Customer Reviews

Programmed to Kill: The Politics of Serial Murder

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Programmed to Kill: The Politics of Serial Murder, by David McGowan (New York: iUniverse, Inc., 2004) is not just another sensationalized book about serial killers. McGowan, author of Derailing Democracy: The America the Media Don't Want You to See, and Understanding the F-Word: American Fascism and the Politics of Illusion, ties serial murders, programmed assassins, satanic cults and child pornography and prostitution to a fascist political and military conspiracy of frightening scope.

I normally hate reading about this type of material. Too sickening. But McGowan, unlike most authors who treat this stuff, is not interested in sensationalized accounts that appeal to dark prurient interests. Rather, he wants to sound the alarm about the real methods used in fascist takeovers of societies.

McGowan begins by reviewing the evidence for government sponsored mind control experiments dating back to the Nazis and the OSS (forerunner of the CIA). According to McGowan, these shadowy intelligence agencies, along with the military intelligence units, founded, encouraged, and covered up for Satanic cults, whose systematic abuse of children from very young ages provided a contnuing supply of potential mind-controlled programmed assassins. They supplied not only assassins but also child prostitutes, pornography subects and even sacrificial victims. The more susceptible to dissociated states, the easier to program. Mind control in this context refers to "the process of first enhancing an unwitting subject's natural ability to dissociate (creating, in essence, the condition of Multiple Personality Disorder), and then controlling that subject's dissociative states (by creating one or more alter personalities that are effectively under the control of others, and that are unknown to the `core' personality)." (p. xv)

Part I of the book is titled "The Pedophocracy." Here McGowan takes the reader on a tour of child sex, child porn and child murder rings around the world whose members include many high-ranking political figures. One of the things that tie all these scandals together is the cover-up of participants, destruction of evidence, and lenient sentences to those who have to take the fall by authorities around the world. From the Marc Dutroux scandal in Belgium, to one in Latvia involving the Prime Minister and Justice Minister, to another in Portugal, to the scandal in the United Kingdom that reportedly reached into Tony Blair's cabinet, to those of Larry King, Michael Aquino and Craig Spence in the United States with many circumstantial connections to high-ranking political and media figures, McGowan shows how the damage control operations, including numerous "suicides" by potential witnesses, work.

McGowan then details the CIA connections of some of the Satanic groups that have been linked to ritual abuse and killing of children, in particular the Finders, described in an article in the Washington Post from 1987 as "a 1960's style commune ... described in a court document as a `cult' that allegedly conducted `brainwashing' and used children in `rituals (p. 59). After some members of the group were arrested for possible kidnapping when found in the possession of several children who they were keeping in a van and who showed signs of neglect, abuse and sexual abuse, homes and warehouses belonging to group members were searched. U.S. Customs found "photos showing children involved in bloodletting ceremonies of animals and one photograph of a child in chains" (pp. 59-60). While memos written by one of the U.S. Customs investigators detailed evidence of much worse actions, nothing was written in the press about the matter until seven years later when the US News and World Report attempted to put it to rest by downplaying the accusations as "rumors" even though they were in the possession of the memos.

McGowan goes on to note that "the firm that supplied training to CIA officers didn't just employ several members of the Finders, but appears to have in fact been a wholly owned subsidiary of the Finders organization. It should also be noted that the CIA does not, as a general rule-of-thumb, assign the training of its officers to outside contractors, unless, that is, the `private' firm utilized in such a capacity is a CIA front." (p. 61) The leader of the Finders group, Marion Pettie, in a 1998 interview explained that "Going back to World War II, I kept open house mainly to intelligence people in Washington. OSS people passing through, things like that." (p. 65) Regarding evidence found regarding international trafficking of children, the US Custom Service investigator in his memo stated that he was advised by a member of the Washington D.C. police that "the investigation into the activity of the Finders had become a CIA internal matter. The MPD [D.C. police] report has been classified SECRET and was not available for review." (p. 66). No one was indicted.

McGowan concludes Part I by suggesting that "it is certainly in the realm of possibility that the high profile child pornography raids in recent years, which invariably result in relatively few arrests and even fewer prosecutions and convictions, are not intended to punish the victimizers, but to identify and compromise them. And it is not inconceivable that the databases being compiled will be utilized as something of a recruitment list to identify those persons who have been `preconditioned,' so to speak, for future mind control operations." (p. 68)

McGowan begins Part II with the story of Henry Lee Lucas, a serial killer who confessed to nearly 600 murders, committed "rape, torture, mutilation, dismemberment, necrophilia, cannibalism and pedophilia" (p. 71) and who, oddly enough, was the only death-row inmate in the State of Texas spared death by Governor George Bush. McGowan suggests the reason for this and other odd leniencies enjoyed by Lucas lies in the possibility that he was an MK-Ultra programmed assassin.

By perpetuating the myth of the lone serial killer, authorities can deflect attention away from organized groups, cults or intelligence services. McGowan shows that in nearly all cases, the serial killers most likely had accomplices. The close ties of serial killers, child pimps and pornographers to people in position of authority in politics and law enforcement has also been covered up. Lucas himself is quoted as saying: "No one wants to believe the cult story. The TV people cut it out. The writers don't write about it." (p. 88)

Part III looks at some recent scandals as well as historical precedents from the past. Along the way we get a lucid exposition of why the parents of Jon-Benet Ramsey probably killed her and why Charles Lindbergh probably killed his "kidnapped" son.

McGowan concludes that the wave of sensationalized serial killings beginning around 1966 were a domestication of Operation Phoenix, the U.S. program of mass political assassination in Vietnam. The goal was to shock and frighten the public into acceptance of police state measures in the United States and to create a climate of right-wing reaction.

David McGowan bills the book on his website (The Center for an Informed America), as the book of the century. I nearly started to laugh, but Mr. McGowan may very well be correct in his `modest' assessment. The book is meticulously researched (nearly 500 references) and the authors' knowledge of occultism, elitism, psychology and Satanism combines for the most stunning exposes of governmental corruption and cover-up you will probably ever come across. It makes sense of things like the Franklin cover-up, Bohemian Grove, MK-Ultra, the Manson gang, Marc Dutroux and much, much more.

This book would be an instant #1 Best Seller if it were to get the exposure it deserves. Unfortunately, Programmed to Kill, will never be on the shelf of any of the big outlets and that is a crime in itself. I wouldn't be a bit surprised to see this one go out of print in short order considering the implications and the indictment it is on the US and other governmental `crime fighting' agencies, their media outlets and the force driving it all.

The topic of serial killers had never really piqued my curiosity and I tended to shy away from the gruesomeness, not really wanting to hear the sad and morbid stories. I believed, rather naively, what the government and media had told me about the alleged perpetrators, but after reading Mr. McGowan's book, it seems that everything I thought I knew was for the most part, completely wrong.

I've been researching conspiracies for a few years, ever since the governmental fairy tale story about 9-11, but I was still not prepared for the revelations found here. Mr. McGowan appears to blow the lid off what I would categorize as the mother of all conspiracies. Its not a quick read, because it contains a heck of a lot of information in sort of a minimal number of pages. And yet the book goes into quite a bit of depth to cover the details necessary. I was reading about six different books when I started this one, but I didn't touch any of them until I finished this.

For an excellent analysis on the 9-11 Conspiracy see David McGowan's, "The Center for an Informed America" newsletters 67 through 69 and Darren Williams Pentagon video animation.

This book is for people who are already familiar with the fact that the media habitually ignore serious issues. If this is new to you, it might be better to first read for example Mc Gowan's own "Derailing Democracy - The America the Media Don't Want You to See", or "Into the Buzzsaw" by Kristina Borjesson.

Programmed to Kill is the result of what strikes me as careful research into America's prosecution policies regarding "serial killers". The non-prosecution of child kidnapping and forced male and female child prostitution crimes is evident from, for example, the Johnny Gosch and Paul Bonacci cases. You can read one court case transcript here: www.ritualabuse.net/franklin.htm

After reading that, you will probably be less surprised that some "serial killers" are released from prison while announcing that they will kill again, or told to go on their way after only paying $60 in court costs. Former Son-of-Sam "serial killer" Dave Berkowitz looks pretty happy these days at www.forgivenforlife.com.

Contrary to popular belief, "serial killers" do not appear to work alone, they are sometimes shielded from prosecution by patsies and the networks of (satanic) ritual abuse and child prostitution in their context are real. What David McGowan writes about is very hard stuff, but he presents it well. In the few places where he speculates, it is clear that he does so and I find his speculations very sensible. The book is very readable throughout. There is, dare I say it, even a spark of humor here and there.

This well-crafted book is indispensable for those who enjoy finding out what the worst is that is being covered up. At least, I can't imagine what could be worse than this. Even if the American government openly admitted that they were behind 9/11, I would find this worse.

I have not read this authors earlier books so I didn't really know what to expect when I ordered this book. Beginning with the very first chapter, I was shocked by what I found. It is very hard for me to believe that everything in this book is true, but Mr. McGowan ssems to have done his homework and his points are argued quite well, in most cases. Overall, this is a very well written book. Although I am a huge fan of true crime books, I have never read a book like this before. Even though I have some minor reservations, I am giving this book five stars and highly recommend it as a unique perspective on serial murder.

This book will explain a thing or two about why the world seems a very dark place at the moment. If you require further convincing of the pure heart of darkness, or if you thought you understood real politics this book is for you.

It is also a book for those who want the truth, and can take it. Who are willing to expose themselves to the real evils of this world, and hopefully be better equipped to deal with them?


but I digress, on the authours website www.davesweb.cnchost.com/nwsltr65.html you can find some more information on the book.

Everyone else has touched on the explosiveness of the material--it really is amazing. I'm a big fan of McGowan's other books and his website, but I think this book could have really used an editor and a different approach.

Clearly the strongest parts of the book are the first and last few chapters. The stuff in between represents the bulk of the text, but the way McGowan wrote it made it both confusing and ineffective. While the facts of each case were interesting, I felt buried in the details and missing out on the bigger picture. I can get all the gory facts from any number of "true crime" titles, what I wanted to know is what McGowan thought was really going on. There's just too much recitation of facts and tangential wanderings and not enough analysis.

I think a better approach would have been to explain exactly what McGowan thought was the common elements among some or all of the "serial killers" highlighted in the book and then flesh that out with some details about each case. But since the book is still so original in its arguments and the remainder of the book is excellent, I give it a well-deserved 4 stars.

Before reading this book, I thought I knew. I would say (about politics, govt, military, law enforcement, etc.), "Oh yeah well the whole thing is corrupt obviously, nothing I can do about it." And I thought that because I said that, I understood same. Um, no. If the concept of the govt and media lying to you, is new, then you would definetely benefit from reading this book. If you're a seasoned Initiate, and words like: MK-ULTRA, Cathy O'Brien, Michael Hoffmann, Gurudas, James Shelby Downard, Cryptocracy, Pedephocracy, Twilight Language, the Franklin Cover-Up, None Dare Call It Conspiracy, Alex Jones, Project Paperclip/Project 63, Rex-84 & Operation Garden Plot, etc. etc. etc. then you would also benefit greatly from reading this book. That said, for those of you out there that can't stomach strange "conpiracy theories" then this is definetely the book for you. This book has roughly 500 references and is all facts, no speculation necessary when you have court transcripts, etc.
As another reviewer said in reviewing Trance: Formation of America by Cathy O'Brien, "This book is capable of changing even an atheist such as myself, I was left asking an unanswerable question, where did all this evil come from ?" In my perspective, there is only so much that a human being is capable of, swiftly and quickly killing one's enemies in the event of war is perhaps the worst. Anything beyond that ( underground torture chambers where victims are starved and ritually raped and murdered while being recorded, the tapes sold for approx. $5,000/copy to ultra-rich demons in gated communities, happening all over the planet by people who seem to be remote-contolled by people who themselves seem to be remote-controlled also, etc. ) and I can' be convinced that what is happening in such a "inhumane" way can truly be all human in nature. Some share that opinion with me, others don't, period. But to expand any further on that would be a different book entirely, Hostage to the Devil by Malachi Martin definetely comes to mind ( another amazing read ). In this book you are taken directly into the belly of the beast as it attempts to digest a jalapeno & habanero shake, no joke about it, but what we have in Programmed to Kill is the human facts behind those involved in a sort of corruption on such a mass scale, that it is undreampt of.
Ask yourself a question right quick-like: Do I want to know the truth, or do I want to be comfortable in my ignorance? With regards to current events, this book has opened my eyes more so than any other I can think of, and there are perhaps 300 books on my shelf, 295 of which are non-fiction. This book will change your life, no joke, don't read any further if you wish to stay in the comfort zone state of mind of thinking one knows it all. In reality this book will transform, and possibly give you the knowledge necessary to create the tools which can be used hopefully hands-on to save another's life.

The recent 'incident' with Rep. Foley reminded me I should write a review for this book. For anyone that thinks that Foley is just the one freak in power, you should read this book. I do agree with the critique that there are probably too many details, but overall the book is a shocking eye opener.

If you really want to know the rest of the story about the outbreak of serial killers read this book. This book name, names and linkes the influence of satanism and phedophilia on this tragety. It explores goverment experiments on citizens, soldiers, and children to its diabolical end. This book is not for the faint of heart, not for anyone who does not want to know some gastely details of man's inhumanity to man. I personally had to tear the cover off the book, but it was worth the read.

I desperately wanted to finish this book because it was so disturbing and disgusting- not because of the author's writing but because of the real life events that he talks about in this book. It simply was gross. But you know what, this is real in the USA and around the world, whether it be Satanic/Cult killings, Pedophilia, necrophilia, cannibalism, and flat out serial homicide, the McGowan makes a good argument about government complicity and cover-up whether it be on a national level or the local level. One is forced to question, the effectiveness of the judicial system and if it really does justice to victims of such crimes. He presents a lot of hard facts that cannot be ignored. However, one criticism with the book is that it loosely connects some of these facts that may not necessarily be associated with one another- making it sound "conspiratorial" and kinda "kooky" in some instances. Nevertheless, it was an informative book that raises a lot of questions about what do we REALLY know about crime. I'd give it 3.5 if it was available and yes, I would recommend it to anyone wanting to know more about the cover-ups of the judicial system.