Plum Island

            Have you ever seen something that you couldn’t explain? Something that you have never seen before, and maybe something that you never want to see again? Plum Island has a dark history during the period of World War Two. Since then, the island has pretty much stayed off of the radar. However, several strange creatures have been found not far from the island. History is a great learning tool, the problem with history is that sometimes it repeats itself.    

Kenneth King is an expert on bio-warfare. He believes that a major bio-weapon threat is among us. There were 200 high containment facilities in 2001, now there are at least 1,356 facilities. These facilities are supposed to be used if there is a bio terror threat. However, King states that the facilities are very dangerous because proper precautions are not being followed.

              Plum Island is officially called Plum Island Animal Disease Center. The island is run by Homeland Security. They claim that the island is not used for biological weapons, however the government accountability office indicated a report in 2003 that they were doing a project for the department of defense to manipulate camel pocks so it would be similar to small pocks. Since then, there have been several outbreaks on the island itself. The Montauk Monster was found washed up on the shores of Long Island in July of 2008. The creature looked to be a mix between a sheep and a raccoon. Scientists couldn’t explain exactly what species the creature was. There was a second creature that washed up on the shore of Long Island not too long after the first. Many people believe that this creature was cross bread. This means that two animals were combined, in attempt to create one.

              In 1978 there was a serious accident on Plum Island. There was some type of screw up with the negative pressure system at the main laboratory. This caused a foot-mouth disease virus to spread out. There have been reports of contaminated raw sewage flushed into Long Island as well. Even after 911 there have been several serious outbreaks of foot and mouth disease. Experiments preformed on ticks are a big issue at Plum Island. Scientist inject ticks with different diseases. This practice started during World War Two, as an alternative on eliminating the Jews. This practice is said to still be performed today. People believe that the infected ticks are the reason behind lime disease. Because of this speculation people demanded to see the records of the ticks, dating back to Work War Two; they were told that no such records existed. Doesn’t that sound strange? It is standard procedure for the government to record everything. Also the Nazi party is known to have keep unbelievable records throughout World War Two. It seems very convenient that there are no records or traces of the ticks.

              Plum Island is not only a dangerous facility, it is also frightening. The idea that a disease could get out of containment so easily is scary. Some people speculate that this will be the cause of a catastrophic event involving bio warfare. Others say that an event like the movie Contagion is bound to happen. The question isn’t whether it will happen or not, it’s whether the contagion is by accident or if there is a more sinister plot behind Plum Island.            

Reasoning

            Conspiracy theories often make me question and wonder about the past. I know that in the beginning it was just something to do; a form of entertainment I suppose. When the hook of the conspiracies started to deepen, I didn’t pull away. The questions and thoughts each new theory brought up really gave me a creative outlook on the possibilities of other alternatives. Conspiracy theories provoked me to question situations that don’t quite make sense. Parents hate that dreaded why question. Because of these theories, I have come to realize that asking the why questions are extremely important.

              Looking at all of the different theories and the possibility of reconstructing a different story than the one you may have been told to believe, is a very powerful idea. With each new conspiracy I have the power to control my ideas and opinions of each of the individual theories. I think when I started watching these conspiracies, I felt like I had control and power over my own decisions. When you start to realize that another person’s opinion doesn’t have to be the same as your own, you feel powerful. It’s a strange thing to describe, but that is the feeling I got when I started watching conspiracy theories.

              I was completely fixated by conspiracy theories. More often than not, the theories involved murder, scandal and tragedy. I wanted to believe that people were generally good; however I found out the exact opposite, people were sometimes evil. I think when you grow up in a relatively normal family, that life sometimes becomes boring. All of these stories had adventure and mystery. The people in them, typically lived thrilling lives. Even if the stories ended in tragedy, it was still an escape.

              I understand the importance of asking questions now. I want to find the truth; however most of the conspiracy theories cannot provide the truth. Conspiracy theories are the reason I decided to study journalism. It’s a pretty bold move to use an entertainment source to validate choosing a career path. I think that the knowing the truth is the most important thing in any sort of relationship. If I can help uncover the truth in any situation, I would be satisfied. Sometimes people think that a lie is a safer alternative to the truth; I don’t agree. A lie is a slow process that eventually becomes dissolved. Yes, the truth sometimes hurts, but the pain disappears and is quickly replaced with gratitude.