As governments continue to fight what they’re calling a pandemic they do so under the guise that they’re acting in the best interest for the country. Whatever the truth of this narrative is, when you take a closer look at the history of the U.S. government and the toll their actions have taken on people’s health you would be right to call these actions into question. Over time a picture emerges of poor health, unethical practices, and collusion with dubious members of the private sector.
Health In America
Before delving into this further, let’s take a snapshot of health in American society.
This is a country where the leading causes of death are cancer and heart disease, diabetes has increased 148% since 1990, and 36% of adults are obese (which is a designation above overweight mind you). Not surprisingly with the government forcing millions out of work food insecurity is an additional emerging health crisis, with 23% of U.S. households reporting not being able to afford enough food.
The mental health picture isn’t any brighter with suicide, depression, and drug overdoses on the rise and are likely to get worse as a result of the government’s response to COVID-19. Half of all counties in the U.S. report having zero mental health professionals and proposed solutions like digital therapy aren’t a substitute for human contact.
Life expectancy has been declining marginally for three consecutive years. On the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, life expectancy is 66.8 years compared to the national average of 78.9. For context, this would put the reservation just below Pakistan and Myanmar.
What this depicts is a nation struggling to understand how to take care of themselves. It is no wonder then that the state’s guidance on preventing COVID-19 can include dubious recommendations such as wearing masks and physical isolation, even when healthy, but makes no mention whatsoever of fundamentals like diet, nutrition, exercise, or mental well-being. Sadly, most people don’t even bat an eye at this and just believe that the state has their best interest in mind.
Washington’s Revolving Door
Clearly there is a dire need for revamping of health education as well as the medical system itself where debt and bankruptcy are part of the equation. One has to wonder where to even begin in a nation where it’s financial institutions are advising the pharmaceutical industry to focus on treating rather than curing diseases. Despite a lot of hot air from politicians the solution certainly doesn’t lie with them as we’ll see.
The revolving door between Washington and Goldman Sachs is bad enough but the problem extends far beyond the financial world. Monsanto (now Bayer) has kept that door spinning for three administrations now and this is in addition to the hundreds of millions spent on lobbying efforts across the aisle each year. You don’t have to look far to find that all the biotech giants like Syngenta, DuPont, and Dow also read off the same script at home and abroad. This is the system that has allowed for genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) and pesticides to enter the ecosystem, and thus our bodies, with little to no political scrutiny despite there being plenty of evidence that these organisms, food, and chemicals are harming us and the environment.
New and amended legislation isn’t a solution due to the direct influence from those who exist in a grey area between the public and private sectors. A perfect example of this is the level of outside influence on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) which was touted as the legal solution to an ailing healthcare system. The central figure in writing this legislation was Elizabeth Fowler, a former VP at WellPoint (now Anthem), the largest health insurance provider in the States, who joined the public sector briefly to draft the legislation. Correlation isn’t necessarily causation but go figure that Anthem’s stocks and profits have risen considerably since the passage of the ACA. It’s also worth remembering that economist Jonathan Gruber, another “key architect” of the ACA, said that law passed thanks to the “stupidity of the American voter” and was written to benefit the insurance companies.
Citizens as Guinea Pigs
Just in case there is any lingering doubt as to whether or not the government cares about the health of it’s citizens let’s address human experimentation and biowarfare. As mentioned above, people are already treated as lab rats when it comes to GMOs and chemicals in the food supply but this is benign compared to the true extent of what biotech companies and their cohorts in office are willing to test out on their fellow man.
One of the better-known incidents of human experimentation in the U.S. is the infamous Tuskegee Experiment conducted by the U.S. Public Health Service . Beginning in 1932, poor sharecroppers in Alabama with syphilis were never told that they had the deadly disease and were denied treatment so that those conducting the study could follow the progress and symptoms of the disease. The experiments continued for 40 years and it was only because of a whistleblower that any justice was ever served.
The military is no stranger to human experimentation either. Between 1949 and 1969 the U.S. Army admitted to conducting at least 239 open-air germ warfare tests. Seeding San Francisco’s famous fog with bacteria, spraying chemical powders from rooftops in Minneapolis, releasing pathogens in New York City Metro stations, and exposing workers in Virginia to deadly fungal spores were just some of the many ways the army used those it claimed to protect as guinea pigs.
The government certainly doesn’t always act alone in these matters. A shining example of the cruelty at the core of the military-industrial-complex was the use of Monsanto’s Agent Orange which destroyed the lives of millions in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, and thousands of Americans who became sick or died from exposure. One lawsuit has resulted in the settlement of $180 million dollars but otherwise cases are thrown out by U.S. courts. Decades before there was IG Farben who helped build up the Third Reich and still today there are shady contractors and manufacturers ensuring that the Pentagon can continue to arm terrorists in Syria.
Sometimes simple human exploitation is the name of the game where companies like DynCorp keep popping up alongside U.S. military operations. Despite being caught in a human trafficking scandal in Bosnia in the 1990s the military still chose to work with them again in Afghanistan where employees engaged in child sex trafficking and again in Colombia where over 50 underage girls were sexually abused. To date no employees have faced criminal charges for these crimes.
Moving Forward
This issue isn’t limited to America. Governments the world over along with supranational organizations like the World Health Organization aren’t treating the rest of the planet any better. The tentacles of the biochemical-agro-military nexus has since extended it’s reach into the farthest corners of the world. The good news is that the remedies are simple and universal.
Everyone has the ability to vote with their wallets. It is possible to opt out of modern allopathic medical practices (I.e. Rockefeller Medicine) for natural, homeopathic, and alternative practices which actually focus on prevention and care. Opting into the work of organic food, which continues to grow annually, is another option. Shopping at farmers markets, food co-ops, and otherwise supporting local growers can create change for the better. These are places where individuals can form like-minded communities which can harness more good than any monolithic entity. A byproduct of this can also be taking money out of the pockets of the Monsantos and DuPonts of the world.
Ultimately, people must accept responsibility for their health. It is much easier to change your diet, drop a bad habit, or begin lifting weights than it is to wait for the state to come up with a solution. There is no government agency or official waiting in the wings to ensure each one of us a long and happy life, only we can do that for ourselves.
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