Heroin

Hugo Turner of Anti-Imperialist-U for an in depth discussion of Ted Shackley and his infamous career in the CIA. We focus on Hugo’s articles chronicling Ted Shackley as well as the Iran Contra Scandal. We begin by taking a look at Shackley’s beginnings in military intelligence recruiting Nazi’s, and his later recruitment into the CIA during the Korean War. Hugo paints us a picture of the man that Shackley would become: obsessively driven and cutthroat. We touch on some of Shackley’s early mentors such as William Harvey who introduced Shackley to the Cuban exile committee.

Unbelievable.

My guest today is the great Douglas Valentine. Doug joins me to discuss his latest book The CIA as Organized Crime. We begin by looking at why Doug decided to write this book and the way in which it is structured. Next we delve into Doug’s relationship with the CIA and how he came to write about it’s inner-workings. Doug talks about his relationship with the agency and how he began getting access to operatives and officials while writing The Phoneix Program, including his meetings with former CIA Director William Colby.

Protester Bob Bowes, of Somerville, Mass., displays an American flag featuring corporate logos in Boston. (AP/Steven Senne)
When looking over the newsworthy events that took place in the United States throughout 2016, a common thread ties many of them together. So many major events illustrate a real failure of the powers that be to solve problems.

They "knew what was going on." They just "didn't care."

Heroin and fentany seized in a drug raid in the Asylum Hill neighborhood in Hartford, Conn. Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2016.

There's a lot more to the story than we're being told.

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy released the nations first-ever “Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health” on November 16 that includes both alarming statistics and a plan to fix the nation’s opioid crisis. [1]
Dr. Vivek Murthy as Surgeon General. Source: Salon.com

A marijuana bud is seen at a medical marijuana facility in Unity, Maine. A new study suggests that cannabis could help ease the deadly opioid epidemic in the United States.(AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)
AUSTIN, Texas — A new study suggests that cannabis could help ease the deadly opioid epidemic in the United States.

A sad and disturbing study from researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania shows that opioids appear to dull people’s natural parenting instincts. [1]
In recent months, numerous stories have been in the news concerning children who were left alone with parents or caregivers who had overdosed on prescription opioids or heroin.