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unhappycamper
unhappycamper's Journal
unhappycamper's Journal
July 23, 2013
A child born without eyes, a third-generation victim of the U.S. military's use of Agent Orange during the Vietnam War more than 40 years ago
Makers of Agent Orange followed formula dictated by U.S. government
By Drew Brown | McClatchy Foreign Staff
Posted on Monday, July 22, 2013
DA NANG, Vietnam — James R. Clary was a young Air Force officer and scientist who designed the spray tank for the C-123 cargo planes that dispensed Agent Orange and other herbicides during the Vietnam War.
Thirteen years after the conflict ended, with serious concerns being raised in Congress about the effects of defoliants on veterans’ health, Clary dropped a startling bombshell: Military scientists had known that herbicides shipped to Vietnam were contaminated with dioxin and had “the potential for damage” to human health.
“However, because the material was to be used on the ‘enemy,’ none of us were overly concerned,” Clary wrote to then-Sen. Tom Daschle, D-S.D. “We never considered a scenario in which our own personnel would become contaminated with the herbicide.”
Agent Orange was produced primarily by the Monsanto Corp. and Dow Chemical. Both companies say the defoliant was made according to strict military specifications. “The government specified the chemical composition of Agent Orange and when, where and how the material was to be used in the field, including application rates,” Monsanto says.
Makers of Agent Orange followed formula dictated by U.S. government (Dow & Monsanto)
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/07/22/197316/makers-of-agent-orange-followed.htmlA child born without eyes, a third-generation victim of the U.S. military's use of Agent Orange during the Vietnam War more than 40 years ago
Makers of Agent Orange followed formula dictated by U.S. government
By Drew Brown | McClatchy Foreign Staff
Posted on Monday, July 22, 2013
DA NANG, Vietnam — James R. Clary was a young Air Force officer and scientist who designed the spray tank for the C-123 cargo planes that dispensed Agent Orange and other herbicides during the Vietnam War.
Thirteen years after the conflict ended, with serious concerns being raised in Congress about the effects of defoliants on veterans’ health, Clary dropped a startling bombshell: Military scientists had known that herbicides shipped to Vietnam were contaminated with dioxin and had “the potential for damage” to human health.
“However, because the material was to be used on the ‘enemy,’ none of us were overly concerned,” Clary wrote to then-Sen. Tom Daschle, D-S.D. “We never considered a scenario in which our own personnel would become contaminated with the herbicide.”
Agent Orange was produced primarily by the Monsanto Corp. and Dow Chemical. Both companies say the defoliant was made according to strict military specifications. “The government specified the chemical composition of Agent Orange and when, where and how the material was to be used in the field, including application rates,” Monsanto says.
July 23, 2013
Tran Duc Nghia 39, watches as his mother talks about his condition at their home in Da Nang, Vietnam. 75-year-old Hoang Thi Te wishes the U.S. military would have made a weapon that would have killed her children right away, instead of leaving to suffer decades later.
As parents die, Vietnamese worry who’ll care for Agent Orange disabled
By Drew Brown | McClatchy Foreign Staff
Posted on Monday, July 22, 2013
~snip~
The dilemma he faces is one that concerns many people who work with Agent Orange victims in Vietnam. As parents and other caregivers die off, the fate of these people is often uncertain.
“We foresee this becoming a serious issue, which is why we need more foreign funding,” said Nguyen Thi Hien, the director of the Da Nang Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin.
Vietnam, where once-lush jungles in the Central Highlands remain denuded of vegetation because of Agent Orange, doesn’t have much of a social safety net. Families usually take care of their own elderly, sick and disabled. In a country where the average per capita income is just $1,300 a year, the families of Agent Orange victims are often the poorest members of society.
A Columbia University study in 2003 found that at least 3,181 villages, containing anywhere from 2.1 million to 4.8 million people, had been sprayed directly.
As parents die, Vietnamese worry who’ll care for Agent Orange disabled
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/07/22/197317/as-parents-die-vietnamese-worry.htmlTran Duc Nghia 39, watches as his mother talks about his condition at their home in Da Nang, Vietnam. 75-year-old Hoang Thi Te wishes the U.S. military would have made a weapon that would have killed her children right away, instead of leaving to suffer decades later.
As parents die, Vietnamese worry who’ll care for Agent Orange disabled
By Drew Brown | McClatchy Foreign Staff
Posted on Monday, July 22, 2013
~snip~
The dilemma he faces is one that concerns many people who work with Agent Orange victims in Vietnam. As parents and other caregivers die off, the fate of these people is often uncertain.
“We foresee this becoming a serious issue, which is why we need more foreign funding,” said Nguyen Thi Hien, the director of the Da Nang Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin.
Vietnam, where once-lush jungles in the Central Highlands remain denuded of vegetation because of Agent Orange, doesn’t have much of a social safety net. Families usually take care of their own elderly, sick and disabled. In a country where the average per capita income is just $1,300 a year, the families of Agent Orange victims are often the poorest members of society.
A Columbia University study in 2003 found that at least 3,181 villages, containing anywhere from 2.1 million to 4.8 million people, had been sprayed directly.
July 23, 2013
Le Thi Thu, 42, and her daughter, Nguyen Thi Ly, 11, live in a village south of Da Nang, Vietnam. They are second and third generation victims of dioxin exposure, the result of the U.S. military's use of Agent Orange and other herbicides during the Vietnam War more than 40 years ago.
4 decades after war ended, Agent Orange still ravaging Vietnamese
By Drew Brown | McClatchy Foreign Staff
Posted on Monday, July 22, 2013
~snip~
But Ly is also very different from other children. Her head is severely misshapen. Her eyes are unnaturally far apart and permanently askew. She’s been hospitalized with numerous ailments since her birth.
Her mother, 43-year-old Le Thi Thu, has similar deformities and health disorders. Neither of them has ever set foot on a battlefield, but they’re both casualties of war.
Le and her daughter are second- and third-generation victims of dioxin exposure, the result of the U.S. military’s use of Agent Orange during the Vietnam War, when the U.S. Air Force sprayed more than 20 million gallons of Agent Orange and other herbicides over parts of southern Vietnam and along the borders of neighboring Laos and Cambodia. The herbicides were contaminated with dioxin, a deadly compound that remains toxic for decades and causes birth defects, cancer and other illnesses.
To this day, dioxin continues to poison the land and the people. The United States has never accepted responsibility for these victims – it denies that Agent Orange is responsible for diseases among Vietnamese that are accepted as Agent Orange-caused among American veterans – and it’s unclear when this chain of misery will end.
unhappycamper comment: The 21st Century equivalent of AO? Depleted Uranium.
4 decades after war ended, Agent Orange still ravaging Vietnamese
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/07/22/197318/4-decades-after-war-ended-agent.htmlLe Thi Thu, 42, and her daughter, Nguyen Thi Ly, 11, live in a village south of Da Nang, Vietnam. They are second and third generation victims of dioxin exposure, the result of the U.S. military's use of Agent Orange and other herbicides during the Vietnam War more than 40 years ago.
4 decades after war ended, Agent Orange still ravaging Vietnamese
By Drew Brown | McClatchy Foreign Staff
Posted on Monday, July 22, 2013
~snip~
But Ly is also very different from other children. Her head is severely misshapen. Her eyes are unnaturally far apart and permanently askew. She’s been hospitalized with numerous ailments since her birth.
Her mother, 43-year-old Le Thi Thu, has similar deformities and health disorders. Neither of them has ever set foot on a battlefield, but they’re both casualties of war.
Le and her daughter are second- and third-generation victims of dioxin exposure, the result of the U.S. military’s use of Agent Orange during the Vietnam War, when the U.S. Air Force sprayed more than 20 million gallons of Agent Orange and other herbicides over parts of southern Vietnam and along the borders of neighboring Laos and Cambodia. The herbicides were contaminated with dioxin, a deadly compound that remains toxic for decades and causes birth defects, cancer and other illnesses.
To this day, dioxin continues to poison the land and the people. The United States has never accepted responsibility for these victims – it denies that Agent Orange is responsible for diseases among Vietnamese that are accepted as Agent Orange-caused among American veterans – and it’s unclear when this chain of misery will end.
unhappycamper comment: The 21st Century equivalent of AO? Depleted Uranium.
July 21, 2013
Boeing could locate plants overseas, state aerospace recruiter says
Published: July 18, 2013
By JOHN GILLIE — john.gillie@thenewstribune.com
As a global company, Boeing ultimately may spread its commercial aircraft manufacturing activities far beyond the Puget Sound area and its new assembly site in South Carolina, Washington’s chief aerospace recruiter told a gathering of aerospace industry executives Wednesday.
Alex Pietsch, director of the Washington State Office of Aerospace, told the Pierce County Aerospace Summit that the company may follow its rival Airbus in dispersing its factories more widely.
Boeing builds the majority of its commercial aircraft at two sites in the Puget Sound area, Renton and Everett.
~snip~
Pietsch said Boeing seems committed to expanding its presence in South Carolina, but the company’s plans at some point may even include building some of its jetliners overseas, he said.
unhappycamper comment: Great.
The outsourcing continues....
Boeing could locate plants overseas, state aerospace recruiter says
http://www.thenewstribune.com/2013/07/18/2682501/boeing-could-locate-plants-overseas.htmlBoeing could locate plants overseas, state aerospace recruiter says
Published: July 18, 2013
By JOHN GILLIE — john.gillie@thenewstribune.com
As a global company, Boeing ultimately may spread its commercial aircraft manufacturing activities far beyond the Puget Sound area and its new assembly site in South Carolina, Washington’s chief aerospace recruiter told a gathering of aerospace industry executives Wednesday.
Alex Pietsch, director of the Washington State Office of Aerospace, told the Pierce County Aerospace Summit that the company may follow its rival Airbus in dispersing its factories more widely.
Boeing builds the majority of its commercial aircraft at two sites in the Puget Sound area, Renton and Everett.
~snip~
Pietsch said Boeing seems committed to expanding its presence in South Carolina, but the company’s plans at some point may even include building some of its jetliners overseas, he said.
unhappycamper comment: Great.
The outsourcing continues....
July 19, 2013
Navy carrier drone program to cost billions
Posted on: 8:43 pm, July 17, 2013, by Laurie Simmons
The success rate for the Navy’s new drones actually landing aboard aircraft carriers is 50%. Program leaders consider that to be “passing with flying colors.”
NewsChannel 3 showed you the first two successful landings last Wednesday aboard the USS George H.W. Bush.
What you didn’t see was the third attempt that was scrubbed after a navigational computer onboard the drone failed.
~snip~
The Navy hasn’t released much information, but NewsChannel 3 uncovered budget documents from February of 2011 where the Navy gave Congress a potential price tag of $2.5 billion over four years.
Navy carrier drone program to cost billions
http://wtkr.com/2013/07/17/navy-carrier-drone-program-to-cost-billions/Navy carrier drone program to cost billions
Posted on: 8:43 pm, July 17, 2013, by Laurie Simmons
The success rate for the Navy’s new drones actually landing aboard aircraft carriers is 50%. Program leaders consider that to be “passing with flying colors.”
NewsChannel 3 showed you the first two successful landings last Wednesday aboard the USS George H.W. Bush.
What you didn’t see was the third attempt that was scrubbed after a navigational computer onboard the drone failed.
~snip~
The Navy hasn’t released much information, but NewsChannel 3 uncovered budget documents from February of 2011 where the Navy gave Congress a potential price tag of $2.5 billion over four years.
July 19, 2013
Deer Trail, Colorado is poised to become the first town to issue a bounty for drones.
Colorado Town Poised to be First to Issue Drone Hunting License
- Lauren McCauley, staff writer
Published on Thursday, July 18, 2013 by Common Dreams
The small ranching hamlet of Deer Trail, Colorado is considering becoming the first US town to issue drone hunting licenses.
The ordinance, drafted by Deer Trail resident Phillip Steel, proposes a bounty of $100 to any licensed "shooter" who presents the "identifiable parts of an unmanned aerial vehicle whose markings and configuration are consistent with those used on any similar craft known to be owned or operated by the United States federal government."
~snip~
Steel told Reuters that, though he had not seen any drones, "some local ranchers" outside the town limits had. Deer Trail, the site of the world's first rodeo, is situated approximately 55 miles east of Denver.
The ordinance further specifies that hunters can legally shoot down a drone flying under 1,000 feet with weapons limited to "any shotgun, 12 gauge or smaller, having a barrel length of 18 inches or greater."
Colorado Town Poised to be First to Issue Drone Hunting License
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/07/18-2Deer Trail, Colorado is poised to become the first town to issue a bounty for drones.
Colorado Town Poised to be First to Issue Drone Hunting License
- Lauren McCauley, staff writer
Published on Thursday, July 18, 2013 by Common Dreams
The small ranching hamlet of Deer Trail, Colorado is considering becoming the first US town to issue drone hunting licenses.
The ordinance, drafted by Deer Trail resident Phillip Steel, proposes a bounty of $100 to any licensed "shooter" who presents the "identifiable parts of an unmanned aerial vehicle whose markings and configuration are consistent with those used on any similar craft known to be owned or operated by the United States federal government."
~snip~
Steel told Reuters that, though he had not seen any drones, "some local ranchers" outside the town limits had. Deer Trail, the site of the world's first rodeo, is situated approximately 55 miles east of Denver.
The ordinance further specifies that hunters can legally shoot down a drone flying under 1,000 feet with weapons limited to "any shotgun, 12 gauge or smaller, having a barrel length of 18 inches or greater."
July 16, 2013
Congress OKs deal to sell Reaper drones to France
By Agence France-Presse
Monday, July 15, 2013 17:16 EDT
Plans to sell US Reaper drones to France advanced Monday as Congress raised no objections to the contract, Pentagon officials said.
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency, which oversees foreign military sales, had notified Congress on June 27 of the proposed contract, and lawmakers voiced no opposition during a 15-day review period.
“Congress did not propose any joint resolution of disapproval. The case can proceed to be offered,” Lorna Jons of the DSCA told AFP.
French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian had announced on June 11 plans to buy 12 Reaper aircraft from the United States, a purchase worth about $874 million, or 670 million Euros.
unhappycamper comment: Now I'm confused. $874 million / 12 = $78.2 million a pop. Does the United States pay 'only' $16.9 million dollars per drone? Or is wikipedia lying about how much these things cost? (I'm betting on the latter.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MQ-9
MQ-9 Reaper
Role Unmanned combat air vehicle
National origin United States
Manufacturer General Atomics Aeronautical Systems
First flight 2 February 2001
Introduction 1 May 2007
Status In service
Primary users United States Air Force
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Royal Air Force
Aeronautica Militare
Number built 57
Program cost US$11.8 billion[1]
Unit cost US$16.9 million (flyaway cost, 2013)[2]
Developed from General Atomics MQ-1 Predator
Developed into General Atomics Avenger
Somebody's Getting Ripped Off
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/07/15/congress-oks-deal-to-sell-reaper-drones-to-france/Congress OKs deal to sell Reaper drones to France
By Agence France-Presse
Monday, July 15, 2013 17:16 EDT
Plans to sell US Reaper drones to France advanced Monday as Congress raised no objections to the contract, Pentagon officials said.
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency, which oversees foreign military sales, had notified Congress on June 27 of the proposed contract, and lawmakers voiced no opposition during a 15-day review period.
“Congress did not propose any joint resolution of disapproval. The case can proceed to be offered,” Lorna Jons of the DSCA told AFP.
French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian had announced on June 11 plans to buy 12 Reaper aircraft from the United States, a purchase worth about $874 million, or 670 million Euros.
unhappycamper comment: Now I'm confused. $874 million / 12 = $78.2 million a pop. Does the United States pay 'only' $16.9 million dollars per drone? Or is wikipedia lying about how much these things cost? (I'm betting on the latter.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MQ-9
MQ-9 Reaper
Role Unmanned combat air vehicle
National origin United States
Manufacturer General Atomics Aeronautical Systems
First flight 2 February 2001
Introduction 1 May 2007
Status In service
Primary users United States Air Force
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Royal Air Force
Aeronautica Militare
Number built 57
Program cost US$11.8 billion[1]
Unit cost US$16.9 million (flyaway cost, 2013)[2]
Developed from General Atomics MQ-1 Predator
Developed into General Atomics Avenger
July 13, 2013
Army relieves Fort Jackson general of command
By Susanne M. Schafer
Associated Press
Friday, July 12, 2013
COLUMBIA — The Army has removed from the command of its largest training post the one-star general suspended in May over charges of adultery and involvement in a physical altercation.
Brig. Gen. Bryan Roberts was relieved of his command at Fort Jackson, S.C., on Thursday afternoon because of misconduct, Army spokesman Harvey Perritt said.
The decision was made by Gen. Robert W. Cone, the commander of the Army Training and Doctrine Command in Fort Eustis, Va., Perritt said.
“This misconduct included adultery and a physical altercation,” he said. “This misconduct was not sexual assault or harassment; it was a breach of order and discipline that violated standards of the Army profession.”
unhappycamper comment: This is the second United States Army Brigadier General who is charged with sexual misconduct. I saw an article on Jeffery Sinclair this morning: http://tinyurl.com/ph9hgsx
Army relieves Fort Jackson general of command
http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/metro/2013-07-12/army-relieves-fort-jackson-general-commandArmy relieves Fort Jackson general of command
By Susanne M. Schafer
Associated Press
Friday, July 12, 2013
COLUMBIA — The Army has removed from the command of its largest training post the one-star general suspended in May over charges of adultery and involvement in a physical altercation.
Brig. Gen. Bryan Roberts was relieved of his command at Fort Jackson, S.C., on Thursday afternoon because of misconduct, Army spokesman Harvey Perritt said.
The decision was made by Gen. Robert W. Cone, the commander of the Army Training and Doctrine Command in Fort Eustis, Va., Perritt said.
“This misconduct included adultery and a physical altercation,” he said. “This misconduct was not sexual assault or harassment; it was a breach of order and discipline that violated standards of the Army profession.”
unhappycamper comment: This is the second United States Army Brigadier General who is charged with sexual misconduct. I saw an article on Jeffery Sinclair this morning: http://tinyurl.com/ph9hgsx
July 11, 2013
Political violence and privilege
Jul 11, '13
By Matthew Harwood
The evangelical Christians of Greenville County, South Carolina, are afraid.
There has been talk of informants and undercover agents luring young, conservative evangelicals across the South into sham terrorist plots. The feds and the area's police want to eliminate a particularly extreme strain of evangelical Christianity opposed to abortion, homosexuality, and secularism, whose adherents sometimes use violent imagery and speech. They fear such extreme talk could convince lone wolves or small groups of Christian extremists to target abortion clinics, gay bars, or shopping malls for attack. As a result, law enforcement has flooded these communities with informants meant to provide an early warning system for any signs of such "radicalization".
Converts, so important to the evangelical movement, are now looked upon with suspicion - the more fervent, the more suspicious. In local barbecue joints, diners, and watering holes, the proprietors are careful not to let FOX News linger onscreen too long, fearing political discussions that could be misconstrued. After all, you can never be too sure who's listening.
Come Sunday, the ministers who once railed against abortion, gay marriage, and Hollywood as sure signs that the US is descending into godlessness will mute their messages. They will peer out at their congregations and fear that some faces aren't interested in the Gospel, or maybe are a little too interested in every word. The once vibrant political clubs at Bob Jones University have become lifeless as students whisper about informants and fear a few misplaced words could leave them in a government database or worse.
Political violence and privilege
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/World/WOR-01-110713.htmlPolitical violence and privilege
Jul 11, '13
By Matthew Harwood
The evangelical Christians of Greenville County, South Carolina, are afraid.
There has been talk of informants and undercover agents luring young, conservative evangelicals across the South into sham terrorist plots. The feds and the area's police want to eliminate a particularly extreme strain of evangelical Christianity opposed to abortion, homosexuality, and secularism, whose adherents sometimes use violent imagery and speech. They fear such extreme talk could convince lone wolves or small groups of Christian extremists to target abortion clinics, gay bars, or shopping malls for attack. As a result, law enforcement has flooded these communities with informants meant to provide an early warning system for any signs of such "radicalization".
Converts, so important to the evangelical movement, are now looked upon with suspicion - the more fervent, the more suspicious. In local barbecue joints, diners, and watering holes, the proprietors are careful not to let FOX News linger onscreen too long, fearing political discussions that could be misconstrued. After all, you can never be too sure who's listening.
Come Sunday, the ministers who once railed against abortion, gay marriage, and Hollywood as sure signs that the US is descending into godlessness will mute their messages. They will peer out at their congregations and fear that some faces aren't interested in the Gospel, or maybe are a little too interested in every word. The once vibrant political clubs at Bob Jones University have become lifeless as students whisper about informants and fear a few misplaced words could leave them in a government database or worse.
July 10, 2013
Will the Pentagon Talk to the VA?
by Peter G. Cohen | July 9, 2013 - 7:43am
We have been fighting two bloody wars for more than a decade, yet neither the Pentagon nor the Veterans’ Administration took the trouble to create a compatible records system that would smooth the transition from military care to VA care of our wounded service people.
By the end of 2008, the U.S. had spent approximately $900 billion in direct costs on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and created more than 33,000 wounded. Yet they didn’t think to coordinate their medical records in advance of the veteran homecoming.
Meanwhile, the Department of Defense’s FY 2011 $137.5 billion procurement and $77.2 billion RDT&E budget requests were increased over 2010. But the outdated, incompatible medical records systems remained the same! Perhaps buying and implementing new medical records doesn’t get the Pentagon brass a fancy job on retirement, but it certainly would have served our troops more effectively than these lavish expenditures. (Figures from Wikipedia)
~snip~
Effective today, every regional office will begin implementing an initiative to ensure that those who have been waiting a year or more for their compensation claim receive a decision quickly. VA raters will make provisional decisions on the oldest claims in inventory, which will allow Veterans to begin collecting compensation benefits more quickly, if eligible.....” April 19, 2013 by Allison Hickey, a retired U.S. Air Force Brigadier General, is VA’s Under Secretary for Benefits.
Will the Pentagon Talk to the VA?
http://smirkingchimp.com/thread/peter-g-cohen/50508/will-the-pentagon-talk-to-the-vaWill the Pentagon Talk to the VA?
by Peter G. Cohen | July 9, 2013 - 7:43am
We have been fighting two bloody wars for more than a decade, yet neither the Pentagon nor the Veterans’ Administration took the trouble to create a compatible records system that would smooth the transition from military care to VA care of our wounded service people.
By the end of 2008, the U.S. had spent approximately $900 billion in direct costs on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and created more than 33,000 wounded. Yet they didn’t think to coordinate their medical records in advance of the veteran homecoming.
Meanwhile, the Department of Defense’s FY 2011 $137.5 billion procurement and $77.2 billion RDT&E budget requests were increased over 2010. But the outdated, incompatible medical records systems remained the same! Perhaps buying and implementing new medical records doesn’t get the Pentagon brass a fancy job on retirement, but it certainly would have served our troops more effectively than these lavish expenditures. (Figures from Wikipedia)
~snip~
Effective today, every regional office will begin implementing an initiative to ensure that those who have been waiting a year or more for their compensation claim receive a decision quickly. VA raters will make provisional decisions on the oldest claims in inventory, which will allow Veterans to begin collecting compensation benefits more quickly, if eligible.....” April 19, 2013 by Allison Hickey, a retired U.S. Air Force Brigadier General, is VA’s Under Secretary for Benefits.
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