Posted on 10/22/2003 5:04:17 PM PDT by Ace Correspondent
So whats the lesson?
When a Democrap President uses 3 times the uranium weapons and contaminate the enviorment, its GOOD! When a Republican President uses 3 times less, he's Hitler and pure evil!!!
The study shows that almost all of the radiation from DU are alpha particles, which are non-ionizing and won't penetrate the skin (or a piece of paper). That's partly why DU takes so long to decay (half-life 4.5 million years): the matter and energy released by the decay process is mainly low level & doesn't leave the material. Since DU only gives off a tiny amount of ionizing radiation due to its decay process or impurities, it's just not that dangerous (except as a vaporized or ingested heavy metal). The study claims that the chemical exposure risks for ingested DU are 76,500 times higher than the radiological risks.
All of this being said, I am sure that many veterans of Gulf I did acquire some nasty illnesses from the war. But I'm also certain that almost all of it was due to natural pathogens (many of which are probably unknown and/or unrecognized even in the Middle East) and/or toxic (but not chemical weapons) substances from Iraq's 'natural' environment.
If a Gulf War vet has a demonstrable physical debilitation that a) isn't the product of other factors (heredity, smoking, other environment),and b) occurred within a reasonable period of time only after their service (<5 yrs?), they probably did pick up something or got exposed to something the body or immune system simply is not happy with, and they should get something for it.
A marine vet I met who was in Guadalcanal spent two days in swamp water up to his armpits. He got bilharzia (sp?) (parasitic worms) and could see them swimming around in his eyeballs afterwards. He was cured using methyl mercury.
Yeah, I know. Just squeal and run.
That's the way it is around here sometimes.
Maybe America got lucky tonight and he moved to France so he could feel noble.
(Nah, the USA is never that lucky)
The footnote in the original article says this is from World Net Daily. It is actually WND quoting DEBKA. (See article below.) Debka is a highly unreliable source.
One example of their penchant for playing with words is in bold blue below. The proper statement is refuses to confirm or deny. The says they refuse to confirm. It doesn't mention the "deny" part. Therefore, we are told in slick, obfuscatory language that the two governments WILL NOT stand by this report.
FROM DEBKA INTELLIGENCE FILES
Tactical nukes deployed in Afghanistan Military sources say Bush, Putin agree on weaponry--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Editor's note: DEBKAfile's electronic news publication is a news-cum-analysis live wire, online round the clock seven days a week. A weekly edition, DEBKA-Net-Weekly, is now available through WorldNetDaily.com. Drawing on DEBKAfile's unique sources, analytical talents and forward-looking insights, it is presented as a compact, intelligence-angled weekly package. It is available as a direct e-mail feed or via the Internet.
© 2001 WorldNetDaily.com
President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed on the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in Afghanistan in a single 70-minute conversation two weeks ago, according to military and intelligence sources reports DEBKA-Net-Weekly.
The arms would include small neutron bombs, which emit strong radiation, nuclear mines, shells, and other nuclear ammunition suited to commando warfare in mountainous terrain, according to the independent intelligence service.
As part of the agreement between the two presidents, Bush assented to Russia deploying tactical nuclear weapons units around Chechnya, DEBKA also reports. Moscow faces guerrilla forces in the region some of whom are backed by terrorist leader Osama bin Laden.
Military sources place the U.S. nuclear weapons in four former Soviet Central Asian bases the military air facility at Tuzel, 10 miles northwest of the Uzbek capital of Tashkent; at Kagady in the Termez region; in Khandabad, near the city of Karshi; and at the military air base in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan.
In addition to the nuclear weapons units, Russian bombers carrying small neutron bombs were moved to Russian military air bases around the border of the breakaway province, in Stavropol northwest of Chechnya, the Godowta base in Georgia to the south, and Mozdok in northern Osetia, northwest of Chechnya.
Russian and U.S. military sources refuse to confirm the reports.
According to DEBKAs military sources, the U.S. plans to hold its tactical nuclear weapons in reserve, unleashing them in the campaign against bin Laden only in certain extreme circumstances:
1. To counter a move by Bin Ladens men if they bring out nuclear, chemical or biological weapons against the U.S. force fighting inside Afghanistan.
2. If there's a chemical or biological assault by the Taliban against Pakistan.
3. Should groups of bin Ladens Al-Qaida network either in Central Asia or the Balkans wield these weapons of mass destruction against U.S. military targets or U.S. nuclear arms in other parts of the world.
4. If using them is the only way to save heavy American combat casualties.
Subscribe to DEBKA-Net-Weekly.
And, more clearly to the point, I never took orders from anyone at the UN, my CoC started and stopped at 1600 PA.
BTW what's happened to Patriotic Cowboy, I haven't been getting my Iraq-attack pings for almost a week?
One thing she's not is a "radiation expert". Pediatrician (a long time ago), anti-nuclear activist, cult leader; but not a radiation expert.
Saw a great tagline on Usenet:
"The world is a sick place....And I'm a happy guy!".
Must have been from Idaho?
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