Lance Morcan's Blog, page 60
July 22, 2015
Poll asks: Is the War on Drugs really about reducing the illegal drug trade?
Do you believe the War on Drugs is mostly being conducted to reduce the illegal drug trade or make drugs more profitable? We ask that question of members of our Underground Knowledge group in our latest poll on Goodreads.com – and so far 41% of respondents say it’s to make drugs more profitable.
US soldiers on patrol in the poppy fields of Afghanistan.
Some 25% say it (the war) is to reduce the illegal drug trade; 27% are unsure; and 7% cannot say “as I’m high right now and can’t think!”
As in all our polls, some of the respondents’ comments make for interesting reading.
A random selection of comments (abridged) follows:
It goes so much deeper than these four simple response choices. The war on drugs is about control. It has bred such evil corruption within government. The drug forfeiture laws that allow police to basically steal and rob from innocent citizens their property, all in the name of “potential” drug activity, is unconscionable!
I think even if the War on Drugs started out as per the official story (which is a very big IF in my view) these days I agree it’s mostly a cover for one of the biggest money-making operations on the planet. By making them illegal it drives the price way up and by invading drug-producing nations it allows certain superpowers to gain most of the worldwide drug revenue. CIA involvement in decades long large-scale drug operations is all on-the-record.
I believe governments genuinely have got themselves into the war on drugs to reduce the illegal drugs industry. But the reason why they have, is in itself sinister – a mindset that sees force and discipline as the only way to tackle a problem. It’s an error of judgement that has fundamentally increased crime, not reduced it. In Latin America it has had disastrous results.
During the Taliban’s reign of Afghanistan (before 9/11) they had decimated heroin production in the country that traditionally produces the most heroin in the world. After 9/11 once the Taliban were ousted, the heroin trade immediately flourished once more.
The War on Drugs!!! The war is to control distribution, illegal narcotics are as in the words of Colonel Ollie North, “Black Money for Black Ops”. Heroin and Cocaine have been flooded into the USA by government agencies, Read “Dark Alliance” author Gary Webb, who “committed Suicide” after it was published, also Whiteout CIA Drugs and the Press, Alexander Cockburn and Jeffrey Sinclair, two very well researched and accurate books.
Currently, Afghanistan’s heroin production is at a record high even though there are US forces, UN troops and soldiers from various other Western nations supposedly patrolling the fields…Go figure how that’s possible!!
The War on Drugs probably interrelates to various other corrupt systems (such as the highly lucrative private prison system).
The world must wake up, US forces in 174 countries now,with “Black ops personnel” in more countries. Narcotics are flooding the streets of Europe/UK/USA/CAN/AUS/ and other places courtesy of government agencies. The amount of Narcotics that is coming in with very little interdiction is ridiculous. It is a massive game for the governments, for the ordinary people it is a massive nightmare about to become real.
To view more comments, or better still to have YOUR say, go to: https://www.goodreads.com/poll/list/142309-underground-knowledge—a-discussion-group?type=group
Poll ends July 30.
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Our Underground Knowledge discussion group is aimed at those with an interest in the world we live in and a desire to learn or to uncover “underground knowledge” on important issues of our times.
Everyone’s welcome to join! All you need is an enquiring mind and a desire to learn. Our members include scientists, social activists, teachers, historians, authors, former military and intelligence agency personnel, bankers, housewives, whistleblowers, students, former police officers, journalists, readers and many more.
Visit the Underground Knowledge discussion group at: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/142309-underground-knowledge—a-discussion-group
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July 20, 2015
Book two in ‘The Underground Knowledge Series’ draws critical praise from reviewers
ANTIGRAVITY PROPULSION: Human or Alien Technologies? is “A thought-provoking read,” according to one Amazon book reviewer. “Stunning!” says another.
Former NASA manager/engineer Marcha Fox describes the book as “An unbiased and objective view of the origin of technology.”
In her review Ms Fox, an author herself, says:
“I was particularly impressed by the unbiased, objective, journalistic views presented in this interesting book. The authors look at all angles and possibilities, allowing the reader to digest them on his or her own merits versus being nudged or sometimes shoved to the conclusions desired, as is the case of many such books.
“The authors assume that UFOs do indeed exist, a fact which is gradually being accepted as more evidence is released and credible witnesses continue to come forward. However, rather than assuming these strange vehicles are of extraterrestrial origin, the possibility is presented that perhaps not all of them are.
“All possibilities are covered, including connections between Japan and the Nazis of which I was previously unaware. The authors do an excellent job of staying on-topic.”
Here’s what other Amazon reviewers have to say about Antigravity Propulsion:
“This book includes never before mentioned accounts of popular UFO topics.”–Sheri Wilkinson
“The Morcans give the reader a clear discussion of this vital area of research.” -J.R Barrow
“A book that readers everwhere should read from cover to cover.” –Alice M. Dinizo
“Who’s to say what’s around the corner in other Solar Systems.”- Pennie M. Cartawick
To see all the reviews of Antigravity Propulsion go to Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/ANTIGRAVITY-PROPULSION-Technologies-Underground-Knowledge-ebook/dp/B00RSF22SI/
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July 17, 2015
Dangerous drugs Big Pharma doesn’t want you to know about
Sadly, the path the drug companies have followed, and continue to follow, is a long, rocky one littered with mistakes – mistakes that have been fatal for some; mistakes Big Pharma’s critics have labeled criminal; mistakes some claim are all too often more deliberate than accidental and therefore can hardly be referred to as mistakes. We examine some of the more high profile blunders, lapses, oversights – call them what you will – in our book MEDICAL INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX: The $ickness Industry, Big Pharma and Suppressed Cures.
An excerpt (abridged) from Medical Industrial Complex follows:
Certainly the history of court cases involving Big Pharma is equally long and rocky with fines against the industry’s major players totaling many, many billions of dollars.
Our research has turned up numerous case studies that highlight just how “mistake-prone” this industry is and how often drug companies have ended up on the wrong side of the law. We include just a few of these in this chapter.
The first headline worth repeating was this one on the front page of the Daily Mail’s edition of July 2, 2012: ‘GlaxoSmithKline to pay $3billion fine after pleading guilty to healthcare fraud – the biggest in U.S. History.’
The report reads in part: “GlaxoSmithKline paid U.S. medics to prescribe potentially dangerous medicines to adults and children. It handed out cash as well as everything from Madonna concert tickets to pheasant-hunting trips. Authorities branded GSK as ‘cheaters who thought they could make an easy profit at the expense of public safety, taxpayers, and millions of Americans.’
“The enormous settlement – believed to be the largest ever for a drugs firm – covers offences relating to some of GSK’s best-selling drugs between 1997 and 2004.
“It bribed doctors to prescribe Paxil to children even though the authorities had not approved its use for under-18s. The controversial depression drug has been linked to a higher risk of suicide both in the US and here, where it is known as Seroxat.
“The main charges also relate to Wellbutrin, another drug for treating depression, and Avandia, a diabetes treatment…”
The Daily Mail report advises readers that GSK, which is based in West London, is Britain’s fifth biggest public company with a market valuation of $113 billion and a roster of household names that includes Lucozade, Aquafresh, Ribena and Horlicks. “It accounts for almost 5 per cent of the benchmark FTSE 100 index and is a favourite investment for pension fund managers”.
According to the report, GSK agreed to pay a fine of around $1 billion to the US authorities and a further payment of around $2 billion in civil settlements to state and federal authorities.
“The company’s marketeers promoted Wellbutrin as a weight loss treatment when it was approved only for treating depression…
“Carmen Ortiz, the US attorney for Massachusetts, said: ‘GSK’s sales force bribed physicians to prescribe GSK products using every imaginable form of high priced entertainment, from Hawaiian vacations to paying doctors millions of dollars to go on speaking tours, to a European pheasant hunt, to tickets to Madonna concerts’. ”
We think that last statement attributed to Carmen Ortiz is interesting as it mirrors our theory that at least some of the blame can be attributed to doctors in our critique of the Medical Industrial Complex.
Many other news stories and independent assessments of medical corruption also match this belief…
Our filed list of case studies goes on…and on…and on. It’s a depressingly long list. There’s the $1.5bn Xxxxxx (2012) case concerning the illegal promotion of the antipsychotic drug Xxxxxxxx. (Names redacted for legal reasons). There’s also the $1.42bn Xxx Xxx (2009) case for wrongly promoting the antipsychotic drug Xxxxxxx; there’s the $950m Xxxxx (2011) case over illegally promoting painkiller Xxxxx.
Some quick research online will reveal the redacted names (above) of the drugs and drug companies involved.
Need we go on? Okay, we don’t want to depress you any further…
However, it would be remiss of us not to refer you to FoodMatters.tv, an excellent wellness site we stumbled across. Under the heading ‘15 Most Dangerous Drugs Big Pharma Don’t Want You to Know About,’ it lists exactly that – the 15 most dangerous etc. etc.
FoodMatters’ correspondent says, “Drugs are so plagued with safety problems, it is a wonder they’re on the market at all” and “it’s a testament to Big Pharma’s greed and our poor regulatory processes that they are”.
The correspondent labels the following drugs “dangerous”: Lipitor and Crestor, Yaz and Yasmin, Lyrica, Topomax and Lamictal, Humira, Prolia and TNF Blockers, Chantix, Ambien, Tamoxifen, Boniva, Prempro and Premarin.
FoodMatters provides an explanation for its opposition to each of the above-named drugs.
For example, in the case of Lipitor, the correspondent asks, “Why is Lipitor the bestselling drug in the world? Because every adult with high LDL (low-density lipoprotein) or fear of high LDL is on it. (And also 2.8 million children, says Consumer Reports.) No one is going to say statins don’t prevent heart attack in high-risk patients (though diet and exercise have worked in high-risk groups too). But doctors will say statins are so over-prescribed that more patients get their side effects – weakness, dizziness, pain and arthritis – than heart attack prevention. Worse, they think it’s old age”.
And in the case of Crestor, the correspondent says, “Crestor is so highly linked to rhabdomyolysis it is doubly criticised: Public Citizen calls it a Do Not Use and the FDA’s David Graham named it one of the five most dangerous drugs before Congress”.
So, next time your doctor writes out a prescription, or your local pharmacist hands a prescription to you, or you pop a pill the TV ads insist is “safe” keep all the above in mind. Certainly there are some miracle drugs and even, dare we admit it, some cures out there in Big Pharma Country, but equally there’s some highly dubious and downright dangerous drugs – and we’re not just talking about the illegal or illicit variety!
Medical Industrial Complex is available via Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/MEDICAL-INDUSTRIAL-COMPLEX-Suppressed-Underground-ebook/dp/B00Y8Y3TUM/
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July 14, 2015
John Lennon’s killer obsessed with ‘The Catcher in the Rye’
On February 9, 1981, The New York Times ran an article stating Mark David Chapman was preparing to plead insanity at the upcoming trial in which he was accused of murdering John Lennon. The article mentions Chapman had developed an unhealthy “obsession” with The Catcher in the Rye novel and “in a handwritten statement delivered to The New York Times last week, Mr. Chapman” had “urged everyone to read the novel, a copy of which was in his possession when he was arrested”.
Lennon and Chapman…Six hours before the murder.
Chapman had apparently told the NY Times that reading the book would “help many to understand what has happened”.
The newspaper also reported that the accused’s statement ended with: “My wish is for all of you to someday read ‘The Catcher in the Rye.’ All of my efforts will now be devoted toward this goal, for this extraordinary book holds many answers. My true hope is that in wanting to find these answers you will read ‘The Catcher in the Rye.’ Thank you.”
The accused’s statement was signed “Mark David Chapman – The Catcher in the Rye.”
During the trial that followed, Chapman continued to promote the book. At times he would open up a copy and begin reading intently for all to see the book’s cover. On other occasions he would stand up excitedly and shout to everyone in the court, imploring them to read the novel.
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“If you sat around there long enough and heard all the phonies applauding and all, you got to hate everybody in the world.” –J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye
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It also came out during the court case that shortly before the assassination Chapman would sit in his room chanting the mantra, “THE PHONY MUST DIE SAYS THE CATCHER IN THE RYE!” as well as “JOHN LENNON MUST DIE SAYS THE CATCHER IN THE RYE!”
These phrases are eerily similar to Sirhan Sirhan’s documented diary entries in which he repeatedly wrote “RFK MUST DIE!”
Another parallel is that the word phony in the aforementioned mantra was borrowed from Catcher, once again indicating that Chapman’s murder of Lennon was somehow inspired by the book.
You have been reading an excerpt from our new release book The Catcher in the Rye Enigma: J.D. Salinger’s Mind Control Triggering Device or a Coincidental Literary Obsession of Criminals? – Available now via Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Catcher-Rye-Enigma-Coincidental-Underground-ebook/dp/B00YVROKZ4/
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July 12, 2015
‘Into the Americas’ adventure novel resonates with readers
Our new release historical adventure INTO THE AMERICAS (A novel based on a true story) resonates with readers if the early reviews on Amazon are anything to go by. “An intriguing tale,” says one reviewer; “A gripping adventure story,” according to another.
A sample of reviewers’ comments follows:
“The Morcans create a gripping tale of intrigue and high adventure from an historical fact of an unusual pairing that must surmount many obstacles and differences as John straddles the fence deciding whether to remain with the Mowachaht, or return to his former life, which will be a major culture shock for his bride if he is successful.” –Yvonne Crowe
“With a great plot and storyline, plenty of exciting action, a diverse cast of colorful and believable characters and the authors well researched detail that brilliantly captures the atmosphere, customs, sights, sounds and surroundings of the period, you quickly become immersed into the world the authors have created for us.” –Pat O’Meara
“Now that I’m done reading I wish there was a sequel.” –Cathy
“If you like American history, or that of the new world, you will enjoy this book. I was sucked right into the “old” new world. I highly recommend it to lovers of the genre.” –Livinginthealohaestate
“Bravo and well done!” –J.Rogers Barrow
“Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great sea-faring adventure movie, or mini TV series.” –Tony Parsons
“I found this book very appealing. The history of how our European culture clashed with the native Americans was fascinating. Highly recommended for a good read.” –Kindle Customer
INTO THE AMERICAS is available via Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Into-Americas-novel-based-story-ebook/dp/B00YJKM51E/
Happy reading! –Lance & James
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July 10, 2015
‘Underground Knowledge’ group membership on Goodreads tops 1000
Membership of our contentious Underground Knowledge discussion group on Goodreads.com has topped 1000, making it one of the liveliest and fastest growing groups on the popular Amazon-owned literary site for readers and authors.
There’s no doubt the group’s growth and activity are testament to its freedom of speech policy. Anything goes…and members aren’t slow to exploit that! No subject is off limits. The fact that this group has no rules may also have something to do with its popularity.
A small sample of some of the group’s more controversial discussion threads follows:
Was 9/11 a false flag attack and ‘Inside Job’? 54% of you voted YES
Satanic Elite Child Hunting Parties
Are aliens visiting Earth or not????
Is the Islamic State (IS/ISIS) another invention of the West?
Conspiring to quash alternative medicines
Mozart & shattering the inborn genius myth
Evidence for scientifically advanced Ancient civilizations?
November 22, 1963. Dallas, Texas.
The overpopulation myth (part 1)
Extensive biblical revisions made by the Romans
And last but not least…
Our polls are also popular. Some of the results make for interesting reading – including our latest poll, which asks: Do you believe the official story of Osama Bin Laden’s death was real or staged? (So far, 49% of poll respondents say it was staged)…
To visit our poll thread go to: https://www.goodreads.com/poll/list/142309-underground-knowledge—a-discussion-group?type=group
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The Underground Knowledge discussion group is open to everyone! All you need is an enquiring mind, an interest in the world we live in and a desire to learn or to uncover “underground knowledge” on important issues of our times. This group is also for like-minded people to discuss the controversial topics explored in The Underground Knowledge Series, which includes the non-fiction books Genius Intelligence, Antigravity Propulsion, Medical Industrial Complex and The Catcher in the Rye Enigma.
Our members include scientists, journalists, moms and dads, historians, doctors, whistleblowers, authors, bankers, teachers, intelligence personnel, housewives, students, Army vets, pacifists, conspiracy theorists, the odd redneck and the Average Joe. All viewpoints welcome!
To visit the group, or better still to join the group and have YOUR say, go to: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/142309-underground-knowledge—a-discussion-group
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July 9, 2015
Interim poll results show most believe Osama Bin Laden’s death staged…Have YOUR say!
The latest poll in our Underground Knowledge discussion group on Goodreads.com asks: Do you believe the official story of Osama Bin Laden’s death was real or staged? To date, 48% of poll respondents say it was staged, 31% say it was real and 21% are unsure.
Bin Laden…dead or alive?
A random selection of poll respondents’ comments follow. (Names withheld):
I tend not to believe the story of Osama Bin Laden’s death simply because upon further research there appears to be too many holes, inconsistencies and flat-out contradictions in the reports.
I believe Bin Laden was killed by Navy SEALs as reported by the government. Are there inconsistencies in the reporting on his death? Yes. But consider this: As a former investigative journalist, I know reporters rarely get things 100% correct, nor does their reporting jive with each other’s. Second, as someone with nearly 26 years of military experience, I know operations rarely go as planned and getting all the details often takes months or years no matter how much debriefing or after action reports are produced. A lot of details are left out because personnel simply don’t want to own up to their own actions.
It is known that Osama Bin Laden was a CIA agent. He was controlled by US intelligent corps. Maybe he was dead by suffering illness and the murder by the US marine corps was a fiction.
I’m unsure if what was told to us concerning his death was accurate or not. Our Government has not been the pinnacle of truth through our history as a country. My own Native American People can vouch for this. Who knows what truly happened. I doubt we will really ever know.
Have you ever watched “The Hunting Party” starring Richard Gere? To me the whole thing is staged but I don’t know the details of what is really going on because it hasn’t stopped. I don’t know if Osama Bin Laden was who he says he is or not. But his death was SO fabricated it was almost funny! Sometimes I think he isn’t even dead yet. Where is the body?
To view all the comments, or better still to have YOUR say, go to: https://www.goodreads.com/poll/list/142309-underground-knowledge—a-discussion-group?type=group
Poll ends July 20.
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Our Underground Knowledge discussion group is aimed at those with an interest in the world we live in and a desire to learn or to uncover “underground knowledge” on important issues of our times.
Everyone’s welcome to join! All you need is an enquiring mind. Our members include scientists, social activists, teachers, historians, authors, military and intelligence agency personnel, bankers, housewives, whistleblowers, students, former police officers, journalists, readers and many more.
Visit the Underground Knowledge discussion group at: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/142309-underground-knowledge—a-discussion-group
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July 8, 2015
Here’s a question for Big Pharma: How much is too much?
We are openly critical of the big pharmaceutical companies in our new release book MEDICAL INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX: The $ickness Industry, Big Pharma and Suppressed Cures. Our criticism is tempered by the fact that – as we acknowledge more than once in our book – products developed, manufactured and marketed by Big Pharma save lives. (Some would argue they cost lives, too, but that’s another story).
However, we keep coming back to the questions that crop up whenever the pharmaceutical companies and their modus operandi are analyzed. Questions like: Why is so little money ploughed back into research? Why the continuing emphasis on treatments ahead of cures? And, regarding revenues and profits, how much is too much?
BBC News addresses this very issue in a report aired on November 6, 2014 under the title ‘Pharmaceutical industry gets high on fat profits.’ The report asks people to imagine an industry that generates higher profit margins than any other and is no stranger to multi-billion dollar fines for malpractice.
“Throw in widespread accusations of collusion and over-charging, and banking no doubt springs to mind. In fact, the industry described above is responsible for the development of medicines to save lives and alleviate suffering, not the generation of profit for its own sake”.
The BBC News report reminds us that pharmaceutical companies have, by far, developed most medicines known to Man, but have profited big-time in the process – “and not always by legitimate means”.
It continues, “Last year, US giant Pfizer, the world’s largest drug company by pharmaceutical revenue, made an eye-watering 42% profit margin… five pharmaceutical companies made a profit margin of 20% or more…With some drugs costing upwards of $100,000 for a full course, and with the cost of manufacturing just a tiny fraction of this, it’s not hard to see why…
“Drug companies justify the high prices they charge by arguing that their research and development (R&D) costs are huge. On average, only three in 10 drugs launched are profitable, with one of those going on to be a blockbuster with $1bn-plus revenues a year…
“But … drug companies spend far more on marketing drugs – in some cases twice as much – than on developing them. And besides, profit margins take into account R&D costs”.
The report concludes that the industry also argues that the wider value of the drug needs to be considered. However, it (BBC News) rightly points out that just because you can charge a high price for something does not necessarily mean you should. Especially when you factor in the lives at stake in the healthcare field.
The problem with that is – as we see it – the pharmaceutical companies and the shareholders they answer to would quickly dismiss such a rationale. They’re solely focused on the bottom line: profit.
Profit is not necessarily a dirty word when it comes to healthcare. We happen to believe capitalism, if managed properly, can actually work well in medicine. Profit incentives can spark imaginations in pharmacists and healthcare entrepreneurs and doctors as there’s the reward aspect in capitalism which motivates people to find medical cures.
Otherwise, as evidenced in the past in places like Eastern Europe, when things go to the other extreme and there’s too much government interference it can be just as crippling and corrupting for essential services such as healthcare. With little to no financial rewards on offer under communism, or even under some forms of socialism, most workers are less motivated – medical and healthcare workers included.
Somehow there needs to be a balance between governments and non-profit review committees to ensure mainstream medicine has a social conscience whilst still allowing the free market to work its magic.
…In the pharmaceutical industry’s haste to get drugs to market, critics say safety usually comes a distance second to profits. Little wonder then that mistakes occur and the line between legitimate and spurious business practices is oftentimes blurred.
We explore this untenable situation in the next chapter.
You have been reading an excerpt from Medical Industrial Complex.
The book is available via Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/MEDICAL-INDUSTRIAL-COMPLEX-Suppressed-Underground-ebook/dp/B00Y8Y3TUM/
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July 5, 2015
J.D. Salinger’s military intelligence links examined in new ‘Catcher’ book
The new release book THE CATCHER IN THE RYE ENIGMA examines author J.D. Salinger’s life before he wrote his 1951 classic novel. Some of the findings make for interesting reading — his close association with U.S. military intelligence in particular.
J.D. Salinger was by all accounts a recluse and, of all the 20th Century’s masters of literature, he’s probably the one least is known about. This is due in part to his extreme desire for privacy. A good example of this was the reported act of painting his forest cabin in camouflage colors so nobody could find him!
The reclusive J.D. Salinger.
Despite living until 2010, some 59 years after The Catcher in the Rye was first published and became a phenomenal worldwide bestseller, he never published another novel.
Salinger’s last published work, the short story collection Hapworth 16, 1924, came out in 1965. From that point on he continued to write, but his writing remained for his eyes only. Calls from his millions of fans eager to read more of his works apparently fell on deaf ears.
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“Anyway, I’m sort of glad they’ve got the atomic bomb invented. If there’s ever another war, I’m going to sit right the hell on top of it. I’ll volunteer for it, I swear to God I will.” –J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye
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Besides being reclusive, many have labeled him eccentric and even mean-spirited. There are numerous colorful stories about him. These include him regularly drinking his own urine, becoming enraged whenever his infant children cried, being a hypochondriac, telling one of his wives never to disturb him “unless the house is burning down”, exploring Dianetics (later renamed Scientology) and meeting its founder L. Ron Hubbard, and having his photo removed from all his books’ jackets.
However, what many conspiracy theorists believe holds the key in the whole mystery surrounding Catcher is Salinger’s life before he wrote the book. During and immediately after WW2 to be precise.
And like many other instances of mind control operations conducted in the United States over the years, the controversies linked to Salinger’s masterpiece appear to lead directly back to the Nazis.
What few of Salinger’s fans ever fully comprehend is the man’s extensive military and intelligence employment history. Employment that included working for the OSS – the forerunner to the CIA – on highly classified projects in Europe post-WW2.
According to the 1988 unauthorized biography In Search of J.D. Salinger, by Ian Hamilton, Salinger worked for the Defense Intelligence during WW2 and served with the Counter Intelligence Corps. His main duties, Hamilton wrote, involved interrogating captured Nazis.
And on September 3, 2013, The Telegraph ran an article headlined JD Salinger’s five unpublished titles revealed, and how Second World War shaped his thinking. According to the article, one of Salinger’s unpublished books is “about his time interrogating prisoners of war when he served working in the counter-intelligence division”. That book, incidentally, has the revealing title, A Counterintelligence Agent’s Diary.
Equally intriguing is another unpublished Salinger book titled A World War II Love Story, which the same article claims is “based on his brief marriage to Sylvia, a Nazi collaborator, just after the war”.
You have been reading an excerpt from our new release book The Catcher in the Rye Enigma: J.D. Salinger’s Mind Control Triggering Device or a Coincidental Literary Obsession of Criminals? – Available now via Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Catcher-Rye-Enigma-Coincidental-Underground-ebook/dp/B00YVROKZ4/
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July 2, 2015
Controversial new book asks: Do drug companies make drugs or money?
No-one can object to the pharmaceutical companies making profits. Surely that’s the aim of all companies – to make profits. But how much is too much? We ask that very question in our new release book MEDICAL INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX: The $ickness Industry, Big Pharma and Suppressed Cures .
Excerpts from Medical Industrial Complex follow:
Many people are alive today because of prescription drugs, and many more are enjoying a better quality of life because of prescription drugs. Let us be clear and unequivocal about that. And unsubstantiated criticism of the pharmaceutical industry, or any industry for that matter, does no-one any good.
We kept all that front of mind when conducting our research for this book.
Unfortunately, the inescapable fact is that much of the good Big Pharma does is undone by mistakes, dubious business practices, (reported/confirmed cases of) fraud and, quite simply, by greed.
Much has been written about Big Pharma in recent years. One of the most informative books on the industry is The Truth About Drug Companies, by Marcia Angell, M.D., former editor of the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine.
The book’s blurb reads (abridged):
“Currently Americans spend a staggering $200 billion each year on prescription drugs. As Dr. Angell powerfully demonstrates, claims that high drug prices are necessary to fund research and development are unfounded: The truth is that drug companies funnel the bulk of their resources into the marketing of products of dubious benefit. Meanwhile, as profits soar, the companies brazenly use their wealth and power to push their agenda through Congress, the FDA, and academic medical centers.
“Zeroing in on hugely successful drugs like AZT (the first drug to treat HIV/AIDS), Taxol (the best-selling cancer drug in history), and the blockbuster allergy drug Claritin, Dr. Angell demonstrates exactly how new products are brought to market. Drug companies, she shows, routinely rely on publicly funded institutions for their basic research; they rig clinical trials to make their products look better than they are; and they use their legions of lawyers to stretch out government-granted exclusive marketing rights for years. They also flood the market with copycat drugs that cost a lot more than the drugs they mimic but are no more effective.
“The Truth About the Drug Companies is a searing indictment of an industry that has spun out of control”.
Within the book itself, Dr. Angell describes the unethical and at times inhumane pharmaceutical industry she witnessed in her 21 years spent as the first female editor-in-chief of The New England Journal of Medicine. She also gives numerous examples to prove beyond dispute that the world’s biggest drug companies have grown so powerful they are now able to pull the strings and call many of the shots in medical academia, health research and even the way doctors and nurses go about their work. Meanwhile, the public, including more and more of the poor, invalid and elderly, are unable to meet the cost of rapidly increasing prescription drug prices.
For an insight into the profitability of the major pharmaceutical companies, take a gander at the top performers on the latest Fortune 500 list. (Fortune 500 being Fortune Magazine’s annual list of the top 500 US companies – publicly and privately listed – according to their gross revenues).
At the time of writing, the 2014 Fortune 500 list was the latest available. One of the best summaries of the pharmaceutical companies (drug wholesalers, chain pharmacies, pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), and pharmaceutical manufacturers) we could find is on the very professional DrugChannels.net site. Compiled by Dr. Adam J. Fein, CEO of Drug Channels Institute, it’s an eye-opener for the uninformed.
As Dr. Fein informs the public, his data “will help you ‘follow the dollar’ and understand how drug channel intermediaries make money.”
The good doctor compares the fortunes of the eight listed drug channels companies (AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health, CVS Caremark, Express Scripts, McKesson, Omnicare, Rite Aid, and Walgreens) with Fortune 500’s 12 pharmaceutical manufacturers and a separate survey of independent pharmacies.
Dr. Fein reports “The 2013, median revenues for the eight drug channel companies were $95.1 billion, up 1.4% vs. 2012. Median revenues for the manufacturer group were $17.5 billion… The revenues of the 12 largest pharmaceutical manufacturers on the Fortune 500 list range from $67.2 billion (Pfizer) to $5.5 billion (Celgene)”.
In the report he quotes 2012 data supplied by the National Community Pharmacists Association’s 2013 NCPA Digest, which shows that independent pharmacies had higher profitability than the eight largest drug channels companies, including PBMs.
Dr. Fein also observes that, “In 2013…investment returns reflected last year’s strong stock market performance”.
The median Total Return to Investors in 2013 as reported from Fortune’s list is detailed as follows: 8 Drug Channels companies: +65.8% (range: +30.1% to +272.1%); 12 Drug Manufacturers: +34.8% (range: +7.3% to +115.3%).
Starting to get the picture? Big Pharma is mighty profitable and becoming more so each and every year.
You have been reading an excerpt from Medical Industrial Complex.
The book is available via Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/MEDICAL-INDUSTRIAL-COMPLEX-Suppressed-Underground-ebook/dp/B00Y8Y3TUM/
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