The Pentagon's Brain by Annie Jacobsen
As we remain distracted and amused by political blowhards with schoolyard antics, twitter trends or the latest APP there are still some journalists willing to make their way behind the stage, moving into dark corners and a complex maze of back alleys to expose the underbelly of the government beast called DARPA -Defense Advanced Research Project Agency . Jacobsen looks into the experimentation surrounding laser weaponry and the artificial intelligence implanted in robot drones, insects, critters and even experimentation of placing chips in the brains of returning soldiers. It's all about remote control, autonomous weapons, cyborg tech and transhumanism. It is, perhaps, too dark ,obscure and inaccessible for most average citizens to comprehend, confront, or gaze upon with the naked eye for any length of time, short of watching the once removed 'reality' of a sci-fi flick. But Jacobsen seems unafraid to fix her gaze upon the very real beast that lurks behind this otherwise opague veil, and is willing to adjust her eyes to the darkness to help us all to see.
Just the awareness of this type and level of experimentation will surely leave us pondering who might actually be the "brain" pulling the strings when a plane hits a building or a war vet takes aim at some politician and is written off as mentally disturbed due to "brain injury" received in the war or ptsd.
The interview with Tavis Smiley barely scratches the surface of this thick book and dense subject. But it would be one place to start. It aired tonight (Tues. 9/23) and won't be available until tomorrow night (or check your PBS schedule).
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/tavissmiley/interviews/journalistauthor-annie-jacobsen/
The New York Times bestselling author reveals the government secrets detailed in her new book, The Pentagon’s Brain.
Annie Jacobsen is a bestselling author and respected journalist who was a contributing editor for the Los Angeles Times Magazine. Internationally recognized for her investigative reporting, she used her expertise as a stepping stone to write her bestselling books Area 51 and Operation Paperclip. Her latest text, The Pentagon's Brain, explores the history of the top-secret military research agency, DARPA.
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A short Mother Jones reveiw - http://www.motherjones.com/media/2015/07/book-review-pentagons-brain-annie-jacobsen
And a Mother Jones article on neuroscience experimentation within the government -
This Is Your Brain on the Department of Defense -
http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2012/04/department-of-defense-neuroscience-bioethics-brains-law