And now:Ish <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1999 10:26:34 -0500 From: "*Noquisi* (Day Starr)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Beware The Violence Initiative Project -- > Coming Soon to an Inner City Near You > > by Mitchel Cohen, of the > Brooklyn Greens / Green Party of NY, > & the Red Balloon Collective > (Part 2) > > The VIP starts where the book "The Bell Curve" leaves off * the search > for the gene that "causes" criminal behavior and the assumption that > intelligence, poverty, and criminal behavior is the result of > "deficient" genes. (The researchers do concede, when pressed, that > social factors such as "socially adverse child-rearing techniques" > (notice even here the "blame the victim" framework) do play some part, > but that environmental pollutants mostly serve to bring out inherited > traits that are already present.) Thus, the Violence Initiative Project > provides "scientific" cover for intensified police and government > repression that has led to the criminalization of more than 1/3rd of all > Black males in the United States. (Young white males are seen as "less > violent," and thus not genetically predisposed to aggressive behavior, > solely because they as a group have had less contact with the prison > system.) > > The Project's Defenders > > Race-based biological theories of aggression are neither new nor > scientific. One champion of the Violence Initiative, Dr. Frederick > Goodwin, defended the "theory" before the National Health Advisory > Council in February 1992 thusly: > > "If you look, for example, at male monkeys, especially in the wild," > Goodwin said, "roughly half of them survive to adulthood. The other half > die by violence. That is the natural way of it for males, to knock each > other off and, in fact, there are some interesting evolutionary > implications of that because the same hyper-aggressive monkeys who kill > each other are also hypersexual, so they copulate more and therefore > they reproduce more to offset the fact that half of them are dying. Now, > one could say that if some of the loss of social structure in this > society, and particularly within the high impact inner city areas, has > removed some of the civilizing evolutionary things that we have built up > and that maybe it isn't just the careless use of the word when people > call certain areas of certain cities 'jungles,' then we may have gone > back to what might be more natural, without all of the social controls > that we have imposed upon ourselves as a civilization over thousands of > years in our own evolution."(8) > > Goodwin is part of a long line of white supremacists who have now > traded in their white Klan robes for lab coats. In the 1850s, Louisiana > physician Samuel Cartwright described a mental disease of slaves called > "drapetomania," which caused its victims to run away from their masters. > A century later, American physicians Vernon Mark, Frank Ervin and > William Sweet proposed that urban rebellions were caused by brain > damaged individuals who could be cured by psychosurgery (lobotomy). They > received grants of almost $1 million in federal funding.(9) > > Of course, aggressive, violent or criminal behavior is no more > determined by genes than is the desire to study "the inheritance of > violence" or the "predisposition" to become a corporate lawyer (which > often runs in the family). One could argue that cops, generals, football > players and many others have inherited a gene that predisposes them to > committing acts of violence * not to mention corporate executives and > politicians who murder with their pens or send missiles flying to > countries half-a-world away, killing hundreds of thousands of innocent > people in the process. Capitalism itself is inherently violent; the > removal of the products of labor from those who produce them * the > underlying basis of the system, once every other aspect is removed * > requires an enormous level of violence. But it is a violence that does > not speak its own name; it is part of the social substrate and most do > not see it as abnormal or, for that matter, violent, having been brought > up in it and accustomed to it. The society we live in validates that > violence, and selects for those kinds of personalities able to and > desirous of ministering to capital's needs. In that way, people shape, > and are primarily shaped by, social * not genetic * conditions, which > strongly influence their activities and consciousness. > > Yet the Violence Initiative Project, along with the biotech industry, > is charging ahead full speed, knocking aside all who dare question both > the Project's and the industry's apparent willingness to sacrifice our > lives and environment in their rush for profits and social control of > forces that would oppose them, that they find threatening. > > In a brilliant early article scathing the project, Gerald Horne wrote: > > "Under the Initiative, researchers will use alleged genetic and > biochemical markers to identify potentially violent minority children as > young as five for biological and behavioral interventions * including > drug therapy and possibly psychosurgery electroshock and lobotomies] * > purportedly aimed at preventing later adult violence. > > "The Initiative specifically rejects any examination of social, > economic, or political questions, such as racism, poverty, or > unemployment. Instead, this bio-medical approach focuses heavily on the > alleged role of the brain neurotransmitter, serotonin, in violence. Not > coincidentally, this approach is favored by many in the medical > industry."(10) > > Dr. Peter Breggin, a leading analyst in the field, has observed, "This > [approach] corresponds with the current financial interests of the > pharmaceutical industry, since several drugs affecting serotonin > neurotrasmission have been submitted for approval to the Food and Drug > Administration. ... The controversial antidepressant, Prozac, is the > first of these serotonergic drugs, and it has become the largest > moneymaker in the pharmaceutical industry."(11) > > Against this backdrop, NIH provided a hefty $100,000 grant for a > conference entitled "Genetic Factors in Crime: Findings, Uses and > Implications." It was to be sponsored by the Institute for Philosophy > and Public Policy at the University of Maryland and slated for October > 1992. The promotional brochure promised that "genetic research holds out > the prospect of identifying individuals who may be predisposed to > certain kinds of criminal conduct, of isolating environmental features > which trigger those predispositions, and of treating some > predispositions with drugs and unintrusive therapies."(12) Genetic > research also gains impetus from the shortcomings of liberal > "environmental" approaches to crime which, at best, call for deterrence, > diversion and rehabilitation.(13) Thus, the failure of the liberal > paradigm (as opposed to the many radical models developed by social > movements in conjunction with truly engaged scientists * models never > approved in the U.S.), has now allowed focus to shift to exclusively > genetic and medical "solutions." Biological determinism is the price we > pay for the liberal capitalist social-psychological failures of an > earlier period. > > Radicals, however, have succeeded in leaving our mark. In the 1970s we > managed to beat back attempts by William Shockley and others to lay a > pseudo-scientific basis for the racial inheritance of intelligence, and > the disastrous policy implications being pursued at the time. These > days, the Coalition Against the Violence Initiative is leading the > attack against proponents of such theories who argue that social > problems are caused by biologically defective members of oppressed > classes, and that society can be improved by identifying and eliminating > the propagation of these "defectives." In the case of the Maryland > conference discussed above, the ensuing protests caused NIH to freeze > conference funding * temporarily. The objections were led by enraged > African-Americans concerned that, in these dangerous times, such a > project could easily be transformed into directed genocide. Their > concern was not assuaged when it was revealed that Reagan appointee > Marianne Mele Hall proclaimed that black and brown people are culturally > and even genetically inferior. They have been conditioned, she said, "by > 10,000 years of selective breeding for personal combat and the anti-work > ethic of jungle freedoms" and were therefore unfit for civic life. Great > Society programs just "spoiled" them, she argued, encouragng a sense of > entitlements that led to laziness, drug use and crime, particularly > crimes against whites.(14) > > Which brings us back to Goodwin. When we last left him, he was being > chastised for making similar reference to jungles, comparing Black > people with monkeys. Dr. Horne writes: "By associating African-Americans > with monkeys and 'hypersexuality,' Goodwin tapped into a wellspring of > racist sentiment." Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Louis > Sullivan joined many others and criticized Goodwin's remarks. But > Goodwin's disfavor lasted, oh, around a week. Shortly thereafter, > Sullivan in effect rewarded Goodwin by appointing him head of the > influential National Institute of Mental Health * a post not requiring > Senate approval or presidential appointment. > > Sullivan, you may recall, had previously been President Ronald Reagan's > favorite authority on how to placate apartheid in South Africa through > the policy of "constructive engagement" within the framework of the > infamous "Sullivan principles" that bear his name * this, when tens of > thousands of students in the U.S. were taking over campus buildings and > demanding divestment in support of the liberation movement in South > Africa! Since leaving the federal government, Louis Sullivan, ever the > polished apologist for multinational corporate exploitation, has gone on > to his latest crusade: testifying, along with former President Jimmy > Carter, on behalf of Monsanto and its genetically engineered bovine > growth hormone, despite the mountain of evidence of the harm it is > causing.(15) > > As for Goodwin, his first official act as head of the National > Institute of Mental Health was * you guessed it! -- to approve funding > for the National Violence Initiative.(16) > > The Results > > The long-awaited results of the "studies" on young children are now in. > They are exactly the reverse of what researchers had expected! The > children, supposedly "predisposed" to aggression and violence, turned > out to have normal or elevated serotonin levels. (Remember, the > researchers had been claiming that low serotonin levels lead to > aggression and violence.) > > Case closed? Guess again. Since Wasserman, Pine, et al. had determined > in advance what their conclusions were going to be, and since their > golden egg-laying goose needed to be coaxed yet again for more eggs -- > further funding -- they invented a most peculiar explanation for these > results: Perhaps, they guessed, serotonin had the opposite effect in > children than in adults. No substantiating evidence whatsoever. Simply > the need to rationalize continuing their racist experiments. > Furthermore, they continued flailing wildly in every direction, perhaps > high serotonin in childhood leads to low serotonin in adults. Again, not > a scintilla of evidence. And so, these ridiculous scientists took a > group of Black and Latino kids with no history of trouble, in whom no > expected abnormalities were found, whose serotonin levels were basically > normal or slightly higher than expected (totally refuting the > experimenters' hypothesis), and simply invented a theory out of thin air > to draw more funds for their research. It would be laughable if it > weren't so dangerous. > > The reductionist and biodeterminist approach exemplified by the > Violence Initiative Project is rampant with such nonsense. But, as I've > said, it is dangerous nonsense. In November 1998, researchers > distributed a memo to staff at George Washington High School in Upper > Manhattan announcing a survey to be done on first year students "at risk > for" negative behaviors. By now, we should all have an idea of what "at > risk for" means. Youngsters so designated are to be sent to the clinic > run by Columbia Presbyterian Hospital and the Columbia School of Public > Health, for "assessment." > > The Coalition Against the Violence Initiative (CAVI) sent a strongly > worded letter to the principal outlining the group's concerns and > calling for cancellation of the survey. Members passed out leaflets to > students ad parents alerting them to the dangers and advised them not to > sign consent forms. Members of Lawyers for the Public Interest also > called the school, as did a number of individual teachers whom the > Coalition had contacted. As we go to press, we learn of the first > victory for the Coalition * the principal canceled the survey. > > But similar projects are underway throughout the city and, indeed, > throughout the country. So is resistance to them. CAVI continues to > target the NY Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University, the former > Audubon Ballroom (now a main bioengineering center in New York) and > Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. And, last November 5, a small group from > the Coalition decided to take their protests directly to the source. > They picketed the "Mood & Anxiety Disorders in Children" conference at > the Hotel Pennsylvania (New York City), where Daniel Pine was a featured > speaker (topic: "Psychobiology and Pharmacotherapy of Anxiety Disorders > in Youth). The program was supported in part by a grant from Solvay > Pharmaceuticals. Two CAVI activists were arrested and dragged out of the > proceedings after attempting to hang a banner from the balcony, and now > face criminal charges. > > The Coalition needs your help. Its members fear that those most > affected by the Wasserman/Pine experiments -- the parents and children > who are being recruited to take part in the studies * remain largely > uninformed about the nature and outlook of the experiments being > conducted on them. CAVI remains as skeptical as ever about the labeling > of a large number of children, disproportionately minority and poor > children, as having mental illness. The group contends that the role of > those concerned with children's mental health should be to tackle the > social and environmental conditions that, in the broader sense, generate > young people legitimately at risk for all sorts of pressures to which > aggressive behavior is often a self-protecting response, rather than > attempting to locate the causes of children's distress within > themselves, in their genes and hormones. If you would like to support > the Coalition's work, please contact: The Coalition Against the Violence > Initiative, c/o Social Justice Ministries, The Riverside Church, 490 > Riverside Drive, NYC 10027. Phone: (212) 330-8677 or (212) 927-9053. > > NOTES > 1. Daniel S. Pine, et al., "Neuroendocrine Response > to Fenfluramine Challenge in Boys," 54 Arch. Gen. Psych. 839, 840 > (September 197). Also, see Daniel S. Pine, et al., "Platelet Serotonin > 2A (5-HT 2A) Receptor Characteristics and Parenting Factors for Boys at > Risk for Delinquency: A Preliminary Report," America Journal of > Psychiatry, 1996, 538, 539, which describes a second experiment > conducted on the same 34 boys. (Note that the earlier study was > published last.) > > 2. "Questions and Answers Concerning the Department > of Health and Fenfluramine," Food & Drug Administration, Nov. 13, 1997. > http:// www.fda.gov/cder/news/fenqal11397.htm.; also, Gina Kolata, "Two > Popular Diet Pills Are Withdrawn from Market," The New York Times, Sept. > 16, 1997. > > 3. Cliff Zucker, Disability Advocates, Inc., and > Ruth Lowenkron, Disabiliy Law Center, NY Lawyers for the Public > Interest, Inc., December 23, 1997 letter to Clifford C. Sharke, Chief, > Assurance Branch, Division of Human Subject Protections, office of > Protection from Research Risks, Rockville, MD. > > 4. Matthew F. Muldoon et al., "D. L-Fenfluramine > Challenge Test: Experience in Nonpatient Sample," 39 Biological Psych. > 761, 765 (1996). > > 5. "Half-Truths and Consequences: Did Doctors > Mislead the Parents of Kids They Experimented On?," Village Voice, May > 5, 1998; "Kid drug-test foes picket new hosp site," NY Post, May 9, > 1998; "Thugs in Bassinets: Teen-age violence, studies suggest, begins in > the first three years of life," NY Times, May 17, 1998; "Drug-test kids > may have been forced: Kin hoped other sibs might benefit." NY Post, June > 12, 1998; "Ed. Board referred kids for drug study, NY Post, July 28, > 1998; "Students Ended Up In Study: Psych referrals became part of drug > research," Newsday, July 28, 1998. > > 6. Indeed, the original proposal submitted to the > National Institute of Mental Health, refers to the special education > committee as "one particularly productive referral source," and noted > that researchers had made "successful liaisons with a number of schools > and agencies throughout the New York metropolitan area." > > 7. Robert Stone, Branch Chief, Department of > Probation, to: Manhattan Family Intake and Investigation probation > Officer, August 30, 1991. The memo was leaked by Probation Officer Renee > Jackson, who was subjected to harassment, frequently changed job > assignments, and constant pressure as a result of her willingness to > protest the Probation Department's complicity with the Violence > Initiative Project. > > 8. Warren Leary, "Struggle Continues Over Remarks > by Mental Health Official," New York Times, March 8, 1992, p. 34. > > 9. Mark, Ervin & Sweet, Violence and the Brain, > discuss the case of a young white male, Thomas K., who had undergone > brain surgery to cure his epilepsy and propensity for violent behavior. > They claimed he had been saved by psychosurgery (lobotomy). His mother > claimed, on the other hand, that the doctors had turned him into a > vegetable. See Mehler, Barry, "In Genes We Trust: Where Science Bows to > Racism," Reform Judaism, Winter, 1994. In the 1970s, OJ Andy, director > of Neurosurgery at the University of Mississippi, published revealing > reports on invasive surgeries he had performed on children who were said > to be developmentally disabled. (All were Black.) Dr. Peter Breggin > describes Andy's surgical achievements: JM was a nine-year-old boy said > to be "hyperactive, aggressive, combative, explosive, destructive and > sadistic" * a prime candidate, in 1966, for OJ Andy's psychosurgery. > Over a three year period, Andy operated on the child on four different > occasions. He implanted electrodes into his brain. Andy concluded, in a > 1970 article, that JM was no longer combative or so negative. In > actuality, Andy had mashed the child's brain, replacing his intellect > and emotions (however "disabled" he might have been) with a truly > disabling vegetative state. Peter Breggin, "Campaign Against Racist > Federal Programs," by the Center for the Study of Psychiatry and > Psychology, Journal of African American Men, Winter 1995/6. > > 10. Gerald Horne, "Race Backwards: Genes, Violence, > Race, and Genocide," CovertAction #29, Winter 1992-3. > > 11. Peter Breggin, "The Violence Initiative * a Racist > Biomedical Program for Social Control," The Rights Tenet, Center for the > Study of Psychiatry, Summer 1992. > > 12. Christopher Anderson, "NIH Under Fire," Nature, July > 30, 1992, p. 357. > > 13. Vince Bielski, "Hunting the Crime Gene," San > Francisco Weekly, June 15, 1992. > > 14. Horne, op cit., citing Micaela di leonardo, "White > Lies: Rape, Race and the Myth of the Black Underclass," Village Voice, > September 22, 1992. > > 15. cf. Mitchel Cohen, "The U.S. Government's Secret Experimentation > with Biological & Chemical Warfare," Red Balloon, 1995. > > Feedback, of course, is welcome!!! -- Back To The Blanket Journal: http://www.angelfire.com/biz/BackToTheBlanket Heroine Mu Gui-Ying http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Pagoda/7111 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& Tsonkwadiyonrat (We are ONE Spirit) Unenh onhwa' Awayaton http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/ &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
