How would you like a glamorous trip to a foreign country on the government’s tab?
If you’re a nurse, you may have seen the ads. “Do you ever dream of escaping to exotic, exciting locations? Want to get away from the office but are strapped for cash? Make your dreams come true…”
What do you have to do? According to the Washington Post on Wednesday, travel with people who are being deported from the United States — to countries where they might very well be killed moments after landing — and shoot them full of powerful psychotropic drugs when they complain.
“The U.S. government has injected hundreds of foreigners it has deported with dangerous psychotropic drugs against their will to keep them sedated during the trip back to their home country, according to medical records, internal documents and interviews with people who have been drugged,” the Post reports.
The drugs? Haldol, which is used with schizophrenia patients. Ativan, a tranquilizer. Cogentin, a muscle relaxer helpful with Parkinson’s patients.
“Haldol gained notoriety in the Soviet Union, where it was often given to political dissidents imprisoned in psychiatric hospitals,” the Post said. Then the story quoted a specialist who pointed out — as if it needed to be pointed out — that giving these drugs to people who are not psychotic “is medically and ethically wrong.”
Often, deportees were given a “cocktail” of all three drugs at once. And they were given the shots many times — in detention, on the runway, on the plane, while changing planes.
Since this morally depraved practice not only violates any sense of decency that we might still have left as a country, but international law as well, it is interesting to note that during plane-changing layovers on the ground in Belgium and France, the nurses were not allowed to give their patients “booster shots.” They had to wait until they were back on a plane.
According to the Post, our government has been discussing deportee drugging for a long time. By the end of the Clinton administration, it had decided that it could be done “only if a federal judge gave permission in advance.”
Even after 9/11, the government was still “wary about drugging detainees.”
But Bush and Cheney rushed to the rescue. In early 2003, “They handed the job of deportation to the Department of Homeland Security’s new Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, known as ICE.”
The appropriately-named agency, according to an internal policy memo, decided that a detainee “with or without a diagnosed psychiatric condition who displays overt or threatening aggressive behavior… may be considered a combative detainee and can be sedated if appropriate under the circumstances.”
And guess who got to determine what might be considered “combative”?
Today, more than 250 druggings, at least 83 deaths and two lawsuits against the U.S. government later, the rules may have been changed. Or they may not. And by the way, ICE has never asked for a court order.
As if Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib weren’t enough, now we’re taking a page from the bad old Soviet Union. What’s next? Bush and Cheney flying to Myanmar to see how it’s done over there?
Here’s a confession. Over the past seven years, I’ve built myself an anti-Bush-Cheney shield.
Because I don’t want outrage and anger to override my chance to enjoy daily life, I’ve turned off the radio every time Bush’s voice comes on. Although I’ve force myself to watch his speeches (with my blood boiling) on television, I will not watch him anywhere else. I have even gone so far as to avoid the pictures of his daughter’s recent wedding.
I read the style sections of the papers more closely than I read the front page. I adhere to the Julia Roberts Rule of movies — only romantic comedies, only happy endings.
But every now and then, a story like this one breaks through my shield and leaves me full of sheer rank hatred and contempt for this administration and everything it stands for.
It’s important to give credit to The New York Times, The New Yorker, the Washington Post — yes, the despised mainstream media — for doing these kinds of investigations and revealing the dark underbelly of our government. Black sites, the mistreatment of wounded soldiers at Walter Reed Hospital, Abu Ghraib, generals being turned into propagandists on television — reporters and editors are doing the job that our Constitution gave to our morally bankrupt Congress.
In the current issue of Vanity Fair, James Wolcott writes about the violent schism in the Democratic party — especially in the blogosphere — as a result of the intense Clinton-Obama primary season.
“Such fratricidal skirmishing may sound silly….” Wolcott said. “But there is a deeper frustration at work… And that is the failure of Democrats and activists to bring the Bush-Cheney administration to account for any of its destructive and disastrous misdeeds over the last seven years (even raising the possibility of impeachment was treated as poor etiquette by the queasy Democratic leadership), the impotent fury over the knowledge that the masters of disaster will leave the White House unscathed, unaccountable, their smirks intact. There will be no day of reckoning, nothing to stop their clean getaway.”
As a country, we’ve lost all moral credibility. Each new revelation corrodes our humanity just a little bit more. What’s going to be left for the next president, whoever it may be? Generations still unborn will be paying the price for what this administration has done.
And us? As Wolcott said, all we are left with is impotent fury as we watch this lovely, lovely country go swirling down the drain.
A collection of Joyce Marcel’s columns, “A Thousand Words or Less,” is available through joycemarcel.com. And write her at joycemarcel@yahoo.com.
I DEFINITELY also have a “Bush/Cheney” shield. I never watch Bush’s speeches, or listen to his radio addresses. Every other media article has been about Bush/Cheney in one way or the other for the past 8 years anyways–so why add to the torture by actually watching them? For example, if I’m listening to NPR and Bush’s voice comes on–OFF goes the volume for 30 secs or so. Just have to do it. Why? A deep, deep revulsion to Bush and Cheney causes me to maintain my “anti Bush-Cheney shield”, that’s why. It’s a healthy thing! Keeps me from getting really depressed or overwhelmed by how seriously f*cked up things have become over the past 8 years. Read an article about Bush’s kid getting married? Don’t make me laugh. NO chance. Couldn’t give a rat’s ass. Anyways like the author says, I too don’t want the endless media barrage of Bush/Cheney babblespeak to depress me day after day. I want to enjoy life, not watch effin’ Bush on the boob tube after a long days work! Jesus christ. Definitely control and strictly limit exposure to noxious, gaseous Bush/cheney fumes.
I want this administration to be totally repudiated - I don’t care in what form - for the simple reason of precedent. The runaway power this group of thugs has amassed will be used as justification for every power hungry group that will surely show up in the future. Corporations, the military, and the ‘unitary executive’ need to be crushed soon for the Republic to have half a chance.
Whether they are convicted or not, Bush and Cheney should be the subjects of articles of impeachment. They need to be named as the criminals they are before the country and the World so that we can begin to rehabilitate ourselves in the eyes of the World.
Great article. As I was reading it, NPR news commented on the fact that Bush is in Israel helping them celebrate 60 years of existence. He said something to the effect that “America and Israel are alike, in that they promote democatic values and PEACE!” HA-HA-HA-HA! I can’t stand his voice or the lies and distortions that come out of his foul mouth. Why doesn’t anybody call him on the idiotic rhetoric he’s constantly spouting?
How about giving Bush the “cocktail.” Oops, my bad, he already does that.
Yes, I remember when my Bush-Cheney shield went up… If I see their faces on an Internet news site I go so far as to block the picture with my hand and scroll - fast. Yes, Joyce Marcel once again captured a ubquitous “personal truth” that to which so many of us can relate.
But this drugging thing, this is something that only happens in movies, right? Who are these people that are so absolutely despicable to participate in this?? How can they live with themselves? I guess at this point those are questions beyond asking. I feel SO sorry for immigrants, so sorry.
And yes, Eric, you are correct. The process must be started for the healing to take place.
Joyce,
Good article, sad but true.
My parents fled their home in Eastern Europe during the Second World War to escape the Soviets. I grew up hearing countless stories of the horrors of their regime. Time and again, over the last seven years, I’ve been disgusted by how the actions of this administration remind me of them. And yet, reading this story, in my mind I hear the voices of my co-workers saying “those people are here illegally, they don’t belong, what do they expect?” What is becoming of us?
And I also have a Bush shield - when I hear that smarmy voice lying to us, I feel like I need a good hot shower.
It would be interesting to know why the government came up with this idea in the first place. Weren’t handcuffs enough? Leg shackles? I can’t even imagine drugs being justified unless the expellee is (1) psychotic and violent or (2) looking for a free fix.
The horror isn’t that Bush and Cheney will get out of office unscathed, it’s that they will probably never, ever pay any price whatsoever for their crimes even after leaving office. The MCA war crimes amnesty law is in place. The same Democrats who are too complicit or gutless to resist Bush now will be be unwilling to investigate him and his accomplices. The mood will be to let bygones be bygones and why divide the country over something so trivial? In truth Republicans would scream partisan witchhunt and say that Prosecutor X is putting “America” on trial and giving comfort to the terrorists, or that the commander-in-chief may act outside the law to protect us. Only historians of the far, far future have a hope at getting to the whole truth, and by then no one will care.
bush/cheney shield on the fritz at this moment. all i need is
Article.II.Section.4.The President, Vice President and all civil officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.
It is my mantra, see my shield is working again!
I have read that the CIA is using LSD on detainees also. That is even more reprehensible than injecting them with anti psychotic drugs like haldol, imo. I can’t even imagine what being force fed acid and interrogated and tortured by the CIA must be like. It’s more horrifying than anything else I can imagine.
*shudder*
That’s disgusting. How can they do this to other human beings?
Haldol killed my grandfather. There are plenty of cases where impaired renal clearance causes drugs to be more slowly metabolized than is safe. Dangerous drugs administered despite a lack of medical need? This is torture. This is chemical warfare.
On a recent trip through the States, I found myself listening to the radio for entertainment during my long trip. I was surprised by several factors. The first was the huge amount of religious broadcasts. People have historically turned to religion when they feel disconnected from the political process, but still it was disturbing to get a sense that America was developing its own Christian version of the Taliban
The second thing I noticed on the radio was the massive amount of Neo-Con hate programs such as the Sean Hannity show which called global warming a hoax and suggested that universal health coverage was akin to communism.
Finally I heard a radio program discussing a recent event at a buffet in which the guests brought their weapons to the affair simply because they were exercising their right to do so. To my surprise most of the callers to the show expressed support for this action and some gun group plans the following day to bring their loaded weapons to a town hall (Dickson, PA) meeting to remind people that it is their right in Pennsylvannia to carry an unconcealed weapon in public.
The lunacy of America is present at every level.
I watch and listen to George Bush and every other Neo-Con program because, first of all, I am generally unsuccessful in finding ANY non-Neo-Con show and secondly I find it an educational experience in how corporate America is shaping the public’s moods and attitudes. Nevertheless I must admit that this requires thick skin and the will power to resist the smooth talking and alluring messages from our sponsers and therefore I don’t recommend this exercise for the faint hearted.
I hate to get all Sophie’s Choice here, but I’d rather be drugged with Haldol than shackled in a stress position.
alexnosal,
Sure! You can listed to the insanity on our radio dial, because you presumably are not citizen of this awful place; you can go home to a normal country.
Although, if you are a Canadian, I would withhold the smugness. My brother emigrated to Toronto and has been rather dissapointed how USAn so many of their attitudes and politics are - the privatization of public services, support for the so-called war on terror, “supporting the troops” in Afghanistan, and love of big cars. The liberals even “Nader-bait” the NDP, which will probably lead to it’s demise.
Wait until your in an old folks home, they routinely use Haldol and usually something else to help with the drooling. If you still won’t be quiet…there are also physical restraints.