Roots of CIA torture and mind control tactics; Gary Chew reviews The Ghost Writer. Dr. Jeffrey Kaye, a psychologist, and author H. P. Albarelli, Jr. talk about the upcoming trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed–who we know was tortured–and the history of CIA torture and mind control programs, including the infamous Project MK-Ultra and the use of LSD. We talk about an article they wrote for Truthout.org, available here. Kaye is a longtime critic of Bush-era policies of rendition and torture, and Albarelli’s powerful new book exposes the history back to the early 1950’s A Terrible Mistake: The Murder of Frank Olson and the CIA’s Secret Cold War Experiments. Albarelli’s book is chilling and fascinating, and shows that the US has been operating on “the dark side”, as Cheney called it, for decades. He describes the importance of the Olson case, and the large numbers of people–including children–who were slipped LSD by the CIA. Gary Chew reviews Roman Polanski’s new film, about a British ex-Prime Minister accused of torture, The Ghost Writer

Govt. murder of Fred Hampton. Author Jeffrey Haas talks about his new book, The Assassination of Fred Hampton: How the FBI and Chicago Police Murdered a Black Panther. Haas was an attorney for the charismatic Hampton, chairman of the Black Panther Party in Chicago, at the time of the police raid in 1969. Stonewalled for years by the FBI and Chicago leaders, Haas ultimately proved that the hit on Hampton and Mark Clark was part of the FBI’s Cointelpro program, with instructions from J. Edgar Hoover to disrupt black nationalist groups and “prevent the rise of a new black messiah” following Dr. King’s assassination in 1968. Haas and his underpaid colleagues at the People’s Law Office took on the FBI, the Daley Machine, and an incredibly biased judge–it took more than 10 years to win a $1.85 million settlement for the survivors and Hampton’s family. In doing so, they exposed the darkest aspects of the American system of “justice”. PBC was hosting a talk show in Chicago as the legal battle unfolded, and has personal insights about the times and some of the players. The book is fascinating, and highly recommended. Get more info here. The story is important history, and informs the resurgence of a police state in the US, where the Patriot Act was just renewed, the FBI admits wide abuse of “national security letters” and massive surveillance of our phones and emails continues under Obama.

Prof. Beau Grosscup on US air raids in Afghanistan; Robert Cruickshank on California politics. Grosscup is Professor of International Relations at Chico State and author of Strategic Terror: The Politics and Ethics of Aerial Bombardment. We talk about the repeated incidents of Afghan civilians killed by US air attacks, which Grosscup considers “terrorism” and the way that term is re-defined to apply only to our enemies. He also talks about domestic terrorism at Oklahoma City, Ft. Hood and the recent Stack attack on the IRS office in Austin. Cruickshank is policy director at the Courage Campaign and one of many excellent contributors to the progressive politics blog about California, Calitics. We talk about eBay billionaire Meg Whitman’s massive spending to buy the governorship–using Sarah Palin campaign tactics; about Jerry Brown’s slow start on his race; about failed HP CEO Carly Fiorina’s race to unseat Sen. Barbara Boxer and Fiorina’s gutter-level attacks on her GOP opponent Tom Campbell; and about initiative battles over corporate influence, esp. the utility P G & E’s efforts to pass an undemocratic initiative to maintain its monopoly and block community power programs permitted by current law.

Brad Friedman updates the ACORN smear, Prof. Marjorie Cohn comments on whitewash of torture memo authors. Friedman, of Bradblog.com, serves up admissions from GOP provocateurs Andy Breitbart and Hannah Giles that Giles and her “undercover journalist” pal James O’Keefe were not, in fact, dressed as whore and pimp when they framed ACORN workers on video. The video was used by Fox and even the New York Times to attack ACORN, and led to shameful action by Congress to strip ACORN funding. So far, the Times has refused to correct its false reporting. Send your email comments to Times Public Editor Clark Hoyt: public@nytimes.com Prof. Cohn teaches at Thomas Jefferson law school in San Diego and is immediate past president of National Lawyers Guild. She deplores the OPR report and the spin of the mainstream media that Yoo and Bybee have been exonerated, and describes how they violated professional standards and twisted their opinions to give BushCo license to torture. Join the effort to discipline Yoo and Bybee here. Cohn is co-author of the new book, Rules of Disengagement, which gives the history of conscientious objectors and legal tips to those who reject service in the current wars.

Dr. Julien Mercille on Afghanistan. This is another in the Boiling Frogs interview series, co-hosted with Sibel Edmonds. Dr. Julien Mercille discusses the trail of Afghanistan’s drug money, the false impression given by the latest UN report on the effects of Afghanistan’s drug production, and the role of other nations and institutions including western banks. He talks about the predominant view of the US and NATO held by the majority in Afghanistan today, his interview with Malalai Joya, Afghanistan’s youngest Member of Parliament, who is well known for openly challenging the US, NATO, warlords and the Taliban, the current state of progressive movements in Afghanistan, and more. Mercille is a lecturer in US foreign policy at University College Dublin, where he moved after obtaining his PhD from UCLA. He teaches on US history and foreign policy and has published academic articles on Iran, Iraq and the Cold War, and is now researching the “War on Drugs” and Afghanistan. He has also written for various websites and magazines on those topics and others.

Rape in the US military, clean elections for California. Col. Ann Wright, with 29 years of service in the Army and Army Reserve, offers a chilling account of sexual assault and sexual harrassment in the military–where 30% of women report being raped and 80% subject to harassment. PBC notes that the homophobic opposition to repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell does not even acknowledge the problems caused by out of control heterosexuals in the military. Here is the link to Col. Wright’s recent article that we reference; and here is the link to Penny Coleman’s article. California Assemblyman Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco) makes the case for campaign finance reform, and Trent Lange of the fair elections coalition defines the terms of Prop 15 on the June ballot, which would set up a pilot program of publicly funded elections.

Prof. Juan Cole on Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Kevin Kamps on Obama’s nuclear gamble. Prof. Cole teaches history at U of Michigan, and writes the Informed Comment blog, a great resource on America’s wars. We talk about the draw down of US troops in Iraq and Cole is optimistic about full withdrawal by the end of 2010. He describes the jockeying in Iraq over the March 7 elections and the influence of Iran and Ahmed Chalabi on the process. He details the capture of Mullah Baradar–the military leader of the “old” Taliban–by Pakistani and US operatives, and offers candid comments about the new US attack on Marjah. Kamps is an expert on nuclear waste at the think tank founded by Dr. Helen Caldicott, Beyond Nuclear and he is sharply critical of Obama’s decision to provide loan guarantees for Southern Co.’s plans to build two new nukes in Georgia so taxpayers take the risk and the utility takes the profits. In addition to the financial risk, Kamps talks about the fallacy that nukes are safe for people and the environment and the false promise that a blue ribbon panel can resolve the nuclear waste issues.