Inquiry, the CIA, and the Unabomber: The secret realm of Social Justice

Inquiry, the CIA, and
the Unabomber:
The secret realm of Social Justice
Stan Dura
Social Justice Conference
9/16/13
Stan Dura 9/16/13

Agenda
• Intro & overview
• Origins, criticisms, applications
• Activity
• Case Studies
• Showcases
• Ethical lessons & thoughts
• Q & A
Stan Dura 9/16/13

My background
• Psychology & Student Development (BA, MEd)
• Educational Psychology (nearing PhD candidacy)
• 17 years in Student Affairs
– 13 years in Res Life
– 8 years-ish engaging assessment intentionally
– 2 years focusing on assessment only
Stan Dura 9/16/13

Disclaimer
• Some of the information today is ultimately
compiled from:
– Individual’s memories, and
– Redacted files from government agencies
• These may not always yield completely
accurate information
– consider information today with that in mind
Stan Dura 9/16/13

Origins, criticisms, and applications
• Religious Roots
– Coined by Jesuit priest – Luigi Taparelli in 1840
– SJ is represented in all major religions
• Catholic Social Teaching – distributive wealth, power &
privilege, human dignity, social organization
• Hinduism – equality of all beings
• Islam – zakát (alms giving), ecological & social good
• Judaism – tzedakah (charity), tikkun olam (repair the world)
Social Justice. (n.d.) In Wikipedia. Retrieved September, 12, 2013 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_justice
Stan Dura 9/16/13

• Secular Roots
– Philosopher John Rawls – 1971
• Theory of Justice
– Freedom of thought
– Liberty of conscience
– Political liberty
– Freedom of association
– Freedoms necessary for liberty and integrity
– Rule of law
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• Secular Roots
– Rawls was influenced by
• The social contract ideas by John Locke (among others)
– Green Party
• One of the 4 Pillars of the Green Party
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• Criticisms
– There is no objective standard of SJ –
• Social construct – what’s just in one, not so in another
– SJ is essentially based on entitlement and un-
democratic
• It denies the rights of some to afford rights to others
• Research shows individual’s beliefs in equity are not fixed
– It is contradictory
• It is not always in a nation’s interest, thus it contradicts
Samson, F. (2009). Race and the limits of of American meritocracy. UMI Dissertations Publishing. Ann Arbor, MI.
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• Applications
– Religious charity efforts
– Educational leadership
– Liberal Arts education
– STEM education
• Juxtaposition of Darwinian thought and SJ
– Survival of the fittest vs. altruism
– National & global politics
– Health Care – one major doorway for SJ into US culture
Stan Dura 9/16/13

Activity
• Veil of Ignorance
– Everybody write down how may nuts you believe
are in this container.
– Rules
• Everyone must play
• Put in $1
• Closest guess to actual amount wins all the $
Would you play?
Stan Dura 9/16/13

Activity
• Veil of Ignorance
– Everybody write down how may nuts you believe
are in this container.
– Rules
• Everyone must play
• Put in $1
• Person with the highest annual salary wins all the $
Would you play?
Stan Dura 9/16/13

Activity
• SJ is essentially an effort to equalize the social
contract.
• You might also interpret it as an effort to
establish a global social contract that
equalizes power and privilege in all countries.
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Case Studies – Surgical Experiments
• 1840’s – J. Marion Sims “Father of gynecology”
– Operated on black women w/out anesthesia
• Some operated on over 30 times; infection killed many
• After perfected, white women received anesthesia
– Operated on infants by using an “awl” to move skull
bones around
• 1896 – Dr. Arthur Wentworth
– Performed spinal taps on 29 children without parental
consent to see if was harmful
– Took place in respected Boston children’s hospital
J. Marion Sims. (n.d.) In Wikipedia. Retrieved September 12, 2013 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Marion_Sims
Unethical human experimentation in the United States. (n.d.) In Wikipedia. Retrieved September, 12, 2013 from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unethical_human_experimentation_in_the_United_States
Stan Dura 9/16/13

Case Studies – Surgical Experiments
• 1913-1951 – Dr. Leo Stanley
– Chief Surgeon at San Quentin prison
– Took testicles of executed prisoners and animal
testicles implanted them in living prisoners
– Most prisoners were black
– Wanted to prove crime was genetic and testicular
transplants could rejuvenate old (white) men
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Case Studies – Chemical & Biological
Agents
• Early 1900’s
– 40-50 experiments done exposing unsuspecting
children and mentally disabled to:
• Syphilis
• Gonorrhea
• Tuberculosis
– Some parents contracted diseases from their
children
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Agents
• Early 1900’s
– US doctors in the Philippines & Harvard doctors
– Exposed more than 50 Filipino prisoners to
bubonic plague
• Over 1/3 died
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Agents
• 1930-1960
– U of Michigan researchers infected patients at
mental health institutions with influenza.
• A journal editor claimed their journal was scrutinized by
activists
• He wrote “That the tests were wholly justified goes
without saying.”
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Agents
• 1930-1960
– U of Chicago, US Army, & U.S. State Dept.
• Used prisoners at a state prison over 29 years
• Infected them with malaria and denied them treatment
• Nazi doctors used these studies in their defense
– US researchers in Guatemala
• Used prostitutes to infect inmates, mental patients, and
military personnel with STI’s
• Wanted more subjects to test penicillin
Stan Dura 9/16/13

Agents
• 1930-1955
– U.S. military exposed thousands of unsuspecting
servicemen to mustard gas to test experimental
protective gear
– US Navy simulated a biological attack by spraying
infectious bacteria across San Francisco
• Hundreds sickened, at least 1 death
– U.S. Army sprayed toxic chemicals over U.S. and
Canada cities to examine dispersal patterns
Stan Dura 9/16/13

Agents
• 1955-Present
– CIA sprayed the whooping cough virus over Tampa
Bay
• Epidemic ensued, sickening thousands & killing 12
– U.S. Army performs numerous tests, spraying U.S.
ships with various chemicals
• Thousands of military personnel exposed to Sarin, VX,
sulfur dioxide, and other toxic chemicals
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Agents
• 1955-Present
– U Penn, U.S. Army, Dow Chemicals, Johnson &
Johnson
• Tested various chemicals on 90% of the mostly black
prisoners at a state prison and denied them treatment
• Chemicals included dioxin (Agent Orange) and other
herbicides
• U Penn doctor wrote, “All I saw before me was acres of
skin…it was like a farmer seeing a fertile field for the
first time.”
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Agents
• 1955-Present
– Various government agencies
• sprayed various bacteria in NY and Chicago subway systems to
study its effect.
• Infected mostly elderly, black, and female prisoners and patients
with cancer cells without their knowledge
– 1988-2008
• Overseas clinical trials increased 2,000%
• Often conducted in poor, uneducated areas with little government
oversight or safety regulations
• In one case, 49 babies in New Delhi died. Being outside the U.S.
allowed the company to suppress the evidence from the FDA
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Agents
• 1960-Present
– 2000-2010 - Northfield Labs arranged for artificial
blood to be transfused into unknowing patients at
hospitals across the U.S.
• It was found that recipients experienced significantly
higher rates of heart attack and death.
Stan Dura 9/16/13

Case Studies – Psychological and
Torture Experiments
• 1947-1953 – Project Chatter
– U.S. Navy tested truth serums on unknowing human
subjects
• 1950 – Project Bluebird (later, Artichoke)
– CIA tested means to control people without their
consent through interrogation, drugs, pain, fear, etc.
– In one part, they dosed over 7,000 unsuspected
military personnel with LSD
• Over 1,000 of whom developed severe mental illnesses
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Case Studies – Psychological and
Torture Experiments
• 2010
– Raytheon (weapons manufacturer) reported a
deal with a California jail to test an experimental
weapon intended to be non-lethal
• It shot an invisible heat beam that caused unbearable
pain
• It is unclear the extent to which prisoners were
informed and had the option of not participating.
Stan Dura 9/16/13

Showcases
• 1932 - 1972 – Tuskegee Syphilis Study
– U.S. Public Health Service
– Studied progression of syphilis in 399 rural black men
– Subjects were never informed of their diagnosis nor
did they receive treatment for it
– Subjects believed they were getting free treatment
– Penicillin became a proven treatment in 1940’s
– Actively blocked them from receiving treatment at
other clinics
Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment (n.d.) In Wikipedia. Retrieved September 14, 2013 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuskegee_syphilis_experiment
Stan Dura 9/16/13

Showcases
• 1963 – Obedience to Authority Study
– Dr. Milgram
• Hired actors to pretend experiencing pain and agony when
test subjects would press a button.
• Test subjects were told the actors were the subjects and to
push a button when they got an answer wrong.
• Subjects would continue to push the button even when it
appeared the others were in excruciating pain
• Test subjects suffered from various psychological conditions
for years
Stan Dura 9/16/13

Showcases
• 1970’s
– U of California researchers experimented on 113
newborns (1-3 days old)
– One study involved forcing catheters into their
hears via their umbilical artery
• They placed them in ice water to observe changes in
blood flow.
Stan Dura 9/16/13

Showcases
• 1971 – Stanford Prison Experiment
– Dr. Philip Zimbardo set up a mock prison
experiment to study how people conform
• Male volunteers assigned to be prisoner or guards
without their knowing
• Prisoners were arrested outside their homes
• Guards quickly became vicious, sadistic; prisoners
quickly became hopeless, depressed.
• The study was ended within 6 days
Stan Dura 9/16/13

Showcases
• 1950’s – Project MKUltra
– CIA, Dept. of Defense, and others
– CIA Director complained about not having enough
“human guinea pigs” to try all of the interrogation
techniques
– All interrogation, drug, mind control, etc. projects
were combined under the umbrella of MKUltra
• Under the control of the Technical Services Div. (NSA)
Project MKUltra. (n.d.) In Wikipedia. Retrieved September 14, 2013 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_MKUltra
Stan Dura 9/16/13

Showcases
– Conducted thousands of experiments within 80 or
more institutions across U.S.:
Cornell
Harvard
CIA
Department of Defense
Bureau of Narcotics
Tulane
Holmesburg Prison
McGill University (Canada)
Stanford
Technical Services Division
(NSA)
Stan Dura 9/16/13

Showcases
– Subjects, who were mostly unaware, unwilling, or
not fully informed, consisted of:
CIA employees
Military personnel
Inpatients or Inmates
Prostitutes
Drug Addicts
Doctors
Gov’t agents/officials
General public
Stan Dura 9/16/13

Showcases
– Experiments included
• Dosing individuals, keeping them so for 174 days
• Dosing unsuspecting law enforcement, medical and
government professionals in everyday settings
• Testing torture techniques, including
– Waterboarding
– Sleep and sensory deprivation
– Pain calibration
– Intense, subversive psychological attacks, breaking down beliefs
Stan Dura 9/16/13

Showcases
– Ted Kaczynski was a participant in a Harvard study
• Used intense, stressful, psychological attacks to break down a
person’s belief system and agitate them
• And ostensibly to build it back up as they pleased
• Video records show Kaczynski was mentally stable at the
beginning of the study , less so afterwards
– While the CIA says the studies have ended,
commentary from former agents suggests it has not
Stan Dura 9/16/13

Showcases
– Knowledge and techniques from these studies
continues to be used
• Interrogation techniques used at Abu Gharib,
Guantanamo Bay, and rendition sites across the globe
• Interrogation of terror suspects who are not afforded
Miranda or Geneva Convention rights
• To a more subtle extent, Military training – “boot camp”
Stan Dura 9/16/13

Showcases
• 1990’s
– U.S. Dept. of Defense
– Ordered hundreds of thousands of military personnel
to ingest an experimental nerve agent antidote to act
as a preventative vaccine.
– Main ingredient confirmed to be a cause of the “Gulf
War Syndrome”
– The majority of military personnel required to do this
were poor white and minority U.S. citizens
• Bush, Cheney, Quayle, Powell, Schwartzkopf and others were
found guilty 1992 by the Internat’l War Crimes Tribunal
Gulf War Syndrome. (n.d.) In Wikipedia. Retrieved September 14, 2013 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_War_syndrome
Craige, B. J. (1996). American patriotism in a global society. Albany: State University of New York Press.
Stan Dura 9/16/13

Showcases
• Homosexual Aversion/Conversion Therapy
– Individuals wanting to “cure” themselves or
children of parents who wanted to cure their
children
– Exposed to electroshock and drug-induced
vomiting to create an aversion to homosexuality
– Many suffered various psychological conditions
afterward; 1 death and 1 coma also attributed.
Stan Dura 9/16/13
Callier. S. (2012). Swabbing students: Should universities be allowed to facilitate educational DNA testing?American Journal of Bioethics. 12(4). 32-
40.

Showcases
• DNA Testing of Students
– Several science classes engage students in testing
their DNA
• To study the technical procedure
• To study the scientific analysis
– Findings can indicate risk of various conditions
(Crone’s, Lactose intolerance., circadian rhythm, etc.)
– Some of those are also associated with various
cancers and schizophrenia
Stan Dura 9/16/13
Callier. S. (2012). Swabbing students: Should universities be allowed to facilitate educational DNA testing?American Journal of Bioethics. 12(4). 32-
40.

Ethical Lessons
• 1947
– Nuremburg Code developed in response to the
WWII atrocities.
– U.S. was a signatory to the accord
Nuremburg Code. (n.d.) In Wikipedia. Retrieved September, 12, 2013 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuremburg_code
Stan Dura 9/16/13

Ethical Lessons
• 1947
– Nuremburg Code = 10 principles
• Informed consent
• Benefit to others
• Logical Process: theory first, animal experimentation
second, human trials last
• Avoids unnecessary pain, suffering, and injury
• Should be avoided if death or dismemberment may
occur
Stan Dura 9/16/13

Ethical Lessons
• 1947
– Nuremburg Code = 10 principles
• Benefit should outweigh risks
• Prevention of likely and remote possibilities of injury,
disability and death
• Experimenters should be medically and educationally
qualified
• Participants should be able to withdraw at anytime
• End experiments if undue harm becomes likely
Stan Dura 9/16/13

Ethical Lessons
• Nuremburg code was developed in 1947
– Clearly it took a long time for these principles to
make their way into US Culture
• 1979 – Belmont Report
– Drafted at the Belmont Conf. Center in Maryland
– Impetus was the Tuskegee Syphilis Study (and others)
Belmont Report (1979). The Belmont Report: Ethical principles and guidelines for the protection of human subjects of research. Retrieved September,
13, 2013, from hhs.gov/ohrp/humansubjects/guidance/belmont.html
Stan Dura 9/16/13

Ethical Lessons
• 1979 – Belmont Report
– 3 Principles
• Respect for persons (protecting ID, informed consent, truth)
• Beneficence (do no harm, minimizing risk, maximizing
benefit)
• Justice (non-exploitive, fair, distribution of risk and benefit)
– Established the Institutional Review Boards
– Gave SJ a foothold into U.S. culture.
Belmont Report (1979). The Belmont Report: Ethical principles and guidelines for the protection of human subjects of research. Retrieved September,
13, 2013, from hhs.gov/ohrp/humansubjects/guidance/belmont.html
Stan Dura 9/16/13

Ethical Lessons
• 1985 – Karen Kitchener developed 5 ethical principles
for Student Affairs
• 1996 – Upcraft & Schuh affirmed them in the context of
Student Affairs assessment
– Do no harm (minimize risk)
– Benefit others (maximize benefit to the participant and
society)
– Respect autonomy (informed consent, ability to withdraw,
privacy)
– Be Just (fair distribution of risk and benefit)
– Be faithful (truthful, due diligence)
Kitchener, K.S. (1985). Ethical principles and ethical decisions in college student affairs. In H.J. Canon & R.D. Brown (Eds.), New directions for
student services: Applied ethics in student affairs, no. 30. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
Upcraft, M.L., Schuh, J.H. (1996). Assessment in student affairs: A guide for practitioners. San Francisco: Jossy-Bass
Stan Dura 9/16/13

Guided Thoughts
• Two of my main takeaways are this:
–Biases are perhaps the ugliest part of
being human (and we often don’t see them
in ourselves)
–We are often not the best ones to judge
the ethical soundness of our efforts
Stan Dura 9/16/13

Guided Thoughts
• How do the principles of SJ apply to
colleges and universities?
• How can you apply SJ principles to your
role as RA’s?
Stan Dura 9/16/13

Questions?
Concerns?
Ideas?
Snide Comments?
Stan Dura 9/13/13

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Inquiry, the CIA, and the Unabomber: The secret realm of Social Justice