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Loose Cannons Inc. invites you & friends to an
Open House
with Noam Chomsky & Fred Wilcox, author of
Scorched Earth: Legacies of Chemical Warfare in Vietnam &
Waiting for an Army to Die: The Tragedy of Agent Orange
Monday, October 17, 2011
2 to 3:30 pm
at
Loose Cannons Inc.
471 West End Avenue (near 82nd Street) NY NY 10024
followed by a
Colloquy and Book-signing
with Noam Chomsky & Fred Wilcox
4 pm
at the
Housing Works Thrift Store
2569 Broadway (near 96th Street) NY NY 10025
Vietnamese food will be served at the Open House.
Photo enlargements & books will be on sale.
http://www.vetsfirst.org/raising-awareness-in-memory-of-dad/
“This month is Leukemia and Lymphoma Awareness Month. My father-in-law was a Vietnam veteran who was diagnosed with a form of non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. He passed away in 4 months. We never put it together that he was a veteran and that his condition was presumptively related to his service. Below, my husband Jonathan shares his story. We hope you also take a moment to watch the video we put together in his memory.” ––Heather Ansley, Esq., MSW, VetsFirst director of Veterans Policy.
My dad, James Ansley, was a Vietnam veteran. He died on January 4, 2008. Four months earlier, he had been diagnosed with Mantle Cell Lymphoma, a type of non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Anytime something like this happens it is difficult at best.
Unfortunately, my dad’s fortunes crashed with the real estate market in Florida. When he got sick, he had no health insurance and few other resources.
My family did not have time to process the emotions of the situation. We spent our time applying for Medicaid, Social Security disability, and food stamps for my dad. We also moved him from Florida to live with my sister in Arkansas.
It wasn’t until after he passed away that we realized his cancer was presumptively related to his military service in Vietnam. If we had understood VA benefits, we would have known that he most likely would have been eligible for VA disability compensation and health care.
My dad liked to help people. This month is Leukemia and Lymphoma Awareness Month. It is in his memory that my wife Heather and I pass along his story in hopes of helping another family.
If you or someone you know served in Vietnam and has cancer or another serious disease, please check here to see if you may be eligible for VA benefits.
http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/health/entry/agent_orange_woes_draw_attention_from_blumenthal_national_vets_group/
by Lisa Chedekel
Over the years, Andy Gow of Wallingford didn’t know what to make of word that more and more of his former Air Force buddies were being diagnosed with prostate cancer or diabetes.
Then, in 2003, he got the news firsthand—he had both diseases – and began to connect the dots.
“I never had boots on the ground in Vietnam, but I know for a fact that they were spraying Agent Orange” at Udorn base in Thailand, about 10 miles from where Gow was stationed from 1967 to 1969. “A lot of the guys who are sick have filed claims with the VA, but they’ve all been rejected. It doesn’t seem right.”
Gow was among about a dozen veterans who met Tuesday in Rocky Hill for an informal discussion of Agent Orange exposure with U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., state veterans affairs Commissioner Linda Schwartz, and Rick Weidman, executive director for policy & government affairs for Vietnam Veterans of America. Blumenthal and Schwartz convened the meeting to begin forming an action plan to help Vietnam veterans suffering from health problems connected to Agent Orange exposure get compensation from the VA.
“The health problems of our veterans who were exposed to substances used in Vietnam, without any real knowledge, are something we should not ignore,” Blumenthal told the group. “This is a step towards educating us to see what we can do.”
The group said that while the VA has taken steps to expand the list of illnesses linked to Agent Orange exposure in Vietnam, the agency has yet to recognize claims from veterans who did not serve in-country, but were exposed to residual toxins in the U.S. and other countries. That issue is of special interest in New England, where many Air Force reservists from Connecticut and Massachusetts flew out of Westover Air Force Base on planes that had been used to spray the herbicides.
READ MORE: http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/health/entry/agent_orange_woes_draw_attention_from_blumenthal_national_vets_group/
http://www.ttcdd.org/2011/09/22/the-toxic-chemical-dioxin/
The question seemed simple.
“In human medicine, most people would agree that a person becomes sick with a cold or flu when their immune system is depressed. Has anyone thought about what that suppress the immune system of humans and chickens inVietnam, making them? more sensitive to the lethal H5N1 Has anyone looked into that suppress the immune system of migratory birds “The question was posed to Dr. Alex Thiermann, President of the Organization of the OIE, World Organization Animal Health at its summit bird flu first in Washington, DC, February 27? – 28, 2006. His answer: “Nobody looks at it in reality, no one has even thought about it” was repeated by journalists and academics during the coffee break that followed.
An investigation into the immunosuppressive effects of chemicals in the environment – with particular emphasis on dioxins – can shed light on the houses scattered and disconnected, apparently of avian flu around the world. The association between dioxin and the flu can still explain the increased number of deaths in China,Vietnam,Indonesia and in particular.
READ MORE: http://www.ttcdd.org/2011/09/22/the-toxic-chemical-dioxin/
http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110926/NEWS/109260318/-1/NEWS10
By Dan McDonald
September 26, 2011 12:00 AM
NEW BEDFORD — A recent environmental consultant memo affirms that dioxins are present in soil around the high school, according to a scientist, while CLEAN, a local environmental advocacy group, is calling for more assessment at the site.
In June, city consultants took soil samples from around the high school and proceeded to test the samples for dioxins and dioxin-like compounds.
The consultants, Lowell-based TRC, released a memo last week regarding the sampling.
The school sits atop the Parker Street Waste Site, which formerly was an industrial burn dump for decades during the last century.
While acknowledging that "it is difficult to assess what the data from the June sampling means in the big picture," Ian Phillips, a scientist who is working pro bono for CLEAN, did say the memo indicates "they need to consider dioxins as a contaminant of concern at the site."
Polychlorinated biphenyls, organic compounds considered to be carcinogenic by the Department of Health and Human Services, were used in lubricating agents in the manufacture of electrolytic capacitors at New Bedford factories, and were among the substances dumped at Parker Street. They were not known to cause cancer at the time.
Dioxins are toxic compounds that result from the burning of PCBs and other organic materials.
Tom Derosier, CLEAN vice president, said based on "the dioxin sampling that has been done to date, it only validates that more investigation has to be done."
READ MORE: http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110926/NEWS/109260318/-1/NEWS10
The Rockefeller Foundation, Children of Vietnam , IBM and Hyatt among private donors
New York, NY, September 22, 2011 –– At the 2011 Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the Aspen Institute, the Rockefeller Foundation, IBM, Hyatt Hotels and many other private sector donors, committed to provide assistance to address the challenges of the disabled in Vietnam, without regard to cause.
The announcement at the CGI, valued at over $3.5 million, represents a unique opportunity for governments, foundations and the private sector to coordinate efforts to improve the lives of people with disabilities.
In the 40 years since the end of the war in Vietnam , the country has become a regional economic and commercial leader, and its relations with the United States have steadily improved. But high rates of physical and mental disabilities have continued to afflict the Vietnamese, causing heartache to countless families and a major economic burden to the country.
The CGI commitment includes $3 million from USAID. “In Vietnam , the U.S. Government has provided over $48 million in assistance since 1989 to people with disabilities. USAID’s assistance addresses the health, education, livelihood and social needs and promotes equal opportunities for and social integration of people with disabilities to enable them to contribute to Vietnam ’s growing economy,” said Frank Donovan, USAID Mission Director in Vietnam .
The US-Vietnam Dialogue Group on Agent Orange/Dioxin, has created a comprehensive ten-year strategic Plan of Action that includes practical steps to expand humanitarian services to people with disabilities and their families, without regard to cause. The Dialogue Group is co-chaired by Aspen Institute president Walter Isaacson, who remarked that the Dialogue Group “has helped move both countries towards a common understanding of how to address the challenge of meeting the needs of people with disabilities. We are delighted to see the Plan of Action’s recommendations gain real momentum with help from so many partners.”
Dr. Charles Bailey heads Aspen’s program, which seeks financial contributions and in-kind technical assistance from US corporations, foundations and private individuals, as well as governments, in an unusual alliance of public and private partners in the two countries. The program will support projects which pilot and expand models for comprehensive services benefiting people with disabilities and their families, in collaboration with local governments and agencies in Vietnam . This program will demonstrate ways that alliances of public and private partners can contribute to improving the lives of people with disabilities.
Established in 2005 by President Bill Clinton, the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) convenes global leaders to devise and implement innovative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges. Since 2005, CGI Annual Meetings have brought together nearly 150 current and former heads of state, 18 Nobel Prize laureates, and hundreds of leading CEOs, along with heads of foundations, major philanthropists, directors of the most effective nongovernmental organizations, and prominent members of the media. These CGI members have made nearly 2,000 commitments, which have already improved the lives of 300 million people in more than 180 countries. When fully funded and implemented, these commitments will be valued in excess of $63 billion. The CGI community also includes CGI University (CGI U), a forum to engage college students in global citizenship, MyCommitment.org, an online portal where anybody can make a Commitment to Action, and CGI Lead, which engages a select group of young CGI members for leadership development and collective commitment-making. CGI America is the newest addition to this community. For more information, visit www.clintonglobalinitiative.org.
The Aspen Institute mission is twofold: to foster values-based leadership, encouraging individuals to reflect on the ideals and ideas that define a good society, and to provide a neutral and balanced venue for discussing and acting on critical issues. The Aspen Institute does this primarily in four ways: seminars, young-leader fellowships around the globe, policy programs, and public conferences and events. The Institute is based in Washington , DC ; Aspen , Colorado ; and on the Wye River on Maryland 's Eastern Shore . It also has offices in New York City and an international network of partners. For more information, visit http://www.aspeninstitute.org/
http://www.gazette.net/article/20110919/NEWS/709199921/1009/former-pastor-accuses-fort-detrick-of-causing-nearby-residents&template=gazette
White said he thinks he could go to jail for disclosing communications with Fort Detrick officials
by Katherine Heerbrandt, Staff Writer
A former Florida pastor who blames Fort Detrick for causing his daughter and ex-wife’s fatal cancers told a group Saturday he could wind up in jail for his efforts to ferret the truth from Detrick officials.
As part of a package distributed to the media, Randy White, a native of Frederick, included a recording he made of a meeting last summer between his representatives and Detrick officials, moderated by Dr. Barbara Brookmyer, health officer for the Frederick County Health Department.
Gary Zolyak, an attorney for the fort, was at the meeting, which he said was to exchange ideas on how to handle White’s allegations that Fort Detrick’s actions have caused environmental cancers in hundreds of people who live near it.
“Randy [White] had a laptop open during the meeting. We told him that we do not consent to having [the meeting] recorded, and he assured us he would not,” Zolyak said in an interview Monday.
White denied that his group was asked to refrain from recording the meeting.
READ MORE: http://www.gazette.net/article/20110919/NEWS/709199921/1009/former-pastor-accuses-fort-detrick-of-causing-nearby-residents&template=gazette
http://www.military.com/veterans-report/gulf-war-claims-deadline?ESRC=vr.nl
For Gulf War Veterans with certain ailments like: Chronic fatigue syndrome; Firbromyalgia; Functional gastrointestinal disorders; and other undiagnosed illnesses the current deadline for when the condition must have "appeared" is on or before December 31, 2011. If you have any conditions that are "undiagnosed" and you did a tour in the Middle East, this could apply to you. The VA is working to extend the deadline to December 31, 2018. If this occurs, it will be great news for veterans and military members who develop symptoms after the 2011 cut-off. However, since there is no guarantee that the deadline will be extended veterans suffering from undiagnosed conditions are encouraged to talk with their Veteran Service Officer about filing a disability claim for these conditions.
Check out the Military Advantage Blog to get more information.
http://www.truthdig.com/avbooth/item/agent_orange_and_our_legacy_of_chemical_warfare_20110909/
This week on Truthdig Radio, in collaboration with KPFK, we hear about Agent Orange and the continuing devastation from America’s chemical warfare.
In the past thirty three years I have read every book published on the tragedy of Agent Orange and dioxin. Beyond a doubt, "Scorched Earth" written by Fred Wilcox is one of the most informative works of truth released on the market. This expose is published by Seven Stories Press and released in September. 2011. For most people, who have little knowledge on the devastating affects on dioxin thanks to the suppression by industry, this book is a valuable work of truth that can be disseminated to the world.
Although I was logically aware of the fact that North Vietnamese were exposed to Agent Orange and dioxin while fighting in the south, the magnitude of the problem is just now becoming an issue for human dialogue. Wilcox points out that Dr. Ton That Tung illuminated the fact that North Vietnamese woman were never exposed to dioxin while living in the north during the war. I have some of Dr. Tung's studies and they have been reviewed by some of the most eminent scientists in the United Stated. The striking observation is that the birth defects experienced by the families of North Vietnamese soldiers could not have come from the exposure of females. THEREFORE, the defects must have been male mediated. Also, many of the North Vietnamese birth defects are the same anomalies experienced by American soldiers. Hopefully, Wilcox just opened up Pandora’s Box.
One of the many interesting points of "Scorched Earth" is that Judge Weinstein went out of his way to assume that the U.S. Government knew about the poison dioxin which as a byproduct of Agent Orange. Judge Weinstein knew that by alleging the knowledge of dioxin to the U.S. Government the defendant chemical companies could evade liability by the Government Contractor Defense. Is it any wonder that that the Federal Court for the Eastern District of New York is known as the "Wall Street Court"? Also, why was the original judge in the Agent Orange case removed by promotion to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals? (Judge George C. Pratt). Perhaps this move paved the way for Weinstein to unleash his own far fetched theories on tort liability in the industrial age. When Weinstein said that the U.S. Government knew about dioxin, why was the Government going to build their own Agent Orange facility at Weldon Springs, Missouri. Wilcox illuminates this irony.
I would recommend "Scorched Earth" for anyone to read; but, particularly for those who have little knowledge on the toxic affects of Agent Orange and dioxin. This book is the best handbook ever written on Agent Orange and dioxin. It could be utilized as a primer on the subject and it must be disseminated through out the world. People must not be misled by propaganda when their friends and neighbors are dying from dioxin poisoning.
Faithfully submitted
George Claxton, Chair Emeritus
National Agent Orange/Dioxin Committee
Vietnam Veterans of America
http://www.examiner.com/public-policy-in-mesa/agent-orange-treated-mountains-burn-sending-smoke-into-arizona-communities
Lola Veil, Mesa Public Policy Examiner
The Frio Fire, that burned in the Pinal Mountains near Globe Arizona, burned from August 28 to sometime in mid September. The fire was lightning caused. The Forest Service utilized the fire to clear underbrush. This natural thinning of the forest is good for the ecosystem and helps to prevent a more catastrophic fire in the future.
There are however issues with how the smoke affected, and will affect, the health of the community. Nearly everyone we have talked to experienced some type of negative physical affects from the smoke.
There is also the issue of what some in area call “Globe's Dirty Little Secret.” That being the fact in 1965, the US Forest Service began a land improvement program in the Pinal Mountains. The program called for spraying an area of chaparral with Agent Orange to accomplish the objectives of multiple land use. The toxins were sprayed numerous times through 1965 to 1969.
There is a great deal of information available on the internet regarding the health affects this toxin had on Globe/Miami citizens. Many died very young, suffering from the horrific affects of Agent Orange. The water table in the canyons was polluted. There are reports of ongoing health issues with children and grandchildren of those exposed.
READ MORE: http://www.examiner.com/public-policy-in-mesa/agent-orange-treated-mountains-burn-sending-smoke-into-arizona-communities
http://www.veteranstoday.com/2011/09/07/where-have-all-the-lawyers-gone-long-time-passing/
by Ed Mattson
On Monday I wrote about those who have fallen through the crack at the VA regarding their application for benefits from exposure to Agent Orange and other toxins. Over the course of the years many veterans have filed claims that were denied; went through the appeals process, sought legal counsel, and have still come up short.
Not surprising to most, my research and research done by many others, have turned up a massive cover-up by the government in support of Big Chemical (Dow, Monsanto, and 10-12 other companies) in denial of the effects of Agent Orange and other toxins as being the cause of countless healthcare issues. This has occurred not only among Vietnam era veterans, but also USO volunteers, innocent civilians in the countries where such toxins were deployed, and by citizens in countries that are US Allies.
READ MORE: http://www.veteranstoday.com/2011/09/07/where-have-all-the-lawyers-gone-long-time-passing/
