10/22/2005

Footprints that Endure

" Footprints that Endure- Depleted Uranium and the Unborn"

I have been writing and working on events that explore the effects of DU on the military population, with an emphasis on the VA's responsiveness to the needs of vets and their families with respect to exposure. I still view the response to this issue and the lack of transparency regarding health matters among our enlisted citizens as nothing less than disgraceful.
But as a parent, I also want to express my outrage about the birth defects caused by the chromosomal damage both from exposed parents and the environmental contaminants that civilian and military populations are exposed to. These contaminants will be present for over a billion years- indeed, the footprints of our military will outlast our own civilizations. They will outlast the conflicts, the cultures, the religions- our insatiable global thirst for oil... these toxins will endure even after generations of children have joined them in the dust.
It has been said that when the bombs were dropped in Japan, humans ceased to be a part of nature, but rather, became its undoing. Humans turned a corner toward such unimaginable destruction that they became the champions of a course to catastophe to which they are now inextricably linked - culminating someday- in the future- in a certain premature demise.
Mothers, where are your tongues? Where is the raw emotion that makes your heart heavy with the promise and hope for these babies we bring forth- is this the path we choose for them? Do we not see that we, as women, have been fed lies by power hungry bureaucracies that care nothing about our beautiful beings and their world?
We talk about our bodies, our rights, our choices, our economics, our politics. Valid concerns and worthy of our energy, discussion, and dialogue. But to me, choice goes beyond my uterus and my god- it goes to the heart of what it means to really choose life. These people that have you believe that they are the self appointed champions of life have no right to promote the careers and power of those that would willingly deform the unborn babies they purport to concern themselves with.
The serious and often hideous disfigurement that these babies are subjected to are not cosmetic matters, these babies are born with serious health problems. Many of these babies live brief lives of suffering and pain. This in a culture of "life"? This, from "pro-life" politicians?
Women, Men, parents, citizens- we can do far better than this.

More on Depleted Uranium...
An important film to see- to quickly get you up to speed on this issue is "Beyond Treason"
This is a serious issue and it also elicits important questions: How do we feel about the way our government can test on, experiment, and expose those in the military to dangerous toxic substances without their knowledge and without providing adequate care? How do vets get treated by the VA or the Pentagon when they do develop illnesses or become disabled by such exposure? What about their families, their children, born with proveable exposure related abnormalities? What constitutes the machinery for why and how this is possible?
Many people think this type of thing does not happen in America. Those that know history know better. And we NEED to know better. They know these practices are legally protected and can point to Tuskegee, "Jacob's Ladder", and a topic I will get into later as well- MKULTRA. We can point to the supposed mystery of Gulf War Syndrome and draw some conclusions based on who developed this syndrome, who did not, and what they have in common. Here is an excerpt from the producers of "Beyond Treason" who have this to say on the status of GWS:

What causes Gulf War Illness?
Some believe these illnesses are caused by exposure to depleted uranium munitions used on the battlefield. Others believe chemical and biological exposures are the prime suspect. While yet an even larger group argue that experimental vaccines given to our troops, without their knowledge or consent, may have lead to the demise of many of these soldiers.
A growing number of scientists and respected experts in their fields have been coming forward to share their research and first-hand knowledge of official betrayal.
As ailing Gulf War Heroes from all 27 coalition countries slowly die of “unknown causes,” they wait for answers from their respective governments… but no satisfying or even credible answers have come forth from the military establishment. Records that span over a decade point to negligence and even culpability on the part of the U.S. Department of Defense and their “disposable army” mentality.
From the first Gulf War the VA has determined that 250,000 troops are now permanently disabled, 15,000 troops are dead and over 425,000 troops are ill and slowly dying from what the Department of Defense still calls a “mystery disease.” How many more will have to die before action is taken?
What should we be demanding about the transparency of our government and its responses to real, valid health questions? What are our rights as human subjects of exposure experiments? Where is the line drawn by our government about what is legal to do to civilians?

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