HUMAN EXPERIMENTS IN THE USA (2)

Yup, I know its late on Xmas day – and we’re all supposed to wearing our hedonist hats – but when the hell did capitalism ever take a day off robbing us or murdering us. Anyway, I digress, the previous article had me researching more into the subject of human experimentation and the www certainly throws up a lot of info- perhaps a fraction of what is on record. One thing I unearthed is that the US government seemingly has the right to experiment on its citizens without them knowing it, but I’m unsure if this has been tested in the US Supreme Court, though I somehow doubt it. Check out:

CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL WARFARE PROGRAMME

"The use of human subjects will be allowed for the testing of chemical and biological agents by the U.S. Department of Defense, accounting to Congressional committees with respect to the experiments and studies."

"The Secretary of Defense [may] conduct tests and experiments involving the use of chemical and biological [warfare] agents on civilian populations [within the United States]."

SOURCE:
Public Law 95-79, Title VIII, Sec. 808, July 30, 1977, 91 Stat. 334.
In U.S. Statutes-at-Large, Vol. 91, page 334, you will find Public Law 95-79.

Public Law 97-375, title II, Sec. 203(a)(1), Dec. 21, 1982, 96 Stat. 1882.
In U.S. Statutes-at-Large, Vol. 96, page 1882, you will find Public Law 97-375.

It seems many, desperate to earn a few bucks, will literally sell themselves to the drug and chemical testing companies for peanuts. Thus, back in 1998, many Nebraskan college students answered an advert in their college newspaper which stated they could "earn extra money" by volunteering for a study. They were given a lengthy consent form to sign (which none read) and got a bottle of pills to take home.

The pills were made by Dow chemical and the trial sought to prove that their top cockroach killing ingredient (chlorpyrifos) in Raid (pictured) was safe.

Yup, these dozy, though impecunious, college students were ingesting pesticides for the Dow Chemical Corporation. Oh yes, and earning $460.00 for the pleasure.

The story was briefly covered in Time Magazine. From the article:

‘Since 1997 pesticide makers have submitted more than a dozen human studies to the EPA. What has never been established, however, is whether it is acceptable—legally or ethically—to conduct clinical trials that offer no potential benefit to participants (other than monetary gain) and could end up harming individuals in the name of public health.’

And:

‘Meanwhile, chemical companies could still be quietly conducting human trials. ‘There's no telling because there's no system for tracking studies that aren't federally funded," says Ken Cook, president of the Environmental Working Group, which opposes the pesticide tests. "There's no protocol on how they should be conducted. We're talking about the wild, wild West here.”’

A bit more searching and Wired Science back in August reported

“A common pesticide, re-approved by the EPA in 2001, sickens farm workers, say unions and activists who will file a lawsuit against the agency today, reports the Associated Press.

“ ….The EPA agreed to look at these results because they didn't have money to do the testing themselves and because, under Bush-picked agency head and former tobacco industry pet scientist Stephen Johnson, testing chemicals on humans isn't as inhumanly unethical as it used to be.

Chlorpyrifos was also found at unusually high levels in cancer victims in Churchill, Nevada, the location of a controversial "cancer cluster in which 17 kids were found to have been diagnosed with leukaemia

I wonder how many of those students who took part in the Nebraska trial are still with us today?

And, looking at the historical data on human experimentation in the previous article, don’t be misled into thinking this just started in the 20th century. Here’s just a cursory glance at human experimentation.

1718 George I offers free pardons to any inmates of Newgate Prison who agree to be inoculated with infectious small pox in a variolation experiment..

1796 Edward Jenner injects healthy eight-year-old James Phillips first with cowpox then three months later with smallpox and is hailed as discoverer of smallpox vaccine.

1845-1849 J. Marion Sims, the "Father of Gynaecology" in the United States, conducts gynaecological experiments on slaves in South Carolina.

1865 French physiologist Claude Bernard publishes "Introduction to the Study of Human Experimentation," advising: "Never perform an experiment which might be harmful to the patient even though highly advantageous to science or the health of others.

1874 Cincinnati physician Roberts Bartholow conducts brain surgery experiments on Mary Rafferty, a 30 year-old domestic servant dying of an infected ulcer.

1891 Prussian State legislates that a treatment for tuberculosis cannot be given to prisoners without their consent.

1892 Albert Neisser injects women with serum from patients with Syphilis, infecting half of them.

1896 Dr. Arthur Wentworth performs spinal taps on 29 children at Children's Hospital in Boston to determine if the procedure is harmful.

1897 Italian bacteriologist Sanarelli injects five subjects with bacillus searching for a causative agent for yellow fever.

1900 Walter Reed injects 22 Spanish immigrant workers in Cuba with the agent for yellow fever paying them $100 if they survive and $200 if they contract the disease.

1906 Dr. Richard Strong, a professor of tropical medicine at Harvard, experiments with cholera on prisoners in the Philippines, killing thirteen.

1915 U.S. Public Health Office induces pellagra in twelve Mississippi prisoners. All the prisoners are, however, volunteers and after the experiment they are cured (with proper diet) and released from prison.

1919-1922 Testicular transplant experiments on five hundred prisoners at San Quentin

HUMAN EXPERIMENTS IN THE USA

Check out also Chapter 15 of Bill Blum's brilliant Rogue State below, which has more on chemical and biological experiments on humans in the USA. To operate this feature - Move the slide bar to enlarge the text or click on the little square in the top right hand corner of the page to get a full screen view. This book was reviewed by the Socialist Standard.




More on the history of secret human experimentation in the USA...this comes from the ICH website:

1931 Dr. Cornelius Rhoads, under the auspices of the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Investigations, infects human subjects with cancer cells. He later goes on to establish the U.S. Army Biological Warfare facilities in Maryland, Utah, and Panama, and is named to the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission. While there, he begins a series of radiation exposure experiments on American soldiers and civilian hospital patients.

1932 The Tuskegee Syphilis Study begins. 200 black men diagnosed with syphilis are never told of their illness, are denied treatment, and instead are used as human guinea pigs in order to follow the progression and symptoms of the disease. They all subsequently die from syphilis, their families never told that they could have been treated.

1935 The Pellagra Incident. After millions of individuals die from Pellagra over a span of two decades, the U.S. Public Health Service finally acts to stem the disease. The director of the agency admits it had known for at least 20 years that Pellagra is caused by a niacin deficiency but failed to act since most of the deaths occured within poverty- striken black populations.

1940 Four hundred prisoners in Chicago are infected with Malaria in order to study the effects of new and experimental drugs to combat the disease. Nazi doctors later on trial at Nuremberg cite this American study to defend their own actions during the Holocaust.

1942 Chemical Warfare Services begins mustard gas experiments on approximately 4,000 servicemen. The experiments continue until 1945 and made use of Seventh Day Adventists who chose to become human guinea pigs rather than serve on active duty.

1943 In response to Japan's full-scale germ warfare program, the U.S. begins research on biological weapons at Fort Detrick, MD.

1944 U.S. Navy uses human subjects to test gas masks and clothing. Individuals were locked in a gas chamber and exposed to mustard gas and lewisite.

1945 Project Paperclip is initiated. The U.S. State Department, Army intelligence, and the CIA recruit Nazi scientists and offer them immunity and secret identities in exchange for work on top secret government projects in the United States.

1945 "Program F" is implemented by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC). This is the most extensive U.S. study of the health effects of fluoride, which was the key chemical component in atomic bomb production. One of the most toxic chemicals known to man, fluoride, it is found, causes marked adverse effects to the central nervous system but much of the information is squelched in the name of national security because of fear that lawsuits would undermine full-scale production of atomic bombs.

1946 Patients in VA hospitals are used as guinea pigs for medical experiments. In order to allay suspicions, the order is given to change the word "experiments" to "investigations" or "observations" whenever reporting a medical study performed in one of the nation's veteran's hospitals.

1947 Colonel E.E. Kirkpatrick of the U.S. Atomic Energy Comission issues a secret document (Document 07075001, January 8, 1947) stating that the agency will begin administering intravenous doses of radioactive substances to human subjects.

1947 The CIA begins its study of LSD as a potential weapon for use by American intelligence. Human subjects (both civilian and military) are used with and without their knowledge. [Operation Artichoke]

1950 Department of Defense begins plans to detonate nuclear weapons in desert areas and monitor downwind residents for medical problems and mortality rates.

1950 In an experiment to determine how susceptible an American city would be to biological attack, the U.S. Navy sprays a cloud of bacteria from ships over San Franciso. Monitoring devices are situated throughout the city in order to test the extent of infection. Many residents become ill with pneumonia-like symptoms.

1951 Department of Defense begins open air tests using disease-producing bacteria and viruses. Tests last through 1969 and there is concern that people in the surrounding areas have been exposed.

1953 U.S. military releases clouds of zinc cadmium sulfide gas over Winnipeg, St. Louis, Minneapolis, Fort Wayne, the Monocacy River Valley in Maryland, and Leesburg, Virginia. Their intent is to determine how efficiently they could disperse chemical agents.

1953 Joint Army-Navy-CIA experiments are conducted in which tens of thousands of people in New York and San Francisco are exposed to the airborne germs Serratia marcescens and Bacillus glogigii.

1953 CIA initiates Project MKULTRA. This is an eleven year research program designed to produce and test drugs and biological agents that would be used for mind control and behavior modification. Six of the subprojects involved testing the agents on unwitting human beings.

1955 The CIA, in an experiment to test its ability to infect human populations with biological agents, releases a bacteria withdrawn from the Army's biological warfare arsenal over Tampa Bay, Fl.

1955 Army Chemical Corps continues LSD research, studying its potential use as a chemical incapacitating agent. More than 1,000 Americans participate in the tests, which continue until 1958.

1956 U.S. military releases mosquitoes infected with Yellow Fever over Savannah, Ga and Avon Park, Fl. Following each test, Army agents posing as public health officials test victims for effects.

1958 LSD is tested on 95 volunteers at the Army's Chemical Warfare Laboratories for its effect on intelligence.

1960 The Army Assistant Chief-of-Staff for Intelligence (ACSI) authorizes field testing of LSD in Europe and the Far East. Testing of the european population is code named Project THIRD CHANCE; testing of the Asian population is code named Project DERBY HAT. [Opeation Dirty Tricks]

1965 Project CIA and Department of Defense begin Project MKSEARCH, a program to develop a capability to manipulate human behavior through the use of mind-altering drugs.

1965 Prisoners at the Holmesburg State Prison in Philadelphia are subjected to dioxin, the highly toxic chemical component of Agent Orange used in Viet Nam. The men are later studied for development of cancer, which indicates that Agent Orange had been a suspected carcinogen all along.

1966 CIA initiates Project MKOFTEN, a program to test the toxicological effects of certain drugs on humans and animals.

1966 U.S. Army dispenses Bacillus subtilis variant niger throughout the New York City subway system. More than a million civilians are exposed when army scientists drop lightbulbs filled with the bacteria onto ventilation grates.

1967 CIA and Department of Defense implement Project MKNAOMI, successor to MKULTRA and designed to maintain, stockpile and test biological and chemical weapons.

1968 CIA experiments with the possibility of poisoning drinking water by injecting chemicals into the water supply of the FDA in Washington, D.C.

1969 Dr. Robert MacMahan of the Department of Defense requests from congress $10 million to develop, within 5 to 10 years, a synthetic biological agent to which no natural immunity exists.

1970 Funding for the synthetic biological agent is obtained under H.R. 15090. The project, under the supervision of the CIA, is carried out by the Special Operations Division at Fort Detrick, the army's top secret biological weapons facility. Speculation is raised that molecular biology techniques are used to produce AIDS-like retroviruses.

1970 United States intensifies its development of "ethnic weapons" (Military Review, Nov., 1970), designed to selectively target and eliminate specific ethnic groups who are susceptible due to genetic differences and variations in DNA.

1975 The virus section of Fort Detrick's Center for Biological Warfare Research is renamed the Fredrick Cancer Research Facilities and placed under the supervision of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) . It is here that a special virus cancer program is initiated by the U.S. Navy, purportedly to develop cancer-causing viruses. It is also here that retrovirologists isolate a virus to which no immunity exists. It is later named HTLV (Human T-cell Leukemia Virus).

1977 Senate hearings on Health and Scientific Research confirm that 239 populated areas had been contaminated with biological agents between 1949 and 1969. Some of the areas included San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Key West, Panama City, Minneapolis, and St. Louis.
1978 Experimental Hepatitis B vaccine trials, conducted by the CDC, begin in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Ads for research subjects specifically ask for promiscuous homosexual men.

1981 First cases of AIDS are confirmed in homosexual men in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, triggering speculation that AIDS may have been introduced via the Hepatitis B vaccine

1985 According to the journal Science (227:173-177), HTLV and VISNA, a fatal sheep virus, are very similar, indicating a close taxonomic and evolutionary relationship.

1986 According to the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (83:4007-4011), HIV and VISNA are highly similar and share all structural elements, except for a small segment which is nearly identical to HTLV. This leads to speculation that HTLV and VISNA may have been linked to produce a new retrovirus to which no natural immunity exists.

1986 A report to Congress reveals that the U.S. Government's current generation of biological agents includes: modified viruses, naturally occurring toxins, and agents that are altered through genetic engineering to change immunological character and prevent treatment by all existing vaccines.
1987 Department of Defense admits that, despite a treaty banning research and development of biological agents, it continues to operate research facilities at 127 facilities and universities around the nation.

1990 More than 1500 six-month old black and hispanic babies in Los Angeles are given an "experimental" measles vaccine that had never been licensed for use in the United States. CDC later admits that parents were never informed that the vaccine being injected to their children was experimental.

1994 With a technique called "gene tracking," Dr. Garth Nicolson at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX discovers that many returning Desert Storm veterans are infected with an altered strain of Mycoplasma incognitus, a microbe commonly used in the production of biological weapons. Incorporated into its molecular structure is 40 percent of the HIV protein coat, indicating that it had been man-made.

1994 Senator John D. Rockefeller issues a report revealing that for at least 50 years the Department of Defense has used hundreds of thousands of military personnel in human experiments and for intentional exposure to dangerous substances. Materials included mustard and nerve gas, ionizing radiation, psychochemicals, hallucinogens, and drugs used during the Gulf War .

1995 U.S. Government admits that it had offered Japanese war criminals and scientists who had performed human medical experiments salaries and immunity from prosecution in exchange for data on biological warfare research.

1995 Dr. Garth Nicolson, uncovers evidence that the biological agents used during the Gulf War had been manufactured in Houston, TX and Boca Raton, Fl and tested on prisoners in the Texas Department of Corrections.

1996 Department of Defense admits that Desert Storm soldiers were exposed to chemical agents.

1997 Eighty-eight members of Congress sign a letter demanding an investigation into bioweapons use & Gulf War Syndrome.

Fuck Christmas (2)

Shopping in Morrisons for vegetables with my son John on Saturday, I asked him to point out anyone in the supermartket he saw smiling or who looked happy – I wanted to reinforce my arguments that for the majority of people Christmas is not a time of cheerfulness. The place was packed, thrice the usual Saturday crowd, and most shoppers had trolleys that were overflowing, full of produce meant to make them happy. The queues at the till were predictably long and it was staggering to see just how much yer average shopper was spending. The couple in front of me spent £230.00 and looking at what they packed their bags with you just knew that most of that would be binned – unless they were intending on feeding the street. Neither did they look joyous or in festive mood.

Needless to say, we saw no smiling customers; not even the staff on the tills who looked quite pissed off with their lot and were no doubt wishing they were elsewhere. We went from there to South Shields and, walking up King Street towards the market, I again asked him to point out any smiling shoppers. But again we saw none, just shoppers looking anxious, frustrated and I assume wishing they were elsewhere.

“Nobody looks happy,” he said, at last.

I looked at him and smiled. We both agreed it was one huge wallet-emptying charade with the only ones really smiling, bar the wee bairns opening the presents on Xmas day, being the profit mongers who were clearly raking it in.

**********

Just came across these facts and figures. They’re a bit dated – scven years old – but they say much about the festive (or should that be ‘fetid’) season.

* In the seven days running up to Christmas, Asda estimates it will have sold 750,000 tonnes of Christmas pudding (1) - that’s equivalent to the weight of 1,875 jumbo jets (2).

* Marks & Spencer estimates it will sell more than 500 tonnes of sprouts over the Christmas period (3), that’s as heavy as 125 double decker buses.

* In preparation for the festive rush Tesco stores have stocked up with 2.25 million fresh and frozen turkeys, 72 million mince pies and 16 million Christmas crackers (4). If all these Christmas crackers were laid end to end, they would stretch for 3,082 miles – that’s the length of the entire UK coastline.

* Between 20% and 30% more glass jars and bottles are collected over the Christmas period (5).

* During the Christmas period, we’ll cook 6,711 tonnes of fresh whole turkeys and 12,472 tonnes of frozen whole turkeys (6).

* This Christmas the UK will consume almost 5.5 million jars of mincemeat, 12 million jars of pickles and 6.5 million jars of cranberry sauce all packaged in glass, but only a small percentage will get recycled (7). The weight of all these jars is equivalent to the weight of 59,500 Santa’s, weighing an average 18 stone each. And if all these glass jars were recycled, it would save enough energy to boil water for 60 million cups of tea (8).

* Royal Mail delivers around 150 million cards and packets during the pre-Christmas period. It is estimated that up to 1 billion Christmas cards (17 for every man, woman and child) could end up afterwards in bins across the UK (9). If all the Christmas cards were laid end to end they would span from London to Sydney and back more than five times!

* Over six million trees were bought last Christmas in the UK, most of which were thrown out after December (10) creating over 9,000 tonnes of additional rubbish, almost five times the weight of the London Eye (11).

* It is estimated that over Christmas as much as 83 sq km of wrapping paper will end up in UK rubbish bins, enough to cover an area larger than Guernsey (12) or enough to cover Hyde Park 33 times (13).

* The waste created in Britain over Christmas is equivalent to 400,000 double decker buses, stretching all the way from London to New York City! And even though half of this waste could easily be recycled, almost 90% will actually end up in the dustbin. Parties and presents account for a 30% increase in the number of bottles and cans binned, not to mention the Christmas trees, extra packaging, paper and card thrown out across the capital (14).

* Around 125,000 tonnes of plastic packaging are thrown away over Christmas - that's the equivalent weight of more than 50,000 festive polar bears!!! When buying gifts, try to avoid items that are excessively packaged (15).

* Around 4,200 tonnes of aluminium foil gets thrown away in the UK each Christmas (16).

Source (like I said, these stats are a bit dated, but I doubt there's been much improvement):

1 Guardian Unlimited, 24/12/02

2 Research Machines plc and based on an average jumbo jet take-off weight of approx 400 tonnes,i.e. 1875 jumbo jets

3 Guardian Unlimited 24/12/02

4 Guardian Unlimited 24/12/02

5 Waste Watch

6 British Turkey

7 British Glass

8 Waste Watch

9 Waste Watch

10 Durham County Council

11 BuyImage.co.uk

12 Waste Watch

13 Friends of the Earth

14 Recycle For Cheshire - http://www.crewe-nantwich.gov.uk/main.asp?page=1704

15 Durham County Council

16 Durham County Council

And…

The Downside of Christmas

Christmas pressures mean divorce in January

A study has shown that January 8th is the busiest day of the year for divorce lawyers when up to one in five couples will enquire about divorce after the pressures of Christmas. The enforced intimacy of Christmas, coupled with the start of a new year is thought to be the main trigger. The other peak in the year is after the summer holidays. Adultery, lack of sex, abuse and boredom were the main causes of divorce enquiries. Studies show that fewer than 40% of those who divorce will be happier.
Reported in the Daily Telegraph 8 January 2007

The cost of Christmas

The average Briton spends around £600 on presents alone at Christmas, much of that going on a credit card or loan. Around 10,000 people were predicted to end up bankrupt and insolvent in the three months following Christmas due to their spending over Christmas and the New Year. Recently, record levels of debt and those in serious financial trouble have been registered with 110,000 falling into insolvency in 2006, the first time the figure has topped 100,000.
Reported in the Daily Mail 3 January 2007

American Leadership and War

I posted this on my previous Revolutionary Act blog site, but somehow lost it when changing sites. I found it a helpful tool at the time - wading into arguments between Democrats and Repukes in Yahoo's US political chat rooms and countering the arguments of democrats that the repukes were the real war mongers. This chart of leadership and war clearly shows that both parties are neck deep in workers' blood, with the Democrats, serving as the executive of US capitalism when in power, coming off as the biggest murderers.

HSTORICAL SPREAD OF RELIGION

Five thousand years of religion in 90 seconds? Now there's a thing. If only the history of religion on the planet had have lasted 90 seconds!

Fuck Christmas

There is a memorable scene in the film Liam, set against the backdrop of the 1930s depression in Liverpool, when Pa Sullivan, played by Ian Hart, rises to his feet during his son’s first Holy Communion and launches into the priest who is praising the assembled communicants.

Says the priest: “I'd like to say how nice the children look. The girls in their frocks..the boys in their lovely white shirts. You've done them proud.”

To the shock of the catholic congregation, Pa Sullivan rises at the back of the church and screams: “Wanna know how we paid for it? Jesus Christ has got us all skint, Father. You kit them out for Christmas, and you finish paying by Easter. You do it for Easter, and you're finished for Whit. You do it for Whit and it's Christmas again before you know it. And you're getting deeper and deeper. And Jesus Christ is a millstone round your neck...And tomorrow morning, all these clothes are going in the pawnshop.”

If I’m guilty of nicking and over-using one line from a film it has to be “Jesus Christ has got us all skint”. I uttered it the other day whilst talking to a group of local single parents, who were comparing their notes on the Christmas experience and how they’re all “up to their eyes” in debt accommodating their kids’ whims or Christmas; debt that will take a year at least to pay off, that’s if you don’t miss a payment.

The usual thing round here, bar the loan from the DWP social fund, is the Provident loan. They give their loans to anyone, no questions asked and the interest rate is a staggering 68%. I know parents who have taken out a loan from the social fund as well as the “provi” loan. The former is interest-free and is deducted from your benefits at source. The two together amount to a hefty milestone when you’re struggling to survive on benefits.

So, if you’re on state benefits, it’s like your whole year centres on Xmas day, if not preparing for it then paying for it and having to do without essentials just to meet the loan agreements. I jest not – for many families Jesus Christ, or rather what takes place in his name, has them skint year in, year out. I know parents who quite literally dread this time of year, who curse its approach. Do they know it’s Christmas? as Bob Geldof and co once sang. Too fucking right they do – they pay for it every day of their adult lives.

And how this wonderful consumer society serves the poor, forever exposing the emptiness of their lives and kindly providing the means by which their lives can be enriched and how they too can enjoy happiness over Christmas, just like the well-to-dos. As the Citizen Advice Bureau has found, interest on this ‘happiness’ can rise to as much as 1800 per cent a year.

Just where the fuck would we be without the advertising industry who continually alert us to needs we never even knew we had and who constantly remind us that our lives are really less satisfactory than we had hitherto imagined. Thank God for Nintendo 3, ipods, male face creams and the myriad gadgets we have amazingly managed to live without for 2 million years – just how the fuck did our species survive without them. Sheesh!

The unremitting onslaught of advertising exerts constant pressure on parents in particular who, fearful their kids will be labelled, belittled and humiliated if their pressies are not up to scratch when they compare notes in the school yard, are more than ready to satisfy the most outlandish want and bugger the cost and inconvenience for the next 52 weeks.

And the sad thing is, we all know Christmas marketing is just one big profit-oriented scam, benefiting manufacturers, stores, and huge corporations, while driving individuals into debt. You don’t need a degree in ethics to realise that the Chrimbo "wish lists" and "gift exchanges" demeans the concept of giving. We know this annual orgy of consumption – 40% of what we buy is binned, unused – is detrimental to the environment, filling landfills with useless packaging and discarded gifts. We know Christmas means misery for millions of families, depression for hundreds of thousands – the Samaritans say they receive an 8% increase in calls between Christmas day and New Year. Yet still we tag along with the damned charade, still we passively acquiesce in the madness. Even socialists take it seriously, for fuck’s sake. I know SPGB members, my comrades, who actually send out the conventional Christmas cards.

Seems the workers just need this annual fix, this distraction from the rat race, even if they do know its all bollocks

Me, I’m fed up with the unified bleatings of friends and associates, who mockingly call me "Scrooge" when I fail to fully endorse their ritual orgy of consumption or utter the hackneyed “are you set for xmas yet?” type of remark. For I’m one of those dole wallahs with kids and grandkids who can say “Jesus Christ has got me skint.” And being a convinced atheist, a Marxist, it smarts just that little bit more.

For more anti-Chrimbo musings from yours truly click here

Jon Cruddas calls for the Electoral Commission to investigate the BNP

Here's the full speech that Jon Cruddas made to Parliament on the 18th December in regards the recent activities of the BNP, accusing it of financial irregularities and the party's leadership of illegal activities. The party is five month behind in making any report on its finances and an estimated £17,000 is unaccounted for. Just a shame this is a Christmas Recess Debate, with the majority of the house on their Chrimbo hols - it might have attracted more attention to the nazi scumbags

Says Cruddas, concluding: "What is being uncovered in the internal workings of the British National Party appears to be illegal in terms of data protection, bugging, theft and the operation of the Political Parties, Elections and referendums Act 2000.

"This is not the behaviour of a mature political party and I would like to see the police and the electoral commission investigate these charges.

"The fact that this is being orchestrated by the leader of a political party is most shocking. The BNP leadership and Nick Griffin in particular, are showing us its true colours."

Fair's fair, however, and I reckon any politico could have made just as damning a speech about the Labour Party and their underhand shenanigans. Not think so? Check out Labour Sleaze then have a look at the Iraqgate files

Update:

But when it comes to in-fighting, the BNP wins hands down. Someone should do a sit com about this bunch of nutters. Check out this report on the recent BNP bun fight in Leeds. What a damned shame nobody secretly video recorded this gem.

Connie Talbot (aged 6) sings Imagine

Connie Talbot's CD is out now. Some good stuff here from a bairn the same age as my granddaughter Rosa. Alternatively the CD can be downloaded at The Pirate Bay . Makes a pleasant change from reading up on the BNP - akin to sailing through a sewer in a glass submarine - and, say what you want, Imagine has long since been claimed by many a socialist as there theme song.

Nazis continue to fall out

“Chairman’s Column”, the personal blogsite of BNP leader Nick Griffin has been silent of late. At a time when the BNP is in crisis, with 48 BNP councillors, officials and organisers tendering their resignations since Sunday you’d think King Nick would have stepped forward and made some troop-rallying “once more unto the breach” kind of appeal to the demoralised nazi rank and file of the BNP, but no. The crisis escalates.

Were it not enough that the homes of two BNP members were burgled by the party’s security department – made up of ex-South African police officers – we learn from the ‘enoughisenoughnick’ blogsite – set up by the rebel faction, that Griffin had gloatingly sent Matt Single, fiance of Sadie Graham (see previous post) a personal message informing him of the ghastly deed.

Writes Mr Single on the blogsite today:

“Many people have commented as to why I have been so muted ever since I received a text message from Nick Griffin on the 9^th December at lunchtime, informing me that my home had just been successfully raided by Party Security at his request.

“My immediate reaction of disbelief shortly followed by one of anger still has not diminished today, but has instead been joined with feelings of total betrayal. In retrospect, I am relieved that I have taken some quiet time to reflect on the situation fully and not be drawn into thoughts and words clouded in desires for unconsidered retribution.

“Act in haste, repent at leisure; these are wise words that I have adhered to during this difficult period.”

“…I at the drop of a hat would have given my life for Nick as his personal security, so to realise the vile and horrible way in which he has stabbed Sadie and I in the back leaves me almost speechless.

“Nick Griffin sent under ‘chairman’s orders’, five members of my own Security Department, men I have stood by through thick and thin and helped to train, to steal belongings from Sadie and I while we were away. Her computer has been accessed and Sadie’s private personal account read by dishonourable people paid by Griffin to dig around to publish information in order to hurt her. This level of betrayal by Griffin cannot be understated.”

It gets worse:

“At last years conference in Blackpool, I witnessed Collett and Hannam [the two Nazis at the centre of the split] attempt to have sexual relations with two girls that were obviously under the age of sexual consent. These vile acts and others are not only illegal, they fall completely outside of the very ethos of nationalism that is supposed to represent family values and morality."

Meanwhile, Dagenham’s Labour MP Jon Cruddas has today called on the police to look into possible illegal acts by the British National Party leadership. As previously alluded to on this site, leading officers in the BNP have been secretly recording phone conversations of some of its officials and monitoring their emails.

Saturday gone, 8 December, members of the BNP security team also gained access to the home of BNP official Sadie Graham, one of Nick Griffin’s detractors, and removed personal belongings, including a computer. Sadie Graham is a borough councillor in Broxtowe and much of her council work was on the computer. Nazi hierarchs have subsequently gone through the computer reading emails and documents, including emails that have arrived since the computer was stolen. Griffin has even boasted about reading these emails on the party website.

Cruddas’ call comes as the crisis that is tearing the BNP apart grows. On Sunday the BNP sacked two of its leading officers “on the grounds of gross misconduct.” Sadie Graham, the party’s group development officer, and Kenny Smith, the party’s head of administration, were sacked after they had begun to openly criticise the performance and behaviour of three other full-time party workers. Despite allegations of financial mismanagement, including £17,000 which appears to have gone missing from the BNP 2006 accounts (which have yet to be submitted to the Electoral Commission), Nick Griffin refused to investigate.

Instead, he set his ‘Intelligence Department’, run by former South African police officers, to look for evidence against his critics.

If Griffin thought that the sacking of Graham and Smith would end the rebellion he was deeply mistaken. Almost 50 councillors, branch organisers, regional organisers and party officials have publicly backed the duo.

“The BNP leadership is showing us its true colours,” says Jon Cruddas. “They appear to be monitoring phonecalls and emails of their members and removing computers from private households. This is not the behaviour of a normal political party and I would like to see the police investigate this.”

Cruddas is particularly concerned with the allegation that a computer with private council business and personal correspondence from voters is being scrutinised by the BNP leadership. “This is totally deplorable and must be stopped immediately. These fascistic bullyboy tactics should have no place in our political system.”

Sources:

Stop the BNP

Enoughisenoughnick

The BNP fallout so far

Andrew Gatward (West Lindsey Organiser)

Bev Jones (North West Regional Fund-Raiser, Tameside Secretary, Manchester North Fundraiser and Ex-North West Regional Organiser)

Brian Riley (Glasgow Organiser)

Charlie Baillie (Glasgow Fundholder)

Cllr Chris Beverley (Yorkshire Elections Officer, Leeds Organiser - Mark Collett's local Branch - and Advisory Council Member)

Cllr Dave Brown (Broxtowe)

Cllr Graham Partner (North West Leicestershire Fundholder)

Cllr John Ryde (East Midlands Press Officer and Education & Training Officer)

Cllr Lewis Allsebrook (Amber Valley Organiser)

Cllr Nina Brown (East Mids Regional Secretary and Broxtowe Organiser)

Cllr Roger Robertson (South East Regional Organiser and Advisory Council Member)

Cllr Sadie Graham (Head of Group Development, East Mids Regional Organiser and Advisory Council Member)

Danny Lake (YBNP Leader)

Dave Jones (National Data Protection Officer, North West Regional Secretary, Regional Press Officer and Tameside Fundholder)

Dave Taylor (Bradford Contact)

Gary Pudsey (Bridlington Organiser)

Ian Dawson (Yorkshire Regional Secretary, Former Head of Group Support and Advisory Council Member)

Ivan Winters (Bradford Fundholder)

Kenny Smith (Head of Administration, Scottish Regional Organiser, Scottish Elections Officer and Advisory Council Member)

Kieran Dinsmore (Ulster Regional Organiser)

Lee Haggan (Doncaster Organiser and Great White Records Recording Artist)

Lesley Dathan (Sunderland Fundholder)

Louise Scott (Scarborough Secretary and Northern Regional Voices Correspondent)

Malcolm Porter (West Lindsay Fundholder)

Mark Payne (Former Assistant National Treasurer)

Mark Wain (Melton & Rutland Press Officer)

Mark Westbury (Nottingham Secretary)

Matt Single (Department of Security Secretary and Training Officer)

Michael Clarke (Ashfield Organiser)

Mike Cooper (Hull Fund-Holder - Dave Hannam's local Group)

Neil Craig (Bradford Organiser)

Nicholla Smith (Managing Director of Excalibur, Falkirk Organiser and Advisory Council Member)

Nick Walsh (Hull BNP Organiser - Dave Hannam's local Group)

Paul Harris (Barnsley Organiser)

Peter (Boston, Holbeach & Spalding Fundholder)

Peter Hollings (Yorkshire Regional Fund-Raiser and Leeds Secretary - Mark Collett's local Branch)

Richard Chadfield (North West Regional Fundholder and Former Stockport Organiser)

Rick Foster (Lincoln Organiser)

Rob Walker (Wellingborough Contact)

Robert Walker (Huddersfield Organiser)

Sammy Shaw (Falkirk Fundholder and Forum Moderator)

Scott McLean (Former Deputy Chairman, Scottish Regional Organiser and Advisory Council Member)

Steve Blake (Web Editor, Head of Education & Training and Advisory Council Member)

Steve Thomson (Aberdeen Organiser)

Stuart Russell (Former National Press Officer and Advisory Council Member))

Tom Linden (Harrogate & District Organiser)

Trisha Scott (Scarborough Organiser)

Wendy Russell (East Midlands Regional Fundraiser, Regional Information Officer and Peacock Club Chairman)

BNP begins to fragment

Hearing that the BNP are in crisis, I accessed their website for further info and yup, its true.

One posting from Sunday gone reads: “This morning, Kenny Smith, Head of Administration and Sadie Graham, Group Development Officer, were expelled from the BNP for, amongst other things, creating and setting up a treasonous blogspot designed to attack and smear fellow party officials.”

There then follows the transcript of a lengthy conversation between Smith and Graham which begs the question ‘Is the BNP hierarchy bugging its membership’?

The question is answered when you read another story entitled "Anti BNP Subversion Stopped Dead' from the same day posted on the BNP site:

“Some months ago, a BNP Intelligence Department was set up, with one of its key initial targets being to track down the source of these problems and provide the evidence needed to expose those responsible and put an end to their subversion.”

Leaving aside the contradictory statement “BNP Intelligence Department” – nah, come on, stop laughing - what is this subversion? The story cites “a string of leaks and misinformation briefings to political opponents, and…internal rumour-mongering designed to damage morale and confidence in the workings of various party departments, and in the leadership generally."

The story continues: “In order to afford the accused a fair hearing at their forthcoming disciplinary tribunals, it is not proper to rehearse the details of the cases against them here at present. It can, however, be said that the prosecution will produce evidence of their heading a secretive bid to force out of positions, or even out of the Party, individuals who were not on ‘their side’ in a sordid factional power-grab, while attempting to cover up serious failings and inefficiencies by individuals on ‘their side’.

“…evidence will be put before the tribunals of an alleged plot by Mr Smith and Miss Graham to pack the Advisory Council with their supporters and to change the Party constitution so as to take power away from the elected leader and the Voting Membership, and concentrate it in their own hands.

“The prosecution also alleges that there is clear evidence of their direct involvement in setting up a disgraceful anti-BNP smear blog and, in the case of Mr. Smith, of serious breaches of accountancy procedures leaving up to £17,000 unaccounted for in the 2006 Central Audit, and of a wilful neglect of the Excalibur merchandising operation constituting attempted financial sabotage in order to create an artificial ‘crisis’ to which their proposals would be presented as the solution.”

As the Stop the BNP website reveals, it would appear that a number of other high ranking Nazis, including several organisers and councillors, have also left the BNP As of last night it seems that five of the party’s 13 regional organisers have resigned, four BNP councillors have withdrawn the whip and are now Independent Nationalist councillors, and five Advisory Council members are backing the rebellion as are several other local branch organisers. There are further resignations in the pipeline.

This crisis, predicted by Searchlight, is the result of an increasingly bitter quarrel between rival factions in the BNP. On one side are the younger and more able organisers and officers, led by Graham and Smith and include Leeds councillor Chris Beverley and the party’s former website creator Steve Blake.

On the other side is the brat pack, a ‘laddish sect’ made up of Mark Collett, head of publicity, party treasurer John Walker, his deputy David Hannam, head of security Martin Reynolds and Bradford councillor Paul Cromie.

For his part, leader Nick Griffin has sided with the brats and now taken action against the former group, party apparatchiks, who run the party operation.

Increasingly frustrated at the leadership’s refusal to act against the amateurish performance and general incompetence of Hannan, Walker and Collett, Smith and Graham set up a blog site to build a campaign against the three men, whom they dismiss as “these sleazy, lying, incompetent scumbags”. Unfortunately for them, the BNP leadership obtained a recording of a telephone conversation in which Smith explained to Graham how she could help with the blog site.

But if Griffin thought the strength of his case against the pair would overshadow any fallout, he was wrong. Within hours of the sackings several other prominent BNP members had walked out in sympathy. Among them are Nina Brown, the Boxtowe organiser and a local parish councillor, Danny Lake, the leader of the Young BNP, and Ian Dawson. Every BNP official in Scotland has resigned.

For further information on the shenanigans at the 'Court of Mad King Nick', download the Searchlight special "BNP in Crisis" document here in pdf format.

Let’s just hope this BNP split does not result in the formation of another neo-nazi organisation. Interestingly, in the hour since I commenced this posting, the BNP have changed their main lead story and, in an attempt to deflect attention from this story, have diverted prying eyes to the split in the SWP-led RESPECT organisation.

Update (1):

Griffin increasingly isolated

Date: 11 December 2007 - Yorkshire joins the rebellion

Nick Griffin is now in dire trouble. If his problems weren't serious enough he will have been greeted with news today that most of the West Yorkshire BNP organisers have joined the rebellion. Among them are organisers for Bradford, York and Huddersfield. In addition, Leeds councillor Chris Beverley has resigned the party whip and one can only presume that former party manager Nick Cass is thinking along the same lines. With these latter two will come activists from Leeds, Dewsbury and Wakefield.

With organisers in Scotland, Northern Ireland, East Midlands and now the all-important West Yorkshire region joining the revolt, Griffin must be feeling very isolated.

-----------------------------

Now operating under the name Real BNP, the dissidents have set up their own website (http://www.realbnp.org.uk/) but they have issued guidance to others disillusioned with the current BNP leadership.

Issuing a call to ‘Support the resistance – Save the BNP!’ they suggest the following:

1, Do not renew your membership yet!
2, Do not resign from the Party
3, Resign from any official position you hold - Let's to bring the organisation to a grinding halt and show the strength of feeling amongst the working officials that Griffin needs to sack the three chimps and not hardworking Party loyalists.
4, Do not resign as a councillor - ever!
5, Throw off the party whip and declare yourself an Independent Nationalist Councillor.

It seems that a growing number of people are following their lead.

Update (2)

More underhand tactics

Latest news is that ex-BNP Group Development Officer Sadie Graham has called in the police over the removal of property from her home. Seemingly BNP storm troopers entered her house on Saturday and seized, without her permission, whilst she was away form the weekend, her laptop and printer. On a continuing suicide mission, the BNP Press officer, Simon Darby, no doubt on the nod of leader Nick Griffin, released Graham’s private emails and which can now be found in cyber space (http://lancasteruaf.blogspot.com/search/label/Data%20Protection%20Act)

Perhaps the police would like to investigate just what the BNP’s “Intelligence Department” has been up to – whether her home had been entered illegally, for instance, so it could be tapped, whether her mobile phone (a recent acquisition from the Party) had been bugged. and whether the release of her private emails into cyber space is in breach of the Data Protection Act.

A statement from BNP Cllr Nina Brown (East Mids Regional Secretary & Broxtowe Organiser) reads:

I wish to clarify the situation that led to the “raid” on Sadies home and the removal of her personal computer and various other items.

For a couple of years I have been a keyholder to Sadie’s house, originally to feed her cat whilst she was away on holiday, but more recently for local organisers to pick up their monthly orders of the Voice of Freedom, Identity, campaign leaflets etc during Sadies absence. On Saturday morning I spotted the Party van, which I recognised from the monthly literature run, parked outside Sadie’s home, with Martin Reynolds in the drivers seat, his wife Lindsey and several other security guys hanging around the front of Sadies home. I found that slightly odd as I knew that Sadie and Matt were away for the weekend. By the time I had turned the car around and pulled up to the house, four guys were walking down the passage that led from the back of the house to the front. I walked up to the van and spoke to Lindsey through the open window, I asked her if she knew that Sadie and Matt were away, inititally thinking that they had arrived for a security meeting and there had been a mix up with dates. I asked why they were there, but they wouldn’t tell me, which in itself is not so unusual as Security has always been just that, Secure and is never questioned, for obvious reasons. Just for the record, but goes without saying, if I knew what was going on, I would never in a million years have let them in.

The reason I did not question further what they were doing there is, because I knew the guys pretty well from several occasions, including the recent Blackpool Conference and had become to regard them as good friends, as they were with Sadie and Matt. These were the Security Team which we had come to like and trust with our well being at high profile meetings, such as the recent local meeting in Kimberley, why would I have reason to question their actions? I did say to Lindsey, “Do you want me to call Sadie or will Martin phone them”, at this point Martin was already on his mobile phone, which I assumed was to either Sadie or Matt, Lindsey then got out of the van, obviously now to make sure I would be out of earshot of Martin’s conversation with, who I now believe to be Nick Griffin.

After 20 minutes or so on the phone, which Lindsey and I laughed about as she said “Martin will have to have that phone surgically removed from his ear these days”. Martin got out of the van and walked up to me, I asked him if everything was sorted with them (meaning with Sadie and Matt), and I said to him “So am I ok to let you in?”. He nodded, it was at this point I opened the door and went inside, I picked up our bundle of newspapers, Voice of Freedom which had been left for me just inside the door, they all followed me inside. I then went straight back outside to carry on the conversation with Lindsey, by this time all the guys were inside, I did not see what they were doing as I was standing outside and away from the door. I did see the large printer being put into the van, but I still thought nothing of it as printers, photocopiers etc were sometimes moved around the regions when new ones were acquired. Also I knew that several senior members of the Party had recently received new mobiles and laptops, as Sadie was a high profile member, I guessed she was simply receiving brand new equipment at some point.

Why on earth would I not trust our Security Team, the lefties had always been the enemy, never our own people!

On finding out the full truth later in the day, to me it had now become personal, this left me with no other option but to hand in my resignation from my positions as Parish Councillor and Local Organiser. For over two years I have put my heart and soul into the Party and like others am deeply saddened at recent events. Sadie and Matt have worked tirelessly for the Party, I consider them fantastic people, they have worked above and beyond the cause with the nation and members interests first and foremost. I could not have fulfilled my prior rold of EM Regional Secretary and Broxtowe Organiser and later becoming a Election Candidate in Kimberley without her full backing and support. I consider Sadie and Matt true friends, I like many others, cannot understand how the Party can function without them.

(statement source: http://lancasteruaf.blogspot.com/)

Sadie Graham's offending email (below) has been posted on the BNP website here:

"I think you are doing ok and the right thing. Don’t worry this stays private. We are forced to do stuff at moment. Ive been handing out wrong amended bank statements for my region to make sure that hannam gets the flak. On another note please let me have the letter asap.Sadie"

David Abrahams - a humble prole?

Writing in today’s Guardian, David Abrahams, the Newcastle-born millionaire property developer, who is at the centre of the £600,000+ Labour Party donor scandal, makes an interesting claim. He says in his defence:

“I do not want my wealth to change the way I, as a working-class boy, lead my life, or to get in the way of my many friendships with people from a similar background.”

Working class boy? Now there’s a thing. What hypocrisy! I say this because I well remember Mr Abrahams from a two-year Trade Union and Labour Studies course we were both students on at Northumbria University in the mid 90’s and he sat next to me often. He even took the Socialist Standard, for what good it did him.

I well remember the class debating the ‘class‘ issue one evening – whether there were two classes in society or three or four or whatever. We did a straw poll at the start of the debate and only two of us supported the two class model - something that struck me as odd at the time, considering the number of trade union activists and shop stewards on the course. But we had a heated debate, me and a young females student arguing there were two classes and that each class was determined by its position in the relations of production, and the eighteen or so other students putting across various sociological explanations as to why there were three and four classes, Abrahams the most vociferous amongst them.

At the end of the debate, a straw poll was again conducted. All but one student agreed there were two classes in society, working class and capitalist class – how’s that for Marxist persuasion – and this tenacious multi-class apologist, who insisted he was not working class to boot, was none other than David Abrahams. But this was Abrahams all over, for I often remember him arguing the odds from an un-winnable position in class, ever seemingly wanting to stand out.

I remember too that ginormous bloody filofax he carried around with him, packed with his important contact’s telephone numbers and that damned brick-sized mobile phone he always had on show, in the days when they were a novelty – all to remind us that he was more important than us – and how he would infuriate lecturers and students alike with the incessant calls he would interrupt lessons with until a lecturer threatened to throw it out of the window if it went off again. I think this was the last time we seen him – he never finished the course.

I’ve read a lot about Mr Abrahams since the donor scandal story made it to the front pages – a lot of it common knowledge even 14 years ago – but nothing that surprises me. And if he is still the man I remember, he will be revelling in this new-found fame. If he is the private man, the man who seeks anonymity, which he claims, then you have to ask why the hell he decided offer himself up for an interview with Newsnight's rottweiler presenter Jeremy Paxman and to impart on live TV the full content of a private letter from Gordon Brown's chief fundraiser Jon Mendelsohn and which extolled him as "one of the (Labour) party's strongest supporters”.

The journalist Stephen Pollard has described him as "the pushiest person (he) ever came across" at Fabian meetings in the early 1990's and tells how "he would ring up the office asking about meetings and contacts. At those meetings he would make a bee-line for the most senior politicians in the room. He was, in short, keen to be noticed."

The unassuming working class Geordie he certainly is not. His credentials show him to be an attention-seeking capitalist, ever on the look out to make the right contacts with those in positions of power to further his own interests. He is director of six property companies in Newcastle, which have earned him enough money to afford a home in the up-market Newcastle suburb, Gosforth, as well as a flat in the posh St John's Wood area in North London.