Research inquiry

[Charles Drago]

Greetings,

Can anyone within the sound of my cyber-voice provide information regarding the following institutions' connections -- if any -- to the deep political milieu:

Genetics and IVF Institute, Fairfax, VA

South Florida Workforce Board

Inter-American Defense Board

In particular -- but not exclusively -- I'm looking for links the School of the Americas and to military/intelligence applications of firtility and genetics work done at GIVF.

Many thanks.

[Charles Drago]

What would activity at Genetics & IVF Institute related to delivering DNA technology solutions in the United States, Latin America, and the Caribbean in the areas of criminal offender databases, infectious disease testing, and paternity testing have to do with what we seek?

In the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, and Argentina, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the Republic of Panama, what would a retired military officer be up to when consulting on legislative bills and passing DNA criminal offender databases and paternity testing laws?

[Ed Jewett]

Charles, this inquiry sounds interesting, Mengelian, like someone’s idea of thinking about the clash of civilizations (or religions or ideologies) in generational terms…




Cursory Surface-Level Googling:

A general article on the ethical frontiers, lack of regulatory oversight, and need for database to collect names, techniques and the like …

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/nat...ility2.htm



http://www.southfloridaworkforce.com/w/index.html

http://www.workforceflorida.com/boards/table.htm

http://www.southfloridaworkforce.com/w/board.html

http://www.corporationwiki.com/Florida/M...02972.aspx VIP

South Florida Workforce Executive Director Rick Beasley hands check to Take Stock in Children (TSIC), a program that helps kids from disadvantaged homes succeed academically
http://www.mdc.edu/main/news/articles/20..._grant.asp



http://www.jid.org/index.php?lang=en

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inter-Ameri...ense_Board

http://www.ndu.edu/press/inter-american-...board.html

http://books.google.com/books?id=Kl_Gqvp...rd&f=false (from 109th Congress listings)

http://maic.jmu.edu/JOURNAL/5.2/focus/maggiebuse.htm

http://www.ndu.edu/press/lib/images/StrForum/SF258.pdf


http://www.nasa.gov/centers/langley/news...llege.html


http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-1028909381.html



Sounds like the creation of a data base and connections map is in order:


http://www.rightweb.irc-online.org/artic..._Coalition

http://rightweb.irc-online.org/ (has a search feature)

http://www.seekgod.ca/cnp.sn.htm


http://www.globalsecurity.org/intell/lib...rs/soa.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Hem...ooperation

http://www.soaw.org/

http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/40/index-a.html

http://gradworks.umi.com/31/50/3150675.html


http://www.muckety.com/

http://www.nndb.com/


Of note:

Inter-American Defense Board Works for Peace Through Security
by Larry Luxner


[typos and paste-up glitches intact)


With the peaceful resolution of old border disputes and the end of Cold War-era proxy wars between leftist guerrillas and right-wing dictatorships, the militaries of Latin America are gradually turning their attention to other pressing concerns, such as disaster relief and the threat of global terrorism.

Thatís the word from Major Gen. Carl H. Freeman, chairman of the Inter-American Defense Board (IADB), which next March celebrates its 60th anniversary.

"The issue is one of joining together to combat global terrorism," said Freeman. "At present, the United States is certainly the leader in this campaign. Most of the countries realize that terrorists can strike anywhere, and that no one is exempt. With the attacks of Sept. 11, the academic debate which had been going on for a long time has effectively been ended."

Freeman said that a week after the attacks, in which terrorists using hijacked planes destroyed New Yorkís World Trade Center and crashed into the Pentagon, the IADB drafted a paper on fighting terrorism that was adopted by foreign ministers meeting at the headquarters of the Organization of American States in Washington.

"The attacks were not against the United States. They were attacks on American soil against citizens of the world. No one wants to stand isolated at this time," said Freeman, adding, "Latin America should give unqualified political support to the effort to combat global terrorism. I think youíll soon see changes in laws which will facilitate identifying and breaking up terrorist groups, banking and finance laws that will hamper their ability to move money and finance terror, greater interest in border and immigration controls and efforts by the regionís militaries to improve their own domestic security."

A little-known organization, the IADB is often confused with the much larger Inter-American Development Bank because of their similar initials. However, few Americans have heard of the Inter-American Defense Board, let alone understand the role it plays in promoting stability throughout the region.

"This is the oldest collective security organization in the world, dating back to 1942, when there were concerns about the influence of Nazi Germany and fascist Italy in the Southern Hemisphere," said Freeman. "At the conclusion of World War II, the IADB was put under the umbrella of the Organization of American States. We are not a U.S. agency. Weíre an international organization chartered by Congress, and our funds come from the OAS, individual member countries and the U.S. government."

The IADB, which comprises 23 nations, operates the Inter-American Defense College on the grounds of Fort McNair in Washington, D.C. The organization has a budget of around $12 million, of which $2 million is funded directly by the OAS. The U.S. government provides transportation on Air Force planes and the free use of its facilities on Fort McNair and other facilities.

"Most of the countries have realized that the key to economic and political success is to settle your disputes peacefully," Freeman told The Washington Diplomat. "In comparison to other areas of the world like the Middle East and Asia, Latin America continues to be the lowest in terms of military spending as a percentage of [gross domestic product]."

Freeman, 54, has spent the last 32 years in the U.S. Army, beginning his military career in Vietnam in 1969.

"I was an international affairs major at Lafayette College [in Easton, Pa.] and took Spanish as my foreign language," he said. "After Iíd been in the army for seven years, I had the opportunity to go to graduate school, so I jumped at the chance. From there, I went through training and attended the Mexican War College for a year as an exchange officer."

Freeman has since been in more than 60 countries, including every nation in Latin America, and he has a masterís degree in Latin American studies from the University of Alabama. His assignments have included commanding a joint task force in Kuwait and overseeing humanitarian relief operations for Haitian refugees at the U.S. military base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

"We are totally committed to the support of democracy and regional stability. Thatís our overarching concern," he said. "We want to further confidence and security-building measures, so that countries feel comfortable with their neighbors and understand there are no bellicose intentions. Weíre very much interested in assisting the military as they transition into non-traditional roles. The military is more interested now in taking a look at natural disasters.

"Weíve had earthquakes, mudslides, forest fires and flooding, and in virtually every country, one of the first forces able to respond has been the military because they have the logistics, the communications and the organizational capability," he continued. "For example, the Salvadoran military did a tremendous job responding to the two earthquakes that hit El Salvador earlier this year."

Freeman said one of the IADBís most important projects is the removal of anti-personnel mines and unexploded ordnance left over from the civil wars that shook Central America during the 1970s and 1980s. This program, which involves 32 soldiers from seven IADB member nations, has resulted in the destruction of more than 9,000 mines in Nicaragua and another 3,000 in Costa Rica, Honduras and Guatemala.

The Inter-American Defense College is, however, what the IADB is best known for. In its 39 years of existence, the collegeówhich offers a year-long, graduate-level program in international security and defenseóhas graduated 1,904 students from 23 countries, led by the United States, Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil, Chile and Argentina.

The average IADC student is between 40 and 46 years of age, possesses a college degree, holds the rank of colonel and has seen 20 to 25 years of service. The current class, which began Aug. 6, comprises 58 students from 16 countries led by the United States, Colombia and Venezuela. The college also has 20 advisers and 17 civilian employees. Courses are taught in English, Spanish and Portuguese, and students are fully subsidized by their countriesí governments.

"As a senior security institution, we donít deal strictly with military topics," he said. "We look at the security of the Americas internationally, from an economic, political and social as well as a military point of view," he said.

One of those military topics is Washingtonís renewed interest in selling weaponry to Latin America. During the Clinton administration, the Pentagonóreversing a decades-old ban on such salesóallowed U.S. defense contractors to again sell F-16 fighter jets to Chile and offer similar weaponry to Argentina, Brazil and Venezuela. The United States is also pushing helicopter sales to Colombia under the State Departmentís new anti-drug policy known as Plan Colombia. Freeman disputes those who warn that all this new activity will spark an unnecessary arms race in Latin America.

"Thereís no escalation in arms, only replacement of old systems," said Freeman. "Some countries are assessing the age and technical sophistication of their equipment and have made conscious decisions to upgrade, such as the case in Chile. They weighed the safety considerations of their pilots, who every time they fly F-5s take a risk, so they decided to make a relatively important investment in F-16s."

Other topics covered in classes at the Inter-American Defense College include globalization, economic integration, terrorism, the drug scourge and environmental issues.

"Itís very important to have students from throughout the hemisphere. This way they have the opportunity to get to know each other much better," Freeman said. "Friendships that they form here are important throughout their careers. Weíre bringing in some of the brightest minds in defense and security. We think this institution is truly an investment in the future."

Students at the Inter-American Defense College go on four field trips annually. Last year, the curriculum included a trip to Ottawa to meet with Canadian defense officials; a visit to Norfolk, Va., to visit with major U.S. military installations, municipal government officials and the local chamber of commerce; a week-long trip to New York for meetings with United Nations ambassadors, the Council of Foreign Relations, Wall Street officials and the New York City Police Departmentís anti-terrorism squad; and an overseas trip to Uruguay and Brazil.

In addition, the school receives frequent guest speakers. These include leading academics from Georgetown University, George Washington University, Amnesty International, the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank and other institutions, as well as 20 to 30 ambassadors in the Washingt on diplomatic community.

Heads of state who have addressed IADC students include Venezuelan President Hugo Ch·vez and two former presidents: Jamil Mahuad of Ecuador and Alberto Fujimori of Peru. This year, speaking invitations have been extended to Mexican President Vicente Fox and Mexican Foreign Minister, Jorge CastaÒeda.

Freeman added that since the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, "We have revamped our curriculum to look at the changing role of the military in light of evolving threats," such as global terrorism, biological warfare and the potential use of weapons of mass destruction.

Freeman said that the Inter-American Defense College should not be confused with the notorious School of the Americas at Fort Benning, Ga., which he attended and at which he spent another six months teaching math and logistics. That school, whose name has since been changed to the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, has been linked by opponents of U.S. policy in Latin America with torture and human-rights violations committed by Panamaís Manuel Noriega and other graduates.

"Weíll occasionally send guest instructors down to speak, and we have discussions on peacekeeping operations, but there are no formal ties between the institutions," said Freeman, although he added that the school "was a pioneer in teaching about human rights and respect for individuals" and that the whole controversy has been blown out of proportion.

"The School of the Americas has probably had around 55,000 graduates," he said, "So to single out a half-dozen or so individuals is very unfair. Those individuals who have gone on to become dictators or commit atrocities didnít learn that at the School of the Americas."

He added, "One of the best ways to change people is to work with them, not to avoid engagement. So we freely discuss a wide range of issues dealing with ethics and respect for human rights."

Asked if that philosophy includes Cubaówhose OAS membership has been suspended since 1962 and which therefore cannot participate in Inter-American Defense Board activitiesóFreeman chose his words carefully.

"Speaking from a regional perspective and not as a representative of the U.S. government, I think the best way to bring about change in any totalitarian government is to seek to open it up, whether it be North Korea or Cuba. The longer the country remains isolated from the mainstream of international thought, the longer it lags behind."

Insisting that heís not criticizing U.S. policy toward Cuba, he said, "I understand very well why they have that policy, but I also understand why many countries favor a more open engagement with Cuba."

He quickly added that the Castro regime has the worst record in the hemisphere when it comes to human rights. "In that area, Cuba personifies all those elements to which we are opposed."

Larry Luxner is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat. He can be reached via e-mail at larry@luxner.com.
http://www.washdiplomat.com/01-11/a2_11_01.html



An interview with the director of the academic organ of the IADC, the IAD College
http://www.offnews.info/verArticulo.php?...doID=10204


Generalized backdrop and blather:

A long read which, on quick scan, is a useful backgrounder on US military interests in South America … http://usregsec.sdsu.edu/docs/ColonelWei...ne1998.pdf

Abstract:
This paper examines the juggling act central to international diplomacy and international military education in the 21st century and explores the difficulty of “keeping all the balls in the air” to balance diverse political and professional interests in a complex inter-agency and international environment. The Inter-American Defense College (IADC), located in Washington DC and operating under the authority of the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Inter American Defense Board (IADB), juggles these tensions daily as it seeks to prepare senior military and civilian officials from member nations to be strategic advisors in matters of hemispheric security and defense. Forced to evolve in the changing regional landscape of the post-Cold War era, the College has sought to maintain relevance by targeting academic improvements and continuing to provide unique opportunities for regional knowledge sharing and relationship-building at a senior level. This paper offers an inside look at the dilemmas of mixing international defense missions and academic programming, authored by one of the members of an external consultant team contracted to support innovations in curriculum development, staff development, strategic partnerships, and evaluation systems at the IADC. Best practices and lessons learned are shared, with a view to potential implications beyond the Americas.

Click here to view the document



http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p_mla_ap...index.html

[Jan Klimkowski]

What would activity at Genetics & IVF Institute related to delivering DNA technology solutions in the United States, Latin America, and the Caribbean in the areas of criminal offender databases, infectious disease testing, and paternity testing have to do with what we seek?

In the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, and Argentina, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the Republic of Panama, what would a retired military officer be up to when consulting on legislative bills and passing DNA criminal offender databases and paternity testing laws?

Charles - I can talk in broad brushstrokes rather than in specific detail.

Firstly, Latin America, the Caribbbean and South America are routinely used to provide "deniable" human guinea pigs in covert experimentation by the US. The funding is often through foundations. Local facilitation is sometimes managed by US AID sub-contractors. This provides some small hope of a paper trail.

In "The Human Laboratory" documentary:
http://www.deeppoliticsforum.com/forums/....php?t=620
some of my most important human sources were people of integrity and courage within the NGO community.

At the macro level, the key is eugenics. As you know, this was highly fashionable amongst "thinkers" across the political spectrum, left and right, in the first half of the C20th. Then the Nazis attempted to create the "Master Race" through Lebensborn breeding programmes (SS R&R with blond-haired, blue-eyed women of fertile age), eliminating "inferior blood" (eg Jews, Roma/Gypsies), and enslaving "sub-human blood" (eg slavs). Eugenics became publicly unmentionable.

However, my considered judgement and investigation of scientific and medical experimentation in the second half of the C20th and onwards, suggests that American and European elites never abandoned eugenic goals.

Some examples can be seen here:

http://www.deeppoliticsforum.com/forums/...php?t=2082

Post #27 here:
http://www.deeppoliticsforum.com/forums/...n#post3521

It was in part the expose of Jolly West's "Violence Institute" which caused much of this research to go further underground.

It is my contention that the primary aim of the eugenic research is to control human impulses and to create a docile, malleable, population. However, some researchers may genuinely believe they are working to "civilize" the "human animal" and the "ancient reptilian brain".

Conversely, many black budget doctors, and their Sponsors (in Charles' geopolitical sense), make no pretence of "altruistic" aims.

Once genetic markers for violence and environmental means of accentuating such "predispositions" are discovered, the temptation to create "their own" monsters appears irresistable to the elites.

You are aware of Lt Col Narut and his, ahem, faux pas which led to the naval shrink's enforced disappearance from the scene....

Donald DeFreeze of the Symbionese Liberation Army was a programmed graduate of the Phoenix Program, who in turn used trauma and sensory deprivation to induce dissociative disorders and create alters, such as the terrorist persona "Tanya", in heiress Patty Hearst.

A generation on, and the Mechanics have shared the technology extensively. However, primary research and honing of the techniques continues.

I suspect the science is still crude and subject to hugely flawed premises based on non-peer reviewed data.

Against that, I would not be remotely surprized to learn that we've moved from the Manchurian Patsies of the 1960s to genuine Manchurian Candidates in the C21st.

[Charles Drago]

Jan,

As always your seemingly offhand responses are in fact deep, deeply informative mini-essays that almost always serve to help my fine-tuning processes.

Many thanks.

FYI, I am looking at a specific indvidual about whom I cannot say much more at the present other than that he/she never has been referenced in any deep political literature with which I am familiar.

Best,

Charles

[Charles Drago]

Ed,

I thank you, too, for your extraordinarily prompt and thorough response.

I'll be more forthcoming if and when I can.

Best,

Charles

[Jan Klimkowski]

A fundamental problem with deep black covert science is that the Jolly Wests and Ewen Camerons and Robert Heaths and their successors conduct very limited peer review. Indeed, more accurately, any review is conducted only by those with the relevant security clearances who often share the same core beliefs - eg in a genetic predisposition towards homicide, or in the creation of chemical imbalances in the brain tending towards extreme violence.

In short, peer review is conducted in a fool's echo chamber inside a hollowed-out volcano on a deep black R&R fest....

However, some of this research occasionally slips through the veil.

Eg Monoamine oxidase A - the so-called "WARRIOR GENE".

Violence is blamed on 'warrior gene' in the Maoris

Maori leaders reacted furiously yesterday after a scientist said their race carried a "warrior gene" that predisposed them to violence and criminal behaviour.

Dr Rod Lea, a genetic epidemiologist, told the International Conference of Human Genetics in Brisbane that Maori men were twice as likely as Europeans to bear monoamine oxidase, a gene that is also connected with risk-taking behaviour such as smoking and gambling

He was reported as saying the discovery went "a long way to explaining some of the problems" Maoris had in New Zealand.

Dr Lea's findings come at a sensitive time after a series of high-profile cases of deaths and assaults of children in Maori families.

Outraged critics accused him of reinforcing a "cultural stereotype" portrayed in the 1994 film Once Were Warriors, with its violent character Jake Heke.

Tariana Turia, a co-leader of the Maori party, said the findings were incredible. "I have never felt criminally inclined," he said. "And I'm very pleased to say that the majority of Maori people don't feel criminally inclined.

"Once were warriors? Once were gardeners, once were astronomers, once were philosophers, once were lovers.

"The over-representation of monoamine oxidase… has suddenly turned into a recipe for producing clones of Jake Heke."

Brian Dickson, a respected Maori elder, said: "I could wrap all his words up in one - colonisation."

Dr Lea, who works at the government-owned Institute of Environmental Science and Research in Wellington, said before his presentation: "It is controversial because it has implications suggesting links with criminality among Maori people. Obviously, this means they are going to be more aggressive and violent."

He said that the gene could also explain the Maoris' successful historical migration from islands in the Pacific when they first peopled New Zealand.

Dr Lea said lifestyle and upbringing were also "relevant" to whether violent traits developed. As the storm of controversy broke around him last night he appeared to back-pedal somewhat, insisting that he was interested only in the genetic basis for disease among Maoris.

Recent cases of child abuse have highlighted a problem of domestic violence in New Zealand that a government report described as "endemic" and "shameful".

A Maori family in Auckland, whose three-month-old twins died after suffering head injuries, were described by Helen Clark, the prime minister, as a "Once Were Warriors-type family". Relatives refused to co-operate with police.

In wider statistics, Maoris are convicted of more than 65 per cent of all offences despite making up only 15 per cent of the population.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/1526042/...aoris.html

'Warrior Gene' Linked To Gang Membership, Weapon Use
ScienceDaily (June 8, 2009) — Boys who carry a particular variation of the gene Monoamine oxidase A (MAOA), sometimes called the "warrior gene," are more likely not only to join gangs but also to be among the most violent members and to use weapons, according to a new study from The Florida State University that is the first to confirm an MAOA link specifically to gangs and guns.

Findings apply only to males. Girls with the same variant of the MAOA gene seem resistant to its potentially violent effects on gang membership and weapon use.

Led by noted biosocial criminologist Kevin M. Beaver at FSU's College of Criminology and Criminal Justice, the study sheds new light on the interplay of genetics and environment that produces some of society's most serious violent offenders.

"While gangs typically have been regarded as a sociological phenomenon, our investigation shows that variants of a specific MAOA gene, known as a 'low-activity 3-repeat allele,' play a significant role," said Beaver, an award-winning researcher who has co-authored more than 50 published papers on the biosocial underpinnings of criminal behavior.

"Previous research has linked low-activity MAOA variants to a wide range of antisocial, even violent, behavior, but our study confirms that these variants can predict gang membership," he said. "Moreover, we found that variants of this gene could distinguish gang members who were markedly more likely to behave violently and use weapons from members who were less likely to do either."

The MAOA gene affects levels of neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin that are related to mood and behavior, and those variants that are related to violence are hereditary. Some previous studies have found the "warrior gene" to be more prevalent in cultures that are typified by warfare and aggression.

"What's interesting about the MAOA gene is its location on the X-chromosome," Beaver said. "As a result, males, who have one X-chromosome and one Y-chromosome, possess only one copy of this gene, while females, who have two X-chromosomes, carry two. Thus, if a male has an allele (variant) for the MAOA gene that is linked to violence, there isn't another copy to counteract it. Females, in contrast, have two copies, so even if they have one risk allele, they have another that could compensate for it. That's why most MAOA research has focused on males, and probably why the MAOA effect has, for the most part, only been detected in males."

The new study examined DNA data and lifestyle information drawn from more than 2,500 respondents to the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Beaver and colleagues from Florida State, Iowa State and Saint Louis universities detailed their findings in a paper in the journal Comprehensive Psychiatry.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/200...123237.htm

[Magda Hassan]

Just bumping this Charles. I was looking for some thing else and came across this interesting thread and wondered how you went in your research and if you have some thing further to add?

[Charles Drago]

My original inquiry was prompted by the presence of an Air Force colonel (still not sure if he was retired or in the Reserves) at the highest level of a political campaign on which I was consulting.

He/she was incompetent to the degree that a major disconnect became evident between this person's performance and the resume-listed accomplishments that prompted his/her hiring.

Said resume included military assignment history with the entities I listed in my original post. And I quickly began to discern the stink of the School of Americas rising from this person, given other resume-based references.

I decided to play the SOA card by making a VERY deregatory reference to his/her possible connection to it during a heated campaign senior staff meeting. This person promptly offered to "kick my ass" and defended the SOA as a noble effort to "restore order."

"Spook" was carved into his/her brow.

The candidate lost, and the suspect campaign executive quickly left Rhode Island for another job opportunity -- after having sworn that he/she had established deep and abiding roots in Providence.