Anchor Struck

Thomas Hobbes, the British philosopher who helped give us social contract

theory, pointed out that life is short and brutish.  I bet he said it in February.

But even with the extra day of nastiness this year, we’re almost out of it.

 

This is my last scheduled post for the month.  We’ve covered a lot of ground:

the death of Al the Mayor, some really rough weather, the Super Bowl, the 

hangman Albert Pierrepoint, Mardi Gras and updates on the chickens.  The

crazy days here officially end March 1st, so I wanted to cap them with one

more downer topic.

 

While I was doing research for another writing project a few days ago, I was

reminded that the legacy of Agent Orange continues to unfold.  Let’s review:

 

Agent Orange was the most widely used of the rainbow herbicides used by the

U.S. government in the Vietnam War.  The “rainbow” referred to the colored

stripes around the 55-gallon barrels the toxic compounds were shipped in. 

They were sprayed over 20 per cent of the forests of South Vietnam to reduce

cover and deprive food for the enemy.   

 

Orange was particularly nasty.  Its chemicals, produced mainly by Dow and

Monsanto, killed or maimed 400,000 Vietnamese and caused birth defects

in 500,000 more.

 

As members of the U.S. military returned home, some of them exposed to

Orange began to develop cancer, leukemia, lymphoma and sarcoma.  The

dioxin in the agent is a human carcinogen, according to the National

Toxicology Program.

 

Veterans began filing claims for disability with the Department of Veterans

Affairs in 1977, but were told that they had to prove that their symptoms had

started while they were still on active duty or within one year after discharge.

By 1993, the V.A. had only compensated 486 vets out of 39,419 claims.

 

In 1980, the largest U.S. class action suit at that time was filed against several

manufacturers of Orange.  The principal client, Sgt. Charles E. Hartz, provided

testimony by deposition, because he would not be alive for the trial itself due

to a brain tumor.

 

Four years later, the suit was settled out of court for $180 million, about 45 per

cent of that to be paid by Monsanto.  Outraged veterans, concerned about how

that sum would be paid out, demanded hearings and appeals.  The hearings

happened in five cities, but a federal judge refused any appeals, declaring the

settlement “fair and just”.

 

In 1989, it was announced that a totally disabled veteran would receive a max-

imum of $12,000 over ten years from the suit.  Further, if he accepted it, he

would be ineligible for better paying state benefits like food stamps and public

assistance.  A widow of a veteran who died from the effects of Agent Orange

would receive $3700.

 

In 2004, a spokeswoman for Monsanto said that the corporation should not

be liable at all, explaining “we are sympathetic with people who believe they

have been injured and want to find the cause, but reliable scientific evidence

indicates that Agent Orange is not the cause of serious long-term health

effects.”

 

Congress enacted the Agent Orange Act in 1991.  It gave the Department of

Veterans Affairs the power to assemble a list of conditions presumptive to

exposure to Orange/dioxin.  This allowed Vietnam veterans access to treat-

ment and compensation.  The list continues to grow.  Three more conditions

were added in August 2010.

 

In October 2010, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced in Hanoi that

that a clean-up of dioxin contamination sites would be initiated.  In June of

2011, a ceremony at DaNang Airport marked its beginning.  So far $32 million

has been allocated.

 

Last year, Veterans Affairs decided that there was not enough dioxin residue

on the aircraft used to spray Orange in Vietnam to injure current service

members.  But just last month, the U.S. Center for Disease Control challenged

this decision with its own findings.

 

I encourage you to research the true costs of war.  To that end, please go out of

your way to watch the documentary Wartorn: 1861 -2010.  It’s a gripping survey

of PTSD, starting with the letters of a U.S. Civil War soldier that chronicle his

complete unraveling.  Recent veterans tell you directly what they’re going

through.  It’s the most comprehensive look at the problem I’ve ever watched.

 

Writing about all this has my blood at a boil.  That may not be so bad this deep

into winter.  I’m going to walk Slinkee.  I’ll see you in March.  Don’t forget to

stay warm.