"When American presidents prepare for foreign wars, they lie." - Robert Higgs
"War
is manufactured by political leaders, who then must make a tremendous
effort -- by enticement, by propaganda, by coercion -- to mobilize a
normally reluctant population to go to war." - Howard Zinn
Who Benefits If The Killing In Syria Goes On?
By Patrick Cockburn
This
is a cynical but probably correct explanation for why the US, Britain,
France and the Sunni monarchies do not want the war to end.
John McCain and the Desperate Flailing of Syrian Oppositionists' External Supporters
By Flynt Leverett and Hillary Mann Leverett
"Did John McCain Provide Material Support for Syrian Terrorists?"
What is Happening in Istanbul?
By Tarihinde Yayimlandi
To my
friends who live outside of Turkey: - I am writing to let you know what
is going on in Istanbul for the last five days. I personally have to
write this because most of the media sources are shut down by the
government.
Birth of a Turkish Spring
Report from Turkey: A Taste of Tahrir at Taksim
By Sungur Savran
The working-class, left forces and the youth of Turkey are coming out of a period of extreme political passivity.
Turkey: Blood In the Streets
By Daniel Jackson
Report Includes Live Video Stream.
How a London Court Repudiated Zionist Abuse of the Anti-Semitism Charge
By Mike Marqusee
Taunting
and tainting opponents with the charge of anti-semitism is a
long-standing Zionist ploy, familiar to everyone involved in the
Israel-Palestine issue.
Iraq Collapse Shows Bankruptcy of Interventionism
"the greatest strategic disaster in American history."
By Rep. Ron Paul
Now we
see radical fighters who once shot at U.S. troops in Iraq have spilled
into Syria, where they ironically find their cause supported by the
U.S. government! Some of these fighters are even greeted by visiting
U.S. senators.
The United States should be in the dock, not Bradley Manning
By Owen Jones
The whistleblower has allowed us to scrutinise the hidden realities of US power.
Hypocrisy Lies at the Heart of the Trial of Bradley Manning
By Gary Younge
It is an
outrage that soldiers who killed innocents remain free but the man who
exposed them is accused of 'aiding the enemy'.
'We Steal Secrets': State Agitprop
By Chris Hedges
The film
at many points is a trashy exercise in tabloid journalism. Gibney
panders to popular culture's taste for cheap pop psychology and
obsession with sex, salacious gossip and trivia.
America's Greatest Affliction:
The Presstitute Media
By Paul Craig Roberts
America
is the shining light on the hill, the font of freedom and democracy
brought to the world courtesy of the military/security complex out of
the barrel of guns and hellfire missiles from drones.
New Report Finds 1 in 6 in U.S. are Going Hungry
Video
As
Republicans move to cut billions of dollars in funding for food
stamps, a new report finds one in six Americans live in a household
that cannot afford adequate food.
Hard News
More than 130 people killed Sunday in Syria.: Activists say:
The
dead: 33 civilians (10 of them children), 35 rebel fighters, 1
al-Nusra suicide bomber, 16 unidentified rebels, 3 non-Syrian rebels, 3
defected officers, 36 regular soldiers.
Syrian missile kills 26 in village near Aleppo: Pro-repel activists say:
A
missile hit a village near Syria's second city of Aleppo overnight,
killing 26 people including six women and eight children, the Syrian
Observatory for Human Rights said on Monday.
Hezbollah slays dozen Syrian rebels in Lebanon ambush: sources:
At
least 12 Syrian rebels were killed overnight in east Lebanon in an
ambush by Hezbollah, security sources said, adding that one member of
the resistance group was also killed, in the first confrontation
between the rivals on Lebanese soil.
Syrian rebels and Hezbollah 'exchange fire in Lebanon';
A
number of people have been killed in an exchange of fire between
Syrian rebels and fighters from the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah,
say reports. Lebanese security sources said the clashes took place on
Lebanon's side of the border, near the town of Baalbek.
Renewed Tripoli clashes kill 5, wound dozens:
Five
people died and dozens were wounded in the northern city of Tripoli,
after a sudden eruption of violence between the rival neighborhoods of
Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen over the weekend, security sources
said Monday.
Suicide car bomb kills 9 officers in Damascus countryside: activists say:
A
suicide car bomber detonated his explosive-packed car at a police
station in a rebellious suburb of the Syrian capital Damascus Sunday
morning, killing at least nine officers
In Syria, Hezbollah forces appear ready to attack rebels in city of Aleppo:
Thousands
of Lebanese Hezbollah militants were massed around the northern Syrian
city of Aleppo on Sunday, according to rebels and a senior commander
in the Lebanese Shiite movement, broadening Hezbollah's backing of
President Bashar al-Assad's forces and stoking fears of an imminent
assault on the city.
Russia: UN declaration on Qusair ceasefire one-sided:
Russia
blocked a UN Security Council declaration on the siege of the Syrian
town of Qusair over the weekend because it amounted to a demand for a
unilateral ceasefire by government forces, the Russian Foreign Ministry
said on Monday.
Gulf states will consider punishing Hezbollah for role in Syria:
Arab
Gulf States will consider taking measures against Hezbollah if the
Shi'ite Muslim Lebanese movement continues its involvement in Syria's
civil war or interferes in Gulf Arab affairs, the head of their
six-member bloc said on Sunday.
Syria claims sarin seizure at rebel hideout as Russia 'blocks' UN's Qusair resolution:
The
Syrian Army has seized two containers with poisonous sarin agent in a
rebel hideout, SANA said citing sources. Meanwhile, Russia reportedly
blocked the UNSC resolution set to slam Damascus' offensive on the town
of Qusair held by opposition forces.
Syrian Opposition Disintegrates, SRGS Withdraws;
The
"Syrian Revolution General Commission" announced its withdrawal from
the Syrian opposition body of the National Coalition on Monday. It
accused the opposition leaders of misusing funds and pursuing personal
ambitions.
Battle for Qusair enters third week, civilians remain trapped:
Alzein
said medical supplies are running out and doctors treating the wounded
most urgently need oxygen to keep the 300 people - mostly women,
children and elderly - alive.
FSA head warns of defeat if not given weapons: Video report:
Salim Idris says his rebel fighters in Qusayr are heavily outgunned and overwhelmed by fighters from Hezbollah.
Rebels Post Video of Tank Kill:
An
advanced anti-tank missile that the rebels fired easily penetrated the
tank's armor, causing a huge explosion and blowing the turret skyward.
The turret appears to be visible falling back to the ground at the
0:41 second mark.
U.S. withholds millions pledged to help Syrian opposition:
The
United States is withholding $63 million that it had pledged to the
main Syrian opposition organization because the Obama administration is
frustrated with the group's disarray and is searching for more
credible partners to support in the rebellion against Syrian President
Bashar Assad, knowledgeable officials said Friday.
Syria, Russia discussing delivery of MiG-29M/M2 fighters :
"It
would be premature to say when and how many MiG-29M/M2 fighters may be
supplied to Syria. There may be six, ten or twelve jets or even 24. If
the negotiations settle all technical and financial issues, the first
delivery is possible already this year," the source said.
Russia won't send S-300 to Syria until 2014: Israeli Defense Minister :
Moshe
Ya'alon said Monday that Russia has not yet sent the S-300
anti-aircraft missile system to Syria, and if such a transfer were to
occur, it would likely only take place next year.
Russia says U.S. not putting enough pressure on Syria opposition:
The
United States is not putting enough pressure on the Syrian opposition
to participate in an international peace conference and drop its demand
for President Bashar al-Assad's exit, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister
Sergei Ryabkov said on Monday.
U.S. to send Patriot missile battery, fighter jets to Jordan as part of exercise:
Defense
Secretary Chuck Hagel has approved the deployment of a Patriot missile
battery and F-16 fighter jet aircraft to Jordan as part of a planned
military exercise, but with an understanding that the weapons systems
may stay in the country to bolster Jordan's security as violence from
the Syrian civil war spreads.
Iraq: 20 killed in bomb blasts :
Roadside
and car blasts left 17 dead across various districts of the capital.
The attacks happened in three Shia neighbourhoods and one largely Sunni
community. In the northern city of Mosul, a suicide bomber killed
three when he blew himself up on a federal police checkpoint.
3 killed, 18 wounded in Iraq's violence:
Three
people were killed and 18 wounded in separate bombings and shootings
in central and western Iraq on Monday, the police said, APA reports
quoting Xinhua.
Iraq says al Qaeda chemical gas plot uncovered:
Iraq's
defense ministry has said it uncovered an al Qaeda cell that was
working to produce poison gas to attack Iraqi forces. The gas was
allegedly also for transport abroad to use in Europe and the US.
Iraq warns Israel on using airspace in Iran strike:
Baghdad
has warned Israel that it would respond to any attempts by the Jewish
state to use Iraqi airspace for a strike against Iran's controversial
nuclear programme, a top Iraqi minister told AFP.
Iran busts Mossad 'terror' cell:
IRAN
has dismantled a "terror network" backed by Israel's Mossad
intelligence services which planned to disrupt the upcoming
presidential election in the Islamic republic, the state broadcaster
says.
IAEA head says 'going around in circles' with Iran:
Iran
says the IAEA's findings are based on faulty intelligence from foreign
spy agencies such as the CIA and Israel's Mossad - intelligence it
complains it has not even been allowed to see.
US government imposes sanctions on Iran's petrochemical sector:
The
US government on Friday imposed sanctions for the first time on Iran's
petrochemical industry as part of its ongoing efforts to intensify
pressure on the Iranian economy. The Treasury Department said:
Israel now has 80 nuclear warheads, report says:
Of
those warheads, 50 are for medium-range ballistic missiles and 30 are
for bombs carried by aircraft, the report said. In addition, "Israel
may also have produced non-strategic nuclear weapons, including
artillery shells and atomic demolition munitions,"
World nuclear forces, 2013 -
At
the start of 2013 eight states-the United States, Russia, the United
Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan and Israel-possessed
approximately 4400 operational nuclear weapons. Nearly 2000 of these
are kept in a state of high operational alert. If all nuclear warheads
are counted, these states together possess a total of approximately 17
265 nuclear weapons
Mahmoud Abbas appoints new Palestinian PM Rami Hamdallah:
Rami
Hamdallah, a British-educated academic and political independent, will
take over. He is currently president of al-Najah National University
in the West Bank and seen as close to Mr Abbas' Fatah party.
Israel Treats the Bedouin Like "People in a Box"; -
For
thousands of years the Bedouin people have made their home in the
desert of what is now Israel. But for almost the last six decades, the
Bedouin have been on the move, repeatedly relocated to make room for
Israeli settlements.
Al Qaeda affiliate's grave new warning: Inflicting mass casualties on U.S. a top priority:
The
military commander of al Qaeda's affiliate in Yemen is threatening new
attacks against America, saying its people will never be safe until
the U.S. government stops "attacking and oppressing" Muslim countries.
Protester killed in Turkey:
A
20-year-old Turkish man died when a taxi drove into a group of
demonstrators on an Istanbul highway during an anti-government protest,
Turkish doctors' association TBB said on Monday, the first known death
related to the demonstrations.
Turkey police brutality: Cops attack protesters, use gallons of tear gas (PHOTOS):
Photos
and video footage of officers clubbing activists and spraying them
with irritants at point-blank range are circulating across social
media, further inflaming the Turkish riots.
Turk protesters set fire to offices of Erdogan's AKP:
Turkish
protesters clashed with riot police into the early hours of Monday
with some setting fire to offices of the ruling AK Party as the
fiercest anti-government demonstrations in years entered their fourth
day.
Social media and opposition to blame for protests, says Turkish PM:
'Social media is the worst menace to society,' says Recep Erdogan after thousands take control of Istanbul's main square
Turkish union to strike from Tuesday over unrest:
Turkey's
Public Workers Unions Confederation (KESK) said on Monday it would
hold a "warning strike" on June 4-5 to protest at a crackdown on
anti-government protests over the last four days.
Egypt parliament ruled illegal, but to stay on:
Egypt's
top court ruled on Sunday that parliament's Muslim Brotherhood-led
upper house was illegal but could stay on until elections, dealing the
Islamists a moral blow but letting them keep their grip on lawmaking
for now.
Seven killed during attack on CAR town;
Armed
men claiming to be members of the ruling Seleka movement in the
Central African Republic killed seven people and wounded several others
in an attack on the central town of Bouca, a military source said on
Monday.
10 children among 20 killed in Afghan violence:
A
suicide bomber targeting an American patrol outside a busy market in
eastern Afghanistan killed 13 people today, including 10 schoolchildren
nearby and two international service members, officials said.
Four militants killed in Nangarhar clash:
At
least four government armed oppositions were killed in eastern
province of Nangarhar registering Monday one of the ongoing week
deadliest days, said an official.
Chuck Hagel rebuked by Chinese general over US buildup in Asia:
Confrontation over increased US presence in region comes days ahead of Obama's meeting with Chinese premier in California
U.S. Fails to Join Allies in Signing UN Global Arms Trade Treaty:
The
U.S. won't join the U.K., France and other major Western allies at the
United Nations today to sign the first international treaty regulating
the $85 billion a year global arms trade. The absence of the world's
top arms dealer casts a shadow over a decades-long push to stop illegal
cross-border shipments of conventional weapons.
Force-feeding Guantanamo hunger strikers 'abusive':
The
UN and American Medical Association have condemned the force-feeding
of 37 detainees on a four-month-old hunger strike at the US military
prison in Guantanamo Bay.
Inside Guantanamo: The Tour:
Last
week, thanks to the generous support of the Freedom of Press
Foundation, I traveled to Guantanamo during the height of a mass hunger
strike to tour the detention facility, along with four other members
of the media.
Bradley Manning Prosecutors Claim Evidence of Bin Laden Link;
Defense portrays sexually confused client 'troubled' by military secrecy
Woolwich murder, the MI6 connection:
Younger
brother of Michael Adebolajo 'was paid thousands to spy in Middle
East'; Jeremiah Adebolajo, who uses the name Abul Jaleel, was also
asked to help 'turn' his brother, Michael, to work for MI5, who were
already aware of Michael's close links to extremist groups.
UK may hold talks with Ecuador on Assange dilemma:
Britain
is considering holding talks with Ecuador over the future of Julian
Assange, the Foreign Office said today, in the first sign of a possible
solution to the year-long diplomatic standoff over the WikiLeaks
founder.
Baffling Rise in Suicides Plagues the U.S. Military:
According to some experts, the military may be undercounting the problem because of the way it calculates its suicide rate.
World faces mounting damage from disasters:
Climate change and poor planning are worsening the toll in lives and money that natural disasters wreak worldwide.
Blockupy Battle: Cops teargas anti-austerity activists in Frankfurt:
Scuffles
have broken out in the Eurozone's financial capital, on the second day
of anti-austerity protests. Frankfurt is home to the European Central
Bank - an institution that, protesters say, is responsible for much of
Europe's current economic predicament
Wealth from economic "recovery" has gone to the richest Americans:
The
wealth of the rich has surpassed pre-recession highs, while that of
the vast majority has stagnated. In other words, the net impact of the
crisis has been an aggregate transfer of wealth from the poor to the
rich
We Steal Secrets, The New Movie About Wikileaks Infuriates Wikileaks
Sunday, 02 June 2013 07:33
Every documentary filmmaker begins with deciding on the story to be told, and, then, how to sustain audience interest.
If your goal is to inform the public or take a stand on an important issue by explaining its origins and exposing wrong doers then you go one way. If your goal is to entertain and shroud your motives by exploring murky personality contradictions, you go another.
We Steal Secrets, Alex Gibney’s latest documentary (or is it a docudrama?), skillfully made with the backing of major media company tries to do both.
Ironically, that company, Comcast-Universal, owners of NBC, is at the same time having a major success with another movie, Fast and Furious6, glamorizing a criminal gang that relies on speedy cars.
You could say that Wikileaks, the subject of We Steal Secrets also began with a fury – a fury against war and secrecy, and was moving as fast as it could to challenge media complacency in the digital realm.
Now, it is being ganged up on by a media that invariably builds you up before tearing you down.
The docu-tract uses slick graphics to creatively report on the origins and impact of Wikileaks, the online whistleblower collective, but then, for “balance” and perhaps to pre-empt any criticisms of any bias, especially too much ideological sympathy, opened the tap on endless criticisms by Wiki-dissidents who have turned on founder Julian Assange, as well as the pathetic patriot hacker turned informant who ratted out Manning.
The movie revels in all the negatives that surround him, and his chief and gutsy leaker, Private First Class Bradley Manning who is on the eve of a trial that could land him behind bars for life under the 1917 Espionage Act.
On June 1st, Manning supporters will rally at the Virginia base at which he is being held. ABC News reports, “ABC News reports: "A large crowd is expected at Fort Meade this weekend for a mass demonstration in support of Army Private First Class Bradley Manning.” His trial begins June 3.
Says Michael Ratner of the Center for Constitutional Rights: "The Manning trial is occurring in the context of perhaps the most repressive atmosphere for free press in recent memory. It was bad enough that the Obama administration prosecuted twice the number of whistleblowers than all prior administrations combined. Then it went after logs and records of journalists and publishers…”
Manning’s recent and widely unreported statement in Court explaining his reasons for making the secret documents public is not in the film.
The film mentions, but does not explore, Manning’s claim that he offered his data first to mainstream newspapers including the Washington Post that showed no interest.
Their failure to publish the story was one of the reasons the soldier turned to Wikileaks. And, also, one of the reasons that validates Wikileaks claim of having a journalistic mission.
So, the stakes are high, and its surprising that the film’s very title, “ We Steal Secrets, an idea that many might be taken as a Wiki-boast, was really an admission by former CIA and NSA director Michael Hayden about what the U.S. government, not Wikileaks, is all about. Balancing his espionage boosterism is a former Republican Justice Department hack.
It is very rare for an Indy filmmaker to land interviews with top intelligence honchos. Who had the juice to get this “get” as major interviews are called in the news world.
Supporters of Assange like civil libertarians, media freedom groups. Pentagon Papers leaker Daniel Ellsberg, or critics like Noam Chomsky, are conspicuously absent.
As a result, We Are Secrets seems more like a case for the prosecution than the defense, at least in the Court of Public opinion.
The film has had a big promotional push and is already playing in three theaters in New York, a success that masks some of its editorial failings including its in your face attempt at “fairness and balance,” the pretext the one-siders at FOX use as their claim to credibility.
The promotional hype for the film initially made it seem like an endorsement of Assange until you read it closely.
“Filmed with the startling immediacy of unfolding history, Academy Award®-winning director Alex Gibney’s We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks details the creation of Julian Assange’s controversial website, which facilitated the largest security breach in U.S. history. Hailed by some as a free-speech hero and others as a traitor and terrorist, …”
So, there you are: the movie’s real question: is Assange a good guy or not? And what about Manning? Why did he do what he did? So, at the outset, Gibney leaves the political plane for a psychological, or even, a psychiatric one. He is out to personalize and in the process depoliticize a very political issue for what’s known in the news-biz as “character-based story telling.”
The mantra; stick with people, not their passions, individuals not ideas.
Yes, there’s lots of information about the goals and methods of Wikileaks, but, that becomes in this movie a subtext to a more Shakespearean tragedy: the rise and fall of idealists who turn into their opposites, or are using politics to work out their twisted personal issues.
Out goes more film time devoted to war crimes and information concealment; and, in comes juicy stories about sex without condoms, cross-dressing, and gender conflicts to soften the brew.
The “worthy” appearance of investigation quickly turns into the nasty reality of exploitation with the focus on their subject’s flaws, not their bravery, a theme I am sure played well in the conservative board room at Comcast
•The Village Voice asks in its review, “is a strong point of view really such a bad thing? The movie leaves you feeling lost and confused. Fix. Please.”
•The Washington Post seemed to celebrate its expose, not of government secrets—but of secret-hunter Assange, writing, “At best, Assange comes across as something of a noble jerk, a man who doesn’t care about embarrassing public figures who have done wrong. At worst, he comes across as a callous sociopath, someone who wouldn’t hesitate to publish unredacted details of military operations that might actually get people killed, only to lie about it after the fact by claiming that WikiLeaks had “systems” in place to prevent potentially harmful disclosures. There weren’t, according to several seemingly knowledgeable individuals, including Assange’s former WikiLeaks colleagues.” (Doesn’t this reality show how bogus the oft-repeated fears of many in the media and government were?)
•The New York Times was also a bit perturbed—not too much, given the paper’s frequent trashing of Assange, (after milking the secrets he gave them)---describing it as a “tale of absolutist ideals that seemed somehow to curdle and of private torment in search of an outlet with drastic results.” Again, the theme is the personal more than the political,
The message: You can’t trust anyone, much less anyone challenging power.
No wonder that Assange—who was not interviewed for this movie, perhaps sensing a hit job—has turned against the movie. Wikileaks even got its hands on a script before the film’s release and annotated it to challenge its veracity. You can read it on their website at Wikileaks.org.
Wikileaks says, “The film portrays Manning’s alleged acts as failure of character rather than a triumph of conscience. The portrayal of Manning’s alleged relationship to WikiLeaks and to Assange is grossly irresponsible and suggests – erroneously and when evidence is to the contrary – that Assange may be guilty of conspiring with Bradley Manning to commit espionage or similar offences. The film buys into the current US government position that journalists and publishers can be prosecuted as co-conspirators alongside their alleged sources.
“This is a dangerous proposition for all journalists and media organizations — not just WikiLeaks. In the context of the US government’s attempts to prosecute journalists who communicate with confidential sources, Gibney’s film could have been an important and timely project. The film barely touches on the US investigation against WikiLeaks, never mentions the words “grand jury”, and trivializes the larger issues, perhaps because the film-maker could not secure an interview with Julian Assange?”
The film reports that Assange demanded millions for an interview—his way, no doubt, of mocking the big bucks behind the production. He knew they wanted the big confrontational Q&A and wouldn’t give it them!
He says there are two more Wikleaks films on the way that he has cooperated with.
I have been impressed with Alex Gibney’s work. He is a talented pro, and this film is worth seeing (and dissecting). I also admire the daring of Manning and Assange who are faulted for being paranoid, but,given the propaganda and legal broadsides launched against them, you can understand why.
Remember when the US government sent thugs to break into Vietnam whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg’s psychiatrist’s office looking for ways to discredit him? Making your whistleblowers appear weird and crazy is an old technique used by the powerful against those who question power.
Kafka couldn’t of come up with a more byzantine legal process than the one that Manning faces. (Military justice is said be for justice what military bands are for music.) There are, for example, no official transcripts of the legal proceedings available. Prominent journalists are calling for more access and transparency.
And while having Assange taking refuge in the Ecuador Embassy seems absurd, it is also a sign that there are people worldwide who respect and admire the work that Wikileaks does!
We Steal Secrets is now a high profile part of the media war that Wikileaks is fighting, a war that has often put whistleblower group at odds with the press whose freedom it champions. That press insists their way is the only way and is in the business of marginalizing dissidents.
So, first, there were the newspapers, who initially rejected the secrets of government abuse, and then used Wikileaks, before repudiating Assange as not a “real journalist,” as they apparently believe themselves to be. Then, collectively and arrogantly turned on him in masse.
Now, documentaries have become part of this contested terrain.
News Dissector Danny Schechter edits Mediachannel.org and blogs at news dissector.net. He is also an independent filmmaker. Comments to dissector@mediachannel.org.
May 30, 2013
|
Yet Healy says his output and reputation have had little to no effect—both on the pharmaceutical industry he argues buries relevant information about prescription drug harms, and on the psychiatric and medical professions he claims are being “eclipsed” by drug companies.
“It’s been clear to me that writing books or articles banging on the risks and hazards of drugs is just going to increase the sale of drugs,” said Healy, who speaks calmly, dresses mostly in black and looks a bit like Rod Serling.
Rather than write another university publication, Healy has taken his frustration to the street. In November, he launched a nonprofit website called Rxisk.org with a group of like-minded and highly credentialed international colleagues. The site aggregates FDA data about prescription drug side effects and urges patients to submit a detailed report on their own pharmaceutical drug reactions.
Healy is not the first psychiatrist to express boiling frustration with the pharmaceutical industry or to pen dire warnings about drug-based healthcare. He is joined by people like American psychiatrist Peter Breggin, who has written several books critical of “biological psychiatry,” and Irving Kirsch, who directs the Program in Placebo Studies at Harvard Medical School/Beth Israel Deaconess Medical School and is best known for The Emperor’s New Drugs: Exploding the Antidepressant Myth. Healy is the author of such dire sounding titles as Pharmageddon and Let Them Eat Prozac: The Unhealthy Relationship Between the Pharmaceutical Industry and Depression.
For years, it was fairly easy for people in the pharmaceutical and medical industries to label Healy, Kirsch and Breggin as alarmists. But two summers ago, one of the most prominent members of U.S. medical establishment, Marcia Angell, former editor-in-chief of New England Journal of Medicine, published an article damning the over-prescription of psychoactive drugs. In two essays in the June 23, 2011 and July 14, 2011 New York Review of Books, Angell backed arguments by the university clinician Kirsh, the mental heath journalist Robert Whitaker, and Boston psychiatrist Daniel Carlat that there is something extremely suspicious about the following trends: the number of people treated for depression has tripled since the launch of Prozac in 1987; 10 percent of Americans over age six are taking antidepressants; and 30 antipsychotics like Risperdal, Zyprexa and Seroquel are replacing cholesterol-lowering agents as the top-selling class of drugs in the U.S., largely because they are being prescribed to children.
Angell’s articles should have been a bomb on the medical establishment. She wrote:
“The industry-sponsored studies usually cited to support psychoactive drugs—and they are the ones that are selectively published—tend to be short-term, designed to favor the drug, and show benefits so small that they are unlikely to outweigh the long-term harms. … Both the pharmaceutical industry and the psychiatry profession have strong financial interests in convincing the public that drug treatment is safe and the most effective treatment for mental illnesses, and they also have an interest in expanding the definitions of mental illness.” (read more)
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