http://www.salem-news.com/articles/november242011/olympic-dow-la.php
Len Aldis for Salem-News.com
http://www.lenaldis.co.uk/
(LONDON) - Next year in East London the two Olympics will be held when sportsmen and women from many countries will compete against each other in many fields of sport. This will be an opportunity to meet your competitors and to establish friendships.
Unfortunately, the Stadium, in which the opening and closing ceremonies will take place and field events held, will be stained in blood.
This is due to Dow Chemical being given a contract by the London Olympic Committee to surround the stadium with 336 huge panels’ for advertisements. Stained by the blood of innocent people, Dow Chemical was and remains responsible for the manufacture of Agent Orange and Napalm, used extensively on Southern Vietnam from 1961 until 1971, resulting in the deaths of many thousands of Vietnamese and causing many thousands more to suffer from various illnesses and deformities.
Eighty million litres of Agent Orange/Dioxin was sprayed by US forces that destroyed thousands of acres of Forests and the animal life within, poisoned the lakes and streams and in turn the fishes.
In my yearly visit to Vietnam from 1989, I have seen the jars at the Tu Du Hospital that contain the foetus of abnormal births. Have also met with children born with missing limbs, eyes etc, with twisted bodies due to Spina Bifida, and Dow refuses to accept responsibility or make any compensation to these tragic victims.
Dow's legacy in Vietnam - antiwar.com
This is the same company that bought United Carbide responsible for the horrific toxic gas leak causing the deaths of over 15,000 people of Bhopal in India. Today in Bhopal there are 100,000 still suffering from the effects of that explosion, and as with the Vietnamese of which there are four million still suffering, Dow refuses to accept responsibility or make any compensation.
Friends, it is into that Stadium that you will march and compete during the period of the two Olympic Games, in a stadium surrounded by a curtain of shame made by Dow Chemical. Ask the athletes from the US, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, and Vietnam about Agent Orange whose relatives may have served in the Vietnam War, and became affected by Agent Orange?
You might also consider this, in a letter to Lord Coe asking for the contract to be cancelled there were signatures of twenty-three MPs and twenty-one Indian athletes who took part in previous Olympics. There are reports that some Indian athletes, if not all, will boycott the Olympics if the Dow contract goes ahead.
Yours sincerely
Len Aldis. Secretary
Britain-Vietnam Friendship Society
http://www.lenaldis.co.uk/
http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/222189/group/homepage/
By: Lindsey Bever, Dallas Morning News / MCT
More than 40 years after the U.S. military used Agent Orange to defoliate the jungles of Vietnam, the health-care bill is escalating.
Over the past two years, federal officials say, an estimated 10,000 more veterans have sought medical compensation for diseases related to Agent Orange, an herbicide that contains a toxic chemical called dioxin.
The Institute of Medicine said in a recent report that there is sufficient evidence of an association between exposure to Agent Orange and illnesses including soft-tissue sarcoma, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, Hodgkin lymphoma and chloracne.
The report recommended further research to determine whether there could be a link between Agent Orange exposure and other illnesses such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, tonsil cancer, melanoma and Alzheimer’s disease.
READ MORE: http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/222189/group/homepage/
www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange
Some Veterans who were crew members on C-123 aircraft, formerly used to spray herbicides in Vietnam, have expressed health concerns about possible exposure to Agent Orange residue on plane surfaces. After reviewing available scientific reports, VA has concluded the potential for long-term adverse health effects from Agent Orange residue in these planes was minimal. Even if crew exposure did occur, it is unlikely that sufficient amounts of dried Agent Orange residue could have entered the body to have caused harm.
Visit the Agent Orange homepage to learn more about Agent Orange: www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange.
This Week Only! Go to http://www.vietnamthesecretagent.com/ and click on Veterans Day Movie Pass (This Week Only!) on bottom left of web page to watch the film FOR FREE in a video stream online. This Week Only!
http://www.topsecretwriters.com/2011/11/monsanto-agent-orange-past/
Many people these days recognize Monsanto as the massive corporation that maintains 95 percent control over the soybean market and nearly 80 percent control over the genetically engineered seed market.
Monsanto is famous for using every tactic in the book to crush all competition when it comes to agriculture and the farming industry.
We’ve covered Monsanto often in the past, specifically regarding the threat that the Monsanto monopoly poses to the U.S. and world food supply.
We recently covered the public survey conducted by the DoJ, where thousands of concerned citizens voiced their opposition against the Monsanto monopoly.
The threat isn’t so much from the amount of control that the massive corporation maintains over the seed industry, but from the ethical history of the company itself.
READ MORE: http://www.topsecretwriters.com/2011/11/monsanto-agent-orange-past/
This Week Only! Go to http://www.vietnamthesecretagent.com/ and click on Veterans Day Movie Pass (This Week Only!) on bottom left of web page to watch the film FOR FREE in a video stream online. This Week Only!
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/314273
Families across the United States are quick to forget just how many Veterans from wars that took place so long ago are still around to celebrate this special day with their friends and families.
Veteran’s day is a day to remember all of those soldiers who have served for the freedom of our country. While thousands of soldiers are being sent home and urged to file claims through the Department of Veterans Affairs through their new expedited claims process, the Department of Veterans Affairs is quick to forget just how many old claims they have yet to process.
Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/314273
from the Peoria (IL) Journal Star
http://www.pjstar.com/opinion/spotlight/x228647287/In-the-Spotlight-Vietnam-veterans-now-fighting-for-health-benefits
John George
As I read the Nov. 11 Forum letter, "He honored the flag, now the flag will honor him," it reminded me of the many soldiers who fought in Vietnam from 1967 to 1971. During that period, a herbicide known as Agent Orange was heavily used around U.S. military outposts to defoliate the surrounding area. A chemical known as TCDD was found in Agent Orange and has caused a wide variety of diseases, many of them fatal.
On a daily basis, tens of thousands of soldiers were exposed to this herbicide. Many have since died or are now suffering from cancer, migraine headaches, blackouts, irregular heart rate, brain tumors and other ailments.
John T. George is retired from Caterpillar as a Global Information Services systems supervisor. He lives in Peoria.READ MORE:
http://www.pjstar.com/opinion/spotlight/x228647287/In-the-Spotlight-Vietnam-veterans-now-fighting-for-health-benefits
Go to http://www.vietnamthesecretagent.com/ and click on Veterans Day Movie Pass on bottom left of web page to watch the film FOR FREE in a video stream online. This Week Only!
Agent Orange is recognized as the most toxic man-made chemical. We dumped it on Vietnam and we dumped it on the dusty backroads of Southern Missouri .
Vietnam: The Secret Agent is the first comprehensive look at the history, the effects and the implications of the deadly contaminant 2, 4,5-T — a main ingredient of the defoliant code-named Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. Using rare archival and striking war footage in support of interviews with veterans, scientists, attorneys and representatives of the U.S. Air Force, the VA and Dow Chemical — this film documents the history of chemical warfare and the plight of our Vietnam vets.
Every issue raised in the film continues to resonate in today's political climate. As soldiers return from Iraq and Afghanistan , plagued by illness, disability and post-traumatic stress, as Americans — particularly students — question political decisions, it's critical to learn from past conflicts. This award winning 1984 documentary classic, re-released on DVD, is loaded with new bonus interviews: class action update, eye witness accounts from Vietnam , dioxin problem solving, U.S. veterans today, and more.
Using striking archive and war footage in support of interviews with veterans, scientists, attorneys, the U.S. Air Force, the Veterans Administration, Dow Chemical and more; this film documents the extraordinary history of chemical warfare, agricultural herbicides, damage to the world environment, and the plight of Vietnam veterans and their families as they struggle for treatment of exposure to Agent Orange and dioxin.
As soldiers return from new wars plagued by illness, disability and post-traumatic stress, as citizens question leaders’ decisions, as fresh environmental catastrophes evoke debate about accountability; it is critical to illuminate struggles and lessons from the past. Every issue raised in this film resonates in today’s political climate.
DVD extras include a PowerPoint/PDF timeline of Agent Orange facts to date, witnesses to the effects in Vietnam, and more.
THIS WEEK ONLY!
http://tuoitrenews.vn/cmlink/tuoitrenews/politics/seminar-on-ao-dioxin-opens-in-us-1.50437
Nearly 150 delegates gathered at a two-day seminar on Agent Orange (AO)/dioxin at Berkeley University in San Francisco city, California state of the US.
The event also drew the participation of US veteran families of Vietnamese origin and US AO victims.
Speaking at the seminar, Head of the US-Vietnam Dialogue Group on AO/dioxin Ngo Quang Xuan said the seminar discussed efforts and contributions of sides to overcome the consequences of AO/dioxin in Vietnam.
The seminar highly valued the project to detoxify dioxin-affected Da Nang International Airport, Xuan said, expressing his hope that Vietnam will receive more support to treat Bien Hoa airport, the country’s second “hot spot” of dioxin, in the southern province of Dong Nai.
He added that the seminar helped raise awareness of the public and organisations in the US about AO consequences suffered by Vietnam.
The Rotary Foundation and the US-Vietnam Dialogue Group on AO/dioxin are currently carrying out a project to improve access to safe water sources in Dong Son commune, A Luoi district, in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue, which was severely affected by AO/dioxin contamination.
On November 5, VVA Chapter 862 hosted VVA’s 14th Agent Orange Town Hall Meeting at the Penn State Beaver campus, near Pittsburgh . Kudos to the members of VVA/AVVA Chapter 862, to organizers Bobby and Phil Morris, and to all who worked so hard to make this event a success!
VVA National VP Fred Elliott; PASC President Larry Holman; AVVA President Nancy Switzer ; and PA AVVA President Nancy Rekowski were joined by over one hundred veterans and family members--many of them new to VVA. They came from Pennsylvania , from West Virginia , and from Ohio to listen to the panelists and to share their own Agent Orange stories. PASC Treasurer David Johnston traveled the distance from Harrisburg to be there. Panelists included Bobbie Morris; AVVA National President Nancy Switzer ; Peter and Sue Petrosky; Heather Bowser; George Claxton, and VVA BOD Member Sandie Wilson. Larry Googins, 2nd VP of PASC and VVA 862 Treasurer, was the master of ceremonies; Chapter 862 VP Pete Petrosky led the presentation of the colors; and F. Lee Corfield, PASC Secretary and VVA 862 Secretary (also in the Color Guard) led the singing of the National Anthem.
Jacki Ochs, filmmaker/director of the soon-to-be rereleased, award-winning documentary, Vietnam: The Secret Agent, has recently posted to YouTube the below short, which she filmed at the town hall held at the VVA Region 2 Meeting in Atlantic City—VVA 862’s Petroskys, as well as the Morrises, are featured in this piece—and the PSA directs viewers to the VVA Agent Orange Committee page at www.vva.org
from Paul Sutton ssgtusmc6169@yahoo.com
http://www.examiner.com/military-affairs-in-national/the-children-of-veterans-are-the-innocent-victims-of-agent-orange?CID=examiner_alerts_article
Ed Mattson
Military Affairs Examiner November 11, 2011
The debate goes on and probably will until the end of time as to the effects of DIOXIN on dozens of health related issues. The Veteran on this Veteran’s Day does not have to be reminded of the long battle with the Veteran’s Administration, the Department of Defense, and 13 chemical manufacturing companies on the massive exposure to dioxin from the use of Agent Orange and other defoliants during the Vietnam War.
The same hold true for the public population , both in the United States and many other countries, where dioxin laced products were used in a effort to “improve our lives”, by limiting growth of weeds, vegetation, and disease carrying insects, only to learn that increase health issues would become a nightmare for many of those exposed. We now understand that we cannot rewind the clock and easily solve the problems caused by dioxin, but must learn how to deal with it in a fair and equitable manner to all who have health related issues, and find ways to prevent further exposure.
READ MORE: http://www.examiner.com/military-affairs-in-national/the-children-of-veterans-are-the-innocent-victims-of-agent-orange?CID=examiner_alerts_article
http://dailygleaner.canadaeast.com/cityregion/article/1453869
It was a cold and windy morning, but that didn't stop approximately 30 people from gathering outside MP Keith Ashfield's office Saturday for a rally to mark the second annual Canadian Veterans National Day of Protest.
ANDREW MEADE/THE DAILY GLEANER
A mix of veterans and family members of all ages bundled up in coats and mittens to take part in the event, one of many organized across Canada by the Canadian Veterans Advocacy.
Fred Doucette, a member of the Canadian Veterans Advocacy, said the point of the rallies is to give veterans and supporters a chance to air their concerns about the New Veterans Charter, changes to widows' benefits and pensions and Agent Orange compensation.
READ MORE: http://dailygleaner.canadaeast.com/cityregion/article/1453869
http://www.times-standard.com/guest_opinion/ci_19276804
Dave Stancliff/For the Times-Standard
Posted: 11/06/2011 02:39:41 AM PST
Pesticides threaten our health, yet we still use them in America today. In the Vietnam War, herbicides (a subclass of pesticides) and their deadly effects created a dark legacy that still lingers.
Many Americans have heard about Agent Orange and are aware that the Veterans Administration has recognized numerous ill effects it had on people who were exposed to it. Not so well known is that nine of the 12 most dangerous and persistent organic chemicals are pesticides, according to the 2001 Stockholm Convention findings (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockholm_Convention) on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs).
The result of the convention was an international environmental treaty, which went into effect in May 2004. The aim was to eliminate or restrict the production and use of POPs, defined as “chemical substances that persist in the environment, bio-accumulate through the food web, and pose a risk of causing adverse effects to human health and the environment.”
In the early 1960s, we sprayed Agent Orange in Vietnam as a defoliant. It contained dioxin, but the chemical companies assured everyone that dioxin occurred naturally in the environment and was not harmful to humans. They knew better.
In March 1965, Dow official V.K. Rowe convened a meeting of executives of Monsanto, Hooker Chemical, which operated the
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Love Canal dump, Diamond Alkali, the forerunner of Diamond-Shamrock, and the Hercules Powder Co., which later became Hercules Inc.
According to documents uncovered years later, the purpose of this meeting was “to discuss the toxicological problems caused by the presence of certain highly toxic impurities” in samples of 2,4,5-T. The primary “highly toxic impurity” was 2,3,7,8 TCDD, one of 75 dioxin compounds.
READ MORE: http://www.times-standard.com/guest_opinion/ci_19276804
http://www.vietnamthesecretagent.com/
Vietnam: The Secret Agent delivers the authoritative account of the history and troubling legacy of Agent Orange. — David Zierler, Ph.D., Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State
Human Arts Association is pleased to announce the re-release on DVD of the classic film Vietnam: The Secret Agent.
In honor of Veterans Day, in collaboration with New Day Digital, we invite VVA members to watch the newly restored, and re-digitized film over the internet — free for one week starting at 12:01 a.m. PST, 11/11/11.
This award-winning film documents the Vietnam Veterans' struggle in the early 80's to attain just treatment and compensation for illnesses caused by exposure to Agent Orange.
"... excellent ... a tough, angry look at the consequences of exposure to Agent Orange... a chilling issue that is effectively addressed here." — The New York Times
The new DVD is loaded with bonus features — updated interviews of veterans, families of veterans, eye witness photographers, and artists' responses to the legacy of Agent Orange. For more information, visit: VietnamTheSecretAgent.com
We hope you will take us up on our offer to watch this film for free on the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Vietnam War.
http://www.vietnamthesecretagent.com/
http://www.stripes.com/news/veterans-back-bill-to-create-registry-of-illnesses-blamed-on-burn-pits-1.159539
WASHINGTON — Veterans exposed to burn pits during their war deployments are backing legislation to create an ongoing registry of patients and illnesses believed connected to the toxic smoke, suggesting it may be the last chance to discover what long-term health problems they’ll face.
On Thursday, Rep. Todd Akin, R-Mo., and Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., will introduce companion bills requiring the Department of Veterans Affairs to create a burn pit registry, similar to past efforts tracking illnesses related to Agent Orange and Gulf War Illness.
The measures will not mandate new benefits or treatment for those veterans, but will establish a database of common symptoms for physicians to use in future research.
On Monday, the Institute of Medicine released a new report saying that Iraq and Afghanistan veterans’ respiratory problems may have more to do with poor air quality in those countries than the burn pits used by U.S. forces to dispose of trash, human waste and excess equipment.
READ MORE: http://www.stripes.com/news/veterans-back-bill-to-create-registry-of-illnesses-blamed-on-burn-pits-1.159539
http://vva.org/PressReleases/2011/pr11-031.html
(Washington, D.C.)--Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) joined with several hundred organizations representing veterans, seniors, and low-income beneficiaries to express the urgent need for Congress to reject the proposal to make harmful changes to the government's prescription drug program, Medicare Part D.
In a joint letter to Congress, the organizations cite that Medicare Part D is actually performing above expectation, and since its implementation, has cost taxpayers 41 percent less than originally projected. In addition, premiums for beneficiaries are 46 percent less than projected and are expected to decline slightly in 2012, with the average monthly premium remaining around $30. This change would have a negative impact on veterans using both the Tricare for Life program as well as Medicare Part D.
"Clearly, savings need to be achieved within our healthcare system in order to sustain these vital programs for future generations of Americans, but it is our duty to ensure these changes do not harm the very people they are meant to protect," said John Rowan, VVA National President. "Instead of targeting a program that is actually saving money while providing affordable prescription drug options to seniors, the attention of Congress could be better spent identifying those programs wasting taxpayer's money."
If the rebate proposal is implemented, the groups cite that, by some estimates, the premium increase for seniors could rise by 20 to 40 percent. In an attempt to limit premium increases, the groups make the point that prescription drug plans may opt to adjust their formularies, giving seniors and disabled Americans fewer preferred options, resulting in higher out-of-pocket costs--costs which many cannot afford and will cause some to forgo treatment.
"Higher costs will cause a breakdown in treatment plan adherence, as seniors opt out of Part D coverage or fail to purchase the drugs they need to maintain their health. This could lead to higher costs in Medicare for hospitalizations and nursing home care. The availability of drug coverage is achieving savings of up to $13 billion a year by keeping more seniors healthier and out of institutional settings, according to recent estimates by Harvard researchers. The rebate plan jeopardizes these savings and the lives they represent," the groups noted.
Said Rowan, "America's veterans and seniors have served their country and have contributed their entire working lives to building the wealth of this great nation. Instead of forcing beneficiaries to once again reach into their own pockets, now is the time to preserve the quality of care that supports the health of our veterans, our seniors, and those with disabilities, while providing a sustainable blueprint for the long-term health of our nation. Frankly, our veterans have sacrificed enough." For a full copy of the letter and list of supporting organizations, click here: http://f.cl.ly/items/3y3U1Y3x321B0F2m3X3f/Letter.pdf
