History Professor Alfred McCoy produced The Politics of Heroin in Southeast Asia in 1972. The CIA interfered with the book’s publication but its condemnation of American complicity in the drug trade is accepted as accurate and reliable.
Dr. McCoy appeared with Jeremy Scahill on the March 7 edition of Intercepted Podcast. I found their wide ranging discussion informative, shocking and alarming. One statement by McCoy particularly caught my attention:
From 1930 to 1980, for 50 years, one figure didn’t change in American public life, from depression through the boom years of Eisenhower, we had a 100 prisoners per 100,000. Today, we have 700 per 100,000.
The Intercepted segment with Dr. McCoy, linked above in the second paragraph, starts at about 7:40 but I urge you to listen to all of the podcast. Here is a small piece:
Categories: International, USA
in-sights.ca 
very interesting piece. thank you. Recently an author was on one of the late night shows discussing the same sort of thing, supressing the vote. They gave a number of e.g.s in Texas and it is truly frightening how the Republicans use their control of states to change voting rights.
A blogger in from Alabama, Roger Schuler, has written about the subject also. Alabama required photo I.D., suddenly. that meant getting driver’s licenses or state photo I.D.. Given many poor don’t drive, they had to obtain the state photo I.D. What did the State of Alabama do? Closed all but two of the offices where one could obtain photo I.D. Some of these states do not accept a person’s military I.D. either or State University I.D. Slowly but surely the right to vote is taken away and it benefits the rich more than the poor or the middle class.
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I haven’t missed an episode of Intercepted, since inception (as it were)…as I suspect neither have you, Norm. The interview with Dr McCoy was as shocking as it was easy to follow and digest. Intercepted episodes are often US centric, bordering on obscure, but important and informative nonetheless. I would encourage everyone to listen to Jeremy Scahill and his guests at every opportunity.
For light relief but still relevant, the BBC radio News Quiz is certainly less dense but highly recommended. I know you are a fan, Norm.
Thanks again Norm, for all you do.
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