Thursday, August 2, 2012

Congressional Probe Reveals Cover-Up of “Auschwitz-Like” Conditions at U.S.-Funded Afghan Hospital

While this blog often strays into the territory of "high weirdness", it's always important to stay grounded, remembering that a government which routinely engages in the kind of atrocities described below will not hesitate to experiment on and torture its own citizens. So, although it may be fascinating to look into some of the more sensational elements of the MK Ultra project, never forget what the programs are truly about at their core: a grievous assault on the most basic human rights which should be extended to all peoples, everywhere. In my opinion, it is imperative to emphasize the commonalities between trauma-based mind control and the routine abuses that make up everyday military-police state maneuverings, in order so that the relevance of mind control research is made apparent to average people who may not be too interested in some of the more sensational elements of MK Ultra such as remote viewing. Naomi Klein's book, The Shock Doctrine, describes in meticulous detail how MK Ultra psychiatrists working as CIA consultants discovered that fear-based psychological conditioning could be employed en masse to entire societies, with terrible real world results typically beginning with economic austerity and ending in a drastic reduction in life expectancy for affected countries.

The U.S-funded Afghan hospital below is an extreme example of the end result of this process, which is enabled by the kind of war profiteering where citizens go without basic necessities such as clean water and health care while private contractors in charge of "reconstruction" make off with billions. In this situation, neoliberal disaster capitalism policies have left Afghan patients with life-threatening medical conditions, languishing in a hospital without heat, water, antibiotics or basic hygiene. According to Democracy Now, the same general in charge of the hospital, William Caldwell, is also assigned to oversee domestic US Army emergency operations, specifically in the case of martial law, which is another reason to take this story very seriously. Many images in the video are not suitable for sensitive viewers. Via :Democracy Now



A congressional investigation has revealed a top U.S. general in Afghanistan sought to stall an investigation into abuse at a U.S.-funded hospital in Kabul that kept patients in “Auschwitz-like” conditions. Army whistleblowers revealed photographs taken in 2010, which show severely neglected, starving patients at Dawood Hospital, considered the crown jewel of the Afghan medical system where the country’s military personnel are treated. The photos show severely emaciated patients, some suffering from gangrene and maggot-infested wounds. The general accused of the cover-up is Lt. Gen. William Caldwell, one of the nation’s highest-ranking commanders in Afghanistan, who served as the commander of the $11.2-billion-a-year Afghan training program. We speak to Michael Hastings, contributing editor at Rolling Stone magazine and a reporter for BuzzFeed, which has been following the story closely. more...