UW-Madison a Gain-of-Function Bio-Hazard

Apparently the University of Wisconsin has a bio-hazard problem.

Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-OH) launched an investigation on Friday into the University of Wisconsin, Madison's, potentially dangerous research on viruses with pandemic-causing potential, bringing a conflict at the state level into the national spotlight....

... "UW has already shown it has the capabilities to modify pathogens and make them more dangerous," Wenstrup wrote. "In 2011, Dr. Yoshihiro Kawaoka revealed to the world that he had modified the deadly avian H5N1 influenza virus so it could spread between ferrets ... which most closely mimic human response to the flu. The H5N1 virus is a ‘potential pandemic pathogen,’ which through modification or handling could cause another global pandemic."...

'Well, yah, but we're really careful,' said UW.  'We have lots of oversight, see??'

 ...Wenstrup also described in the letter an incident with H5N1 in 2013, during which a researcher was accidentally infected with the virus with a needle being used for unauthorized purposes. The letter also explained that the researcher infected with the virus had to quarantine at home while their family went to a hotel despite the fact that the university told the Wisconsin DHS that the school would have a designated quarantine apartment in the event of an emergency....

As you might expect, defending Frankenstein is a paid position:

... "No one denies there can be dangers with 'gain of function' experiments, especially if toxins and transmissible pathogens break out," said Tom Still at the Wisconsin Technology Council, opposing the proposed state legislation. "Wisconsin isn’t Wuhan, however, and it doesn’t make sense to adopt a ban that would halt important research or put Wisconsin scientists at a competitive disadvantage."...

Still also defended the UW Frankensteins over embryonic stem-cell research.  To him, "progress" meant killing off embryonic babies to extract the Good Juice.  It went nowhere, by the way, but there are a lot of dead babies littering Bascom Hill.

So we've moved on to creating WMD's because if UW doesn't, their scientists will be 'at a competitive disadvantage.'

That tells you what Still and the UW are really all about:  the money.