51 Years After the Chemical War Began in Vietnam, Be Silent, Then Take Action

[polly7]

By Marjorie Cohn and Jeanne Mirer

Tuesday, August 07, 2012

http://www.zcommunications.org/51-years-after-the-chemical-war-began-in-vietnam-be-silent-then-take-action-by-marjorie-cohn

August 10, 2012, At Noon: 51 Years After The Chemical War Began In Vietnam, We Should Be Silent In Memory, Then Take Action To Remedy

The use of Agent Orange on civilian populations violated the laws of war and yet no one has been held to account. Taxpayers pick up the tab of the Agent Orange Compensation fund for the U. S. Veterans at a cost of 1.52 billion dollars a year. The chemical companies, most specifically Dow and Monsanto, which profited from the manufacture of Agent Orange, paid a pittance to settle the veterans’ lawsuit to compensate them, as the unintended victims, for their Agent Orange related illnesses. But the Vietnamese continue to suffer from these violations with almost no recognition, as do the offspring of Agent Orange-exposed U.S. veterans and Vietnamese-Americans.

It is time that right makes might.

August 10th marks 51 years since the beginning of the spraying of Agent Orange in Vietnam. In commemoration, the Vietnam Agent Orange Relief and Responsibility Campaign urges you to observe 51 seconds of silence at 12 noon, to think about the horrors of wars which have occurred. We ask you to take action so as not to see future images of naked children running from napalm, or young soldiers wiping out the population of an entire village, or other atrocities associated with war, poverty, and violence around the world. We urge you to take at least 51 seconds for your action. In the United States, you can sign an orange post card to the U.S. Congress asking it to pass HR 2634. This would be a good start to assist the Vietnamese victims of Agent Orange as well as the next generations of those exposed to these dangerous chemicals in both Vietnam and the United States.

http://www.vn-agentorange.org/

[JustAnotherGen]

1. I gave this a rec

But it misses a key point - the other Agents.

Agent orange is a walk in the park compared to pink, green/white, blue, etc. etc.

We are fairly certain the green/white is why the last week of my dad's life (died August 13 last year at 70) his intestines literally came out of his body.

Sorry for the TMI - but I've seen the shelf life of this poison first hand. God knows how it will impact me as I age, my nieces and nephews, and children I have.

My father was very vocal about the impact on the Vietnamese people. We also need to get vocal about Central America and South America where the other colors were used extensively.

We were there - my father was a Green Beret - amongs the very FIRST of that crew. We were there too. And using chemicals.


My rec? It's because this is a GOOD Start!

[polly7]

2. Thank you for the additional information, there's never too much to know.

I'm so sorry you've lost your dad and what he went through. I sincerely hope the effects of this horrible stuff don't impact you or yours any further.

[HeiressofBickworth]

3. As a teenager in the 60's

I quickly figured out Dow Chemical not only made Agent Orange but also napalm. Napalm is a particularly nasty anti-personnel weapon -- it's a gel that adheres to human skin and bursts into flame. Dow should have been charged with war crimes for this alone. Being one person and not even an adult at that time, there was not much at my disposal to retaliate against Dow so I made a vow to NEVER knowingly purchase a Dow Chemical product. Here it is, over 45 years later and I have kept to that promise -- I have NEVER knowingly purchased a Dow Chemical product.

It isn't much, I know. However, I felt good about it as there was nothing a single individual could do to stop them.

[polly7]

4. That is something to be proud of, and good for you!

I wish I had known about all of this a lot sooner than I did. The only thing I've done is talk about it with a few friends and relatives in recent years and sign a petition or two, which is pitifully little. But I'm so glad to see it being recognized as something still very important, at least on the internet. I really hope the television media has the courage to commemorate it in some way tomorrow. Chances of that ..... slim to nil?