July 14, 2006

White Powder Found in NY Times Letter

Someone who is no fan of the NY Times sent a letter to the New York office containing a unknown white powder and a recent editorial defending the newspaper's publishing of classified terrorist surveillance programs:

"At about 12:30 p.m. (1630 GMT) this afternoon ... an employee opened an envelope that contained a white powdery substance. The envelope was handwritten and addressed to the New York Times, not to any individual. The postmark was from Philadelphia with no return address," said Times spokeswoman Catherine Mathis.

Emergency vehicles and an ambulance responded to the newspaper's offices on 43rd Street and Mathis said the man who opened the envelope was taken to hospital for precautionary tests and treatment.

Thanks to Reuters the campaign to indict conservatives in general in the courtroom of public opinion:

Conservatives have criticized the Times in recent weeks for writing about the Bush administration's covert anti-terrorism programs. This week protesters rallied outside the newspaper to object to its decision to publish details about terrorism financing and secret government programs to monitor phone conversations of U.S. citizens.

It would actually be news had Reuters found an example of a prominent conservative who called for the assassination of NY Times staff. The harshest words I've seen call for Bill Keller et al. to be tried for treason. And that's a legal proceeding not vigilanteism.

To the unhinged (and probably Free Repubic-reading) criminal who sent the letter: you're disgusting and evil. If the white powder is anthrax you tried to kill someone for no good reason. If the victims inhaled the powder they would endure "severe breathing problems and shock." The CDC gravely writes on its website, "[I]nhalation anthrax is usually fatal." If the white powder isn't the virus you inflicted a tremendous amount of psychological trauma on someone for no good reason. I hope you're hunted down and brought to justice.

"Letter to NY Times had White Powder, Own Editorial"

UPDATE: The powder wasn't anthrax but corn starch.

"Powder Sent to The Times Not Anthrax" [via Wizbang]

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