Nexus - 0501 - New Times Magazine-pages

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... GLOBAL NEWS ... NEWS WITHOUT INFORMED CONSENT oO 19 November 1996 something hap- pened in Strasbourg, France, which could fundamentally remove many of the rights of patients. It had no public airing beforehand, and has been little reported on ever since. After marathon discussions, the Committee of Ministers of 39 European Union member states adopted the Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine. This allows for future drug use and other medical trials to be carried out on potentially huge numbers of people, possibly without their consent. Those particularly at risk include the mentally ill, who are deemed not to be able to give their consent; those with diseases for which there is no "known" cure (i.e., AIDS, cancer, CJD); people who are ina coma; those needing emergency treatment; and, perhaps most worrying of all, children. Although the convention applies only to EU member countries, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) simultaneous- ly, and very quietly, changed its rules to be almost identical to those of the Strasbourg Convention. These new rules also mean that some groups of people may be involved in medical research programs without their knowledge or consent. Under the guise of individual "protec- tion", the Convention says that in certain situations "general interests" will take pri- ority over those of individuals. There is even the provision for organ removal from a living person, without consent, for trans- plant purposes in "exceptional circum- casting of programs they helped to make! stances". As more details came to light, many who (Source: Doris Jones, What Doctors Don't_ found their names on "the list" decided to Tell You, September 1997) turn the tables and follow and monitor the movements of the Victorian "secret police". POLICE SPYING ON CITIZENS IS They are not amused! RAMPANT IN VICTORIA (Sources: The Sydney Morning Herald, The Ray October 1997 saw many Age, 6, 7, 8 October 1997) an POLICE SPYING ON CITIZENS IS RAMPANT IN VICTORIA arly October 1997 saw many Australians stunned to learn that even our fair country, the state of Victoria in particular, has its own secret police force. What shocked most people was the extent of surveillance on a wide range of society. Environmental groups, senior citizens’ groups, community radio stations, journal- ists, nurses, women's groups, musicians, politicians, AIDS groups, church leaders and church groups—no one, it seems, has been exempt from ongoing scrutiny. Is this how we want our taxpayer dollars spent? Equally shocking was that most politi- cians had no idea that this was going on, and those who did fully supported it! In Victoria, the "secret police" is called the Protective Security Intelligence Group, and it has been infiltrating its members into the abovementioned organisations for years. One can only guess at the size of their accumulated wisdom by listening to the infighting and politics that are rampant inside all these community groups. The undercover police at one community radio station, 3CR, were so diligent in turn- ing up for their volunteer work that they became entrusted with organising fund- raising, deciding on programs to be broad- cast, and even participating in the broad- POLICE ENTRAP UFO BUFFS! he front page of the Evening Argus, from Sussex, England, proudly boasts how their own Crimebusters initiative has helped local police catch offenders. Apparently the local bobbies set up a fake UFO sighting using four colour-filter halogen lights and then broadcast hoaxed messages over the police band of the CB radio. Carloads of people turned up to the broadcasted location, only to be interrogat- ed by the boys in blue—not the ones in grey, green or black! Two disappointed UFO-hunters had their scanning equipment confiscated for illegally using scanners to listen in to police messages. Crime in Sussex must be at an all-time low for the local paper and police to devote such resources to catching two harmless UFO buffs. (Source: Evening Argus, 12 September 1997) FBI SPIED ON EX-BEATLE AND LIVELY PARROT! f you thought Victoria's secret police or the local bobbies in Sussex were keen, forget it. The ever-vigilant FBI has finally surrendered most of its files on John Lennon, revealing an investigation which ranged from reports on his contacts with anti-war protesters to the political leanings of a friend's parrot. The files, which the FBI fought for 16 years to keep secret on the grounds of "national security", reveal agents zealously investigating the former Beatle, opponents of the Vietnam War and black militants. "These documents show the FBI investi- gation was conducted in the manner of the shabbiest tabloid journalist," said Mr Mark Rosenbaum, a lawyer acting for Professor Jon Weiner who sued the FBI for the release of the files. "They show the FBI had nothing better to do than record the utterances of a parrot and indulge in gossip and innuendo about rock musicians who happened to take polit- ical stances." Under legal pressure, the FBI surren- 8 = NEXUS DECEMBER 1997 - JANUARY 1998