Guest guest Posted October 25, 2002 Report Share Posted October 25, 2002 is anyone else going to the october 26 antiwar protest(s)? -mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 25, 2002 Report Share Posted October 25, 2002 > The Spoils of War > > > By Helen Caldicott, October 6, 2002 (Editorial > published in the Baltimore Sun) > > NEW YORK -- As the Bush administration prepares to > make war on the Iraqi > people -- for it is the civilian population of that > country and not Saddam > Hussein who will bear the brunt of the hostilities > -- it is important that > we recall the medical consequences of the last > Persian Gulf war. It was, in > effect, a nuclear war. > > By the end of that 1991 conflict, the United States > left between 300 and > 800 tons of depleted uranium 238 in anti-tank shells > and other explosives > on the battlefields of Iraq, Kuwait and Saudi > Arabia. > > The term " depleted " refers to the removal of the > fissionable element > uranium 235 through a process that ironically is > called " enrichment. " What > remains, uranium 238, is 1.7 times more dense than > lead. When incorporated > into an anti-tank shell and fired, it achieves great > momentum, cutting > through tank armor like a hot knife through butter. > > What other properties does uranium 238 possess? > > First, it is pyrophoric. When it hits a tank at high > speed, it bursts into > flames, producing aerosolized particles less than 5 > microns in diameter, > making them easy to inhale into the terminal air > passages of the lung. > > Second, it is a potent radioactive carcinogen, > emitting a relatively heavy > alpha particle composed of two protons and two > neutrons. Once inside the > body -- either in the lung if it has been inhaled, > in a wound if it > penetrates flesh, or ingested since it concentrates > in the food chain and > contaminates water -- it can produce cancer in the > lungs, bones, blood or > kidneys. > > Third, it has a half-life of 4.5 billion years, > meaning the areas in which > this ammunition was used in Iraq and Kuwait will > remain effectively > radioactive for the rest of time. > > Children are 10 to 20 times more sensitive to the > effects of radiation than > adults. My fellow pediatricians in the Iraqi city of > Basra, for example, > report an increase of six to 12 times in the > incidence of childhood > leukemia and cancer. Yet because of the sanctions > imposed on Iraq by the > United States and the United Nations, they have no > access to antibiotics, > chemotherapeutic drugs or effective radiation > machines to treat their > patients. > > The incidence of congenital malformations has > doubled in the exposed > populations in Iraq where these weapons were used. > Among them are babies > being born with only one eye and with anencephaly -- > the absence of a > brain. > > However, the medical consequences of the use of > uranium 238 almost > certainly did not affect only Iraqis. Some American > veterans exposed to it > are reported, by at least one medical researcher, to > be excreting uranium > in their urine a decade later. Other reports > indicate it is being excreted > in their semen. > > That nearly one-third of the American tanks used in > Desert Storm were made > of uranium 238 is another story, for their crews > were exposed to whole body > gamma radiation. What might be the long-term > consequences of such exposure > has not, apparently, been studied. > > Would these effects have surprised U.S. authorities? > No, for incredible as > it may seem, the American military's own studies > prior to Desert Storm > warned that aerosol uranium exposure under > battlefield conditions could > lead to cancers of the lung and bone, kidney damage, > non-malignant lung > disease, neurocognitive disorders, chromosomal > damage and birth defects. > > Do President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, > Deputy Defense Secretary > Paul Wolfowitz, National Security Adviser > Condoleezza Rice and Defense > Secretary Donald Rumsfeld understand the medical > consequences of the 1991 > war and the likely health effects of the next one > they are planning? > > If they don't, their ignorance is breathtaking. Even > more incredible, > though, and much more likely, is that they do > understand but don't care. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 25, 2002 Report Share Posted October 25, 2002 but but but.. we need that oil as kissinger said " oil is to important to be left with the arabs " ah..humanity... when can i get off this ride anyways? " Josey " <cthulhu_23 wrote: > >> The Spoils of War >> >> >> By Helen Caldicott, October 6, 2002 (Editorial >> published in the Baltimore Sun) >> >> NEW YORK -- As the Bush administration prepares to >> make war on the Iraqi >> people -- for it is the civilian population of that >> country and not Saddam >> Hussein who will bear the brunt of the hostilities >> -- it is important that >> we recall the medical consequences of the last >> Persian Gulf war. It was, in >> effect, a nuclear war. >> >> By the end of that 1991 conflict, the United States >> left between 300 and >> 800 tons of depleted uranium 238 in anti-tank shells >> and other explosives >> on the battlefields of Iraq, Kuwait and Saudi >> Arabia. >> >> The term " depleted " refers to the removal of the >> fissionable element >> uranium 235 through a process that ironically is >> called " enrichment. " What >> remains, uranium 238, is 1.7 times more dense than >> lead. When incorporated >> into an anti-tank shell and fired, it achieves great >> momentum, cutting >> through tank armor like a hot knife through butter. >> >> What other properties does uranium 238 possess? >> >> First, it is pyrophoric. When it hits a tank at high >> speed, it bursts into >> flames, producing aerosolized particles less than 5 >> microns in diameter, >> making them easy to inhale into the terminal air >> passages of the lung. >> >> Second, it is a potent radioactive carcinogen, >> emitting a relatively heavy >> alpha particle composed of two protons and two >> neutrons. Once inside the >> body -- either in the lung if it has been inhaled, >> in a wound if it >> penetrates flesh, or ingested since it concentrates >> in the food chain and >> contaminates water -- it can produce cancer in the >> lungs, bones, blood or >> kidneys. >> >> Third, it has a half-life of 4.5 billion years, >> meaning the areas in which >> this ammunition was used in Iraq and Kuwait will >> remain effectively >> radioactive for the rest of time. >> >> Children are 10 to 20 times more sensitive to the >> effects of radiation than >> adults. My fellow pediatricians in the Iraqi city of >> Basra, for example, >> report an increase of six to 12 times in the >> incidence of childhood >> leukemia and cancer. Yet because of the sanctions >> imposed on Iraq by the >> United States and the United Nations, they have no >> access to antibiotics, >> chemotherapeutic drugs or effective radiation >> machines to treat their >> patients. >> >> The incidence of congenital malformations has >> doubled in the exposed >> populations in Iraq where these weapons were used. >> Among them are babies >> being born with only one eye and with anencephaly -- >> the absence of a >> brain. >> >> However, the medical consequences of the use of >> uranium 238 almost >> certainly did not affect only Iraqis. Some American >> veterans exposed to it >> are reported, by at least one medical researcher, to >> be excreting uranium >> in their urine a decade later. Other reports >> indicate it is being excreted >> in their semen. >> >> That nearly one-third of the American tanks used in >> Desert Storm were made >> of uranium 238 is another story, for their crews >> were exposed to whole body >> gamma radiation. What might be the long-term >> consequences of such exposure >> has not, apparently, been studied. >> >> Would these effects have surprised U.S. authorities? >> No, for incredible as >> it may seem, the American military's own studies >> prior to Desert Storm >> warned that aerosol uranium exposure under >> battlefield conditions could >> lead to cancers of the lung and bone, kidney damage, >> non-malignant lung >> disease, neurocognitive disorders, chromosomal >> damage and birth defects. >> >> Do President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, >> Deputy Defense Secretary >> Paul Wolfowitz, National Security Adviser >> Condoleezza Rice and Defense >> Secretary Donald Rumsfeld understand the medical >> consequences of the 1991 >> war and the likely health effects of the next one >> they are planning? >> >> If they don't, their ignorance is breathtaking. Even >> more incredible, >> though, and much more likely, is that they do >> understand but don't care. > > > >To send an email to - > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 25, 2002 Report Share Posted October 25, 2002 Hi there, Don't forget, this is an email list for the topic of veganism only. Thanks! > is anyone else going to the october 26 antiwar protest(s)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 25, 2002 Report Share Posted October 25, 2002 not to beat a dead horse or anything, so to speak (i say that a lot, and it always feels weird saying it to other vegans), but i see posts about police brutality, chicano youths/palestine, etc. I think these, and anti-war subjects are likely to be relevant to vegans, depending on what each individual's reasons for being vegan are. If it is a matter of health, then maybe it wouldn't be so relevant, but it seems more common that it is a matter of compassion. If we show compassion towards animals, and espouse non-violence by way of our lifestyle, it seems it would follow that we would show compassion for our fellow humans as well, after all, humans are animals, and animal issues, i think, should also encompass human issues (but not eclipse them). I have an " animal liberation/human liberation " button that I wear,which is basically a visual protrayal of my point here. I think that animal rights and human rights are very closely related (as closely as we are to our animal brethren, for that matter)and to focus exclusively on either without the other is missing something. There's also the argument of veganism/vegetarianism making the world a better place for all beings, by reducing the use of fossil fuels (there's a tie to war in the middle-east right there), reducing the amount of land used to grow food for livestock and growing it for humans instead, alleviating this hunger problem we have, these are " human issues " that are intimately tied to our movement. This is just my take on it, I wont speak for anyone else. I like the slogan " non-violence begins at dinner " , i think it complements this post well. Veganism, for many, is an expression of non-violence, of going the extra mile to alleviate suffering. War is the antithesis of this ideal. War is suffering. I do understand not wanting to get too off-topic, and i also understand the moderator's feelings take precedence in their own group (and grudgingly accept this fact, against my anarchist sensibilities), so with your say so, I will refrain from " off-topic " posts in the future, if you still deem anti- war posts to be so, but I personally think the mass slaughter of innocent humans is more akin to the mass slaughter of innocent animals than most people want to think about, which is not to downplay the importance of either group (i hope that's obvious). Also, I'm sorry to the mod if I come on too strong on this point or sound rude, I get loud when I'm passionate about something :-P, and I would like to thank you for being polite in your reminder. I think we're all good people in this group, even if we don't always agree with each other. , " anji " <anji@p...> wrote: > Hi there, > > Don't forget, this is an email list for the topic of veganism only. > > Thanks! > > > > > is anyone else going to the october 26 antiwar protest(s)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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