So the US government is fucked up

**Gilly** · 10-04-2010, 11:43 PM

Apparently US Government researchers recently conducted experiments on Guatemalan prostitutes and prisoners, infecting them with syphilis to see if penicillin could act as a preventative measure to infection.

What the fuck?

**Crispy** · 10-04-2010, 11:53 PM

Originally Posted by Gilly

Apparently US Government researchers recently conducted experiments on Guatemalan prostitutes and prisoners, infecting them with syphilis to see if penicillin could act as a preventative measure to infection.

What the fuck?

What were the results?

**marooned** · 10-05-2010, 01:00 AM

if recent is 60 years ago... (not that it makes it any better or says it was okay to be unethical for the US gov back in 1946 when they "didn't know any better")

**olduser** · 10-05-2010, 01:18 AM

see Tuskegee syphilis experiment. Doesn't even need to be foreigners, can be blacks too.

also, agree that large entities are not to be trusted, at least the government provides FDA, USDA, large corporations wouldn't provide us this. Here's an example of a large non-governmental organization doing horrible things:
Corporate Crime and Violence
nestle marketing infant formula to people who were perfectly capable of breast feeding.

cheers to the big companies.

**Skeptic** · 10-05-2010, 01:21 AM

Source? I'm making a collection of this stuff

**xerx** · 10-05-2010, 01:40 AM

lol. This is pretty tame compared to what we did to them in the 80s.

**Bardia** · 10-05-2010, 04:11 AM

Originally Posted by Gilly

Apparently US Government researchers recently conducted experiments on Guatemalan prostitutes and prisoners, infecting them with syphilis to see if penicillin could act as a preventative measure to infection.

What the fuck?

They recently discovered that it was done. Like Loki said, the experiment itself was done decades ago.

**Gilly** · 10-05-2010, 05:33 PM

Originally Posted by Bardia

They recently discovered that it was done. Like Loki said, the experiment itself was done decades ago.

Oh. Well, fuck knows what some random sifting through files will discover next; God knows what went unfiled! ;dlkfjsdafflfdjsfhjthesystemads;lifjsad;lfhf

Creepy-bg · 10-05-2010, 10:58 PM

part of the goverments job is to do shit that no individual should have to do or know about, but that needs to be done for the good of society.

it's like shooting the local crack dealer in the head, or poisoning the bums who shit on the sidewalk.

somebody had to do the human trials.

^ half serious/half trolling

**Crispy** · 10-05-2010, 11:05 PM

Originally Posted by Bionicgoat

or poisoning the bums who shit on the sidewalk.

LOL, good idea actually.

**olduser** · 10-05-2010, 11:17 PM

Originally Posted by Ashton

Agree that large corporations shouldn't be trusted (especially considering their incestuous relationship w/ government). But free markets do apparently generate regulatory services, i.e. see Underwriter's Laboratory: What Keeps Us Safe?

I will read this, but I don't trust businesses to not be bias when we have seen them exploit time and time again. If you want an excellent example of FDA working look at food safety pre-Wiley and post-Wiley(1906 and on). More people died in the Spanish American War from spoiled meat than were killed in action because the US had not thought at all about food safety issues. It just seems like there is no perfect solution, but a middleman that isn't the business is good. Also, the FDA, CDC aren't terribly large organizations. The FDA is appox. 9000 people, and they do decent science.

**olduser** · 10-05-2010, 11:27 PM

Originally Posted by glamourama

god that is horrible.

here's another - big food marketing soy as a health food, when it is anything but: Dangers of Soy | Food Renegade

Soy is a known endocrine disruptor(produces estrogen), but its widely eaten in asian cultures, esp China with very few problems. But they also eat a lot more fermented soy products rather than direct soy, which removes the soy protein allergens, and endrocrine disrupting agents. Soy is great as a chemical feedstock, and is probably more widely used as animal feed/feedstock than anything else.. All the little additives used to keep food fresh or to make them more palatable are derived from soy fats, sugars and proteins. if not soy, corn.

Honestly, the biggest problem with American food is the feedlot system. Some minor problems are food dyes, some synthetic anti-oxidants, and HFCS. The bigger issue for food safety in the US is consumption habits. HFCS is a combination of two sugars that can be digested in the body(there is debate about how they are metabolized), but the major issue is the amount consumed. Americans consume 25 pounds more sugar per year than in 1970(HFCS invented 1966). Theres a pretty valid correlation between this and rise of type 2 diabetes and other metabolic disorders. I'm taking a course of food additives this semester and i've amassed a huge amount of information on the topic. So if anyone has any questions!!!! i'd be pleased to respond.

**jughead** · 10-06-2010, 12:04 AM

The epa sued the government over flouridating their water and won based on a simple established risk benefit procedure. The epa's water is specially non-flouridated.