Cindy Sheehan was laughed at by many when she said:
We are waging a nuclear war in Iraq right now. That country is contaminated. It will be contaminated for practically eternity now.
She was referring, of course, to the use of depleted uranium munitions in Iraq.
There's some debate on whether the depleted uranium rounds "flash off" on impact or whether they just scatter radioactive uranium-238 in the manner of a dirty bomb.
If a round goes critical on impact, it's fair to call it a low-yeild nuclear weapon.
If it doesn't go critical, it's fair to describe each round as a small "dirty bomb".
Considering the half-life of Depleted Uranium might be longer than the lifetime of our sun, it's probably better if a round does go critical on impact.
http://en.wikipedia.org/...
Depleted uranium (DU) is uranium that has a reduced proportion of the isotope Uranium-235. It is mostly made up of Uranium-238. The names Q-metal, depletalloy, and D-38, which once applied to depleted uranium, have fallen into disuse.
Its high strength and density have made it a valued component in some technical applications, specifically in military projectiles. Such uses remain controversial, as the uranium still retains a substantial remainder of its radiation.
Think of what would happen if a terrorist took even a single depleted uranium munition and scattered the Uranium-238 from inside it in one of our cities. We wouldn't dismiss it then, would we? We say we were under attack by nuclear-armed terrorists, wouldn't we?
Depleted uranium is almost certainly the cause of "Gulf War Syndrome". Bush Sr., Clinton, Clarke and Bush Jr. have all been in a position of authority and responsibility when our military used depleted uranium.
Whether or not they are explicitly in cahoutz, they are the backbone of the non-partisan alliance for willfully ignoring the most plausible culprit for the cause of "Gulf War Syndrome". This non-partisan lack of integrity and honesty is the reason that our troops suffering "Gulf War Syndrome" can't get the support they're entitled to.
Whether by silence or by proactive suppression of the truth, these men are the ones who stand between our sick veterans and their access to the benefits they deserve. They also stand between us who want to outlaw the use of depleted uranium - to stop it immediately in Iraq, and those who want to continue its use.
What is so wrong with our country, that even the pinaccle of the netroots phenomenon can't get it right on a simple issue like depleted uranium?
Maybe the problem isn't that the current generation of American fascists are worse than ever, maybe the problem is that the current generation of American Liberals are uncommonly weak-willed and cowed with irrational fear. Most of us have never had a gun to our head. Why should we be afraid?
I watched a video of black children, some as young as six years old, defying huge crowds of white-supremecists of all ages trying to terrorize them to prevent integration of schools. I felt good as I watched that, because at least I had stood up for not just impeachment, but war-crimes trials for Bush under my own name, not a pseudonym. At least, as I witnessed these children of a previous generation confronting hatred, I didn't have the burden of knowing I was compromised by silence and irrational fear.
It has done a lot for my sense of well-being to drop the burden of irrational fear. I'm feeling less drama and more levity in my life. What an important lifestyle choice to make.
[Update: Maybe this is more of a partisan issue than I previously thought, if the Clintons are willing to wash their hands of it, so to speak...]
Senator Clinton:
""I am deeply troubled by reports that New York National Guard
members, who have served our Nation so bravely, are exhibiting effects
that may be attributed to uranium exposure and are not being afforded
adequate health screening," Senator Clinton said."
http://clinton.senate.gov/...
Thanks to LNK for this bit of info.
Hopefully, Democrats here on DailyKos will follow Hillary's lead and stop being defensive and rationalizing it and start looking at it with the attention it deserves.
Too bad so many folks here seem to find it uninteresting as a topic. Thanks to those who recommended this diary.