 "2004-09-07T19:11:07Z")
> [@Larry Mudd](#): > > It’s quotable precisely because it’s one of the few outlets with an editorial policy that deadpans this sort of ludicrous propaganda. > > The level of credulity given to claims by groups like the Heritage Foundation varies according to looniness index of the outlet. FoxNews is one of the few that consider this AP story printable, but you have to turn to go further out into the fringe to get the [really fun stuff](http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=39864):OMG! Not only were Cuba and Iraq collaborating on WMD programs, THEY’VE ALREADY ATTACKED AMERICA!. > > I don’t know if I should laugh or cry. Cry. Wow. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2004, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-cuba-may-have-wmd-i-cant-make-this-shit-up-folks/263516/12 "2004-09-07T19:12:04Z")
> [@Larry Mudd](#): > > OMG! Not only were Cuba and Iraq collaborating on WMD programs, THEY’VE ALREADY ATTACKED AMERICA!. Oh, man. They probably attacked DC and the surrounding suburbs. Does that mean I’m dead? ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2004, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-cuba-may-have-wmd-i-cant-make-this-shit-up-folks/263516/13 "2004-09-07T19:20:19Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > The speech and article both are from May, 2002. Where do you see contributions that are more “contemporary”? The “they” I was referring to was Fox News, not the articles I was quoting. Sorry if that wasn’t more clear. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2004, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-cuba-may-have-wmd-i-cant-make-this-shit-up-folks/263516/14 "2004-09-07T19:30:56Z")
So, that’s where they went! Crafty devils! Who knew that Saddam and Castro were in cahoots! Probably connected by way of Osama… I mean, atheist Communists and Muslim fanatics, its a natural fit! ---
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2004, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-cuba-may-have-wmd-i-cant-make-this-shit-up-folks/263516/15 "2004-09-07T19:42:41Z")
> [@Larry Mudd](#): > > this AP story printable Well, since it’s an Associated Press story it must be wrong! Where is the outrage against the AP for this story being spread? :dubious: These arguments are getting pretty damn weak. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2004, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-cuba-may-have-wmd-i-cant-make-this-shit-up-folks/263516/16 "2004-09-07T19:46:38Z")
I think it’s past weak and into the negative. I’m beginning to wonder whether Bush really is more dangerous than these leftist loons. ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2004, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-cuba-may-have-wmd-i-cant-make-this-shit-up-folks/263516/17 "2004-09-07T19:50:42Z")
> [@duffer](#): > > Well, since it’s an Associated Press story it must be wrong! Where is the outrage against the AP for this story being spread? :dubious: > > These arguments are getting pretty damn weak. Yeah, I agree. When did you plan to ameliorate yours?😉 (Oh, come on! He left it wide open! It was practically an empty-netter!) I would consider the lack of reputable corroboration (even assuming Fox is to believed here, we had how much “evidence” of Iraqi WMDs? That turned out oh so well) as evidence that there might not be as much to this story as some others would say, given the unholy hell raised both here and elsewhere WRT WMDs. However, it’s early yet (in terms of folks here trying to find more evidence), so the window of opportunity is still very much open, ISTM. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2004, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-cuba-may-have-wmd-i-cant-make-this-shit-up-folks/263516/18 "2004-09-07T19:56:03Z")
What sort of corroboration? Is AP an untrustworthy source? If CNN published the wire, would it then be corroborated? ---
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2004, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-cuba-may-have-wmd-i-cant-make-this-shit-up-folks/263516/19 "2004-09-07T20:03:54Z")
> [@iampunha](#): > > I would consider the lack of reputable corroboration (even assuming Fox is to believed here, we had how much “evidence” of Iraqi WMDs? That turned out oh so well) as evidence that there might not be as much to this story as some others would say, given the unholy hell raised both here and elsewhere WRT WMDs. However, it’s early yet (in terms of folks here trying to find more evidence), so the window of opportunity is still very much open, ISTM. OK, how about this? Bush-haters are drinking the Kool-Aid by saying the AP story is wrong, and therefore Fox News is lying to us. Does the AP now only report to Fox? No chance that other news sources would have access to the AP and report in kind? And why the hell aren’t you pitting the AP for this (according to you) false story? This is getting easier by the day. Now go join the fantasy football league. Draft is less than 2 hours away. Might as well do something whorthwhile of your time. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Avenger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de0a6/32.png) [@Avenger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avenger)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2004, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-cuba-may-have-wmd-i-cant-make-this-shit-up-folks/263516/20 "2004-09-07T20:08:43Z")
I’m confused. > [@](#): > > The bigger question is, who is spoon feeding this news to Fox? Why are they the only ones with a contemporary article about old info like this? As far as I can see the article is dated 2002. Where do you get the idea that it is a contemporary article? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-cuba-may-have-wmd-i-cant-make-this-shit-up-folks/263516.md?page=2)