A 3rd generation of Vietnamese are suffering deformities caused by US chemical warfare, specifically Agent Orange and the US Government still refuses to admit it.
Every single independent investigation into the U.S. led spraying of toxins over jungles in Vietnam have come to the same conclusions - detrimental changes to swathes of rain forest that once blanketed the country are not the only victims. The toxins initially sprayed at "military targets" found its way into the country's water supply and now affects nearly 1 million people.
The Vietnamese government estimates it will only cost 60 million dollars to clean up the toxins. The U.S. has agreed to only pay 3 million.
As our country stands on the precipice of leadership change, I hope we can envisage a future where war is only used in self defense, and the immediate ban on all nuclear and biological weapons.
via Guardian
as tragic as it is, vietnam's agent orange situation may well pale in comparison to the catastrophe currently unfolding in iraq as a result of the hundreds of tons of depleted uranium from exploded u.s. ordnance which has permeated that country's soil and water over the course of two wars; cancer and birth-defect rates are soaring along with instances of numerous other radiation-related illnesses--and it's only going to get much, much worse.
of course, you don't hear much about this--the current administration is far too preoccupied with patting themselves on the back for giving the iraqis their "freedom" to worry about such petty details; they're happy to leave it to the next one to deal with (or continue to cover up and deny) the aftermath.
Sick. Bring on Barack!