GE's NBC drama tells Army families to have nightmares this Memorial Day

The Hollywood unit of General Electric, a premier defense contractor (GE, GE2, GE3, GE4, GE5) and one of America’s most respected companies, made and broadcast a drama seen by millions that alleged Army vets of the Afghanistan war were walking time bombs who may explode in madness, kill their wives and themselves and that the US Army is deliberating covering up the danger – even obstructing criminal investigations by deceiving grand juries.   

The incredible assertions occurred days before the Memorial Day Weekend, in the final episode Tuesday of the quality highly-rated cop drama, Law & Order: SVU.  In the episode E5225, entitled Goliath, the attractive actors portraying the do-right law men and women of the police sex crimes unit were pictured watching returning vets marching in their fatigues on a television screen and left to wonder how many of these returning vets would go crazy and kill their families and themselves – all with foreknowledge of their commanding officers who were covering up the dangers.   

This hatchet job by the GE unit occurred as the recruiting efforts of the US armed forces are under stress, as more than one million US service personnel are now veterans of the Afghan/Iraq deployments, and the families of US service personnel are under increasing stress and strain in their struggles to meet the demands of the US Global War on Terror.

The parallel world created in Media-ville by the GE unit was made even more mind bending by the portrayal of the Manhattan DA by former (real life) US Senator Fred Thompson (R-Tenn.) who is no longer a presidential wannabe but an actor on the hit series.  One of Thompson’s characters most dramatic moments in the episode was to quash an eager assistant’s (actress Diane Neal) subpoena of Secretary Rumsfeld to account for the Army’s behavior before a criminal grand jury.   

(Editor's aside: Time out.  Okay, maybe the rhetoric about how the Hollywood arm of a premier defense contractor is slandering the Army and sewing fear in the minds of military families during war time is on the edge. But hey, Quillnews used to write for the tabloids; everything written above is kosher tab treatment.  Back in the day, news was news and drama was drama; facts were facts and fiction was fiction.  But in today’s Media-ville the distinctions between news and entertainment, fact and fiction, are blurred so regularly and consciously for fun, entertainment, irony and political objectives – who knows what is true on TV anymore? (Boorstin, Mitroff) If GE and its Hollywood fantasy factory, NBC Universal, can get away with this kind of allegation during a war – turn about is fair play where I come from.)

Quillnews background:  Of course, there is a problem: malaria.  The Defense Department, Army, Marines and the volunteers in the armed services are coping with the facts of life in dealing with this deadly disease, as are other responsible institutions of government, including the FDA and CPC. (DoD, DoD2) The problem is that parts of the world in which Americans are seeking to destroy their enemies are also locales where deadly diseases like malaria lurk; our troops deployed in harms way are inoculated with medications modern medicine has devised to prevent disease and death. Malaria is one of the most deadly diseases, particularly a strain that exists in Afghanistan, and which has proven to be resistant to the most popular anti-malaria medications, chloroquine and other doxycyclines.  All US personnel, including troops, deployed there are obliged to have medical protection. In the case of malaria and Afghanistan the prevention is an anti-malaria drug mefloquine which is manufactured and sold under the brand name Lariam ® by Roche, the US unit of Hoffman-La Rouche Inc., one of the world’s leading research-oriented pharmaceutical companies.

The concern at hand is that there is evidence that some who take Lariam have had very adverse reactions due to mefloquine toxicity – including psychotic episodes, violent outbursts and thoughts of suicide. As a result of this anecdotal evidence, Lariam is a well-known actor in the world of anti-malaria drugs. One traveling Aussie took the medication in the 1995 during a trip to Africa and his experience changed his life.  Some have had genuinely tragic experiences they attribute to Lariam. The Aussie's insightful website on his experience with Lariam is a very helpful resource. 

Lariam came into public consciousness in the US in 2002 after three soldiers who returned to Fort Bragg from Afghanistan, murdered their wives and killed themselves.  UPI reporters Mark Benjamin and Dan Olmsted began a series of stories – which continue – into the incidents, the use of Lariam and the dangers associated with the anti-malaria inoculation program. (UPI, TGM, SMN, EP, WT) Benjamin is now with Salon.com. News units of WP, CNN, CBS and UPI’s sister publication, Insight Magazine, have all done very thorough reporting on this issue. (IM, IM2, IM3, IM4, IM5, IM6)

There is a lot to know. (FDA, WHO, WHO2, WHO3, State, CDC) Military volunteers, service family members and all travelers to the region are advised to look into the considerable material available about Lariam. (Roche) Partly as a result of the excellent reporting by Benjamin & Olmsted the Army, the FDA and DoD have all launched further studies. The preliminary study by the Army in 2002 into the Fort Bragg murders found that Lariam was an “unlikely cause of the clustering” of deaths there.  However, a spokesman for DoD told Quillnews: 

“Since that study, Dr. William Winkenwerder, assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, also asked the Armed Forces Epidemiological Board (AFEB) for its recommendations on the most scientifically valid methodology for a comprehensive study of anti-malarials, including mefloquine. The AFEB is a panel of civilian experts who advise Dr. Winkenwerder and the military Surgeons General. Based on the AFEB's recommendations, two studies are currently underway and the initial results are expected in about six months. One study is assessing benefits and risks, including the possibility of neuropsychological events.  Dr. Winkenwerder directed the studies to ensure the Department could answer the concerns raised by some service members and others regarding mefloquine.  There have been numerous studies of this FDA approved and CDC recommended drug, which has been prescribed to more than 20 million travelers worldwide; however, DoD believes it is important to address service members perceptions and concerns in a careful, scientific manner.”

I had called the DoD Wednesday to inquire about the Law & Order: SVU show and find out what the background on the anti-malaria drug the script identified as “Quinium.”  I have a bit of skin in this game.  When I worked as an oil company soldier I took chloroquine and other medications for years when I traveled in coastal west Africa and way out of the way spots in Indonesia where there were some deadly malaria strains in the same neighborhood as some oil prospects.  (Editor's aside: Oil never seems to be in easy-to-get spots.)

Like all travelers, I had weighed the risks. Adverse reactions associated with mefloquine were 1 per 6,000 to 1 per 10,600 travelers, compared with 1 per 13,600 travelers taking doxycycline.  In Nigeria, I knew of another ex-pat's spouse who didn’t like how malaria pills made her feel so, tragically, she didn’t take them. She contracted the disease in Lagos one sad Tuesday and was dead by Thursday.

After the dramatic allegations about “Quinium” on Law & Order: SVU episode, I looked for the information about the drug on line. I never liked taking the anti-malaria drugs and thought they made me sick; at times I've wondered if there was any lasting effects.  Finding no information or explanation at the GE, NBC, NBC Universal, NBC Universal Television Group, Law & Order sites, I asked the DoD for further information. 

A spokesman said there was no drug called “Quinium,” but she emailed me loads of material about Lariam.  “Oh I bet that reporter Mark Benjamin is part of this program,” she joked, explaining that Benjamin had been working the story for years. I took it he'd made a pest of himself while researching his articles. I emailed Benjamin and he sent me a link to the story he posted in Salon.com Wednesday on this very subject. Under the headline “Ripped from my headlines!” the lead paragraph of Benjamin’s Salon story reads:

“When you turn on one of the 'Law and Order' shows and it's styled to look as if it's been 'ripped from the headlines,' what that really means is 'ripped off' from the headlines. Tuesday's episode of 'Law and Order: SVU' looked like it had been ripped from the headlines of three years of investigative reporting that cost me a lot of sweat and shoe leather. No, I did not get a dime. And no one from NBC even called to say how truly inspiring my work was, or how the truth really can be stranger than fiction -- or even that the damn episode existed…”

Benjamin’s Salon article is informative and gives a good-natured critique of the TV drama versus the real life events he helped illuminate (even having some fun with the show's characterization of a dumpster-digging newsman who gives the cops crucial notes).  In the final paragraph of the Benjamin’s article shows while he and his colleague Dan Olmsted may have done what the truth required, the TV story tellers failed:   

“There was one last leap of logic that TV could take, but we couldn't. The detectives decide at the end of "Law and Order: SVU" that the military is well aware of what the drug does to soldiers. That they have made a cold, hard cost-benefit analysis that it is worth the deaths of some soldiers -- and even their wives -- to prevent malaria. They think this drug is better than the alternatives and they don't care who it hurts and they will cover it up if they have to. Dan and I never found any evidence that that was the case.”

It is here that Quillnews has a problem. GE is one of America’s greatest corporations.  It is a model of corporate citizenship and excellent operational performance for shareholders.  Among its many operating divisions are units specifically targeted at the US government for Military and Homeland Security applications.  GE also has operated the best of the three TV broadcast networks for years, nurtured a quality NBC News, and been creatively adapting with a variety of diverse programming to the new world of cable and internet with its CNBC and MSNBC units.

GE recently acquired Universal Network Television unit from Vivendi/Universal and merged that Hollywood production factory with NBC Studios to create NBC Universal Television Group.  This GE unit works with Wolf Films Inc. to produce Law & Order: SVU, among many other shows. 

These are all quality shops.  Wolf is one of TV’s best.  GE has a long distinguished history, beginning with Thomas Edison, through its association with an actor/pitch man, Ronald Reagan, who went on to become an historic titan of public affairs after years of lecture circuit chores in GE plants, through the ace earnings and operational performance of exec Jack Welch, who will likely be judged among the most accomplished of his generation of corporate leaders.

America, GE’s home base, is at war.  The volunteers who serve to protect and defend their country and their families during this difficult conflict deserve more consideration than to be given sleepless nights by of some TV cop drama.  If GE’s NBC unit wishes to get into the Lariam matter, it has ample ways to serve the greater public good and alert people to the issues.  But GE should not be party to some Hollywood scriptwriter's or producer's anti-war agenda by making dramatic narratives that the US Army is deliberating ignoring and covering up dangers associated with medicines and as a result family members of more than a million service personnel are at risk from their returning loves ones. 

Quillnews advice to GE’s NBC Universal: Your total response to Quillnews on these questions about your allegations against the Army was: "Law & Order is fiction."  That is technically true, perhaps, but an unworthy dodge. (Editor's aside: GE/NBC's response is the equivalent of saying: we didn't commit a crime. That's a good start GE/NBC's in-house attorneys would approve. But the families of America's volunteers deserve better than that from one of American's best outfits).  All fiction exists in a context of time, and in a political, cultural and social context from which the fiction derives its narrative power.  The context for this fiction was this war in May 2005, the tragic facts about Lariam and dangers of malaria, and the sacrifices and sufferings of the volunteers who are serving our country.  For your fantasy factory to hide behind the feather fan that your seditious slander was "fiction," and after you have accused the Army that defends you of lying, of obstruction, of complicity in homicide... Puh-lease! 

Quillnews suggests that if GE's Hollywood shop wants to raise a sensitive or troubling issue like this in a fictionalized drama from time to time, have those who wish to enjoy the fiction, but use the web to help those viewers who wish to learn more about the complete truth behind your dramas.  A brief explanation about the issue after the show showing a toll free number or web address and a simple link, say here, to guide viewers seeking more information about Lariam and malaria would give you more credibility when your creative artists in Hollywood make their arguments about artistic freedom, poetic license, the enlightenment possible from creative arts, and the seeking of the greater good and higher artistic truths.

GE, get real: some Hollywood weasels are using your assets to get over their anti-war propaganda here. We all know the script from that phony Michael Moore movie: the US government is lying to the people, the volunteers are being fooled and tricked and poisoned, and the Army higher-ups are covering it all up. Bad things are happening as a result. We say this just before Memorial Day because we really are just supporting the troops!  This has been the default party-line since the anti-Vietnam war days. Let true believers in that message -- Sixties dead-enders and their Red manipulators -- say what they want, but don't put GE's assets and the reputation of your employees and brands at their disposal to undermine the forces defending freedom.

Comments

[Doug in Colorado]

Looks like a thoughtful and evenhanded treatment of the Lariam conundrum and it's use and abuse by GE/NBC...thanks for doing all the homework...

This "screw the country, and the individuals involved, this is for Big Bucks!" attitude crops up again and again in the entertainment/propaganda we see on cable and broadcast TV...

Why can't these enter/ganda people buy a clue, and see the damage this kind of thing causes? Or is it really deliberate?

[thewiz]

The very same week, Law and Order; Criminal Intent has a line that disparaged Tom Delay. The story line was that a couple of white supremists were suspected of killing two federal judges. When the detectives ran out of leads one quipped, "Maybe we should put out an APB on someone in a Tom Delay T-shirt" And when Tom Delay wrote a letter of compalint, Wolf responded with another cheap shot, "Up to now, I thought all Americans knew that L&O was fictional"
Even if you do not like Tom Delay, you ahve to agree that this slanderous behavior cannot be condoned.

Reasoned discourse is the keystone of democracy but if this is where the debate is headed, we're in serious trouble.

[Deb]

I couldn't agree with you more. I am very concerned about the attitude of people in positions of power who think they are doing us "Stupid Americans" a favor by showing us how bad our country is. I think they are sadly mistaken and the day is coming when they will all be put in their place. I'm all for discourse and discussion, but this is getting crazy.

[ks]

great, i have a 23 year old daughter going to Afghanistan soon. One more thing...

[HardTruth]

I suggest you do some more research about GE before claiming they are one of "America's greatest corporations," and are a "model of corporate citizenship." If by that you mean being in the top three of the most irresponsible and polluting corporations on the planet Earth (Can we say Hudson River?), then you are correct. As far as the DoD goes, what the hell makes you think they didn't do a cost/benefit analysis and decided that not having everyone die from one of the more deadly strains of malaria was more important than the few contingents that go into severe psychotic/dissociative states after taking Lariam. If this astonishes anyone, I suggest you read up on Agent Orange and Gulf War Syndrome for evidence as to the government's track record regarding such matters.

[VictimMHCL]

Mefloquine is a VERY DANGEROUS drug.

I have personal experience with DoD and the "cover up flavor" of their treatment of myself and the other service men and women who became seriously ill after being ordered to take Mefloquine;

often in areas where there was no appropriate threat of the malaria which the drug is supposed to protect against.

Since most people now days get their news from Hollywood vice traditional outlets -- and even the traditional news media outlets thesedays are blending the lines between real news and entertainment -- I think it is a good move for NBC to present this serious issue to their audience.

If you believe DoD should never be challenged during a war, I say you are blind and dumb.

Unchecked, unchallenged and unexamined "issues" in our fine military during times of war or otherwise is a sure-fire formula for needless deaths of our nation's treasured sons and daughters.

Wake up. Get smart.

Pull the flag from your eyes and maybe you will see clearly once again.

[Buckfoss]

Another crazy conservative who's obviously never served his country.

Tell me what date is on your release papers, you crackpot. If you had ever served you will know that the military does continually make these cost benefit analysis. As a former officer, I told other's that their bodies were now the property of the US Government, as was my own. I had no right to refuse any treatment. And I also was well aware of how the Navy determined it's maximum time on board submarines - which they pegged at 10 days beyond where efficiency of the crew fell off dramatically and cases of psychosis occurred in 0.1% of the population. Why those extra ten days? Because the military psychiatrists assumed that if you knew you were surfacing in just 10 days, you'd have something to hope for and relieve the stress. And yes, one of my crew mates did go over the edge due to the stress. So believe it, the proud men and women in our armed forces are just numbers in a bin to the military planners, and if efficiency is improved by harming one or two more of those numbers ... so be it.

This is a great country, but not because of the likes of you - lily livered sassy little rich boys who wouldn't ever consider serving their country, but then make grandiose comments about what the military does. Ignorance is bliss, and you must be one of the most blissful. So when you, and your obnoxious neo-cons finally get around to putting on a uniform and going to war, maybe you'll have a little more sense than your frat-boy, silver spoon fed existence has given you.

[amazed]

WOW! Buckfoss--I'm very impressed by your comments. My father-in-law still suffers from the effects of agent orange exposure--my uncle died years ago. This whole 'in a time of war' bullshit excuse for trying to deny us/others of our first amendment rights TO STAND UP (um--WHAT WE FIGHT FOR) enraged me--that you buckfoss for you comment it keeps me from having to rant myself (and not so eloquently.) Cheers!

[Laurie]

Yet again, another powerful show of ignorance for the American right. Bravo!

I actually just finished watching this episode of Law & Order, and wondered if it was true. This article stinks of desperation. So what if people watch a TV show, and wonder, "should I be worried about this?" Should I maybe, um, I don't know READ about what's going in Iraq? Should I educate myself on the deaths of foriegners and Americans who are dying in the name of a war I don't understand?

I am not some conspiracy nut. I don't jump on the bandwagon on every subject I see, and I don't believe most American's are either. I find it disgusting that this so called "news source" considers the American people so stupid.

I think South Park said it best in the episode about Afganistan when they said.

Musslim Boy- "You do not even realize a third of the world hates you."
Stan- "Why does a third of the world hate us?"
Musslim Boy- "BECAUSE YOU DON'T KNOW A THIRD OF THE WORLD HATES YOU!"

We walk around with our shoulders pushed back, thinking our heads are held high, when they are actually tucked snugly in our asses. We have bumper stickers that say "Support Our Troops". My sticker says "Support Our Troops, Bring Them Home Alive."

For decades our government has given us groups of people we don't know or understand to fear, and therefore hate. First it was Communists. Once we realized it had no real threat to us, it became terrorists. We have had ONE major attack on US soil by a group of Musslims in decades. Right after it happens, a man gets on TV and shouts "It was me! I did it!" He might as well have stuck his fingers in his ears and gone "Nyah, nyah, nyah-nyah-nyah!"

So what did we do? We attacked Sadam Hussien. Ok, now maybe I'm the only one, I'm not sure. But I compared Sadam Hussien and Osama Bin Laden. Do they look alike to you? They're not even in the same country!! Now we have Sadam and we are still there.

I worked for Halliburton's callcenter. When Bush was reelected people were thrilled to tears at that company. They were actually excited that their stocks would go up. People who were there were thrilled that they would have more work!! Kind of strange behavior for people who have seen a coworkers head cut off on TV, wouldn't you say?

Now I am swinging VERY far to the left on this. Why? Because it makes people like you who are so far on the RIGHT want to ask questions. It makes you want to prove me wrong. (Accept, of course, for those of you who are foolish enough to believe any mouth piece who has a title, a nice suit, and an American flag pinned to their lapel).

America is the greatest country in the world. Even the poorest American is born with a silver spoon in their mouth compared to the best conditions in third world countries. We have been given a gift. We live in a place where you can say and do pretty much anything you damn well please as long as you don't harm others. Those of you who read this site reguarly probably don't like what I have to say, but I can say it. Because we are free to do so. Do you understand that in some countries, I would be killed for saying what I am? It is a gift that I cherish and try to use as frequently as possible because it is the line between us and the people we fight

But with our great freedom, our great protection from brave men and womemn in the armed services, and most of all our great power, comes a great responsibility.

We are the people. When you vote in your local election you are voting for the person who will be your voice. Now lets consider this. Everytime your congressman or senetor signs a bill, it includes your name. Too many of you think that means you get to pat yourself on the back and say, "well I did my part, at least I voted when so many others didn't. Good for me!" Not good enough. We need to watch this war and all wars. We need to question our government. We need to question our laws. we need to question our military. Most of all, we need to ask ourselves BEFORE we occupy a country; why are we there? Is it to protect ourselves? Is it to protect our freedoms? Is it to provide them with what they want, or do we just feel the rest of the world should be like us?

We should NOT attack an entire country because a group of terrorists blew up a building, we should attack and destroy the group that attacked us. We should not profile an entire race of people because we are afraid. Franklin Roosevelt "We have nothing to fear, but fear itself." Right now we are fighting a war because of fear. We have let our fear control our logic. We have let fear destroy freedoms our forefathers fought and died to protect. For that we should hang our heads in shame.

It is a sad time in our history. We have actually given back freedoms through an act (Called "The Patriot Act". Nice title. Why not call it the "Let Us Do This Or You Hate America Act", at least it would have been honest) a document that has taken away freedoms that our forfathers fought and died for. Let me repeat FOUGHT AND DIED for.

If you don't have the guts to pick up a gun and fight, then take that stupid Support Our Troops sticker off your car. If you won't enlist, you have no right to say they should stay and die. If you won't stand shoulder to shoulder with these brave souls, then don't you dare say they are fools to fight for what they believe in.

Instead, do the best thing you can for them. Do what this episode of Law and Order did. QUESTION. Make sure they are dying for a just cause. Make sure they are not guiney pigs for companies who want to test out new drugs. These are America's heros. These are the people who are willing to fight and die for the freedoms you enjoy every day. We owe it to them to make sure they are dying for the reasons they are told. They deserve all the support we can offer. The one thing a soldier is never supposed to do is question. That is referred to as insubordination. We can ask all the questions we want. Support our troops by doing that rather than saying "If yew don't like America then get out!' or buying a tacky sticker. Guess what? Doing those things is not supporting our troops. You are supporting the war. Support them by keeping on our governments asses. By making sure that when they die (And lets not forget those coffins you see on TV are real people, real dead fathers, mothers, children, brothers, sisters, family and friends) that they have died to make change. To make this world a better place, for something just a little more important than keeping our SUV's for another ten years.

So you will forgive me if I mock this article. While I'm sure the writer has good intentions, it is unnecessary. Most people don't actually believe what they see on TV. And if I'm wrong and they do, so what? If the government has nothing to hide, then who cares if we ask questions? They can quickly and quietly be dispersed with fact.

"Mommy, why can't I go to the movies?"
"Because I said so."

Every child knows that is not an answer, just a way to get you to shut up.

We are the people of the most powerful and free country on earth. Let's not accept this as an answer either.