LAB 257 Tells the Story of Plum Island... but not with a great deal of credibility

LAB 257: The disturbing story of the government's secret Plum Island Germ Laboratory

by Michael Christopher Carroll (2004)

When this book came out, I was so intrigued I could not wait to read it. Imagine, finally, a well researched expose on the government's secret research facility purportedly studying animal microbes for purely veternary health reasons. Surely, we all know they cannot possibly store and research the deadliest of germ warfare agents within reach of one of the densest population areas on earth, can they?

Well, Mr. Carroll starts out with the supposition that something is amiss and then proceeds to fit the facts into his supposition. A man who spent that many years researching the subject should have gone a little further to ensure scientific accuracy of his presentation. Unfortunately, he lost credibility with his first reference to "Canadian geese," which any naturalist can tell you may give an indication of their nationality but the species is Canada Goose not Canadian Goose, eh? So, from that point on, all research presented became suspect. It did not help that his repetitious review of events and data made it a terribly boring read as well. Scientifically invalid statements compounded the problems.

So, if you want to read some questionable information about what they might possibly be doing out there, and you want to feed your imagination about how they might have contributed to the spread of Lyme and countless other diseases, and if you want to be entertained by a lawyer's perspective on a scientific anomaly, then by all means go ahead and read it. Mr. Carroll should be commended for untaking such a daunting task and attempting to expose the government's covert operations, if they are indeed endangering the lives and homes of our loved ones.

I'd rather read the fictional stories written by Long Island's celebrated novelist. Get Plum Island by Nelson DeMille. You'll be pleasantly entertained with off limits secret territory under which is buried treasure. Or so they think!