More weird stuff

On the anthrax case that is. There is obviously other weird stuff out there. But Glenn Greenwald on Salon.com does some real reporting (as opposed to simply bloviating like I and most bloggers do) by discovering that the ONLY source of Ivins homicidal behavior and threats comes from his social worker (NOT a therapist and certainly not a psychiatrist) is somewhat problematical herself.

Here is the core of it:

So much of the public reporting about Ivins has been devoted to depicting him as a highly unstable psychotic who had been issuing extremely violent threats and who had a violent past. But that depiction has been based almost exclusively on the uncorroborated claims of Jean Carol Duley, a social worker (not a psychiatrist or psychologist) who, as recently as last year, was apparently still in college at Hood College in Frederick, Maryland. Duley's scrawled handwritten complaint against Ivins, seeking a Protective Order, has served as the basis for much of the reporting regarding Ivins' mental state, yet it is hardly the model of a competent or authoritative professional. Quite the opposite. Duley herself has a history that, at the very least, raises questions about her credibility. She has a rather lengthy involvement with the courts in Frederick, including two very recent convictions for driving under the influence -- one from 2007 and one from 2006 -- as well as a complaint filed against her for battery by her ex-husband.

If you go back and reread all the news stories, they ALL base their depiction of Ivins supposed pathology on a hand scribbled note by Duley. It is a thin thread indeed. I was a bit suspicious myself, having seen enough historical research reporting received wisdom that is based on one highly unconvincing source (in fact, I can show you several places in my book where I do exactly that!)