Maylasian Airline MH370

With the Disappearance of Malaysian Airlines MH-370, Jacob Rothschild Became

the Sole Owner of 'Freescale Semiconductors' Patent
26 March 2014
The disappearance of four members of a patent semiconductor traveling on
Malaysia Airlines MH370 makes the famous billionaire Jacob Rothschild, the sole
owner of the important patent.
The mystery surrounding the Malaysian Airlines MH-370 is growing as each day
passes with more mysterious silence shadowing the disappearance of the airline.
More and more conspiracy theories are beginning to boom on the internet.
One of the conspiracies one is the Freescale Semiconductors ARM microcontroller
KL-03 which is a new improvised version of an older microcontroller KL-02. This
crazy story about how Illuminati Rothschild exploited the airlines to gain full
Patent Rights of an incredible KL-03 micro-chip is going haywire across the
internet especially when its involving Jacob Rothschild as the evil master plotter.
A US technology company which had 20 senior staff on board Malaysia Airlines
Flight MH370 had just launched a new electronic warfare gadget for military radar
systems in the days before the Boeing 777 went missing.
Freescale Semiconductor has been developing microprocessors, sensors and other
technology for the past 50 years. The technology it creates is commonly referred
to as embedded processors, which according to the firm are stand-alone
semiconductors that perform dedicated computing functions in electronic
systems.
Why were so many Freescale employees traveling together? What were their jobs.
Were they on a mission and if so what was this mission? Can these employees be
the cause of the disappearance of this plane? Could the plane have been then
hijacked and these people kidnapped? Did these employees hold valuable
information, did they have any valuable cargo with them? Did they know company
and technological secrets? With all the might of technology why cant this plane be
located? Where is this plane where are these people?
The 20 Freescale employees, among 239 people on flight MH370, were mostly
engineers and other experts working to make the companys chip facilities in
Tianjin, China, and Kuala Lumpur more efficient, said Mitch Haws, vice president,
global communications and investor relations.
These were people with a lot of experience and technical background and they
were very important people, Haws said. Its definitely a loss for the company.
In Malaysia, Freescales modern operations facility that manufactures and tests
integrated circuits (IC) is based in Petaling Jaya.
Based on information obtained from Freescales website, the facility began
operations in 1972 covering an eight hectare site and is specifically designed for
the manufacturing and testing of microprocessors, digital signal processors and
integrated radio frequency circuits.
It also owns Freescale RF which is involved in creating solutions for Aerospace and
Defence listed below.
1. Battlefield communication
2. Avionics
3. HF Radar Band L- and S-

4. Missile Guidance
5. Electronic Warfare
6. Identification, friend or foe (IFF)
Freescales shareholders include the Carlyle Group of private equity investors
whose past advisers have included ex-US president George Bush Sr and former
British Prime Minister John Major.
Carlyles previous heavyweight clients include the Saudi Binladin Group, the
construction firm owned by the family of Osama bin Laden.
The fact that Freescale had so many highly qualified staff on board the Boeing 777
had already prompted wild conspiracy theories about what might have happened.
The company says they were flying to China to improve its consumer products
operations, but Freescales fresh links to electronic warfare technology is likely to
trigger more speculation and deepen the mystery.
Experts have been baffled how a large passenger jet seems to have flown
undetected and possibly beaten military radar systems for up to six hours.
Avoiding radar via cloaking technology has long been one of the objectives of
the defense industry and Freescale has been active developing chips for military
radar.
On its website, the company says its radio frequency products meet the
requirements for applications in avionics, radar, communications, missile
guidance, electronic warfare and identification friend or foe.
Last June it announced it was creating a team of specialists dedicated to
producing radio frequency power products for the defense industry.
And on March 3, it announced it was releasing 11 of these new gadgets for use in
high frequency, VHF and low-band UHF radar and radio communications.
The company did not respond to questions from Express Online, including whether
any of its missing employees had been working on the defense products.
It neither provided any responses to the latest bizarre conspiracy theory being
widely published on the comments sections of newspaper websites and other
internet forums.
The comment reads: It reads: Have you pieced together the puzzle of missing
flight 370 to Beijing China? If not, here are your missing pieces.
Four days after the flight MH370 disappear, semiconductor patent was approved
by the U.S. patent office patent is divided in parts of 20% between five starters.
One of the owners is the company itself, Freescale Semiconductor, Austin, Texas
(USA), and the other four Chinese employees of the company: Peidong Wang,
Zhijun Chen, Cheng and Li Ying Zhijong, all the Suzhou City. And they all
passengers of Malaysia Airlines plane disappeared on March 8, according Eternity.

It adds: Here is your motive for the missing Beijing plane. As all four Chinese
members of the Patent were passengers on the missing plane.
Patent holders can alter the proceeds legally by passing wealth to their heirs.
However, they cannot do so until the Patent is approved. So when the plane went
missing, the patent had not been approved.
However, the theory does not add up.
Although a Freescale patent does exist under number US8650327, none of the
names listed actually appear on the passenger manifest released by the
Malaysian authorities. ( But maybe the names have been removed from the flight
manifest)
If the patent holder dies, the other owners share equally in dividends from the
deceased. If four of the five patentees die, then the patentee left alive gets 100%
of the patent. That remaining patent holder is the company Freescale
Semiconductor. Who owns Freescale Semiconductor?
The answer is: Jacob Rothschild
(You can read the complete history of the House of Rothschild HERE).
British billionaire owns the company Blackstone, which in turn owns the company

Freescale Semiconductors. Several speculations on the Internet now pay attention

to this circumstance.
- See more at: http://humansarefree.com/2014/03/with-disappearance-ofmalaysian.html#sthash.K2A34b06.dpuf
http://humansarefree.com/2014/03/withdisappearanceofmalaysian.html

20FreescaleSemiconductorEmployeesWhatweretheydoing?Whobenefits?Updated

15Apr201404:42

WrittenbyKerryCassidy

Iwassittingaroundchattingwithafriendanddiscussingtheunlikelyeventthatisthedisappearanceof
Flight370.Whenwedecidedtofollowthetrailofthevariousclueswherenooneappearstobe
looking.
Forexample,if20employeesofthesamecompanyallwentaboardthesameplane,assumingatleast
severalmayhavebeenashasbeenreported,possiblypatentholders.Thenwhenexactlydidtheybuy
theirtickets?Onemightaskwhenall20employeesboughtticketstoflydirecttoChina?Andif,the
illuminati(specificallyRothschild)whoownsFreescaleSemiconductor,didnothavethenecessary
timetoadequatelycreateanalibiforlet'ssay,aplanneddisappearanceandredirectingoftheplaneto
DiegoGarcia...Itwouldbeinterestingtowonderif:
1.The20employeesallboughtticketsaroundthesametime...evenlastminute.
2.The20employees(orevensaysomeofthem)mighthavebeenplanningsomething..saya'walk
out"orpossiblybandingtogethertodelivertopsecretplanstotheChinesefortherecentcontroller
chip(KLO2)thattheyjustreleased.
3.Orwereall20employees,mindcontrolledanddirectedtoallboardthesameplane,contraryto
prudenceofatopchipmanufacturerputtingtheirbestandbrightestallononeplane.Notawisemove.
Unlessthoseemployeeswerebeing"directed"todoso...
Itseemsclearafterevaluatingtheclueswehavesofarthatthisoperationwasnotwellplannedand
perhapshadtobepulledtogetheratthelastminute.
Iwouldbewillingforexample,tobetthatthetwosocalledsupposedterroristswhoboardedwithfake
passports,boughtlastminutetickets.Theyseemedtobepartofaverylastminutepoorlyconstructed
alibiforthedisappearanceofaplanethatcouldnot,wouldnot,mustnotatallcosts,reachits
destination...China.
Itseemsnooneislookingatthisscenariocloselyenoughtobeabletoseethatthissocalledfalseflag
doesnotseemtohavebeenplannedinadvance.Instead,itseemsthattheplanewastakenoffcourse
becausenewsofeitherwhatitcarried,whattheemployeeswerecarryingorwhatwasonboard,could
notbeallowedtoreachitsdestination.
Weneedtodeterminewhatitwasthatthe20Freescaleemployeeswerecarryingthatwhoever
engineeredthisstealthkidnapping,didnotwanttoreachtheChinese.Thismuchseemsclear.

ItseemsthattheVERYPUBLICDISAPPEARANCEofacommercialjetwith239peoplewouldhave
toeitherbe:
1.Apurposefulshowof"strength"andtechniquedisplayedasamessagegovernmenttogovernment,
whetherAmericanstoChineseorRussiansorIsraeli...setoutattheexpenseofthoseonboard.
2.OritwastheresultofanunexpectedlastminuterevealtothoseinchargeofFreescalethat
somethingwasgoingonboardalongwiththose20employees.
Theseeminglycoincidentalnatureofthefactthatyouhaveacompany(Freescale)thatdealswith:
1.Stealthtechnology
2.Hasjustamonthbeforereleasedtheirlatestcontrollerchip"thesizeofadimpleonagolfball"
cannotbesimply"acoincidence".Asidefromthefactthattherearenocoincidences..Everything
playsaparthoweverinsignificant...leadsonetowanttoinvestigatefurtherintoexactlywhatthis
"controllerchip"iscapableof...andwhether,revealingthetechnologybehindsuchachipisenoughto
riskthepublicdisfavorandagrandstandingmanueverofsuchapparentdisdainforthelivesofthe
innocentsonboard.ItwouldseemthatatleastsomeoftheFreescaleemployeesonboardwerenotso
innocent.
IsthischipasortofminiSKYNETcommandandcontrolcentralizerforrunningwhoknowswhat
amountofsoftware/hardwareatwhatdistance.Thisisanexampleofaquestionthatmightbeasked.
InarecentRenseradioshow,TimRifat,occultmagicianandresearcher,mentionedthepossibilitythat
thehijackingwasinordertogetholdofsay,the12ChineseFreescaleemployeeswhomightbewhatis
calledSUPERUSERS...inordertohookthemuptoanAIundercommandandmindcontrolandget
themtocontrolsay,Putin,inordertochangethetrajectoryoftheUkrainesituation.Butthisseems
while,verytantalizinglyscifi(andquitealongthelinesoftheupcomingJohnnyDeppmovie
TRANSCENDENCE)...lessthanaccurate.Theverypublicdisplayofdisappearingawholecommercial
jetof239peopleintheprocessseemslikeoverkill.Rather,ifalltheywantedtodowaskidnapand
controlahighleveltechie,orseveralofthem...thentheycouldquiteeasilydothatanytime.They
wouldn'thavetodoitpubliclyandwithall20fromthesamecompanyinplaindaylightontheworld
stage.
Whatismuchmorelikelyisthatthisplanecontaining20employeesofthesamecompanywasheaded
directlytoChinawithsomethingonboardthattheyweregoingtoDELIVER.Onemustask,whenthe
dustsettlesandwhatyouhaveisquestionssuchas:
1.Whythisparticularplane?
2.Doeswhereitwasheadedhaveanythingtodowithwhyitwastaken?
3.Whywere20employeesofacompanyspecializinginstealthtechnologythathadjustreleaseda
worldclasschiponthescenedisappeared?
4.IsitpossibletheemployeesofFreescalehadbandedtogetherandfiguredoutsomethingkeyabout
whattheyweredealingwith?OrweretheymadeanoffertheycouldnotrefusebytheChinese?
5.AsreferencedbymyinterviewwithFieldMcConnellandDavidHawkins,wasitacoincidencethat
MichelleObamawasinahotelinthesamecitywheretheplanewassupposedtobeheaded?Could
shehavebeenthereto"brokeradeal"?Didshefail?
Thesearejustsomeoftheimportantquestionspeopleandespeciallyrealjournalistsshouldbeasking.

ItisalsoimportanttonotethatmyinterviewwithMikeHarris,radiotalkshowhostandformer
contractortotopexecutivesatMotorolawhenFreescaleSemiconductorwaspartofit,wastoldtoshut
up,justafterhisinterviewwithme.Thatinterviewhasbeenverywidelyviewed.WhatisitMike
knowsrelatedtothehistoryofFreescalethatwouldbesoimportantthattheCIAwouldwanttosilence
him,nodoubt,intheinterestof"nationalsecurity"?
ADDENDUMTOARTICLE:
AccordingtoasourcetheIsraelistooktheplaneinordertostealthecontrollerchipbecausethey
needitinawaragainstIran.Paraphrasing,imagineamissilethatdeliversdromesassmallasinsects
thatflyorcrawl,andhavedeadlycapabilities,theycanclimbintotheventilationsystemandkill
everyoneattheIraniannukefacilities.
Perhaps,anIsraelifantasy(warwithIran)however,isthistherealreasonbehindtheabductionofthe
aircraftanditspassengers?
Itisalsosignificantthatthenewchip(amicrocontroller)alsocalledtheKLO2releasedintothepublic
domaininFebruarybyFreescalecanturnahumanintoacomputerWhichsoundsremarkablyuseful
forcontrollingandmanipulatingandroids(ahumanlookingrobot)
http://www.wired.com/2013/02/freescalestinyarmchip/
TheSKYNET,terminatoraspectsofthisstoryseemtobeexpanding.
ItwouldseemactuallythatIsraelisalreadydeeplyinvolvedinFreescaleandwouldhavenoneedto
abductajetwiththeirownemployees.FreescalehasanIsraelioffice.
ItwouldalsobesuicideforIsraeltoattackIranevenwithU.S.help.BecauseultimatelytheIsraeli
peoplewouldbetheonestosufferThecountryissotinythatitwouldtakeverylittletowipeitoff
themap.SowhyblamethedisappearanceofthejetonIsrael?Thissoundslikeaconvenient
misdirect.
WhatismorelikelyisthattheU.S.andIsrael(andtheUK)conductedajointoperationredirectingthe
flightusingtheBoeingnoninterruptibleautopilottoDiegoGarcia.TheemployeesofFreescaleare
likelytohavebeenputbacktowork(albeitasprisoners)inanundergroundbase(underDiegoGarcia)
orperhapsatanotherlocation.
Itseemsunavoidabletoconcludethatthetechnology(whetherpatentholdersornot)asabraintrust
viatheemployeesonthatplaneoractualspecsorothersignificantcomponentsmusthavebeenonthat
plane.
ThefalseflaguseofFlight370doesnotholdupsimplybecausetheycanuseANYplaneforthe
purposeofafalseflagandwouldnthavetogotoallthetroubletoabduct239peopleonacommercial
jetintheprocess.
Onehastoask,whythatjet,whyonthatparticulardateandwhyonethathasthatnumberof
employeesallfromthesamecompanyThisisthedirectionthatalegitimateinquiryshouldgo.
Indeed,themostobviousmotivewouldappeartobesomethingthattheU.S./IsraelandtheUKdidnot
wanttogetintothehandsoftheChinese.
http://projectcamelotportal.com/blog/31-kerrys-blog/2084-20-freescalesemiconductor-employees-what-were-they-doing

DrugsandWar
Whyaren'tweputtingUSagenciesontrialforfinancingElChapo'sdrugwar?
FromCaponetoMexico'scapturedcocaineking,thevillainswelovetohateobscurethetruthabout
America'ssecretsupport
o

GabrielMatthewSchivone

theguardian.com,Thursday10April201415.14BST

"ThisAmericansystemofours,"shoutedthefamedgangsterAlCaponeina1930interview."Callit
Capitalism,callitwhatyoulikegivestoeachandeveryoneofusagreatopportunityifweonlyseize
itwithbothhandsandmakethemostofit."
Sincethoseuntouchabledays,Chicagoofficialshaveawarded"PublicEnemyNo1"statustoonlyone
otherperson:cartelbillionaireJoaqunGuzmnLoera,betterknownnowtotheworldoveras"El
Chapo".
Nearlysevenweeksago,ofcourse,ElChapowascapturedbyUSandMexicanauthoritiesafter13
yearsonthelam.HavingachievedaculturalstatureakintothatofaBondvillain,hiscapturenaturally
gotallthelimelightwhilehisUSbackerswentmoreorlessunmentioned.
Butnearlysevenweeksbeforeanovernightcaptureatabeachresort,theMexicannewspaperEl
UniversalreportedhowUSagencieshadarmedandfinancedElChapo'sSinaloacriminalempireforat
least12years.ThatlinkhasbeensubstantiatedbyDEAandJusticeDepartmentcourttestimonies,and
evenUSagentsconfirmedthefinancinghadbeenapprovedbyhighrankingofficialsandfederal
prosecutors.ButtheAmericanmediabarelyreportedhowentrenchedtheAmericangovernmenthas
becomeintheMexicandrugtrade.
Instead,wegotphotosofagentsleadingashackledGuzman,hisheadbowedbyoneofthemarines'
glovedhandsgrippinghisneck,towardaUSBlackhawkhelicopterthatwouldshuttlehimofftoa
highsecurityprison.
"Thechoiceofnewsorganizationstonotmaketheconnectionreflectsachoice[of]whatmediawould
likeforustorememberandwouldlikeforustoforget,"saidCrystalVanceGuerra,aLatinAmerican
studiesscholarattheNationalAutonomousUniversityofMexico.Sheasked:Whydon'tweholdthese
agentsandagenciestothesamejudgmentasorganizedcrime?
Aswewaitforthebiggestgangstertrialinyears,why,indeed,aren'tweputtingAmericanintelligence
anddrugagenciesontrialforfinancingadrugwar?
Thelatestinstalmentofthe"warondrugs"haskilled100,000peoplesinceitsofficialdeclarationby
MexicanPresidentFilipeCalderonandUSPresidentGeorgeWBushin2006.Duringthisperiod,the
USElChapopartnershipwasreportedlynevercloser:underthedeal,WashingtonallowedElChapo's
SinaloacarteltocarryonbusinessasusualwhiletopSinaolamembers,fortheirpart,provided
informationontheirrivals.DEAagentsmetwiththeirinformantsmorethan50times,ElUniversal
reported,astheagentsofferedtheirwhisperersimmunity.
AmericanpatronagegoeswellbeyondstokingthelargestandmostpowerfuloftheMexicancartels
(Sinaloa),aswellasthemostheinous(GolfoandLosZetas).TheUSalsoopenlyarmedandfinanced
evenbiggerplayersinthisgameMexico'sstateandsecurityforces.JustastheUSElChapo
relationshipwasatitsclosest,theBushadministrationsignedintolawtheMeridaInitiative,ahuge
militarizationpackagetoMexicounderthe"warondrugs"Between2008and2012,PresidentObama

increasedsecurityaidundertheplanforhelicopters,armoredvehicles,surveillanceequipmentand
policetrainingprogramstotalling$1.9bn.
AsUSauthoritiessurelyknewbythistime,appearancesweredeceivingonMexico'scounternarcotics
battlefield,awashwithstockpilesofAmericangunsandmoney.Drugarrestsofcartelassociates
amountedtolessthan2%ofover50,000arrestsmadeinthefirstfouryearsoftheBushCalderon
partnership.AsunflaggingMexicanjournalistAnabelHernandezshowedinher2013book,
Narcoland,Mexico'sgovernmentwasn'tfightingtostopadrugtradeindustryitwerefightingfor
whattheindustryhadtooffer.Shatteringpopularmisconceptionsaboutthedrugwars,Hernandez
concluded:
[T]hebiggestdangerisnotinfactthedrugcartels,butratherthegovernmentandbusinessofficialsthat
workforthemandfearexposure.
TheUSplayedaleadingroleincreatingthecartelundergroundinthefirstplace.JointUSMexican
militaryforcescarriedoutbrutalscorchedearthincursionsinMexicoasearlyas1976,ostensibly
targetingsmall,ruralpoppyandmarijuanafarmersbutactuallydestroyingmostlypoorcommunities
caughtinthemiddle.Thisenforcementbasedapproachhardenedfarmersintoreactionaryelements
thatrelocatedtomajorcitiesandeventuallyformedthefederatedSinaloaledcartels.
TheAmericanmademonstermodeleditselfoffitscreator.Today,moreandmoredrugcarteltycoons
areinvestingin"legitimate"businessenterprisesexpandedbyUSbasedfreetrade.InMexicoalone,
freetradeagreementsmandatedafloodofUSagribusinessimportsthatdisplaced2.3mjobsinthe
agriculturalsector;theaveragewagedroppedseverelywhilethecommercialsectorandtheinformal
economygrewexponentially.
Whileactorsbothsmalltime(cartel)andbigtime(governmentandcorporate)claimto"makethe
most"oftheAmericandream,thosewhoendupsufferingthemostarethepoor,womenand
undocumentedmigrantsinMexico,CentralAmericaandtheUS.Theamalgamationofthecriminal
ringthatenrichedElChapowithUSbusinessintereststhereforeshowscapitalismatitsworst:arace
forwealthfreeofmoralorethicalconsiderations.
Officially,ElChapo'sjudgmentsarecurrentlyunderwayinChicago,becausetheauthoritiesthere
believetheyhavethestrongestcasetoextraditetheformerpublicenemyfortrial.Thegovernmentof
Mexico,however,willnotconsiderextraditiontotheUSwithoutfirsttryingElChapoinMexican
courts.
Butwhenthetimecomes,shouldn'tElChapo'sUSbackersthehighrankingUSofficialsresponsible
forincitinganddirectingcartelviolencefaceprosecution,too?
Wehavelongglamorizedthelivesofhighprofilecriminals,ineverythingfromcivilralliestopopular
TVshowstoentiremusicalgenres.Cartelsarethepublicdemonsomanyofuslovetohate.Buta
publicfocusonthemessentiallydeflectsattentionfromthewayinwhichotherplayersliketheUS
governmentarenotonlycomplicit,butevenruntheshow.
AsthefilmmakerGuillermoDelToroGmezonceobserved,"Youcanhaveamaincharacterbethe
hero,butalmostinvariablythestarisgoingtobethevillain."Hecouldeasilyhavebeentalkingabout
thelargerthanlifemediadepictionsofAlCaponeinthe1930s.OrthemediafrenzyaroundElChapo
Guzman.
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/apr/10/usagenciesfinancingelchapodrugwar#

UScomplicitinSouthAmericadrugtrade

ByDr.DylanMurphy
ThisfailureonthebehalfoftheUSgovernmenttoreallycrackdownonthefinancesofthedrugcartels
extendstoBritishbanksaswell.InJuly2012theUSSenateCommitteeonHomelandSecurityand
GovernmentalAffairsissueda339pagereportdetailinganamazingcatalogueof''criminal''behavior
byLondonbasedHSBC.
Mexicoisinthegripofamurderousdrugwarthathaskilledover150,000peoplesince2006.Itisone
ofthemostviolentcountriesonearth.Thisdrugwarisaproductofthetransnationaldrugtradewhich
isworthuptoUSD400billionayearandaccountsforabout8%ofallinternationaltrade.
TheAmericangovernmentmaintainsthatthereisnoalternativebuttovigorouslyprosecutetheirzero
tolerancepolicyofarrestingdrugusersandtheirdealers.Thishasledtotheincarcerationofover
500,000Americans.MeanwhilethefloodofillegaldrugsintoAmericacontinuesunabated.
OnethingtheAmericangovernmenthasnotdoneistoprosecutethelargestbanksintheworldfor
supportingthedrugcartelsbywashingbillionsofdollarsoftheirbloodstainedmoney.AsNarco
spherejournalistBillConroyhasobservedbanksare''wherethemoneyis''intheglobaldrugwar.
HSBC,WesternUnion,BankofAmerica,JPMorganChase&Co,Citigroup,Wachoviaamongstmany
othershaveallegedlyfailedtocomplywithAmericanantimoneylaundering(AML)laws.
TheMexicandrugcartelshavecaughttheheadlinesagainandagainduetotheirmurderousactivities.
Thewarbetweenthedifferentdrugcartelsandthewarbetweenthecartelsandgovernmentsecurity
forceshasspilledthebloodoftensofthousandsofinnocentpeople.Thedrugcartelswouldfindit
muchhardertoprofitfromtheirmurderousactivityiftheydidn'thavetoobigtofailbankswillingto
washtheirdirtymoney.
InMarch2010WachoviacutadealwiththeUSgovernmentwhichinvolvedthebankbeinggiven
finesofUSD160millionundera''deferredprosecution''agreement.ThiswasduetoWachovia'sheavy
involvementinmoneylaunderingmovinguptoUSD378.4billionoverseveralyears.Notonebanker
wasprosecutedforillegalinvolvementinthedrugstrade.Meanwhilesmalltimedrugdealersandusers
gotoprison.
Ifanymemberofthepubliciscaughtinpossessionofafewgramsofcokeorheroinyoucanbetyour
bottomdollartheywillbegoingdowntoservesomehardtime.However,ifyouareabankstercaught
launderingbillionsofdollarsforsomeofthemostmurderouspeopleontheplanetyougetoffwitha
slaponthewristintheformofsomepunyfineandadeferredprosecutiondeal.
CharlesA.Intriago,presidentoftheMiamibasedAssociationofCertifiedFinancialCrimeSpecialists
hasobserved,Ifyoureanindividual,andgetcaught,yougethammered.
Butifyoureabigbank,andyourecaughtmovingmoneyforaterroristordrugdealer,youdont
havetoworry.Youjustforkoveramonetarypenalty,andthenraiseyourfeestomakeupforit.
Untilweseebankerswalkingoffinhandcuffstofacechargesinthesecases,nothingisgoingto
change,Intriagoadds.Thesemonetarypenaltiesarejustacostofdoingbusinesstothem,likepaying
foranewcorporatejet.
ThisfailureonthebehalfoftheUSgovernmenttoreallycrackdownonthefinancesofthedrugcartels
extendstoBritishbanksaswell.InJuly2012theUSSenateCommitteeonHomelandSecurityand
GovernmentalAffairsissueda339pagereportdetailinganamazingcatalogueof''criminal''behavior
byLondonbasedHSBC.

ThisincludeswashingoverUSD881fortheMexicanSinaloaCartelandfortheNortedelValleCartel
inColombia.Besidesthis,HSBCaffiliatedbankssuchasHBUSrepeatedlybrokeAmericanAML
lawsbytheirlongstandingandsevereAMLdeficiencieswhichallowedSaudibankssuchasAlRajhi
tofinanceterroristgroupsthatincludedAlQaeda.HBUStheAmericanaffiliateofHSBCsuppliedAl
RajhibankwithnearlyUSD1billion.
JackBlumanattorneyandformerSenateinvestigatorhascommented,Theyviolatedeverygoddamn
lawinthebook.Theytookeveryimaginableformofillegalandillicitbusiness.
HSBCaffiliateHBUSwasrepeatedlyinstructedtoimproveitsantimoneylaunderingprogram.In
2003theFederalReserveBankofNewYorktookenforcementactionthatcalleduponHBUSto
improveitsantimoneylaunderingprogram.
InSeptember2010theOfficeofComptrolleroftheCurrency(OCC)senta''blisteringsupervisory
letter''toHBUSlistingnumerousAMLproblemsatthebank.InOctober2010thiswasfollowedup
withtheOCCissuingaceaseanddesistorderrequiringHBUStoimproveitsAMLprogramasecond
time.
SenatorCarlLevinchairmanoftheSenateinvestigationintoHSBChascommentedthat''HSBCs
ChiefComplianceOfficerandotherseniorexecutivesinLondonknewwhatwasgoingon,butallowed
thedeceptiveconducttocontinue.''
LetuslookatjustacoupleofthedevastatingfindingsintheSenatereport.Themainfocusofthe
reportisthemultiplefailuresofHSBCtocomplywithAMLlawsandregulations:
''Theidentifiedproblemsincludedaoncemassivebacklogofover17,000alertsidentifyingpossible
suspiciousactivitythathadyettobereviewed;ineffectivemethodsforidentifyingsuspiciousactivity;
afailuretofiletimelySuspiciousActivityReportswithUSlawenforcement;...a3yearfailureby
HBUS[aHSBCaffiliate],frommid2006tomid2009,toconductanyAMLmonitoringofUSD15
billioninbulkcashtransactions...afailuretomonitorUSD60trillioninannualwiretransferactivity
bycustomers...inadequateandunqualifiedAMLstaffing;inadequateAMLresources;andAML
leadershipproblems.
ThereportcataloguesingreatdetailthefailingsofHSBCaffiliatesHBUSinAmericaandHMEXin
Mexico:
''From2007through2008,HBMXwasthesinglelargestexporterofUSdollarstoHBUS,shipping
USD7billionincashtoHBUSovertwoyears,outstrippinglargerMexicanbanksandotherHSBC
affiliates.MexicanandUSauthoritiesexpressedrepeatedconcernthatHBMXsbulkcashshipments
couldreachthatvolumeonlyiftheyincludedillegaldrugproceeds.Theconcernwasthatdrug
traffickersunabletodepositlargeamountsofcashinUSbanksduetoAMLcontrolsweretransporting
USdollarstoMexico,arrangingforbulkdepositsthere,andthenusingMexicanfinancialinstitutions
toinsertthecashbackintotheUSfinancialsystem....highprofileclientsinvolvedindrugtrafficking;
millionsofdollarsinsuspiciousbulktravelerschequetransactions;inadequatestaffingandresources;
andahugebacklogofaccountsmarkedforclosureduetosuspiciousactivity,butwhoseclosureswere
delayed.''
IntheSenatehearingonJuly17,2012CarlLevinChairmanoftheCommitteeonHomelandSecurity
andGovernmentalAffairsexplainedhowHMEXhelpedtheMexicandrugcartels:
''BecauseourtoughAMLlawsintheUnitedStateshavemadeithardfordrugcartelstofindaUSbank
willingtoaccepthugeunexplaineddepositsofcash,theynowsmuggleUSdollarsacrosstheborder
intoMexicoandlookforaMexicanbankorcasadecambiowillingtotakethecash.Someofthose
casasdecambioshadaccountsatHBMX.HBMX,inturn,tookallthephysicaldollarsitgotand
transportedthembyarmoredcaroraircraftbackacrossthebordertoHBUSfordepositintoitsUS
banknotesaccount,completingthelaunderingcycle.''

SenatorLevinwentontonotehow:''Overtwoyears,from2007to2008,HBMXshipped7billionin
physicalUSdollarstoHBUS.Thatwasmorethananyother
Mexicanbank,evenonetwiceHBMXssize.WhenlawenforcementandbankregulatorsinMexico
andtheUnitedStatesgotwindofthebanknotestransactions,theywarnedHBMXandHBUSthatsuch
largedollarvolumeswereredflagsfordrugproceedsmovingthroughtheHSBCnetwork.''
InDecember2012theDepartmentofJusticecutadealwithHSBCwhichimposedarecordUSD1.9
billiondollarfine.Itmaysoundalottoordinaryfolksbutitisatinyfractionofitsannualprofitswhich
in2011totaledUSD22billion.AssistantAttorneyGeneralLannyBauerannouncedthesettlementata
pressconferenceon11December2012.
HiscommentsrevealwhytheUSgovernmentdecidedtogosoftonsuchcriminalbehaviorandshow
quiteclearlyhowthereisonelawfortherichest1%andonelawfortherestofus.LennyBauersaid:
''HadtheUSauthoritiesdecidedtopresscriminalcharges,HSBCwouldalmostcertainlyhavelostits
bankinglicenseintheUS,thefutureoftheinstitutionwouldhavebeenunderthreatandtheentire
bankingsystemwouldhavebeendestabilized.''
Thinkaboutthatstatementforamoment.Abankthathasquiteclearlybeencaughtouthelping
murderousdrugcriminals,terroristgroups,thirdworlddictatorshipsandallsortsofcriminalcharacters
istobeletoffwithaslaponthewrist.
Nocriminalprosecutionsorevenamentionofcriminalbehaviorduetothefearsthattodosowould
puttheworldeconomyinjeopardy.Sothereyouhaveit.Banksterswhoengageinsuchbehaviorthat
isregardedascriminalbythevastmajorityofpeopleontheplanetarenotonlytoobigtofailtheyare
alsotoobigtojail.
AftertheDepartmentofJusticeannouncementofthedeferredprosecutionHSBCChiefExecutive
StuartGulliversaid,"Weacceptresponsibilityforourpastmistakes.Wehavesaidweareprofoundly
sorryforthem,andwedosoagain.''
Suchstatementswillprovidelittlesolacetothefamiliesofthe150,000peopleestimatedbyUS
SecretaryofDefenseLeonPanettatohavebeenkilledinMexico'sdrugwar.Norwillithelpthe
hundredsofthousandsofMexicancitizenswhohavebeenforcedtofleetheirhomesandescapethe
violencebygoingtotheUnitedSatesormovingtootherpartsofMexico.
SenatorElizabethWarrenappearingatameetingoftheSenateBankingCommitteeinFebruary
expressedfrustrationwithofficialsfromtheUSTreasuryDepartmentandUSFederalReserveoverthe
issueofwhycriminalchargeswerenotpressedonHSBCoranyofitsofficials.Theofficialswere
evasivewhenshetriedtodrawthemontheissueofwhatittakesforabanktohaveitslicense
withdrawn:
''HSBCpaidafine,butnooneindividualwenttotrial,noindividualwasbannedfrombanking,and
therewasnohearingtoconsidershuttingdownHSBCsactivitieshereintheUnitedStates.So,what
Idlikeis,youretheexpertsonmoneylaundering.Idlikeanopinion:Whatdoesittakehowmany
billionsdoyouhavetolaunderfordruglordsandhowmanyeconomicsanctionsdoyouhaveto
violatebeforesomeonewillconsidershuttingdownafinancialinstitutionlikethis?''
SenatorWarrenfinishedthesessionbycommentingontheglaringdoublestandardswithintheUS
justicesystem:
Youknow,ifyourecaughtwithanounceofcocaine,thechancesaregoodyouregoingtogotojail.
Ifithappensrepeatedly,youmaygotojailfortherestofyourlife.Butevidently,ifyoulaundernearly
abilliondollarsfordrugcartelsandviolateourinternationalsanctions,yourcompanypaysafineand
yougohomeandsleepinyourownbedatnight,everysingleindividualassociatedwiththis.Ithink
thatsfundamentallywrong.
On4March2013HSBCannouncedprofitsofUSD20.6billionin2012whileitpaidoutaUSD3

millionbonustoitsCEO.ThisoutrageousstateofaffairsbeggarsbeliefafterHSBChasbeenclearly
caughtoutengaginginactivityonbehalfofmurderousdruglords,terroristfinancingbanksandbrutal
thirdworlddictatorships.
WhereistheBritishGovernment'scondemnationofHSBC?Youmaybewaitingalongtimeforthat
consideringthefactthatChancellorGeorgeOsborneandhisfellowministersareintimatelyconnected
totheBritishbankingelite.
Thisgovernmentoftherichrulingonbehalfoftherichwillnevertakeactionofanykindagainstthe
criminalactivityofBritishbanksters.Norwillthecravenmainstreammediaexposetheblatant
hypocrisyofagovernmentwhichwageswaragainstthepoorestsectionsofsocietywhilecompletely
ignoringcriminalactivitybyBritishbanksterswhetheritbeLiborfraudorlaunderingmoneyforsome
ofthemostmurderouspeopleontheplanet.
LongtimeobserveroftheMexicandrugwarBillConroycommentsthatthedealcutwithHSBCby
theDepartmentofJustice,''shouldilluminateforallthegreatpretenseofthedrugwarnomatterhow
hardUSprosecutors,viathemainstreammedia,attempttoconvinceusotherwise....Anditshouldlead
ustoconclude,ifwearehonestwithourselves,thatthesocalleddrugwarislittlemorethanone
immense"drugdeal.''
http://www.presstv.com/detail/2013/06/12/308588/uscomplicitinsamericadrugtrade/

WesterncomplicityinAfghanistanherointradeisoldnews
Coolio
14092010,23:19
U.K.militarypoliceareinvestigatingclaimsthatBritishandCanadiantroopshavebeensmuggling
heroinoutofKandaharaccordingtotheBBConSunday.Well,it'sabouttimebecauseoneoftheworst
keptsecretsinAfghanhistoryisthatWesternershavetheirhandintheCentralAsiandrugtrade,most
notablytheUnitedStatesviatheC.I.A.
Today,Afghanistanisthesourceof90%oftheworld'sopium,amultibilliondollarindustrywhich
fuelstheinsurgencyandisdestabilizingtheregion.Thedrugtradeallowsmilitantstopurchase
weaponswithwhichtheythenattacktheAfghangovernmentandinternationalforces.Whichmakes
Westernculpabilityevenmoremaddening.
YettheC.I.A.hasbeenaccusedofenablingtheexplosionofthedrugtradeintheAfPakregion,
stretchingbacktothe1980swhentheyfundedtheAfghanmujahideenviaPakistan'sspyagencyto
wageaholywaragainstRussia.
Before1979Pakistanwasnotamajorexporterofheroin.In198480%ofallheroinconsumedin
Britainand30%ofU.S.importscamefromPakistanthankstothecollaborationbetweentheC.I.A.
andPakistaniintelligence.AccordingtoAlfredW.McCoyinThePoliticsofHeroin:CIAComplicity
intheGlobalDrugTrade:
"CIAassetsagaincontrolledthisherointrade.AstheMujahideenguerrillasseizedterritoryinside
Afghanistan,theyorderedpeasantstoplantopiumasarevolutionarytax.Acrosstheborderin
Pakistan,AfghanleadersandlocalsyndicatesundertheprotectionofPakistanIntelligenceoperated
hundredsofheroinlaboratories.Duringthisdecadeofwideopendrugdealing,theU.S.Drug
EnforcementAgencyinIslamabadfailedtoinstigatemajorseizuresorarrests."
AccordingtoElizabethGouldandPaulFitzgeraldinInvisibleHistory:AfghanistansUntoldStory,the
drugtradewasfinancedthroughtheBankofCreditandCommerceInternational(BCCI)whichacted
asagobetweenforD.C.,HongKong,PeshawarandSwitzerlandlaunderingdrugmoneyand

facilitatingarmssalestoNicaraguanContrasandAfghanmujahideen.
JackBlum,formerspecialcounseltothe1987KerrySenateForeignRelationsSubcommitteeon
Terrorism,NarcoticsandInternationalRelations,claimedthattheC.I.A.,Mossad,Arabintelligence,
theRussiansandtheBritishalsousedBCCItofinancearmsdealsanddrugsmugglingoperations.
Blumsaid:
Theamountsofheroinwerestaggering,theamountsofmoneyinvolvedwerestaggering.Therewasa
seizureofashipoffthecoastofTurkeythathadcomefromtheMakrancoastofPakistanthathad
twelvetonsmetrictonsofheroinandheroinderivativesonit.Thatissuchastartlinglylarge
number,itssortofliketheworldssupplyforayear.
Duringthe1980stheCIApartneredwiththeSafariClub,whichwasanetworkofforeignintelligence
agenciesformedtohelptheCIAfundoperationsnotauthorizedbyCongress,totransformCentralAsia
fromaselfcontainedopiumzoneintoamajorsupplierofheroinfortheworldmarket.Congressknew
aboutmujahideendrugdealingasearlyas1984butturnedablindeyebecausetheopiumprofitswere
financingtheaforementionedU.S.jihadagainsttheSovietUnion.
By2003,AfghanistansheroinproblemhadgrowntwentytimesworsethanitwasunderTalibanrule
accordingtoareportbyHyRothstein,aSpecialForcesveteranandteacherattheNavalPostgraduate
SchoolinMonterreyCalifornia,whohadbeencommissionedbytheofficeofSpecialOperationsand
LowIntensityConflicttoconductamilitarystudyofwhytheU.S.wasnotmakingprogressin
Afghanistan.AsofyesterdaysBBCreport,sincetheU.S.invasiononOct.7,2001,Afghanistan's
opiumoutputhasincreased33fold.
Ina2007DailyMailpiece,BritainsformerambassadortoUzbekistan,CraigMurray,reportedthat
WesternintelligenceagenicesdirectandindirectlyhelpedAfghanistangofromsimplyfarmingpoppies
toconvertingopiumintoheroinonanindustrialscale.Murraywrote:
Howcanthishavehappened,andonthisscale?Theanswerissimple.Thefourlargestplayersinthe
heroinbusinessareallseniormembersoftheAfghangovernment.Thegovernmentthatoursoldiers
arefightinganddyingtoprotect.
MurrayalsoassertedthatvastamountsofheroincamefromthefiefdomofGeneralAbdulRashid
Dostum,theheadofAfghan'sarmedforces,innorthandeastAfghanistan:
DostumisanUzbek,andtheheroinpassesovertheFriendshipBridgefromAfghanistanto
Uzbekistan,whereitistakenoverbyPresidentIslamKarimov'speople.Itisthenshippedupthe
railwayline,inbalesofcotton,toStPetersburgandRiga.
MurraysappealshavefallenondeafearsbecauseGeneralDostumisvitaltoAfghanPresidentHamid
Karzai'scoalitionandtoWesternpretenseofastable,democraticgovernment.
TheC.I.A.hasprotectedanumberofKarzaicroniesandrelativesinvolvedwiththedrugtrade,
includingSherMohammedAkhunzada,Karzai'sformergovernorinHelmandProvincewhowas
caughtwith9tonsofopiumandheroininhisbasementin2005.Karzaiactuallytriedtoreinstate
Akhunzadain2008tonoavail.ThePresidentsbrother,AhmedWaliKarzai,hasbeenaccusedof
beingoneofthebiggestdruglordsinAfghanistan,buthetooisontheC.I.A.spayroll.
FormerRussianmilitaryCommander,MahmutGareev,claimedtheU.S.wasnotgoingtostopthe
productionofdrugsinAfghanistanbecauseitcoveredthecostsoftheirmilitarypresencethere.
"Actually,they(theUSandNATOtroops)themselvesadmitthatifdrugsweresmuggledpastthem,
theywouldn'tinterfere.Why?.Americansthemselvesadmitthatdrugsareoftentransportedoutof
AfghanistanonAmericanplanes.DrugtraffickinginAfghanistanbringsthemabout50billiondollars
ayearwhichfullycoverstheexpensestiedtokeepingtheirtroopsthere."

JeffSteinreportedinTheWashingtonPostjustafewweeksagothatbagsofcashbelievedtobedrug
proceedsanddivertedforeignaidareleavingAfghanistanviatheKandaharairportwhichiscontrolled
byAhmedWaliKarzai.AccordingtoaformerC.I.A.official:
ThedirectArianaflightfromKandahartoDubaiinitscargoholdcarriesmanybalesofU.S.dollars
wrappedinburlap.Nohandcarry.ThisisAWKspreferredroute.
AfghanintelligenceagentshavecorroboratedthestoryandhaveprovidedtheexC.I.A.employeethe
locationsofwhereAhmedWalimeetsC.I.A.operatives,whathismonthlysalaryis,howitisdelivered
andthenamesofthetwoC.I.A.womenwhodotheactualcashtransfer.
Thesearestartlingreportsindeed,mademoredistressingbythefactthatnolawenforcementofficialof
fitmindwoulddareinvestigatetheC.I.A.anditsbeneficiary'sdrugtraffickingracket.
KeeplaughingatpeoplewhomakeclaimsthattheCIAisthebiggestillicitdrugsmugglingoperatorin
theworld...
http://bluelight.org/vb/archive/index.php/t524351.html

Excerpted from Drug Fallout by Alfred McCoy

Throughout the forty years of the Cold War, the CIA joined with urban gangsters
and rural warlords, many of them major drug dealers, to mount covert operations
against communists around the globe. In one of history's accidents, the Iron
Curtain fell along the border of the Asian opium zone, which stretches across
5,000 miles of mountains from Turkey to Thailand. In Burma during the 1950s, in
Laos during the 1970s, and in Afghanistan during the 1980s, the CIA allied with
highland warlords to mobilize tribal armies against the Soviet Union and China.
In each of these covert wars, Agency assets-local informants-used their alliance
with the CIA to become major drug lords, expanding local opium production and
shipping heroin to international markets, the United States included. Instead of
stopping this drug dealing, the Agency tolerated it and, when necessary, blocked
investigations. Since ruthless drug lords made effective anti-communist allies and
opium amplified their power, CIA agents mounting delicate operations on their
own, half a world from home, had no reason to complain. For the drug lords, it
was an ideal arrangement. The CIA's major covert operations-often lasting a
decade-provided them with de facto immunity within enforcement-free zones.
In Laos in the 1960s, the CIA battled local communists with a secret army of
30,000 Hmong-a tough highland tribe whose only cash crop was opium. A handful
of CIA agents relied on tribal leaders to provide troops and Lao generals to protect
their cover. When Hmong officers loaded opium on the ClA's proprietary carrier
Air America, the Agency did nothing. And when the Lao army's commander,
General Ouane Rattikone, opened what was probably the world's largest heroin
laboratory, the Agency again failed to act.
"The past involvement of many of these officers in drugs is well known," the ClA's
Inspector General said in a still-classified 1972 report, "yet their goodwill . . .
considerably facilitates the military activities of Agency-supported irregulars."
Indeed, the CIA had a detailed know ledge of drug trafficking in the Golden
Triangle-that remote, rugged corner of Southeast Asia where Burma, Thailand,
and Laos converge. In June 1971, The New York Times published extracts from an
other CIA report identifying twenty-one opium refineries in the Golden Triangle
and stating that the "most important are located in the areas around Tachilek,
Burma; Ban Houei Sai and Nam Keung in Laos; and Mae Salong in Thailand."
Three of these areas were controlled by CIA allies: Nam Keung by the chief of CIA
mercenaries for northwestern Laos; Ban Houei Sai by the commander of the Royal
Lao Army; and Mae Salong by the Nationalist Chinese forces who had fought for
the Agency in Burma. The CIA stated that the Ban Houei Sai laboratory, which was
owned by General Ouane, was ' believed capable of processing 100 kilos of raw
opium per day," or 3.6 tons of heroin a year-a vast output considering the total
yearly U.S. consumption of heroin was then less than ten tons.
By 1971, 34 percent of all U.S. soldiers in South Vietnam were heroin addicts,
according to a White House survey. There were more American heroin addicts in
South Vietnam than in the entire United States-largely supplied from heroin
laboratories operated by CIA allies, though the White House failed to acknowledge
that unpleasant fact. Since there was no indigenous local market, Asian drug lords
started shipping Golden Triangle heroin not consumed by the GIs to the United
States, where it soon won a significant share of the illicit market.
*****

Within a few years, the currents of global geopolitics then shifted in ways that
pushed the CIA into new alliances with drug traffickers. In 1979, the Soviets
invaded Afghanistan and the Sandinista revolution seized Nicaragua, prompting
two CIA covert operations with some revealing similarities. During the 1980s,
while the Soviets occupied Afghanistan, the CIA, working through Pakistan's InterService Intelligence, spent some $2 billion to support the Afghan resistance.
When the operation started in 1979, this region grew opium only for regional
markets and produced no heroin. Within two years, however, the PakistanAfghanistan borderlands became the world's top heroin producer, supplying 60
percent of U.S. demand. In Pakistan, the heroin-addict population went from near
zero in 1979 to 5,000 in 1981 and to 1.2 million by 1985-a much steeper rise than
in any other nation.
CIA assets again controlled this heroin trade. As the Mujaheddin guerrillas seized
territory inside Afghanistan, they ordered peasants to plant opium as a
revolutionary tax. Across the border in Pakistan, Afghan leaders and local
syndicates under the protection of Pakistan Intelligence operated hundreds of
heroin laboratories. During this decade of wide-open drug-dealing, the U.S. Drug
Enforcement Agency in Islamabad failed to instigate major seizures or arrests.
In May 1990, as the CIA operation was winding down, The Washington Post
published a front-page expose charging that Gulbudin Hekmatar, the ClA's
favored Afghan leader, was a major heroin manufacturer. The Post argued, in a
manner similar to the San Jose Mercury News's later report about the contras,
that U.S. officials had refused to investigate charges of heroin dealing by its
Afghan allies "because U.S. narcotics policy in Afghanistan has been subordinated
to the war against Soviet influence there."
In 1995, the former CIA director of the Afghan operation, Charles Cogan, admitted
the CIA had indeed sacrificed the drug war to fight the Cold War. "Our main
mission was to do as much damage as possible to the Soviets. We didn't really
have the resources or the time to devote to an investigation of the drug trade,"
he told an Australian television reporter. "I don't think that we need to apologize
for this. Every situation has its fallout.... There was fallout in terms of drugs, yes.
But the main objective was accomplished. The Soviets left Afghanistan."
Again, distance and complexity insulated the CIA from any political fallout. Once
the heroin left Pakistan's laboratories, the Sicilian mafia managed its export to
the United States, and a chain of syndicate-controlled pizza parlors distributed the
drugs to street gangs in American cities, according to reports by the Drug
Enforcement Agency. Most ordinary Americans did not see the links between the
ClA's alliance with Afghan drug lords, the pizza parlors, and the heroin on U.S.
streets.
In Central America, proximity simplified the political equation. According to
sections of the San Jose Mercury News story that the mainstream press have not
contested, this "dark alliance" began in the early 1980s when the contra revolt
against Nicaragua's leftist Sandinista government was failing for want of funds. In
1981, the CIA hired ex-Nicaraguan army Colonel Enrique Bermudez to organize
what became the main contra guerrilla army, the Nicaraguan Democratic Front.
Bermudez then accepted funds from two Nicaraguan exiles active in the crack
trade to supplement meager Agency funding.

In California, Danilo Blandon, the former director of Nicaragua's farm-marketing

program, used his business skills to open a new drug-distribution network.
Blandon allied with the rising young black drug dealer "Freeway Rick" Ross to
convert tons of cocaine into low-cost crack for a growing market among the city's
poor African Americans. With supplies of cheap cocaine from Central America,
Ross undercut rival dealers and built a booming drug business that spread up the
California coast and across the Midwest. Ross and Blandon avoided arrest for
years. But in the late 1990s, the operation lost its contra connection. Both dealers
were soon arrested on drug charges. Freeway Rick started serving a ten-year
sentence, while the Justice Department intervened to free the contra-connected
Blandon and send him home as a well paid Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA)
informant.
Other responsible sources have made similar allegations about contra
involvement in cocaine smuggling to the United States In December 1985, the
Associated Press issued a story about the contra alliance with cocaine smugglers.
"Nicaraguan rebels operating in northern Costa Rica have engaged in cocaine
trafficking," wrote AP reporters Robert Parry and Brian Barger, "in part to help
finance their war against Nicaragua's leftist government, according to U.S.
investigators and American volunteers who work with the rebels." As evidence,
the reporters cited a CIA intelligence report noting "the contras in Nicaragua had
bought aircraft with drug profits."
After lengthy investigations, a U.S. Senate subcommittee chaired by John Kerry,
the Democratic Senator from Massachusetts, issued a report in 1988 concluding
that "individuals associated with the contra movement" were traffickers; cocaine
smugglers had participated in "contra supply operations; and the U.S. State
Department had made "payments to drug traffickers . . . for humanitarian
assistance to the contras. in some cases after the traffickers had been
indicted . . . on drug charges."
During this decade of contra operations from bases in southern Honduras, the
region was effectively closed to narcotics investigations. In 1983, at the height of
the contra war, the DEA suddenly shut down its Honduran office even though the
agent there, Tomas Zepeda, had, in his words, "generated a substantial amount of
useful intelligence" about Honduran military involvement in the cocaine traffic to
the United States. "The Pentagon made it clear that we were in the way," an
anonymous DEA agent explained. "They had more important business." As host to
the main contra bases and the ClA's supply operation, the Honduran military, like
the commander of the Royal Laotian Army and Pakistani Intelligence, were spared
investigation of their involvement in drug trafficking.
Alfred W. McCoy, a history professor at the University of Wisconsin, is the author
of "The Politics of Heroin: The CIA Complicity in the Global Drug Trade."
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/CIA/CIAdrug_fallout.html

OpiumThroughoutHistory
c.3400B.C.TheopiumpoppyiscultivatedinlowerMesopotamia.TheSumeriansrefertoitasHul
Gil,the'joyplant.'TheSumerianswouldsoonpassalongtheplantanditseuphoriceffectstothe
Assyrians.TheartofpoppycullingwouldcontinuefromtheAssyrianstotheBabylonianswhointurn
wouldpasstheirknowledgeontotheEgyptians.
c.1300B.C.InthecapitalcityofThebes,Egyptiansbegincultivationofopiumthebaicum,grownin
theirfamouspoppyfields.TheopiumtradeflourishesduringthereignofThutmoseIV,Akhenatonand

KingTutankhamen.ThetraderouteincludedthePhoeniciansandMinoanswhomovetheprofitable
itemacrosstheMediterraneanSeaintoGreece,Carthage,andEurope.
c.1100B.C.OntheislandofCyprus,the"PeoplesoftheSea"craftsurgicalqualitycullingknivesto
harvestopium,whichtheywouldcultivate,tradeandsmokebeforethefallofTroy.
c.460B.C.Hippocrates,"thefatherofmedicine",dismissesthemagicalattributesofopiumbut
acknowledgesitsusefulnessasanarcoticandstypticintreatinginternaldiseases,diseasesofwomen
andepidemics.
330B.C.AlexandertheGreatintroducesopiumtothepeopleofPersiaandIndia.
A.D.400Opiumthebaicum,fromtheEgytpianfieldsatThebes,isfirstintroducedtoChinabyArab
traders.
1300's OpiumdisappearsfortwohundredyearsfromEuropeanhistoricalrecord.Opiumhadbecome
ataboosubjectforthoseincirclesoflearningduringtheHolyInquisition.Intheeyesofthe
Inquisition,anythingfromtheEastwaslinkedtotheDevil.
1500ThePortugese,whiletradingalongtheEastChinaSea,initiatethesmokingofopium.The
effectswereinstantaneousastheydiscoveredbutitwasapracticetheChineseconsideredbarbaricand
subversive.
1527DuringtheheightoftheReformation,opiumisreintroducedintoEuropeanmedicalliteratureby
Paracelsusaslaudanum.Theseblackpillsor"StonesofImmortality"weremadeofopiumthebaicum,
citrusjuiceandquintessenceofgoldandprescribedaspainkillers.
1600's ResidentsofPersiaandIndiabegineatinganddrinkingopiummixturesforrecreationaluse.
PortugesemerchantscarryingcargoesofIndianopiumthroughMacaodirectitstradeflowintoChina.
1606ShipscharteredbyElizabethIareinstructedtopurchasethefinestIndianopiumandtransportit
backtoEngland.
1680Englishapothecary,ThomasSydenham,introducesSydenham'sLaudanum,acompoundof
opium,sherrywineandherbs.Hispillsalongwithothersofthetimebecomepopularremediesfor
numerousailments.
1700TheDutchexportshipmentsofIndianopiumtoChinaandtheislandsofSoutheastAsia;the
DutchintroducethepracticeofsmokingopiuminatobaccopipetotheChinese.
1729Chineseemperor,YungCheng,issuesanedictprohibitingthesmokingofopiumandits
domesticsale,exceptunderlicenseforuseasmedicine.
1750TheBritishEastIndiaCompanyassumescontrolofBengalandBihar,opiumgrowingdistricts
ofIndia.BritishshippingdominatestheopiumtradeoutofCalcuttatoChina.
1753Linnaeus,thefatherofbotany,firstclassifiesthepoppy,Papaversomniferum'sleepinducing',
inhisbookGeneraPlantarum.
1767TheBritishEastIndiaCompany'simportofopiumtoChinareachesastaggeringtwothousand
chestsofopiumperyear.
1793TheBritishEastIndiaCompanyestablishesamonopolyontheopiumtrade.Allpoppygrowers
inIndiawereforbiddentosellopiumtocompetitortradingcompanies.

1799China'semperor,KiaKing,bansopiumcompletely,makingtradeandpoppycultivationillegal.
1800TheBritishLevantCompanypurchasesnearlyhalfofalloftheopiumcomingoutofSmyrna,
TurkeystrictlyforimportationtoEuropeandtheUnitedStates.
1803FriedrichSertuernerofPaderborn,Germanydiscoverstheactiveingredientofopiumby
dissolvingitinacidthenneutralizingitwithammonia.Theresult:alkaloidsPrincipiumsomniferum
ormorphine.
Physiciansbelievethatopiumhadfinallybeenperfectedandtamed.Morphineislaudedas"God'sown
medicine"foritsreliablity,longlastingeffectsandsafety.
1805AsmugglerfromBoston,Massachusetts,CharlesCabot,attemptstopurchaseopiumfromthe
British,thensmuggleitintoChinaundertheauspicesofBritishsmugglers.
1812AmericanJohnCushing,undertheemployofhisuncles'business,JamesandThomasH.
PerkinsCompanyofBoston,acquireshiswealthfromsmugglingTurkishopiumtoCanton.
1816JohnJacobAstorofNewYorkCityjoinstheopiumsmugglingtrade.HisAmericanFur
CompanypurchasestentonsofTurkishopiumthenshipsthecontrabanditemtoCantononthe
Macedonian.AstorwouldlaterleavetheChinaopiumtradeandsellsolelytoEngland.
1819WriterJohnKeatsandotherEnglishliterarypersonalitiesexperimentwithopiumintendedfor
strictrecreationalusesimplyforthehighandtakenatextended,nonaddictiveintervals
1821ThomasDeQuinceypublisheshisautobiographicalaccountofopiumaddiction,'Confessionsof
anEnglishOpiumeater.'
1827E.Merck&CompanyofDarmstadt,Germany,beginscommercialmanufacturingofmorphine.
1830TheBritishdependenceonopiumformedicinalandrecreationalusereachesanalltimehighas
22,000poundsofopiumisimportedfromTurkeyandIndia.
JardineMatheson&CompanyofLondoninheritIndiaanditsopiumfromtheBritishEastIndia
CompanyoncethemandatetoruleanddictatethetradepoliciesofBritishIndiaarenolongerineffect.
1837 ElizabethBarrettBrowningfallsunderthespellofmorphine.This,however,doesnotimpede
herabilitytowrite"poeticalparagraphs."
March18,1839LinTseHsu,imperialChinesecommissionerinchargeofsuppressingtheopium
traffic,ordersallforeigntraderstosurrendertheiropium.Inresponse,theBritishsendexpenditionary
warshipstothecoastofChina,beginningTheFirstOpiumWar.
1840 NewEnglandersbring24,000poundsofopiumintotheUnitedStates.Thiscatchesthe
attentionofU.S.Customswhichpromptlyputsadutyfeeontheimport.
1841 TheChinesearedefeatedbytheBritishintheFirstOpiumWar.Alongwithpayingalarge
indemnity,HongKongiscededtotheBritish.
1843 Dr.AlexanderWoodofEdinburghdiscoversanewtechniqueofadministeringmorphine,
injectionwithasyringe.Hefindstheeffectsofmorphineonhispatientsinstantaneousandthreetimes
morepotent.
1852TheBritisharriveinlowerBurma,importinglargequantitiesofopiumfromIndiaandsellingit
throughagovernmentcontrolledopiummonopoly.

1856 TheBritishandFrenchrenewtheirhostilitiesagainstChinaintheSecondOpiumWar.Inthe
aftermathofthestruggle,Chinaisforcedtopayanotherindemnity.Theimportationofopiumis
legalized.
OpiumproductionincreasesalongthehighlandsofSoutheastAsia.
1874Englishresearcher,C.R.Wrightfirstsynthesizesheroin,ordiacetylmorphine,byboiling
morphineoverastove.
InSanFrancisco,smokingopiuminthecitylimitsisbannedandisconfinedtoneighboring
Chinatownsandtheiropiumdens.
1878 BritainpassestheOpiumActwithhopesofreducingopiumconsumption.Underthenew
regulation,thesellingofopiumisrestrictedtoregisteredChineseopiumsmokersandIndianopium
eaterswhiletheBurmesearestrictlyprohibitedfromsmokingopium.

1886 TheBritishacquireBurma'snortheastregion,theShanstate.Productionandsmugglingof
opiumalongthelowerregionofBurmathrivesdespiteBritisheffortstomaintainastrictmonopolyon
theopiumtrade.
1890 U.S.Congress,initsearliestlawenforcementlegislationonnarcotics,imposesataxonopium
andmorphine.
TabloidsownedbyWilliamRandolphHearstpublishstoriesofwhitewomenbeingseducedby
Chinesemenandtheiropiumtoinvokefearofthe'YellowPeril',disguisedasan"antidrug"campaign.
1895 HeinrichDreserworkingforTheBayerCompanyofElberfeld,Germany,findsthatdiluting
morphinewithacetylsproducesadrugwithoutthecommonmorphinesideeffects.Bayerbegins
productionofdiacetylmorphineandcoinsthename"heroin."Heroinwouldnotbeintroduced
commerciallyforanotherthreeyears.
Early1900'sThephilanthropicSaintJamesSocietyintheU.S.mountsacampaigntosupplyfree
samplesofherointhroughthemailtomorphineaddictswhoaretryinggiveuptheirhabits.
EffortsbytheBritishandFrenchtocontrolopiumproductioninSoutheastAsiaaresuccessful.
Nevertheless,thisSoutheastregion,referredtoasthe'GoldenTriangle',eventuallybecomesamajor
playerintheprofitableopiumtradeduringthe1940's.
1902 Invariousmedicaljournals,physiciansdiscussthesideeffectsofusingheroinasamorphine
stepdowncure.Severalphysicianswouldarguethattheirpatientssufferedfromheroinwithdrawal
symptomsequaltomorphineaddiction.
1903 Heroinaddictionrisestoalarmingrates.
1905 U.S.Congressbansopium.
1906 ChinaandEnglandfinallyenactatreatyrestrictingtheSinoIndianopiumtrade.
Severalphysiciansexperimentwithtreatmentsforheroinaddiction.Dr.AlexanderLambertand
CharlesB.Townstouttheirpopularcureasthemost"advanced,effectiveandcompassionatecure"for

heroinaddiction.Thecureconsistedofa7dayregimen,whichincludedafivedaypurgeofheroin
fromtheaddict'ssystemwithdosesofbelladonnadelirium.
U.S.CongresspassesthePureFoodandDrugActrequiringcontentslabelingonpatentmedicinesby
pharmaceuticalcompanies.Asaresult,theavailabiltyofopiatesandopiateconsumerssignificantly
declines.
1909 ThefirstfederaldrugprohibitionpassesintheU.S.outlawingtheimporationofopium.Itwas
passedinpreparationfortheShanghaiConference,atwhichtheUSpressesforlegislationaimedat
suppressingthesaleofopiumtoChina.
February1,1909TheInternationalOpiumCommissionconvenesinShanghai.HeadingtheU.S.
delegationareDr.HamiltonWrightandEpiscopalBishopHenryBrent.Bothwouldtrytoconvincethe
internationaldelegationoftheimmoralandevileffectsofopium.
1910 After150yearsoffailedattemptstoridthecountryofopium,theChinesearefinally
successfulinconvincingtheBritishtodismantletheIndiaChinaopiumtrade.
Dec.17,1914 ThepassageofHarrisonNarcoticsActwhichaimstocurbdrug(especiallycocaine
butalsoheroin)abuseandaddiction.Itrequiresdoctors,pharmacistsandotherswhoprescribed
narcoticstoregisterandpayatax.
1923 TheU.S.TreasuryDepartment'sNarcoticsDivision(thefirstfederaldrugagency)bansall
legalnarcoticssales.Withtheprohibitionoflegalvenuestopurchaseheroin,addictsareforcedtobuy
fromillegalstreetdealers.
1925 Inthewakeofthefirstfederalbanonopium,athrivingblackmarketopensupinNewYork's
Chinatown.
1930's ThemajorityofillegalheroinsmuggledintotheU.S.comesfromChinaandisrefinedin
ShanghaiandTietsin.
Early1940'sDuringWorldWarII,opiumtraderoutesareblockedandtheflowofopiumfromIndia
andPersiaiscutoff.Fearfuloflosingtheiropiummonopoly,theFrenchencourageHmongfarmersto
expandtheiropiumproduction.
19451947BurmagainsitsindependencefromBritainattheendofWorldWarII.Opiumcultivation
andtradeflourishesintheShanstates.
19481972CorsicangangstersdominatetheU.S.heroinmarketthroughtheirconnectionwithMafia
drugdistributors.AfterrefiningtherawTurkishopiuminMarseillelaboratories,theheroinismade
easilyavailableforpurchasebyjunkiesonNewYorkCitystreets.
1950's U.S.effortstocontainthespreadofCommunisminAsiainvolvesforgingallianceswithtribes
andwarlordsinhabitingtheareasoftheGoldenTriangle,(anexpansecoveringLaos,Thailandand
Burma),thusprovidingaccessibilityandprotectionalongthesoutheastborderofChina.Inorderto
maintaintheirrelationshipwiththewarlordswhilecontinuingtofundthestruggleagainstcommunism,
theU.S.andFrancesupplythedrugwarlordsandtheirarmieswithammunition,armsandairtransport
fortheproductionandsaleofopium.Theresult:anexplosionintheavailabilityandillegalflowof
heroinintotheUnitedStatesandintothehandsofdrugdealersandaddicts.
1962 Burmaoutlawsopium.
19651970
U.S.involvementinVietnamisblamedforthesurgeinillegalheroinbeing
smuggledintotheStates.ToaidU.S.allies,theCentralIntelligenceAgency(CIA)setsupacharter

airline,AirAmerica,totransportrawopiumfromBurmaandLaos.Aswell,someoftheopiumwould
betransportedtoMarseillebyCorsicangangsterstoberefinedintoheroinandshippedtotheU.Svia
theFrenchconnection.ThenumberofheroinaddictsintheU.S.reachesanestimated750,000.
October1970 Legendarysinger,JanisJoplin,isfounddeadatHollywood'sLandmarkHotel,a
victimofan"accidentalheroinoverdose."
1972 HeroinexportationfromSoutheastAsia'sGoldenTriangle,controlledbyShanwarlord,Khun
Sa,becomesamajorsourceforrawopiumintheprofitabledrugtrade.
July1,1973
PresidentNixoncreatestheDEA(DrugEnforcementAdministration)underthe
JusticeDept.toconsolidatevirtuallyallfederalpowersofdrugenforcementinasingleagency.
Mid1970's
Saigonfalls.Theheroinepidemicsubsides.Thesearchforanewsourceofraw
opiumyieldsMexico'sSierraMadre."MexicanMud"wouldtemporarilyreplace"ChinaWhite"heroin
until1978.
1978 TheU.S.andMexicangovernmentsfindameanstoeliminatethesourceofrawopiumby
sprayingpoppyfieldswithAgentOrange.Theeradicationplanistermedasuccessastheamountof
"MexicanMud"intheU.S.drugmarketdeclines.Inresponsetothedecreaseinavailabilityof
"MexicanMud",anothersourceofheroinisfoundintheGoldenCrescentareaIran,Afghanistanand
Pakistan,creatingadramaticupsurgeintheproductionandtradeofillegalheroin.
1982 ComedianJohnBelushiofAnimalHousefame,diesofaheroincocaine"speedball"
overdose.
U.S.StateDepartmentofficialsconclude,aftermorethanadecadeofcropsubstitutionprogramsfor
ThirdWorldgrowersofmarijuana,cocaoropiumpoppies,thatthetacticcannotworkwithout
eradicationoftheplantsandcriminalenforcement.Poorresultsarereportedfromeradicationprograms
inBurma,Pakistan,MexicoandPeru.
1988 OpiumproductioninBurmaincreasesundertheruleoftheStateLawandOrderRestoration
Council(SLORC),theBurmesejuntaregime.
ThesinglelargestheroinseizureismadeinBangkok.TheU.S.suspectsthatthe2,400poundshipment
ofheroin,enroutetoNewYorkCity,originatedfromtheGoldenTriangleregion,controlledbydrug
warlord,KhunSa.
1990 AU.S.CourtindictsKhunSa,leaderoftheShanUnitedArmyandreputeddrugwarlord,on
herointraffickingcharges.TheU.S.AttorneyGeneral'sofficechargesKhunSawithimporting3,500
poundsofheroinintoNewYorkCityoverthecourseofeighteenmonths,aswellasholdinghim
responsibleforthesourceoftheheroinseizedinBangkok.
1992 Colombia'sdruglordsaresaidtobeintroducingahighgradeformofheroinintotheUnited
States.
1993TheThaiarmywithsupportfromtheU.S.DrugEnforcementAgency(DEA)launchesits
operationtodestroythousandsofacresofopiumpoppiesfromthefieldsoftheGoldenTriangleregion.
October31,1993Herointakesanotherwellknownvictim.TwentythreeyearoldactorRiver
Phoenixdiesofaheroincocaineoverdose,thesame"speedball"combinationthatkilledcomedian
JohnBelushi.
January1994 Effortstoeradicateopiumatitssourceremainsunsuccessful.TheClinton
Administrationordersashiftinpolicyawayfromtheantidrugcampaignsofpreviousadministrations.

Insteadthefocusincludes"institutionbuilding"withthehopethatby"strengtheningdemocratic
governmentsabroad,[it]willfosterlawabidingbehaviorandpromotelegitimateeconomic
opportunity."
April1994KurtCobain,leadsingeroftheSeattlebasedalternativerockband,Nirvana,diesof
heroinrelatedsuicide.
1995 TheGoldenTriangleregionofSoutheastAsiaisnowtheleaderinopiumproduction,yielding
2,500tonsannually.AccordingtoU.S.drugexperts,therearenewdrugtraffickingroutesfromBurma
throughLaos,tosouthernChina,CambodiaandVietnam.
January1996KhunSa,oneofShanstate'smostpowerfuldrugwarlords,"surrenders"toSLORC.The
U.S.issuspiciousandfearsthatthisagreementbetweentherulingjuntaregimeandKhunSaincludes
adealallowing"theopiumking"toretaincontrolofhisopiumtradebutinexchangeendhis30year
oldrevolutionarywaragainstthegovernment.
November1996Internationaldrugtraffickingorganizations,includingChina,Nigeria,Colombiaand
Mexicoaresaidtobe"aggressivelymarketingheroinintheUnitedStatesandEurope."

References
Booth,Martin.Opium:AHistory.London:Simon&Schuster,Ltd.,1996.
Latimer,Dean,andJeffGoldbergwithanIntroductionbyWilliamBurroughs.FlowersintheBlood:
TheStoryofOpium.NewYork:FranklinWatts,1981
McCoy,AlfredW.ThePoliticsofHeroin:CIAComplicityintheGlobalDrugTrade.NewYork:
LawrenceHillBooks,1991.
Musto,DavidF.TheAmericanDisease:OriginsofNarcoticControl.NewYork:OxfordUniversity
Press,1987.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/heroin/etc/history.html

Pharmaceuticals
Monsanto: The Enemy Of Family Farmers
Elizabeth Kucinich
Policy Director, Center for Food Safety
Posted: 04/02/2014
AfteryearsofworkbyscientificpublicinterestorganizationssuchasCenterforFoodSafetyand
governmentalbodiessuchastheUnitedNations,consumersaroundtheworldarebecomingawareof
thedangersofindustrial,chemicalbasedagriculture.Themostlegitimatescienceandresearchbodies
recommendturningtowardorganicandsustainableagriculture,shunninggeneticallyengineered(GE
orGMO)productsandthechemicalstheyaredesignedtopromote.YetdespitetheU.N.'sassessment
thatsustainableagricultureisthewaytofeedtheworld'sgrowingpopulation,U.S.government
agenciescontinuetosupportthebiotechnologyindustryanditspesticidepromotingcropsasthepath
forward.ButthemessageisfailingevenwiththebackingoftheU.S.governmentandabarrageof
advertisingfromcompanieslikeMonsanto.
Withthegrowthandpowerofthefoodmovement,corporategiantsarebeginningtotakeaction.
Accordingtonewsreportslastyear,Monsanto"[shook]upitsseniorpublicrelationsstaff,uppedits
relationshipwithoneofthenation'slargestpublicrelationsfirms andhelpedlauncha[new]
website..."Afterdecadesofemployinga"blockusandwe'llsueyou"approach,Monsantorecently
begananintensemakeoverPRcampaign:popularitybyassociation.
Monsantoiscozyinguptothereputation,authenticityandwholesomenessoffamilyfarmersand
hopingtheallAmericannostalgiamanyassociatewiththesmallscalefarmerrubsoffonthem.
DuringtheSuperBowl,keymediamarkets sawMonsanto's"ItBeginswithaFarmer"commercials,
whichwereintendedtodemonstratethatthecompanysharesthesamevaluesasfamilyfarmersandthe
consumerstheyfeedandclothe.
Considerthecold,hardfacts:

Monsanto's seeds squeeze out family farms.

Inreality,Monsantoisnofriendtothefamilyfarmerorthecommunitiestheyliveinand
support.Infact,Monsanto(andotherchemicalcompanieslikeDowChemical,Syngenta,
BASF,Pioneer/Dupont,andBayer)haveforcedsmallfarmersintoadyingbreed.Thecostof
industrialagricultureforcesfarmerstogetbigorgetout.ThisisparticularlytrueofGE
herbicideresistantseeds,whichUSDAeconomiststellushavecontributedtoincreased
consolidationoffarmlandinfewerhands.
Forthosefarmerswhosurvive,profitmarginsaresmallerduetothehighcostofinputs.
Geneticallyengineered(GEorGMO)seedshavedramaticallydrivenupperacreseedprices
eversincetheywereintroducedin1996(seechartbelow).

Addtothistherisingcostsofchemicalfertilizersandpesticides(includingherbicides)inthis
"onesizefitsall"agriculturalmodelwherechemicalcompaniesmakeoutlikebanditsonthe
saleofseedsandchemicalinputs.Intheend,familyfarmersgetsqueezedoutbythe
mammothfarmsenabledbybiotechnology.

Monsanto prohibits seed saving.

Monsantoimposescontractsandwieldspatentsthatforbidfarmersfromsavingseedsyearto
year,apracticethathasbeenpartofagricultureforcenturies.Theydemandfarmersbuynew,
expensiveseedseachyear.AndifafarmerstopsusingMonsanto'spatentedseeds,theyareat
riskofbreachingtheircontract.Sproutsfrompatentedseedsplantedinapreviousgrowing
seasoncan"volunteer,"orgrowspontaneouslythefollowingyear,eveninanewcropvariety.
Ifdiscovered,thefarmercouldfacepenaltiesforpatentinfringement.Monsantofostersstrife
inruralcommunitiesbyrunninga"hotline"thatencouragesfarmertocallthecompanyand
informontheirneighbors,andhasevenhiredretiredfarmerstoentrapfarmersintobuying
seedillegally,activitiesonejudgereferredtoasMonsanto's"scorchedearthpolicies."

Monsanto sues farmers.

MonsantohasundertakenanunprecedentedlitigationcampaignagainstAmericanfarmersto
endthepracticeofseedsavingandsomaximizeitsprofits.Theydevote$10millionofits
annualbudgettoinvestigateapproximately500farmerseachyearwhoaresuspectedofpatent
infringement.AsofNovember2012,410farmersand56smallbusinessesandfarming

operationshavebeeninvolvedincourtcasesinvolvingallegedpatentinfringement,andhave
paidthecompanynearly$24millionindamages,asumthatdoesnotincludeadditional
litigationcostslikeattorneyorwitnessfees.WhileMonsantohastakenactionagainst
thousandsoffarmers,onlythevastmajorityreachpretrialsettlementstoavoidfacingthe
multinationalgiantincourt.Whenthesepretrialsettlementsareincluded,farmershavepaid
Monsantoanestimated$85to160million.Monsantowouldliketodismissthesignificanceof
thesesuitsanddirectattentiontotheirnewwebsitefullofsmiling,meticulouslyselected
farmers.Thisissimplyadistractionfromthehundreds,ifnotthousands,offarmerswhohave
losttheirlivelihoodstothecorporatemachine.

Monsanto poisons farmers and their communities.

Monsantotoutsthesafetyoftheirproductsandclaimstosupportworkersafety,despite
establishedlinksbetweenpesticideexposureanddeclininghealth.FarmersintheU.S.who
considertheirhealthdamagedbyMonsanto'sproductshavehadahardtimefindinglegal
recourse.Farmersoverseashavehadbetterluck.In2012,aFrenchcourtruledthat
Monsanto'sLassoweedkillerwasresponsibleforpoisoningaFrenchfarmer,whosuffered
frommemoryloss,stammering,andheadaches.BecauseMonsantohadnotproperlylabeled
thepesticide,thefarmerdidnotknowhowtoxicthechemicaltrulywas.Foryears,
Argentinianfarmershaveexperiencedincreasedcasesofcancerandbirthdefects,eversince
Monsantoproductswereintroducedtotheirfields.Thisyear,thecommunitysuccessfully
filedasuittoblockMonsanto'sconstructionofatransgenicseedplant,fearingtheirhealth
wouldcontinuetoworsen.

Don'tbefooledbyMonsanto'sPRspinmachine.
Monsantodoesnotshareourvaluesandtheyaren'tinterestedinchangingtheirways.Tolearnmore
aboutissuesrelatedtogeneticengineering(orGMOs),visitwww.CenterForFoodSafety.org.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/elizabethkucinich/theenemyoffamilyfarmers_b_4064134.html

Scandal of experts who rule on NHS statins but get paid by drugs firms
MOST of the experts who are set to recommend the widespread use of
statins next month are in the pay of the drug companies that
manufacture them.
By: Lucy Johnston
Published: Sun, March 9, 2014
DrAnthonyWierzbicki:ChairmanofstatinpanelhaslinkstodrugfirmsincludingPfizer
Anysuggestionthatmedicsorofficialsstandtopersonallyprofitfromdecisionsaboutourcarewill
rightlyworrypatientsAndrewGwynne,ShadowHealthMinister
ThespecialistssitontheGovernmenthealthwatchdog,theNationalInstituteforHealthandCare
Excellence(Nice).
Niceisexpectedtoissuenewnationaladvicesayingstatins,nowprescribedtoaboutsevenmillion
peopleayear,shouldbeofferedtoatleastoneinfouradults.
Themovehasbeencriticisedbymanydoctorswhosaythatformanylowriskpatientsthebenefitsof
statinsdonotoutweighpossiblesideeffectsincludingdiabetes,impotence,cataracts,musclepains,
mentalimpairment,fatigueandliverdysfunction.

ASundayExpressinvestigationhasdiscoveredeightoutof12membersoftheNicepanelwhichdrew
uptheguidancehavefinancialtiestocompaniesthatmakestatinsornextgenerationcholesterol
loweringdrugs.
ThefinancialtiesaredeclaredinanappendixtothenewdraftNicestatinguidanceandinclude
paymentsforspeeches,lecturesortoattendconferenceswhichcanreapthousandsofpoundsperhour.
Italsoincludessalariesforinvolvementinclinicaltrialsofnewstatinstyledrugs,whichcanamountto
tensofthousandsofpoundsayear,paymentfordrugcompanyadvisoryroles,andinonecasea
sponsorshipofaworkpost.
ToryMPDrSarahWollastonhasvowedtocallontheCommonsHealthSelectCommitteeto
investigatetherevelation.
GPDrWollaston,aformermemberofthecommittee,said:Thisshouldleadtoanexaminationby
Nice.Itisaconcernasthispanelsdecisionhassuchwidespreadimplicationsforprescribingandcost
totheNHS.
ShadowHealthMinisterAndrewGwynnesaid:Patientsacrossthecountrywillbeconcernedbythese
findings.Anysuggestionthatmedicsorofficialsstandtopersonallyprofitfromdecisionsaboutour
carewillrightlyworrypatients.Ministersmustaskthewatchdogtoinvestigatewithoutdelay.
AseemMalhotra,aLondonbasedheartdoctor,said:Iamastoundedthateightoutof12membersof
thestatinpanelhavedirectfinancialtiestothedrugsindustry.
IalwaysbelievedNicewascompletelyindependentofthedrugsindustry.Weneedresearchersand
scientiststoconcentrateonwhatisbestforpatientsandnotindividualcareersandprofitsofdrug
companies.
OneoftheeightNicememberswithfinanciallinksisDrAnthonyWierzbicki,chairmanofthestatin
panelandaheartdiseasespecialistatGuysandStThomasshospitalinLondon,whoisbeingpaidby
sixdruggiants,includingPfizer,SanofiandAventis,tohelpresearchnewgenerationcholesterol
loweringdrugs.DrRajaiAhmad,aheartspecialistatWestMidlandsHospital,hasreceivedspeaker
feesfrommultinationaldrugcompaniesinvestinginheartdrugs.
DrMichaelKhan,aheartspecialistatUniversityHospitalsofCoventryandWarwickshire,hasbeen
paidbydrugcompaniesinvestinginheartdrugsforlecturesandtositonfourdrugcompanyadvisory
boardsandisbeingpaidbydrugcompanyAmgentorunaclinicaltrial.
SpecialistheartnurseSisterEmmaMcGowan,whoworksatthesametrust,admittedherjobhasbeen
sponsoredbystatinmanufacturersAstraZenecaforayear.Shealsoreceivedadrugcompanypayment
forspeakingandanotherforattendingaconference.Shedeclared:Thepaymentsweremadetome
personallyasIhavebeeninformedtheyareunabletopayintoadepartmentalfund.
DrRobertDermotNeely,heartspecialistattheUniversityofNewcastle,declareddrugcompanycash
forsittingontheiradvisoryboards,workingontrialsintonewheartdrugsandforattendinga
conference.TheSundayExpressrevealedlastweekthatleadingspecialistsaredemandinganendto
thewidespreaduseofthecontroversialheartdrugs.
DrKailashChand,deputychairmanoftheBritishMedicalAssociation,suffereddebilitatingside
effectsafterhewasprescribedstatinsfiveyearsago.
DrChand,60,aGPinTameside,GreaterManchester,said:Thewholethingiscorrupting.Members
ofthepanelshouldbewhiterthanwhiteandnotinthepayofdrugcompanies.

DrMalcolmKendrick,whohasstudiedhearthealth,added:Niceisthejudiciaryfordrugs.Noone
whohasafinancialconflictofinterestshouldbeinvolved.Itmustbestopped.
AspokesmanforNicesaid:Theconflictsofinterestdeclaredbycommitteemembersinvolvedin
producingthisguidelinehavebeenmanagedappropriately.Theyhavenotinfluencedinanywaythe
draftrecommendationsontheuseofstatins.
http://www.express.co.uk/news/health/463873/Expertsrecommendingstatinsarepaidbydrugsfirms

WhattheTamiflusagatellsusaboutdrugtrialsandbigpharma
Wenowknowthegovernment'sTamiflustockpilewouldn'thavedoneusmuchgoodintheeventofa
fluepidemic.Butthesecrecysurroundingclinicaltrialsmeansthere'salotwedon'tknowaboutother
medicineswetake.
o

BenGoldacre

TheGuardian,Thursday10April2014

TodaywefoundoutthatTamifludoesn'tworksowellafterall.Roche,thedrugcompanybehindit,
withheldvitalinformationonitsclinicaltrialsforhalfadecade,buttheCochraneCollaboration,a
globalnotforprofitorganisationof14,000academics,finallyobtainedalltheinformation.Puttingthe
evidencetogether,ithasfoundthatTamifluhaslittleornoimpactoncomplicationsoffluinfection,
suchaspneumonia.
ThatisascandalbecausetheUKgovernmentspent0.5bnstockpilingthisdruginthehopethatit
wouldhelppreventserioussideeffectsfromfluinfection.ButthebiggerscandalisthatRochebroke
nolawbywithholdingvitalinformationonhowwellitsdrugworks.Infact,themethodsandresultsof
clinicaltrialsonthedrugsweusetodayarestillroutinelyandlegallybeingwithheldfromdoctors,
researchersandpatients.ItissimplebadluckforRochethatTamiflubecame,arbitrarily,theposter
childforthemissingdatastory.
Anditisagreatposterchild.ThebattleoverTamifluperfectlyillustratestheneedforfulltransparency
aroundclinicaltrials,theimportanceofaccesstoobscuredocumentation,andthefailureofthe
regulatorysystem.Crucially,itisalsoanillustrationofhowscience,atitsbest,isbuiltontransparency
andopennesstocriticism,becausethesagaoftheCochraneTamiflureviewbeganwithasimpleonline
comment.
In2009,therewaswidespreadconcernaboutanewflupandemic,andbillionswerebeingspent
stockpilingTamifluaroundtheworld.Becauseofthis,theUKandAustraliangovernmentsspecifically
askedtheCochraneCollaborationtoupdateitsearlierreviewsonthedrug.Cochranereviewsarethe
goldstandardinmedicine:theysummariseallthedataonagiventreatment,andtheyareinaconstant
reviewcycle,becauseevidencechangesovertimeasnewtrialsarepublished.Thisshouldhavebeena
prettyeverydaypieceofwork:thepreviousreview,in2008,hadfoundsomeevidencethatTamiflu
does,indeed,reducetherateofcomplicationssuchaspneumonia.ButthenaJapanesepaediatrician
calledKeijiHayashileftacommentthatwouldtriggerarevolutioninourunderstandingofhow
evidencebasedmedicineshouldwork.Thiswasn'tinapublication,orevenaletter:itwasasimple
onlinecomment,postedinformallyunderneaththeTamiflureviewontheCochranewebsite,almost
likeablogcomment.
Cochranehadsummarisedthedatafromallthetrials,explainedHayashi,butitspositiveconclusion
wasdrivenbydatafromjustoneofthepapersitcited:anindustryfundedsummaryof10previous
trials,ledbyanauthorcalledKaiser.Fromthese10trials,onlytwohadeverbeenpublishedinthe

scientificliterature.Fortheremainingeight,theonlyavailableinformationonthemethodsusedcame
fromthebriefsummaryinthissecondarysource,createdbyindustry.That'snotreliableenough.
Thisisscienceatitsbest.TheCochranereviewisreadilyaccessibleonline;itexplainstransparently
themethodsbywhichitlookedfortrials,andthenanalysedthem,soanyinformedreadercanpullthe
reviewapart,andunderstandwheretheconclusionscamefrom.Cochraneprovidesaneasywayfor
readerstoraisecriticisms.And,crucially,thesecriticismsdidnotfallondeafears.DrTomJeffersonis
theheadoftheCochranerespiratorygroup,andtheleadauthoronthe2008review.Herealised
immediatelythathehadmadeamistakeinblindlytrustingtheKaiserdata.Hesaidso,without
defensiveness,andthensetaboutgettingtheinformationneeded.
First,theCochraneresearcherswrotetotheauthorsoftheKaiserpaper.Byreply,theyweretoldthat
thisteamnolongerhadthefiles:theyshouldcontactRoche.Heretheproblemsbegan.Rochesaidit
wouldhandoversomeinformation,buttheCochranereviewerswouldneedtosignaconfidentiality
agreement.Thiswastricky:Cochranereviewsarebuiltaroundshowingtheirworking,butRoche's
proposedcontractwouldrequirethemtokeeptheinformationbehindtheirreasoningsecretfrom
readers.Morethanthis,thecontractsaidtheywerenotallowedtodiscussthetermsoftheirsecrecy
agreement,orpubliclyacknowledgethatitevenexisted.Rochewasdemandingasecretcontract,with
secretterms,requiringsecrecyaboutthemethodsandresultsoftrials,inadiscussionaboutthesafety
andefficacyofadrugthathasbeentakenbyhundredsofthousandsofpeoplearoundtheworld,andon
whichgovernmentshadspentbillions.Roche'sdemand,worryingly,isnotunusual.Atthispoint,many
inmedicinewouldeitheracquiesce,orgiveup.JeffersonaskedRocheforclarificationaboutwhythe
contractwasnecessary.Heneverreceivedareply.
Then,inOctober2009,thecompanychangedtack.Itwouldliketohandoverthedata,itexplained,but
anotheracademicreviewonTamifluwasbeingconductedelsewhere.Rochehadgiventhisothergroup
thestudyreports,soCochranecouldn'thavethem.Thiswasanonsequitur:thereisnoreasonwhy
manygroupsshouldnotallworkonthesamequestion.Infact,sincereplicationisthecornerstoneof
goodscience,thiswouldbeactivelydesirable.
Then,oneweeklater,unannounced,Rochesentsevendocuments,eacharoundadozenpageslong.
ThesecontainedexcerptsofinternalcompanydocumentsoneachoftheclinicaltrialsintheKaiser
metaanalysis.Itwasastart,butnothingliketheinformationCochraneneededtoassessthebenefits,or
therateofadverseevents,orfullytounderstandthedesignofthetrials.
Atthesametime,itwasrapidlybecomingclearthattherewereoddinconsistenciesintheinformation
onthisdrug.Crucially,differentorganisationsaroundtheworldhaddrawnvastlydifferentconclusions
aboutitseffectiveness.TheUSFoodandDrugAdministration(FDA)saiditgavenobenefitson
complicationssuchaspneumonia,whiletheUSCentersforDiseaseControlandPreventionsaiditdid.
TheJapaneseregulatormadenoclaimforcomplications,buttheEuropeanMedicinesAgency(EMA)
saidtherewasabenefit.Thereareonlytwoexplanationsforthis,andbothcanonlyberesolvedbyfull
transparency.Eithertheseorganisationssawdifferentdata,inwhichcaseweneedtobuildacollective
list,addupallthetrials,andworkouttheeffectsofthedrugoverall.Orthisisaclosecall,andthereis
reasonabledisagreementonhowtointerpretthetrials,inwhichcaseweneedfullaccesstotheir
methodsandresults,foraninformedpublicdebateinthemedicalacademiccommunity.
Thisisparticularlyimportant,sincetherecanoftenbeshortcomingsinthedesignofaclinicaltrial,
whichmeanitisnolongerafairtestofwhichtreatmentisbest.Wenowknowthiswasthecasein
manyoftheTamiflutrials,where,forexample,participantsweresometimesveryunrepresentativeof
realworldpatients.Similarly,intrialsdescribedas"doubleblinded"whereneitherdoctornorpatient
shouldbeabletotellwhetherthey'regettingaplaceboortherealdrugtheactiveandplacebopills
weredifferentcolours.Evenmoreoddly,inalmostallTamiflutrials,itseemsadiagnosisof
pneumoniawasmeasuredbypatients'selfreporting:manyresearcherswouldhaveexpectedaclear
diagnosticalgorithm,perhapsachestxray,atleast.

SincetheCochraneteamwerestillbeingdeniedtheinformationneededtospottheseflaws,they
decidedtoexcludeallthisdatafromtheiranalysis,leavingthereviewinlimbo.Itwaspublishedin
December2009,withanoteexplainingtheirreasoning,andasmallflurryofactivityfollowed.Roche
postedtheirbriefexcerptsonline,andcommittedtomakefullstudyreportsavailable.Forfouryears,
theythenfailedtodoso.
Duringthisperiod,theglobalmedicalacademiccommunitybegantorealisethatthebrief,published
academicpapersontrialswhichwehavereliedonformanyyearscanbeincomplete,andeven
misleading.Muchmoredetailisavailableinaclinicalstudyreport(CSR),theintermediatedocument
thatstandsbetweentherawdataandajournalarticle:thepreciseplanforanalysingthedata
statistically,detaileddescriptionsofadverseevents,andsoon.
By2009,RochehadsharedjustsmallportionsoftheCSRs,buteventhiswasenoughtoseetherewere
problems.Forexample,lookingatthetwopapersoutof10intheKaiserreviewthatwerepublished,
onesaid:"Therewerenodrugrelatedseriousadverseevents",andtheotherdoesn'tmentionadverse
events.ButintheCSRdocumentssharedonthesesametwostudies,10seriousadverseeventswere
listed,ofwhichthreeareclassifiedasbeingpossiblyrelatedtoTamiflu.
Bysettingoutalltheknowntrialssidebyside,theresearcherswereabletoidentifypeculiar
discrepancies:forexample,thelargest"phasethree"trialoneofthelargetrialsthataredonetogeta
drugontothemarketwasneverpublished,andisrarelymentionedinregulatorydocuments.
Thechasecontinued,anditexemplifiestheattitudeofindustrytowardstransparency.InJune2010,
RochetoldCochraneitwassorry,butithadthoughttheyalreadyhadwhattheywanted.InJuly,it
announcedthatitwasworriedaboutpatientconfidentiality.Bynow,Rochehadbeenrefusingto
publishthestudyreportsforayear.Suddenly,itbegantoraiseoddpersonalconcerns.Itclaimedthat
someCochraneresearchershadmadeuntruestatementsaboutthedrug,andaboutthecompany,but
refusedtosaywho,orwhat,orwhere."CertainmembersofCochraneGroup,"itsaid,"areunlikelyto
approachthereviewwiththeindependencethatisbothnecessaryandjustified."Thisishardtocredit,
buteveniftrue,itshouldbeirrelevant:badscienceisoftenpublished,andisshotdowninpublic,in
academicjournals,bypeoplewithgoodarguments.Thisishowscienceworks.Nocompanyor
researchershouldbeallowedtochoosewhohasaccesstotrialdata.StillRocherefusedtohandover
thestudyreports.
ThenRochecomplainedthattheCochranereviewershadbeguntocopyinjournalists,includingme,
ontheiremailswhenrespondingtoRochestaff.Atthesametime,thecompanywasraisingthebroken
argumentsthatareeerilyfamiliartoanyonewhohasfollowedthecampaignforgreatertrials
transparency.Keyamongthesewasonethatcutstothecoreoftheculturewarbetweenevidencebased
medicine,andtheolder"eminencebasedmedicine"thatwearesupposedtohaveleftbehind.Itis
simplynotthejobofacademicstomakethesedecisionsaboutbenefitandrisk,saidRoche,itisthe
jobofregulators.
Thisargumentfailsontwofronts.First,aswithmanyotherdrugs,itnowseemsthatnoteventhe
regulatorshadseenalltheinformationonallthetrials.Butmorethanthat,regulatorsmissthings.
Manyofthemostnotableproblemswithmedicinesoverthepastfewyearswiththearthritisdrug
Vioxx;withthediabetesdrugrosiglitazone,marketedasAvandia;andwiththeevidencebasefor
Tamifluweren'tspottedprimarilybyregulators,butratherbyindependentdoctorsandacademics.
Regulatorsdon'tmissthingsbecausetheyarecorrupt,orincompetent.Theymissthingsbecause
detectingsignalsofriskandbenefitinreviewsofclinicaltrialsisadifficultbusinessandso,likeall
difficultquestionsinscience,itbenefitsfromhavingmanyeyesontheproblem.
WhilethebattleforaccesstoTamiflutrialshasgoneon,theworldofmedicinehasbeguntoshift,
albeitatapainfulpace,withtheEuropeanOmbudsmanandseveralBritishselectcommitteesjoining
thepushfortransparency.TheAllTrialscampaign,whichIcofoundedlastyear,nowhasthesupport
ofalmostallmedicalandacademicprofessionalbodiesintheUK,andmanymoreworldwide,aswell
asmorethan100patientgroups,andthedrugcompanyGSK.Wehaveseennewcodesofconduct,and

Europeanlegislation,proposingimprovementsinaccess:allriddledwithloopholes,butimprovements
nonetheless.Crucially,withholdingdatahasbecomeaheadlineissue,andmuchlessdefensible.
Lastyear,inthecontextofthiswidershift,underceaselessquestionsfromCochraneandtheBritish
MedicalJournal,afterhalfadecade,RochefinallygaveCochranetheinformationitneeded.
SodoesTamifluwork?FromtheCochraneanalysisfullypublicTamifludoesnotreducethe
numberofhospitalisations.Therewasn'tenoughdatatoseeifitreducesthenumberofdeaths.Itdoes
reducethenumberofselfreported,unverifiedcasesofpneumonia,butwhenyoulookatthefivetrials
withadetaileddiagnosticformforpneumonia,thereisnosignificantbenefit.Itmighthelppreventflu
symptoms,butnotasymptomaticspread,andtheevidencehereismixed.Itwilltakeafewhoursoff
thedurationofyourflusymptoms.Butallthiscomesatasignificantcostofsideeffects.Since
percentagesarehardtovisualise,wecanmakethosenumbersmoretangiblebytakingthefiguresfrom
theCochranereview,andapplyingthem.Forexample,ifamillionpeopletakeTamifluinapandemic,
45,000willexperiencevomiting,31,000willexperienceheadacheand11,000willhavepsychiatric
sideeffects.Remember,though,thatthosefiguresallassumeweareonlygivingTamiflutoamillion
people:ifthingskickoff,wehavestockpiledenoughfor80%ofthepopulation.That'squitealotof
vomit.
Rochehasissuedapressreleasesayingitconteststheseconclusions,butgivingnoreasons:sonowwe
canfinallyletsciencebegin.ItcanshootdownthedetailsoftheCochranereviewIhopeitwilland
wewilledgetowardsthetruth.Thisiswhatsciencelookslike.Rochealsodeniesbeingdraggedto
transparency,andsaysitsimplydidn'tknowhowtorespondtoCochrane.This,again,speakstothe
paceofchange.Ihavenoideawhyitwaswithholdinginformation:butIrathersuspectitwassimply
becausethat'swhatpeoplehavealwaysdone,andsharingitwasahassle,requiringnewnormstobe
developed.That'sreassuringanddepressingatthesametime.
Shouldwehavespenthalfabilliononthisdrug?That'satrickyquestion.Ifyoupictureyourselfina
bunker,watchingacatastrophicpandemicunfold,confrontingtheendofhumancivilisation,youcould
probablypersuadeyourselfthatTamiflumightbeworthbuyinganyway,evenknowingtherisksand
benefits.Butthatfinalclauseisthekey.Weoftenchoosetousetreatmentsinmedicine,knowingthat
theyhavelimitedbenefit,andsignificantsideeffects:butwemakeaninformeddecision,balancingthe
risksandbenefitsforourselves.
Andinanycase,that500misthetipoftheiceberg.Tamifluisasideshow,theoneplacewherea
singleteamofdoggedacademicssaid"enough"andthecompanycavedin.Buttheresultsofclinical
trialsarestillbeingroutinelyandlegallywithheldonthemedicinesweusetodayandnothingabouta
finalansweronTamifluwillhelpplugthisgapinghole.
Moreimportantly,forallthatthereisprogress,sofarwehaveonlysentiment,andhalfmeasures.None
ofthechangestoEuropeanlegislationorcodesofconductgetusaccesstotheinformationweneed,
becausetheyallreferonlytonewtrials,sotheysharealoopholethatexcludesremarkablyallthe
trialsonallthemedicinesweusetoday,andwillcontinuetousefordecades.Totakeoneconcreteand
topicalexample:theywouldn'thavemadeablindbitofdifferenceonTamiflu.Wehaveseenvoluntary
pledgesforgreatertransparencyfrommanyindividualcompaniesJohnson&Johnson,Roche,GSK,
nowRoche,andmorewhicharewelcome,butsimilarpromiseshavebeengivenbefore,andthen
reversedafewyearslater.
Thisisapivotalmomentinthehistoryofmedicine.Trialstransparencyisfinallyontheagenda,and
thismaybeouronlyopportunitytofixitinadecade.Wecannotmakeinformeddecisionsaboutwhich
treatmentisbestwhileinformationaboutclinicaltrialsisroutinelyandlegallywithheldfromdoctors,
researchers,andpatients.Anyonewhostandsinthewayoftransparencyisexposingpatientsto
avoidableharm.Weneedregulators,legislators,andprofessionalbodiestodemandfulltransparency.
Weneedclearauditonwhatinformationismissing,andwhoiswithholdingit.

Finally,morethananythingbecausecultureshiftwillbeaspowerfulaslegislationweneedtodo
somethingevenmoredifficult.Weneedtopraise,encourage,andsupportthecompaniesand
individualswhoarebeginningtodotherightthing.ThisnowincludesRoche.Andso,paradoxically,
aftereverythingyouhavereadabove,withtheoutragefreshinyourmind,onthedaywhenitfeels
harderthananyother,Ihopeyouwilljoinmeinsaying:Bravo,Roche.Nowlet'sdobetter.
BenGoldacreisadoctorandtheauthorofBadPharma.
http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/apr/10/tamiflusagadrugtrialsbigpharma

Drones
Living with death by drone
U.S. drones hover over villages in Pakistan, with the residents never
knowing when they will strike.
October 04, 2012 by Jennifer Gibson
Lastweek,StanfordUniversityandNewYorkUniversityreleasedamajorstudyabouttheuseof
dronesintheeverevolvingbutneverendingwaronterror.Unfortunately,manycommentatorsmissed
thereport'skeymessage:Dronesareterrorizinganentirecivilianpopulation.
Iwasoneoftheresearchersforthestudy,andspentweeksinPakistaninterviewingmorethan60
peoplefromNorthWaziristan.Manyweresurvivorsofstrikes.Othershadlostlovedonesandfamily
members.Allofthemliveundertheconstantthreatofannihilation.
WhatmycolleaguesandIlearnedfromtheseunnamedandunknown victimsofAmerica'sdrone
warfaregavethereportitstitle:"LivingUnderDrones."
PeopleintheUnitedStatesimaginethatdronesflytoatarget,launchtheirdeadlymissileswith
surgicalprecisionandreturntoaU.S.basehundredsorthousandsofmilesaway.Butdronesarea
constantpresenceintheskiesabovetheNorthWaziristantribalareainPakistan,withasmanyassix
hoveringovervillagesatanyonetime.Peoplehearthemdayandnight.Theyareaninescapable
presence,theloomingspecterofdeathfromabove.
AndthatpresenceissteadilydestroyingacommunitytwicethesizeofRhodeIsland.Parentsareafraid
tosendtheirchildrentoschool.Womenareafraidtomeetinmarkets .Familiesareafraidtogatherat
funeralsforpeoplewronglykilledinearlierstrikes.Driversareafraidtodeliverfoodfromotherparts
ofthecountry.
Theroutinesofdailylifehavebeenrippedtoshreds.Indisputablyinnocentpeoplecowerintheir
homes,afraidtoassembleonthestreets."Doubletaps ,"orsecondarystrikesonthesametarget,have
stoppedresidentsfromaidingthosewhohavebeeninjured.Aleadinghumanitarianagencynowdelays
assistancebyanastonishingsixhours.
Whatmakesthissituationevenworseisthatnoonecantellpeopleinthesecommunitieswhattheycan
dotomakethemselvessafe.NooneknowswhoisontheAmericankilllist,nooneknowshowthey
gotthereandnooneknowswhattheycandotogetthemselvesoff.It'sallterrifyinglyrandom.
Suddenly,andwithoutwarning,amissilelaunchesandobliterateseveryonewithina16yardradius.
Naturally,theObamaadministrationclaimsitstrikesonlymilitants.Butifwehavelearnedanything
since9/11,itisthatwemustallreadthefineprint.Whatpeopledonotappreciateisthatthe
administrationdefinesmilitantsasallmilitaryagemales,typicallythosebetween18and65.In
addition,becausetheU.S.generallydoesnotreleasethenamesofpeoplewhohavebeenkilled,we
cannotknowwhetherthevictimswereactuallymilitantsorweredeemedmilitantssimplybecause
Washingtonsaystheywere.
Indeed,theentireprocessisriddledwiththesamesortofflawsthatbesetthedetentionregimeatthe
militaryprisoninGuantanamoBay,Cuba.InAfghanistan,theBushadministrationpaidenormous
bountiesinanefforttogetinformationontheground.Inareasrifewithtribalandfamilialrivalries,the
resultwaspredictable:HundredsofinnocentpeoplewerewronglyfingeredasTalibanorAlQaeda,
manyofwhomspentyearsatGuantanamoorotherAmericanprisonsoverseas.
NowtheUnitedStatesisofferingsimilarincentivestopeopleinNorthWaziristanwhopromiseto
identifymilitants.Theallegedmilitants'homesaretaggedbyGPStrackersandlater,whenthe
informantisatasafedistance,blowntosmithereens.Andbecausenooneknowswhotheinformants
are,peoplearereluctanttoinviteneighborsintotheirhomes.Theentirecommunitywithdrawsfrom
thepublicsquare,afraidtoventureoutbutequallyafraidtobringtheoutsidein.

Thisiswhatitmeanstoliveunderdrones.IthasturnedNorthWaziristanintotheworld'slargest
prison,amassiveoccupiedzone.AhumanitarianworkerwhowasinNewYorkon9/11andisnow
workinginNorthWaziristantoldusthattheatmosphereinthetwoplacesfeelsverymuchthesame.
Theconstantsenseofterrorisafeelingthatknowsnoboundaries.
Ofcourse,weshouldaskwhetherdronesarelegalunderinternationallaw;myviewisthattheyare
not.Ofcourse,weshouldaskwhetherdronesarecounterproductive;myviewisthattheyare.
Butnodiscussionoftheissueisremotelycompleteunlesswecometogripswithwhatitmeanstobe
livingunderdrones.
JenniferGibsonisastaffattorneywithReprieve,aLondonbasedlegalcharitythatrepresentsdozens
ofPakistanidronevictims.ShewaspartoftheStanfordresearchteamthatvisitedPakistanandisa
coauthorof"LivingUnderDrones."
http://articles.latimes.com/2012/oct/04/opinion/laoegibsondronescivilians20121004

US drone strikes kill about 50 in south Yemen

ThedeathtollfromthreedaysofairstrikescarriedoutbyUSdronesinsouthernYemenhas
reachedalmost50,reportssay.
OnMonday,atleastthreepeoplewerekilledafteraUSdronefiredamissileatavehiclecarryingthree
meninthecountryssouthernprovinceofShabwa.
Accordingtowitnesses,thevehiclewascompletelydestroyedandtheburntremainsofthebodies
couldbeseen.
OnSunday,atleast25peoplewerekilledinaseriesofdroneattacksontheseconddayofstrikesin
AbyanProvince,whichisalsoinsouthernYemen.
TwoairstrikeswerealsocarriedoutonSaturday,killingatleast18peopleinBaidaProvince.
TheUSadministrationclaimsthatitsunmannedaircraftattackstargetalQaedamilitants,butlocal
sourcessaycivilianshavebeenthemainvictimsofthenonUNsanctionedairstrikes.
LastOctober,HumanRightsWatch(HRW)saidUSkillerdronestrikesinYemenhadledtothedeath
ofmanyciviliansoverthepastyearsinablatantviolationofinternationallaw.
InFebruary,therightsgroupcalledonWashingtontoinvestigateafataldronestrikeonawedding
ceremonyinYemeninDecember.TheHRWsaidinareport,dubbedAWeddingThatBecamea
Funeral:USDroneAttackonMarriageProcessioninYemen,thattheDecember12,2013attack
killedadozenmenandwoundedatleast15others,includingthebride.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2014/04/21/359446/about50killedinyemendronestrikes/