http://article.wn.com/view/2014/04/21/CIA_Injected_Altered_States_into_US_Changing_Its_Humanness/
CIA Injected Altered States into U.S., Changing Its Humanness
Posted, 2014-04-21
Exclusive Content
photo: AP / Molly Riley
Article by WN.com Correspondent Dallas Darling
Sixty-one-years ago the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) started to experiment on people with drugs, pathogens, and physics, so as to induce certain mental states whereby people would divulge information. Since the drugs were often administered without knowledge and considered painless, the electrical stimulations and injected chemical, biological, and radiological agents were not classified as torture. While the CIA was altering America's mental states through its "Mind Kontrol" (MKULTRA) programs, also known as "Manufacturing Killers Utilizing Tradecraft Requiring Assassination,"(1) it was altering physical states around the world. The assassinations of various leaders and military overthrows in Iran, Guatemala, Vietnam, Chile, Bolivia, and dozens of other states, would lead to lengthy military occupations and cause millions of deaths.
It was no surprise then, when several days ago leaks from an investigative summary revealed that the CIA hid details of its most extreme interrogation techniques, including exaggerating the importance of intelligence gleaned from "suspected" terrorists. The report further showed how the CIA's use of torture and secret prison sites were much more widespread, brutal, and harsh than previously acknowledged. Along with sleep deprivation and waterboarding-some detainees enduring almost one-hundred simulated drowning-prisoners underwent mind altering drugs, unbearable stress positions, and physical beatings. During the investigation, the CIA spied on Senators and their aides and illegally monitored their computers. The secretive organization also obstructed justice by continually providing inaccurate information.
The CIA's MKULTRA and report reveals an Altered States of America. MKULTRA was in direct contravention to the Nuremburg Code, a guideline to prosecute Nazi War criminals while protecting humanity from live experimentation. How the U.S. fought the Global War On Terror was in breach of international treaties and the Geneva Convention. America's mental state has ignored or forgotten the CIA's deplorable human rights record. With the drug of plausible denial psychological states have been altered. Ethical states of concern and empathy for others are nonexistent. Even America's physical and ideal democratic states have been altered, as public and direct, participatory democracy disappears. But ignoring or forgetting facts do not mean they cease to exist. Refusing to recognize serious problems leads to ruin. Fear and cowardice spells the death of justice.
In his seminal book, "Altered States," Paddy Chayefsky describes a scientist named Jessup who becomes obsessed with the idea of altered perceptions. Just as important as the accumulation of facts, he believes truths and realities about humankind and the world can be achieved through reexamining data and information from different viewpoints. To this end, he starts to experiment with mind altering drugs, mysticism, and other methods that distort his sensory awareness. As his experiments evolve, Jessup notices that transient physiological changes are occurring in his body, and under the right circumstances his mind can actually bring about changes in the outside world. His salvation exists only when he realizes his physical manifestations are endangering others, and that the essence of what makes him human will be lost in the process.(2)
By the time MKULTRA was reclassified as a form of torture, it was to late. By injecting the drugs of fear, hate, indifference, and war into America, to the extent of altering its mental, psychological, ethical, physical, and ideal states, America's reality was also altered and its humanity changed. In the process of numerous military coups, preemptive wars, armed occupations, human experimentation, and torture, which has killed millions of innocent civilians around the world, America lost both its humanness and authenticity. The real "tinder box" was never the Cold War, nor even the Global War On Terror, but America's gradual lack of humanness, of no longer distinguishing between fact and fiction, of allowing the CIA and other rogue groups to try and change the realities of other nations and their peoples through war and torture.
In the Altered States of America, humanness and reality-what is-has been distorted and is collapsing. There is no value in trying to adjust to a sick society. There is, however, tremendous worth in reoccupying reality and the rest of global humanity, of pursuing justice and accountability. In order to undo the Altered States of America, Americans will have to ask: "What is reality?" And revisit the question: "What does it mean to be human?"
Dallas Darling (darling@wn.com)
(Dallas Darling is the author of Politics 501: An A-Z Reading on Conscientious Political Thought and Action, Some Nations Above God: 52 Weekly Reflections On Modern-Day Imperialism, Militarism, And Consumerism in the Context of John's Apocalyptic Vision, and The Other Side Of Christianity: Reflections on Faith, Politics, Spirituality, History, and Peace. He is a correspondent for www.worldnews.com. You can read more of Dallas' writings at www.beverlydarling.com and wn.com//dallasdarling.)
(1) Cheshire, Gerard and John Farndon. Best of Times, Worst of Times. Toronto Ontario: Penguin Books Canada, 2008., p. 104.
(2) D'Ammassa, Don. Encyclopedia Of Science Fiction. New York, New York: Facts on File, Inc., 2005., p. 8.
Sixty-one-years ago the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) started to experiment on people with drugs, pathogens, and physics, so as to induce certain mental states whereby people would divulge information. Since the drugs were often administered without knowledge and considered painless, the electrical stimulations and injected chemical, biological, and radiological agents were not classified as torture. While the CIA was altering America's mental states through its "Mind Kontrol" (MKULTRA) programs, also known as "Manufacturing Killers Utilizing Tradecraft Requiring Assassination,"(1) it was altering physical states around the world. The assassinations of various leaders and military overthrows in Iran, Guatemala, Vietnam, Chile, Bolivia, and dozens of other states, would lead to lengthy military occupations and cause millions of deaths.
It was no surprise then, when several days ago leaks from an investigative summary revealed that the CIA hid details of its most extreme interrogation techniques, including exaggerating the importance of intelligence gleaned from "suspected" terrorists. The report further showed how the CIA's use of torture and secret prison sites were much more widespread, brutal, and harsh than previously acknowledged. Along with sleep deprivation and waterboarding-some detainees enduring almost one-hundred simulated drowning-prisoners underwent mind altering drugs, unbearable stress positions, and physical beatings. During the investigation, the CIA spied on Senators and their aides and illegally monitored their computers. The secretive organization also obstructed justice by continually providing inaccurate information.
The CIA's MKULTRA and report reveals an Altered States of America. MKULTRA was in direct contravention to the Nuremburg Code, a guideline to prosecute Nazi War criminals while protecting humanity from live experimentation. How the U.S. fought the Global War On Terror was in breach of international treaties and the Geneva Convention. America's mental state has ignored or forgotten the CIA's deplorable human rights record. With the drug of plausible denial psychological states have been altered. Ethical states of concern and empathy for others are nonexistent. Even America's physical and ideal democratic states have been altered, as public and direct, participatory democracy disappears. But ignoring or forgetting facts do not mean they cease to exist. Refusing to recognize serious problems leads to ruin. Fear and cowardice spells the death of justice.
In his seminal book, "Altered States," Paddy Chayefsky describes a scientist named Jessup who becomes obsessed with the idea of altered perceptions. Just as important as the accumulation of facts, he believes truths and realities about humankind and the world can be achieved through reexamining data and information from different viewpoints. To this end, he starts to experiment with mind altering drugs, mysticism, and other methods that distort his sensory awareness. As his experiments evolve, Jessup notices that transient physiological changes are occurring in his body, and under the right circumstances his mind can actually bring about changes in the outside world. His salvation exists only when he realizes his physical manifestations are endangering others, and that the essence of what makes him human will be lost in the process.(2)
By the time MKULTRA was reclassified as a form of torture, it was to late. By injecting the drugs of fear, hate, indifference, and war into America, to the extent of altering its mental, psychological, ethical, physical, and ideal states, America's reality was also altered and its humanity changed. In the process of numerous military coups, preemptive wars, armed occupations, human experimentation, and torture, which has killed millions of innocent civilians around the world, America lost both its humanness and authenticity. The real "tinder box" was never the Cold War, nor even the Global War On Terror, but America's gradual lack of humanness, of no longer distinguishing between fact and fiction, of allowing the CIA and other rogue groups to try and change the realities of other nations and their peoples through war and torture.
In the Altered States of America, humanness and reality-what is-has been distorted and is collapsing. There is no value in trying to adjust to a sick society. There is, however, tremendous worth in reoccupying reality and the rest of global humanity, of pursuing justice and accountability. In order to undo the Altered States of America, Americans will have to ask: "What is reality?" And revisit the question: "What does it mean to be human?"
Dallas Darling (darling@wn.com)
(Dallas Darling is the author of Politics 501: An A-Z Reading on Conscientious Political Thought and Action, Some Nations Above God: 52 Weekly Reflections On Modern-Day Imperialism, Militarism, And Consumerism in the Context of John's Apocalyptic Vision, and The Other Side Of Christianity: Reflections on Faith, Politics, Spirituality, History, and Peace. He is a correspondent for www.worldnews.com. You can read more of Dallas' writings at www.beverlydarling.com and wn.com//dallasdarling.)
(1) Cheshire, Gerard and John Farndon. Best of Times, Worst of Times. Toronto Ontario: Penguin Books Canada, 2008., p. 104.
(2) D'Ammassa, Don. Encyclopedia Of Science Fiction. New York, New York: Facts on File, Inc., 2005., p. 8.
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