Anthrax inoculation appealed for military

It's AP but this is the only source I could find -apologies

ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Bush administration asked a federal appeals court yesterday to reinstate mandatory anthrax inoculations for many military personnel, while a lawyer for soldiers who refused the shots said the anti-anthrax vaccine was never intended for the purpose the Pentagon is using it.

The government is appealing a decision by U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan, who suspended anthrax vaccinations after he found fault in the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) process for approving the drug. A half-dozen unnamed members of the armed forces are challenging the Pentagon's program.
...
Started in 1998 with the goal of vaccinating all 2.4 million members of the active and reserve military, the program was radically reduced after factory violations by the nation's sole anthrax-vaccine manufacturer left a dwindling supply of the drug.

Saying troops should not be used as "guinea pigs," Judge Sullivan ruled in December 2003 the FDA had never approved the vaccine and issued an order stopping its use on troops. A week later, the FDA approved the vaccine, and the shots were resumed only to be halted again by Judge Sullivan 13 months ago.

http://www.washtimes.com/national/20051201-103516-4360r.htm

Some earlier reports on related topics...

Doubts fail to halt U.S. anthrax plan

America's homeland-defense program is spending more than $1 billion on anthrax vaccines earmarked for wide civilian use despite uncertainty about their effectiveness and an ongoing debate about potential health problems, Newsday has found.

The vaccine stockpiling is a key element of the federal Project BioShield program, awarded $5.6 billion in funding in 2004 to develop drugs and vaccines to protect Americans against biological and chemical attacks. It constitutes the largest federal effort to protect civilians from an anthrax attack.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/health/orl-anthrax2505nov25,0,728006.story?coll=orl-health-headlines

Bush seeks to shield vaccine manufacturers from lawsuits

WASHINGTON - President Bush said Tuesday that granting vaccine manufacturers protection from civil lawsuits would go a long way to spur the development of medicine needed to fight a potential pandemic.

“In the past three decades, the number of vaccine manufacturers in America has plummeted, as the industry has been flooded with lawsuits,” Bush said. “Today, there is only one manufacturer in the United States that can produce influenza vaccine.”
....
“If he was really interested in protecting the public, he would not call for the elimination of these important legal protections,” said Chris Mather, communications director for the Association of Trial Lawyers of America. “And his claims that lawsuits are keeping these companies out of the business is just plain wrong.”

http://www.daily-chronicle.com/articles/2005/11/02/news/news05.txt

too.

IF the vaccine doesn't get you, the excessive amounts of thimerosol used to preserve it will.

Why not just stockpile CIPRO, and deal with the problem if and as it arises?

This is all about making people who have an interest in manufacturing the vaccine rich, it is not about soldier health or welfare.