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Billy Joel - Allentown
Cold War vets sue over alleged experiments
Posted : Wednesday Jan 7, 2009 22:25:31 EST
SAN FRANCISCO — Six veterans who say they were exposed to dangerous chemicals, germs and mind-altering drugs during Cold War-era experiments filed a federal lawsuit against the CIA, Department of Defense and other agencies Wednesday.
The veterans say they volunteered for military experiments as part of a wide-ranging program started in the 1950s to test nerve agents, biological weapons and mind-control techniques, but were not properly informed of the nature of the experiments.
They blame the experiments for poor health and are demanding the government provide their health care. They also want the court to rule that the program was illegal because its administrators failed to get their consent.
Marie Harf, a CIA spokeswoman, declined to comment on the lawsuit, which seeks class action status on behalf of all participants allegedly exposed to harmful experiments without their knowledge. Vietnam Veterans of America, a veterans advocacy group, is also a plaintiff.
The suit, filed in San Francisco, alleges that at least 7,800 U.S. military personnel served as volunteers to test experimental drugs such as LSD at the Edgewood Arsenal near Baltimore, Md., during a program that lasted into the 1970s, and that many others volunteered for similar experiments at other locations.
“In virtually all cases, troops served in the same capacity as laboratory rats or guinea pigs,” the lawsuit states.
The suit contends that veterans were wrongfully used as test subjects in experiments such as MK-ULTRA, a CIA project from the 1950s and ‘60s that involved brainwashing and administering experimental drugs like LSD to unsuspecting individuals. The project was the target of several congressional inquiries in the 1970s and was tied to at least one death.
Harf said that MK-ULTRA “was thoroughly investigated and the CIA fully cooperated with each of the investigations.”
The plaintiffs say many of the volunteers’ records have been destroyed or remain sealed as top secret documents. They also say they were denied medals and other citations they were promised for participating in the experiments.
They are not seeking monetary damages but have demanded access to health care for veterans they say were turned away at Department of Veterans Affairs facilities because they could not prove their ailments were related to their military service.
In 1988, the Justice Department agreed to pay eight Canadians a total of $750,000 to settle their lawsuit alleging they suffered psychological trauma from CIA-financed mind-control experiments that included the use of LSD.
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Big snow a-commin' [sic] from the West today-- and then what we call the "one-two punch" deep freeze below zero temps and high winds! Woo Woo! Some of us upper mid-Westerners use a special 'mindset' to cope with adverse things [and it works]. I learned it years ago and it's called IMAGERY. A Ph., D taught it to me [that is code for post hole digger...lol]. It's when you find a private, quiet space and stretch out for your 15-30 minute break. Then you empty your mind of all the hectic stressful BS and concentrate on a most favorite memory and jump into to it! Special deep breathing is another technique you must learn.
Yet for me, I feel that my most reliable remedy is always the Bible, and what a special power it has to shake things up! Hebrews 4:12 says, "For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing far as the division of soul and spirit, of both the joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart." [13.] "And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do." ~NASB. And like I've posted many times before, 'only the meek, humble, honest people who have the Holy Spirit can truly understand the scriptures, IMHO.
The problem that most people have is: they only seek the Lord Jesus Christ when they are IN TROUBLE! God wants our worship and love--but we are 'free moral agents'--not robots, and we have the CHOICE to serve God or the world of Satan. There IS NO MIDDLE GROUND! I just don't consider myself a "Saint" no matter what the preacher/ pastor tells us at church... but I know that I am SAVED by the blood of Jesus and have accepted Him as my personal Savior and know because of that fact that I am going to heaven. Go figure: even the so-called "Saints" are sinners [and my mom just can't come to grips with that fact...], see Romans 3:23 : "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." In college I learned that sometimes I had to 're-read' somethings MANY times to tamp it into my brain, like the 'Print Reading for Welders' that I had a problem with... But regarding the Bible-- we have a special "tutor"/ Helper, called the Holy Spirit which helps us understand the scriptures! Best to pray for Him to come into our hearts and minds BEFORE we start reading and studying-- and then eliminate all other distractions from our 'study area.' I am just giving you tips that have helped me.
God HAS TO BE OUR 'FIRST LOVE' and only He has the power to allow us into HEAVEN for all eternity. Even as we love other humans to death with deep bonds of emotions-- we have to draw the line and make a conscious decision to acknowledge who 'butters our bread' and who has the power to kill the body AND THE SOUL. We are all "slaves/ servants" to someone or something in some capacity one way or another-- weather it be to our own bodies, drugs, sex, humans, material things...etc. But understand how short sighted and myopic [narrow minded] that mind set is-- when we think of all eternity. And that could be upon us in a heart beat!! Just walking down the streets of some American cities now days could get you killed... like the Democratic run Chicago...lol! They can't blame the Republicans now... Ha! Some funky drunk-y driver could take our life on the highway out of the blue and POOF, we are facing eternity ! At that time everyone will be a "believer" -- but we will not be able to 'change' / switch over quick to God's side then. And it's NOT about doing good deeds that will save us! Many churches still teach that lie! We can NEVER do anything to buy or earn our way into SALVATION and Grace-- which is a free gift that cannot be "earned."
OK, enough for today-- and I bid all my friends and readers a great, peaceful, safe day. Sharon's poor back is hurting after she went outside to shovel the snowy part around the mail box before I could. I promised to rub some special pain ointment on her back and take care of her the rest of the day. What are husbands for??? It's so nice to have everything you need to live stored up in your own house when there is a snow storm and the roads are slippery/ slick and dangerous. That is part of MY American dream. I figure that we will look back on THESE days with envy a year or two from now when things go South...and that will be Humpty Dumpty time for the world. Just my personal opinion.. and I hope I am wrong.
Tom
New year...new new
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