03/27/12 03/27/12 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] >> from pacifica, this is "democracy now!" >> we have to provide health insurance as a country to every single person it moves us on the road to doing that. 30 million will get health insurance. >> if the mandate stands, i will draw my health insurance and i will not purchase entrance if i'm forced to do so by the government. i will not pay the fine. there are millions of people

like me. >> as a supreme court weather is whether the new health care law goes too far, we will host a debate on whether the law goes far enough. we'll speak with dr. stephanie woolhandler, co-founder of physicians for national health program, and john mcdonough who played a key role in shaping romneycare massachusetts as well as the new federal law. staff sergeant robert bales is charged with murdering 17 afghans, we will speak with reporter mark benjamin about how the military is scrambling to review the malaria drug known to induce psychotic behavior. then, "who bombed judi bari?" >> at the time when i hit the brakes, there's a huge explosion. i felt it ripped through me. the explosion was so powerful, the sound itself had a four spread across the new documentary takes on the unsolved attack on environmental activist in oakland more than 20 years ago. all of that and more, coming up.

this is "democracy now!," democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. international envoy kofi annan has announced syria has accepted a u.n. peace proposal calling for a cease-fire, but the syrian opposition has dismissed the initiative saying it will allow the government to continue its repression. the plan includes a cease-fire by syrian forces and a daily two-hour halt to fighting to evacuate the injured. despite the announcement, there's been no immediate end to the bloodshed. flooding has -- fighting has spread into north lebanon where syrian troops reportedly destroyed farm buildings and clashed with syrian rebels who had taken refuge there. >> time is of the essence. this cannot be allowed to drag on indefinitely. i have told the parties on the ground, they cannot resist the transformation.

they have to accept reforms have to come, change has to come, and that is the only way to deal with the situation. >> a new opinion poll shows support for the war in afghanistan has dropped sharply over the past four months. according to the latest poll, 69% of respondents thought the u.s. should not be at war in afghanistan. the poll found 68% of people thought the fighting is going somewhat badly or very badly compared with 42% just four months ago. on monday, a u.s. soldier was killed by local afghan police officer and two british troops were shot dead by an afghan soldier. general john allen, the commander of nato forces in afghanistan, said such killings will likely continue. >> we experienced these in iraq in vietnam. on any occasion, where you're dealing with an insurgency and where you are growing and indigenous force, which

ultimately will be the principal opposition to the insurgency, the enemy is going to do all that they can to disrupt both the counter insurgency operations, but also the integrity of the indigenous forces that develops. >> the supreme court is entering its second day of its historic review of the affordable care act. on monday, the justices took up a procedural tax law question about the timing of lawsuits and suggested by their questions that they could decide the merits of the case. today, the justices will hear arguments on whether congress had the power to require most people in the united states to buy medical insurance. we will have a debate on the supreme court case after the headlines. about 10,000 people marched in sanford, florida monday calling for the arrest of george zimmerman -- the neighborhood watch volunteer who shot dead trayvon martin, an unarmed 17- year-old african american last month. the march occurred on a day filled with several developments

in the case. your land a sentinel is reporting zimmerman told police he shot martin after the teenager punched him in the nose and began beating him. the altercation occurred after a 9-1-1 dispatcher told zimmerman not to follow the teenager who he deemed to be suspicious. in another development, the sentinel revealed martin was visiting his father's fiancée after yet been suspended from school in miami because traces of marijuana were found in his book bag. benjamin crump is an attorney for trayvon martin's family. >> what ever trayvon martin was suspended for had absolutely no bearing on what happened on the night of february 26. we told you previously when he asked questions that he was not suspended for anything violent and he was not suspended for anything criminal. if he and his friends experimented with marijuana, that is still completely

irrelevant to george zimmerman killing their son on the night of february 26. >> trayvon martin's parents, tracy martin and sybrina fulton, spoke at a meeting in sanford on monday. >> i would like to say that even in death, and trayvon is gone, he will not be returning to us, even in death, there are still disrespecting my son. i feel that is a shame. >> the only comment i have right now is that they have killed my son and now they're trying to kill his reputation. >> at a summit in south korea, world leaders pledged today to secure all vulnerable nuclear material by 2014 and to boost security to keep the ingredients for nuclear weapons out of the hands of terrorists. analysts estimate there are at least 4.4 billion pounds of

stockpiled weapons-grade nuclear material left over from decommissioned bombs and atomic fuel plants, enough to make a least 100,000 new nuclear weapons. the u.s. and australia are discussing plans for major increase in military ties as the pentagon continues to focus on southeast asia. the expansion could see u.s. drones taking off from a coral atoll in the indian ocean as well as increased u.s. naval access to australian ports. the talks follow an agreement to deploy up to 2500 u.s. marines to darwin, australia. the u.s. is also finalizing a deal to station four warships in singapore as part of its overall attempt to expand in the region. israel has severed contacts with the nine nations human rights council after the body launched an international investigation into jewish settlements in the occupied west bank. the decision means the fact- finding team the united nations plan to send to the west bank

will not be allowed to enter the territory or israel. this is a spokesperson for the israeli foreign minister. >> with its disproportionate obsession about israel bypassing totally unthinkable number of condemnations on israel and israel only, or almost only, the emirate's rights council has made the cooperation felipe useless. they have made the situation as it is now and therefore, we have decided to sever our working ties with this body until further notice. >> a palestinian government spokesperson, criticizing israel's decision. >> this is a new indicator and not a piece of evidence that israel does not respect international law or organizations. therefore, this position should form a challenge to the international community and

should drive them to hold israel responsible, not just verbally, but also in practical terms, in a manner that will force israel to stop violating the rights of the palestinian people. >> in other news from the region, the imprisoned palestinian leader marwan barghouti has called on the palestinian public to launch a widespread resistance against israel. in a message written from a jail, or could be said -- he was arrested by israeli commandos in ramallah and 22 -- in 2002. the palace in prisoner shalabi has entered the 41st day of her hunger strike were she's being held without charge. on monday, her mother accused israeli officials of waiting for her daughter to die. >> these record date for the same minister of detention, nothing new.

they do not have anything except for delays and delays until when will they continue to delay? they cannot delay when a girl has been on a hunger strike for 40 days. will they delay until she is dead? are they waiting for her to die? >> the pope is scheduled to fly to havana, cuba today, a day after celebrating mass in the cuban city of santiago. >> one of the import fruits of that visit was the inauguration of the new phase in the relationship in cuba between church and state. in a new spirit of cooperation and trust, even if many areas remain in which, greater progress can and ought to be made, especially as regards to the indispensable public contribution their religion is called to make in the life of society. >> the pope is expected to preside over mass wednesday and

havana, as one of the first couple visits to cuba in 14 years. opposition activists say dozens of dissidents were detained before the visit of the pope. amnesty international has revealed the number of executions carried out around the world jumped last year, largely due to a surge in use of death penalty in the middle east. at least 676 people were executed in 20 countries, only four carried out more than the united states. salil shetty is secretary general of amnesty international. >> the problem is with a handful of countries who have consistently or have had the largest number of executions. some of them have increased at alarming rates. china and iran are simply off the charts. there are the two biggest. then you have saudi arabia and the united states in that group. >> you can hear our full interview with salil shetty of

amnesty international on democracynow.org. activists in new mexico are increasing calls for justice department investigation after albuquerque police shot and killed two men last week, bringing the total number of people killed by police there to 18 in just over two years. the city of 550,000 saw nine fatal shootings by police in 2010 -- compared to eight that year in new york city. an investigation by the los angeles police department has found a white police officer has been targeting latino drivers for traffic stops. the finding marks the first time the department has determined one of its officers engaged in racial or ethnic profiling, despite hundreds of complaints each year. the state of michigan appears to be moving closer to appointing an emergency manager to take over the city of detroit. on monday, detroit's, to review team declared the city is under a financial emergency, but did

not recommend that an unelected emergency manager take over the reins of city government. the city and state have 10 days to reach an agreement before deciding if an emergency manager is needed. monday's meeting was frequently disrupted by angry residents. scores of residents began chanting, "no takeover." 36 students were arrested in washington, d.c. on monday during a protest against student loan debt after the block the entrance to the headquarters of the nation's largest student loan company, sallie mae. brazilian police are investigating the shooting death of three rural activists near a landless workers camp over the weekend did official said an investigation underway to determine whether the shootings were linked to efforts by the activists to win rights to land there was also contested by the owners of a sugar mill. watchdog groups have accused the land owners of paying hired gunmen to should the activists. those are some of the headlines. this is "democracy now!," democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman.

the supreme court is convening a historic session on the constitutionality of the affordable care act, the landmark healthcare reform bill signed by president obama two years ago. oral arguments began monday with the debate over whether the law can be contested in light of a statute that protects taxes from challenge before they take effect. today, justices will hear arguments over an issue at the heart of so-called obamacare, the individual mandate requires most people buy health insurance by 2014 or pay a tax penalty. a third and final day of arguments will be held on wednesday. the supreme court case is expected to have huge implications for the nation in the 2012 elections, and is being followed closely by all sides of the health care debate. porter's and opponents of the healthcare law gathered monday outside the supreme court to make their voices heard. >> it is not about politics or being partisan or linking up to some kind of position that you

need to tie yourself to. this is about people taking care of other people. it is about the idea we're putting profit over people. the big insurance companies are making a lot of money. i did regular people need to advocate for themselves, because the insurance companies are not going to. obama will and that is what this bill does. >> with support health care reform. we are sad when children go into the hospital and they do not have insurance. that cannot be here in america. but this bill is unconstitutional. it is illegal. it was done on bribes and kickbacks to obama's campaign supporters. we are completely against it. we want real reform where the money is to the people in the hospitals that meet it. >> also appearing outside the supreme court was republican presidential hopeful rick santorum, who touted his steadfast opposition to the health care law.

>> this bill has far-reaching consequences for the economic health of this country and for basic liberty in our society. that is why this decision and the debate that is going on right now is fundamental. there is one candidate in this race who can actually make the contrast that is necessary between the republican position, the conservative position, and one that is an overwhelmingly supported by the american public and one of barack obama believes in. and that is rick santorum. >> the argument of the supreme court case is reviving the heated tensions of surrounding the health care law on the debate leading up to its passage two years ago. although support for the law is often equated with backing the expansion of health care coverage for all americans, there are some who maintain the bill did not go far enough in helping the uninsured. in an amicus brief filed with the supreme court last month, a group of physicians argued against the healthcare mandate

altogether, saying that congress should instead legislate a single payer system to provide universal care for all. i am joined by two guests on opposite sides of this overlooked part of the health- care debate. dr. stephanie woolhandler is co- founder of physicians for national health program, whose members signed onto the amicus brief arguing against the individual mandate and for single payer. she's a primary-care physician who teaches in public health at cuny-hunter college and harvard medical school. joining me from boston is john mcdonough, professor at the harvard school of public health and director of the new center for public leadership. he served as a senior advisor on national health reform to the u.s. senate committee on health. between 2003 and 2008, he served as executive director health care for all in massachusetts, playing a key role in the passage of the 2006 massachusetts health care reform law known by many as

romneycare. he has a new book out called, "inside national health reform." we will begin with professor john mcdonough. the significance of the supreme court hearing over these three days? >> well, it could be very consequential in terms of some of the key features of the law. the medicaid expansion for 16 million low income americans as well as the success of the private health insurance expansion through the individual mandate. i think ultimately, far less important decision of the supreme court will be the decision of the voters in november, on november 6. really, the future of this law will be decided by who controls the white house and who controls congress next year. the supreme court is really secondary. >> dr. stephanie woolhandler?

>> we did not take a position when the solvent -- with the supreme court deliberations. some of the members did weigh in in an amicus brief. some are more ambivalent and felt there was some good in the bill. what we all agree on, however, is the bill is not a solution. it will leave 27 million americans uninsured when it is fully implemented. it will leave tens of millions of americans woefully under insured with gaps in their coverage like copayments and deductibles, so they will still be bankrupt by illness. it is not going to control cost. we still need single payer national health insurance regardless of what happens at the supreme court. >> do you care of the supreme court were to reject it? say the individual mandate is not constitutional?

>> the individual mandate is a very bad idea. the good parts are medicaid expansion, which does not require an individual mandate. some regulations on the insurance industry, which was does not require the mandate. those could have all been done without the mandate. the problem with the mandate is it is telling people that they have to turn over their money to the private health insurance industry. there are $447 billion in taxpayer money that will be turned over to the private health insurance industry. so the bill is strengthening the position to private health insurance industry. that is the very industry responsible for $380 billion in wasted health care dollars and bureaucracy and paperwork. >> professor john mcdonough? >> i do not disagree with the assertions of my friend dr. stephanie woolhandler. i would agree with her that a

single payer plan could be far preferable. the reality was that there was no possibility in 2009, 2010, of achieving passage of anything close to a single payer. i think the question is, does the affordable care act move the system ford by eliminating pre- existing conditions, by creating the medicaid expansions, by undertaking so many other important improvements to the health care system, tripling the size of the national corp. just many, many important provisions. the question is, does the affordable care act of the system for the and was it worth doing? i guess that is where we disagree. i think short of a single pair system that the affordable care act was the best we get done. it really will provide significant meaningful, and port improvements for the lives and

well-being of millions of americans. it really does move the system for the important ways in terms of trying to address serious deficiencies in the quality and efficiency of medical care delivering at the nine states. >> dr. stephanie woolhandler, what about that, that obama got done what he could? >> i have practice primary care for years. i'm at a public hospital in massachusetts. i saw what happened in massachusetts, which was the romneycare that was a model for obamacare. some people were helped a little bit. some people got hurt a little bit. for most of the doctors and patients, nothing changed. people still could not pay and had to seek care in the public sector because they could not afford the care they needed. >> we requested take a break and come back to this discussion. dr. stephanie woolhandler and

john mcdonough, whose new book is just out called "inside national health reform." ♪ [music break] ♪ [music break]

>> this is "democracy now!," democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. our guest is dr. stephanie woolhandler from harvard medical school, and now teaching at cuny. john mcdonough, his new book is called, "inside national health reform." the anti-injunction act requires him to be taxed before they can challenge the tax. >> our initial submission is we do not have to determine this was a tax in order to find the anti-injunction act applies because congress very specifically said it shall be assessed and collected in the same manner as a tax, even if it is a tax penalty and not a tax. >> john mcdonough, what exactly

is attorney robert long opposing about the affordable care act? >> he is not opposing or supporting it, but singers and 1867 law, the anti-injunction act and a key part says you cannot sue to prevent the collection of a tax until the tax has actually got into a fact and people are paying it. i happen to think based upon my reading -- and i am not an attorney -- that there's a very strong case that the anti- injunction act prevails. i think the justices on both sides, though, the ecological spectrum, want to decide this and that was clear from the questioning yesterday. i think the anti-injunction act is going to be moved to the back of the room or in a closet and of the justices and up in some kind of a significant that law, then they might, if they cannot resolve it, pull the anti- injunction act out of the closet

and use it. otherwise, i think they will do what they can to try to make more definitive ruling by june. >> professor, you occupy an interesting position. you were killed but romneycare, the health care act and massachusetts that has become really the basis of what many call obamacare, or the affordable care act. you were involved with both. now you have these to the presidential candidates most likely going up against each other, and have romney saying that he complete opposes what president obama has managed to have passed into law. what is your response to that? >> mitt romney found himself in a peculiar position. the mandate emerged from conservative republican circles in the late 1980's and early 1990's and gained prominence as an alternative to the clinton health reform vision in 1993-

1994. republicans kept beating the drum for years. mitt romney mistakenly thought they meant it and were serious. so he took their idea and actually worked to and helped to actualize it in massachusetts as part of the massachusetts health reform law. then when they attempted to do it on a national basis through the democrats' health-care initiative, all the republicans who said they wereor this deserted the ship, jumped off the ship. but romney could not because he was pictured holding the steering wheel with ted kennedy when they made it happen. he finds himself in an ironic situation in terms of supporting something that was very much a republican orthodoxy and then watched all the republicans abandoned it. the truth is, romney had a very minimalist vision of what massachusetts health reform would be.

it was one that i was in the advocacy community at that time that we did not support at all. but the democrats overwhelmingly had control of the house and senate. we were able to work with them to make what is now referred to as romneycare, much more robust and fall. right now and massachusetts, more than 98% of all residents have health insurance. about 99.8% of children have health insurance. for every flaw doctor will hinder named, i can name two or three. -- for every flaw dr. woolhandler are named, i could probably name two or three. it does provide some financial protection. in massachusetts, overwhelmingly, people think it has been a good thing. >> dr. stephanie woolhandler? >> it is not to 98% of people have health insurance in .assachusetts tha

if you go on the exchange website and massachusetts and try to buy health insurance for someone my age, you are going to be taking a $5,600 of your pocket to pay the premium, then if you got sick, you have a $2,000 deductible. so your 7 $600 out of pocket before the entrance pays a penny. -- so you are $7,600 out of pocket before the insurance pays a penny. some people were helped in some were hurt and massachusetts, but many people still cannot afford care. one of the things that happen in massachusetts and will happen nationally, money was taken out of safety nets to pay. -- safety net hospitals to pay for obamacare. the remaining uninsured, and

will be 27 million uninsured, tens of millions who will be under injured, maine have no place to go when they get sick because the safety net has been cut. there negative consequences to these bills a massachusetts and nationally as well as positive consequences john is talking about. >> if this affordable care act is ruled unconstitutional by the supreme court, it is possibly nothing will change and some 20 years. do you think that is true? >> absolutely not. the health care system is in a complete state of crisis. that is what will reopen the health care debate. history is not just made by legislators. it is also made by small people like us, doctors, nurses, patients. people who write letters, go to meetings. you can do state level reform critics but aren't a number of states one by one, for example,

vermont, are the adopting a very different -- coming up with own kind of single payer system? >> certainly there are state level efforts in vermont and hawaii that are talking about single payer. but this debate is not one to shut down for 20 years. the american people cannot to health care. we talk about 27 million people remaining uninsured under obamacare, we're talking about one in 1000 of them dying every year because they lack health insurance. approximately 27,000 deaths annually from lack of health insurance. that is unacceptable to me as a physician and i think it is unacceptable to the american people. the debate will continue regardless of what happens in the supreme court this week. >> professor john mcdonough, the individual mandate, if is deemed unconstitutional by the supreme court because in the

legislation it was made a inseverable, would it throughout the whole plan? >> no, absolutely not. i think the most the court would throw out with the individual mandate, if they did that and i do not think they will, but they would throw out the guaranteed issue, meaning the protection against pre-existing conditions and medical underwriting, and they may throw out the community rating as well. which i think would be very unfortunate and would create a less functional insurance market for sure. let me just agree and disagree with my friend steffie. she does wonderful work and i really respect her. i totally agree the debate would not end of the law were thrown out. however, the moment when the rig be sufficient political will for the congress and the president to come together and pass meaningful, near comprehensive

reform, that might take another 20 years. the debate would certainly not end, but these moments that occur in the early 1990's, 2009, 2010, and in 1965, and 1935, these are not moments that come every session, every decade. these are every generation or every other generation before these chances happen. that is why it is important, i think, to build on in. the original social security act of franklin roosevelt signed in 1935 excluded two-thirds of working african-americans, excluded more than half of working women, but it was the foundation and the structure that was built on the over time to create the social security system we have and know and recognize today. i think a similar with medicare and medicaid and similar with the affordable care act. >> dr. stephanie woolhandler? >> this is a little like saying

that's we're going to star social security by handing over money to the private pension fund. what is going on here in obamacare is we're saying we're going to get universal health care by turning over hundreds of billions of dollars to the private health insurance industry. the group has been blocking reform and blocking change for decades. so we're starting off in the wrong direction if we're trying to start going to universal health care. >> the supreme court decision is being followed closely by many who said they could benefit. >> we need the supreme court to uphold the affordable care act because we need this little boy to continue to have health care without having to worry about hitting a limit, without having to worry about adding that each one of our visits to see how close we are one to get to an artillery limit the health

insurance company sets for us. >> doctor, what you say to people like robyn martin? >> we definitely need universal health care. until we get there, we need community rating. but all of those things can be done without the mandate. there was committed the rating in this country for decades when i was growing up -- community rating in this country for decades when i was crying out. that means everyone pays the same premium. we do not need the mandate to have these things and do not need to hand over hundreds of billions of dollars to the private health care industry to get those helpful part of the legislation. >> how did the affordable care act in that, as you say, captured by the insurance industry? >> the insurance industry wrote the framework for romneycare in the form of lacrosse/blue shield foundation. when it came time for obamacare, the senate framework, which became the backbone of the law,

was written by none other than elicits fowler, whose previous job had been vice-president of wellpoint, the nation's largest private insurance company. the insurance industry spent hundreds of millions of dollars lobbying on this bill. they give hundreds of millions to the democrats and to the republicans, but supporting and opposing the bill, but assuring that voices from the left who supported real universal single payer were shut out. the only way those voices were heard was because people showed up in front of the white house in white coats and demonstrated. doctors and nurses were arrested in senate hearings. we force the issue of single payer back on to the agenda against the wishes of the private health insurance industry. that is what needs to happen if we're ever going to get to real universal system that is affordable, that gets rid of the

private health insurance industry, and recaptures the $380 billion in excess paperwork costs and uses it to cover everyone. >> professor john mcdonough, is governor romney lying when he says he does not support an individual mandate? >> no, he robustly supported it. i think -- i do not think he has backed away saying he supports it, i think he said, well, i support it on a state level, but not a federal requirement. >> that is what he says. >> you can judge that for what you think. but there are many statements in 2007, 2008, and 2009 were he indicated support for national mandate. so either he is lying or has changed his views on the utility of doing it on a national basis. >> not to mention he and his wife supported plan. as part of that program. >> we have a long list of those

kinds of situations we can look at. >> thank you both for being with us, john mcdonough with the harvard school of public health, a new book is called, "inside national health reform." and dr. stephanie woolhandler is co-founder of physicians for national health program. this is "democracy now!," democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. when we come back, what was the role of lariam, the controversial malaria drug, if any? did robert bales take it, the soldier accused of killing 17 afghans? we will also talk about who killed judi bari. there's a new documentary out. stay with us. ♪ [music break] ♪ [music break]

>> judi bar"who bombed judi bar" i want to think the students visiting today. this is "democracy now!," democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. the controversial anti malaria drug known to induce psychotic behavior, did it helped cause the massacre of 17 afghan civilians by u.s. soldier earlier this month? that is the question posed by new exposé and having to impose. reporter mark benjamin has revealed the pentagon recently launched an emergency review of mefloquine, also known as lariam. the drug is used to protect soldiers from malaria, but has been known to have side effects including psychotic behavior, paranoia, and hallucinations. it has been implicated in a

number of suicides and homicides. in 2009, the army decreed that soldiers who have suffered a traumatic brain injuries should not be given the drug. the pentagon initially ordered the review of mefloquine in january, but this month, just after nine days after staff sergeant robert bales was detained for killings of 17 afghan civilians in a shooting rampage, the army issued an emergency decree calling for the review to be expedited. the pentagon says there's no connection between mefloquine and the murders. bales reportedly suffered traumatic brain injuries while serving in iraq in 2010. mark benjamin is the reporter who broke this story. tell us what you found. >> what i found is the army is looking into some very troubling circumstances. the military wide is looking at troubling circumstances. they're looking -- the military has discovered and seems to be

violating its own rules. in 2009, the military announced this drug called mefloquine is very dangerous, which is what i've been reporting on for many years. basically said, let's only use the strike in very limited circumstances in places like afghanistan, and definitely not give it to people who have any brain problems. the reason is because this is a relatively unusual drug that goes into the blood brain barrier and goes into the human brain. in certain brands, can do serious damage. the military announced should not be given to people who have traumatic brain injuries. with the military has discovered is on the battlefield, those rules are not being followed. some soldiers who do have these problems are getting this drug. it can increase the likelihood of a problem like a psychotic break. this review just happens to be ongoing, apparently, at the time

that robert bales, the staff sergeant a palin on this shooting spree killing 17 people including nine children. the army and military will not say whether or not he took this drug, but this review is happening at the time these murders took place. >> when you say soldiers were taking it, did they have to take it? were they forced to take it? >> yes. mostly mefloquine is not used by the military because of the dangers, but some outposts, for example, relatively remote outposts like the one bales was working at in kandahar, medics will sometimes resort to this drug because it is easy to prevent malaria. you only have to take the pill once a week. others yet to take every day. -- others you have to take every day. the concern is that in a place

like that, they are not screaming people for indications like, did you have a head injury before? the concern is in the bush, they hand out the pell and people who should not get it to get it. whether or not bales to this drug, the pentagon will not say. if he did, could it have led to the psychotic behavior? definitely. it says it on the drug label. we have seen it time and again, even with a special forces. >> give us examples, mark benjamin. >> i spent most of my time working with peace corps volunteers who also took this drug and had serious problems and very easily to special forces soldiers. i focus on that because to statistically they're unlikely to do things like commit suicide. they're relatively stable people. i found a series of special forces who took this drug and resorted to acts of violence,

murder, and suicide. there was a typical pattern that emerged. in 2004, i concentrated on a very experienced special forces who was a very stable guy, took the drug during a tour and iran. he had severe mental problems. typically, when a person has a problem with this drug, it is relatively easy to figure out because typically what happens is they do not just have mental problems, the physical problems. they had a rash, gastrointestinal problems, there dizzy, eye problems. it is almost like someone is being poisoned. that is what happened with bill howell. he had eyes a credit -- he had a psychotic break. he hunted his wife almost like an animal. he put a gun to her and then to

his own head and shot and self in front of his wife. she described him as sort of not being there. one of the things that concerns me as some of these soldiers, when we have an opportunity to interview them, seem to really not be well-connected. they sometimes taunt gibberish. it looks like brain damage, which is what his attorney is describing how bales is being. that could have been caused by the battlefield trauma. it could've been caused by his brain injury. i think it is important to pay attention to this story because if it turns out that mefloquine comes up, it is true this could have been a factor if he took it and could have been a major factor. >> what about the drug's manufacturer? >> the drug is being manufactured by roche pharmaceuticals for decades. initially it was invented by the

u.s. army. the army invented it after -- years after vietnam because malaria was such a problem after vietnam. they get the patent to a manufacturer named roche pharmaceuticals. for years, particularly the last decade that i've been reporting, putting increasing warnings on its drug labels. it has done so reluctantly under pressure from the fda. the current level for lariam, the brand name of mefloquine, lists things like psychotic episodes, hallucinations, anxiety, and that kind of things. another interesting thing about the drug levels, it says -- i mentioned how it crosses the blood brain barrier. sometimes or frequent and people have a problem with this drug, once the damage is done in the brain, it is done.

in other words, it is not like you can just wait until the drug gets out of your system and you're ok. typically, once the damage is done to your brain and central nervous system, it is done. it says that on the drug label. it says sometimes it does not matter if you stop taking the pills the last "long after" people stopped taking the drugs. in some situations, it can be a very dangerous spill. >> looking at a report from cbs news, four soldiers accused of killing their wives, two committed suicide and the other await trial. some of the brutal crimes, so close in time, raises questions the army sent a team to investigate, all taking lariam. do you think that is possible? >> yes, i do. that was a separate case, but i also spent a lot of time investing that case at fort bragg. those soldiers did take lariam and exhibit very strange behaviors. one of the soldier's name to go

right to kill his wife and then killed himself later. with a chance to speak to his attorney. he also exhibited some of the same problems. a very elite soldier had trouble putting together sentences while in prison. he could not talk right. this was a soldier not exposed to combat. he was digging wells and that kind of thing very early in the war. the only thing we could find that he would have a psychotic break is this bill. he killed his wife and then himself. >> soldiers are suffering the side effects of lariam are seeking comment -- seeking compensation? >> that is right. there are a variety of veterans and veterans' groups that are concerned about the long-term implications of this drug. there is no veterans against lariam on facebook. it is interesting how some motivated parts of the veteran

community are about this drug. whenever i write a story, the email just poured sand from veterans but also, peace corps volunteers. veterans saying handsomely troubling experience with this drug. if my in box is any indication, there are a lot -- >> what if you are a soldier and you refuse to take it? >> there are cases where that occurs. mostly what i've heard happens is soldiers realize there's a problem with the drug and they take it from the medic and tell them they're taking it and throw it over their shoulder. i am not aware of where anyone said, i am not one to swallow this pill. they just quietly do not do it. hypothetically, disobeying a direct order in the military is

a really bad idea and could get you into big, big trouble and thrown into jail. >> and the pentagon's response to your article? >> it has been that this review, yes, there is a problem out there on the battlefield, yes it seems this drug is going to some of the wrong people. people like bales who should not be given the drug. but it has nothing to do with event read and then they say, but we're not going to talk about bales and whether or not he took the pill. i think one way or another, the pentagon is one that to come out and say, either this guy took the drug or he did not. if he did not, i am done. i am not going to write about it anymore. but i think it is the pertinent question. >> is the military or other groups giving out lariam to communities, for example, in

afghanistan and iraq? >> i am not aware of it being handed to civilians. but there are other government entities that have used it for years. one example is the peace corps. it is easy to find peace corps volunteers to say they had real problems with this drug. various people said they have problems with the drug and did not take it and would just rather risk of getting malaria. state department officials have claimed to have had serious brain damage from taking the drug. it is mostly federal government officials. this is the drug the federal government invented in the federal government has been handing out to government officials for a long, long time. >> mark benjamin, investigative reporter who recently wrote a piece in the huffington post called, "military scrambles to limit malaria drug just after afghanistan massacre." as we end today's show with a look at a new film about a legendary activist, judi bari, a

unit organizer when she came to california and got involved with the movement to stop the clear- cutting of old growth redwood trees. she helped organize a campaign. in 1990, a pipe bomb blew up in your car when she stopped at a stop sign in oakland, california, on her way to a demonstration. this is an excerpt from a new film that looks back at the attack. >> i was driving my car and i was driving down the street and i was following somebody. at a certain point, i think she is getting ready to make a turn and i was trying to follow her. we realized i was not going right and i quickly hit the brakes. when i did so, there was a very huge explosion. i felt it ripped through me. the explosion was so powerful that the sound itself had a force. >> i was amazed. i have been in vietnam and see bond vehicles. when i first looked at that car,

i cannot see a driver. >> what happened next? >> in next thing i remember, the car was stopped and there were people around. i was an incredible pain that i had never felt before. i knew my back was broken my legs were both in all at the time. i thought it was ruined. i knew i was paralyzed. i felt i was dying. >> the driver was identified as judi bari. both victims were members of an environmental group. there were taken to a nearby hospital. the passenger was taken out first. >> was someone in the car with you? >> yes, darryl cherney. >> after the incident, judi bari and her passenger darryl cherney were charged with transporting explosives themselves. in the end, the charges were never pursued the question remains today, "who bombed judi

bari?" that is the title of a documentary. we're joined by the producer, that's right, the passenger in the car, darryl cherney. describe that moment when the bomb went off, the role of the fbi in accusing the to view of basically bombing yourselves, and why you produced this town. >> the world was pretty much turned upside down. my head was ringing. judi kept crying out in pain. i kept telling her i loved her and she was going to live. we were taken to the hospital in the fbi said, this is your bomb rigged make it easier for us and confess. at that moment, i thought of leonard pellitier and allows the fbi had turned its operations toward earth first, back in 1990. >> talked about the legal case that went forward from there.

judi has since died but she died of cancer. we're talking about 20 years ago. you are still in court. >> judi bari and i sued the fbi primarily for violations of the first amendment, that they deliberately and knowingly lied. they knew we were innocent and lied and said we were guilty and ordered to shut us up. the lawsuit dragged on for 12 years because the fbi took -- kept appealing different things. in the process, judi bari died from cancer. her lawyers, her estate, and myself took them to trial in oakland in 2002. at the hearing, after hearing unbelievable testimony from the fbi and police, the jury awarded as $4.4 million. >> when the fbi said the sites on to view, they stopped looking

around what evidence has come around to suggest who did this? what was the bomb in your car? >> we know the fbi held a bomb school just 30 days before we were bombed. there were blowing up cars in eureka, california near where i live. they're doing it on louisiana clear-cut. a bomb went off at a louisiana sawmill two weeks later. they tried to blame that on us, too. two weeks later, judi bari's car was blown up read a letter was sent to the newspapers taking credit. it was the same person. there seem to be a link between the lumber companies, the fbi, all the way to the bond car. we are in court to try to get the first on the did not go off well -- not the one in judi bari's park -- there is dna.

we think there could be fingerprints, hair samples on the duct tape read it as far as our money, which took less money but demanded the evidence return to as an exchange. the fbi is recalling that some may do now to turn over it to an independent forensics laboratory. we're trying to get a dna sample to see if we can identify who the bomber is. >> the letter was from the lord's avenger and the bomb was placed under judi's seat, but very unlikely place you had put it there yourself pretty >> the bomb was a motion trigger. it would only go off in a moving car. it was placed under her seat, designed to kill her when the car was moving. she had to be in the vehicle for the bomb to go off. the police knew that. they found the ball bearing, the positive and negative wire for the bomb to explode. they rode "booby trap was put on the first police report.

they still planned as. >> we will continue this discussion after the show in post it on democracynow.org. darryl cherney, producer of the new documentary.