Blog site arising from efforts to halt use and production of a new generation of uranium weapons, commonly called depleted uranium munitions (DU).
- These are highly contaminating weapons already used in Iraq, Afghanistan and the former Yugoslovia, affecting civilian populations and troops on all sides of a conflict. The blog includes video and audio links and text.
Head in sand? It could be contaminated.
Blog maintained by Wes Rehberg
www.wildclearing.com www.nonviolentways.org
"CONTAMINATED FOREVER" -- INTRODUCTORY SCENES FROM A DOCUMENTARY ON THE HAZARDS OF DEPLETED URANIUM MUNITIONS
"CONTAMINATED FOREVER" - the documentary -- ... exposing the ongoing impact of the use of so-called "depleted uranium" munitions
Filmmaker Wes Rehberg and artist and social policy analyst Eileen Rehberg have produced and filmed "Contaminated Forever," a 1-hour and 45-minute documentary to help in the effort to expose the terrible consequences of the use of so-called depleted uranium weapons (DU) for test purposes and in the battlefield. These weapons were used in Iraq, the Balkans, on testing grounds throughout the United States and territories, and possibly in Afghanistan, Panama and Lebanon, with their poison dust afflicting soldiers and civilians. Their nanoparticle fallout, in the earth, has a half-life of 4.5 billion years, ready to be inhaled or ingested, where, inside the body, they pass through cell walls to begin their radioactive and toxic damage. You may view the home page for "Contaminated Forever," as well as a high-bandwidth flash video draft of this segment, at this web page. A DVD of the documentary is also available for purchase there. A Vimeo version is below. -- Wes Rehberg
PART 1: Introduction PART 2: CPT actions at Aerojet Ordnance in Tennessee PART 3: Vieques activists speak out about bombing range contamination PART 4: Doug Rokke, maligned military whistleblower PART 5: ICBUW conference at UN Plaza in NYC PART 6: NL industries victims of contamination PART 7: Anti-DU rally in Jonesborough, TN POSTLUDE: Iraq veteran Herb Reed at home
LONG-TIME ACTIVIST ANNE HERMAN HAS PASSED ON FROM CANCER
We learned that Anne Herman has passed on from lung cancer in Birmingham, AL. Anne was in Jonesborough, Tennessee, during the 10-day May 2007 delegation and action by Christian Peacemaker Teams against Aerojet Ordnance's production of depleted uranium munitions cores. She was not well then but persisted in being part of every action that team shared with her unsurpassed candidness and humor. Before then, we had crossed paths with Anne in Chiapas, Mexico, in December 1998 during the time of the commemoration of the 45 persons who were massacred by paramilitaries in Acteal the year earlier. We had known Anne and shared time with her as well during her activism while she lived in upstate NY.
The obituary below is a very fair representation of Anne. The photo is from a film clip during the Jonesborough, TN, action.
Wes Rehberg
-----------
Activist Anne Herman dead at 74
By George Basler Press & Sun-Bulletin [Binghamton, NY]
Deeply committed, but never strident, Anne Herman was a fixture in anti-war and social justice activities in Broome County [upstate New York] for more than two decades.
"It seemed like every important action that dealt with social justice, Anne was there," said Jack Gilroy, a fellow activist and former teacher.
A memorial service for Ms. Herman, 74, will take place at 12:30 p.m. Dec. 8 at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Binghamton. She died Nov. 22 at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital.
Ms. Herman was motivated by " a deep down, basic caring about people" and an identification with those she considered oppressed throughout the world, said Ann Clune, of Binghamton, a long-time friend and fellow activist.
In the 1980s, Ms. Herman worked as the local coordinator of RAM (Redistribute America Movement), a statewide welfare advocacy group. She later did advocacy work with the Mayan people in Chiapas, Mexico.
Over the years, Ms. Herman protested against everything from spousal abuse to nuclear arms to American foreign policy and, most recently, the Iraq War. She was arrested a number of times, and in 1997 was sentenced to six months in federal prison for trespassing at the Army-run School of the Americas at Fort Benning, Ga.
"She was a pleasant person, but she also pushed. She had the strength of saying, 'I know where I'm going, and I'm going to take all the steps to get there,'" said David Duncan, former director of Opportunities for Broome.
But, Gilroy said, he can never remember Ms. Herman making a negative comment about another person, even someone she disagreed with. In 1998, the Broome County Council of Churches recognized her for her community work.
"She saw problems with power and force being right, and didn't accept that," Gilroy said. Ms. Herman also made beautiful quilts and was close to her six children and five grandchildren, Clune said.
In 2003, Ms. Herman described her lifelong activism this way: "I've come to the place in life where I realize I can't look to success, rather I need to do what I need to do. You never know who you might impact." Donations can be made in her name to the Christian Peacemaker Teams, Box 6508, Chicago, Ill. 60680-6508.
ICBUW LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN AGAINST FINANCIAL INSTITUTION INVESTMENT IN DU MUNITIONS MANUFACTURERS
From the International Coalition to Ban Uranium Weapons (ICBUW)
Does Your Bank Support DU Manufacturers?
On November 6th 2007 ICBUW member organisations launched a global disinvestment campaign against investments by high street banks and investment companies around the world in the manufacturers of uranium weapons. Read on to find out how you can get involved.
ICBUW already campaigns globally through traditional means for a ban on uranium weapons. We have now taken the fight to the arms manufacturers and the bodies that fund them.
In collaboration with Network Flanders and Banktrack, on November 6th 2007, the UN Day for the Prevention of the Exploitation of the Environment Through Armed Conflict, we launched 'Too Risky for Business' - a dossier detailing how your high street banks are supporting companies that manufacture indiscriminate and illegal weapon systems.
We have created a full activist's tool kit to allow you to challenge your bank to disinvest and isolate these companies, be it through direct action, letter writing or media work.
Too Risky For Business bank report
Too Risky For Business bank report abstract
Model press release
Model leaflet
Model letter for banks
Press kit
Four jpeg versions of the logo - colour, black and white, grayscale (all for paper printing) and a web version.
REFLECTIONS MIDWAY THROUGH A DOCUMENTARY IN PRODUCTION ON DEPLETED URANIUM CONTAMINATION
Midway through our documentary, yet in production, on the terrible consequences of depleted uranium contamination from the use and production of these munitions, I've videoed reflections on how it seems to be going. The reflections were recorded on a MacBookPro using its iSight software. The 10-minute reflection can be found at this Wild Clearing web page -- Wes Rehberg
MUSLIM PEACEMAKER TEAMS REPORTS DEPLETED URANIUM EPIDEMIC IN IRAQ - FROM CLIFF KINDY
The following is from Cliff Kindy's iraq blog -- Cliff has been a leader in the Christian Peacemaker Teams Campaign to Stop-DU, is on his fourth iraq tour for CPT, and has been an organizer in the Jonesborough, TN, effort also led by Linda Modica to halt DU munitions production at Aerojet Ordnance.
from Cliff --
Muslim Peacemaker Teams Reports Depleted Uranium Epidemic Sami Rasouli, Dr. Najim Askouri and Dr. Assad Al-Janabi, members of Muslim Peacemaker Teams (MPT) in Najaf, visited with Christian Peacemaker Teams CPT) in Suleimaniya, Kurdish Iraq, on December 10 and 11. The visit was an opportunity to report the recent activities of the respective peacemaker groups and learn to know new people. But the primary activity was a forum on depleted uranium (DU) presented by Drs. Assad and Najim.
Dr. Assad is the director of the Pathology Department at the 400-bed public hospital in Najaf. Dr. Najim is a nuclear physicist, trained in Britain, and one of the leading nuclear researchers in Iraq until his departure in 1998. They have worked as an MPT team documenting information about the health impact on Najaf of depleted uranium weapons used during the 1991 and 2003 Gulf wars.
This was not an exhaustive study because of the limits of personnel, resources and equipment. But it did rely on accumulated public data, thorough research, and a major contribution of time and energy. The focus was Najaf, a city of over one million people, and the rural areas in the governate. The area is about 180 miles from where DU was used in the First Gulf War.
Starting in 2004 when the political situation and devastation of the health care infrastructure were at their worst, there were 251 reported cases of cancer. By 2006, when the numbers more accurately reflected the real situation, that figure had risen to 688. Already in 2007, 801 cancer cases have been reported. Those figures portray an incidence rate of 28.21 by 2006, even after screening out cases that came into the Najaf Hospital from outside the governate, a number which contrasts with the normal rate of 8-12 cases of cancer per 100,000 people.
Two observations are striking. One, there has been a dramatic increase in the cancers that are related to radiation exposure, especially the very rare soft tissue sarcoma and leukemia. Two, the age at which cancer begins in an individual has been dropping rapidly, with incidents of breast cancer at 16, colon cancer at 8, and liposarcoma at 1.5 years. Dr. Assad noted that 6% of the cancers reported occurred in the 11-20 age range and another 18% in ages 21-30 ...
VIDEO: NL INDUSTRIES DEPLETED URANIUM CONTAMINATION IN COLONIE, NY - PRESS CONFERENCE, SITE VISIT
Featured here is a running 48-minute video account of a press conference at the Albany, NY, state legislative office building organized by the Community Concerned About NL Industries at which research findings were detailed that indicate the long-term persistence of depleted uranium contamination.
Also featured is a 6-minute video sketch of a visit to the NL site by CCNL organizer Tom Ellis and ex-resident Tony Ciarfello, who was found to be contaminated.
SUMMARY: A biological study by Randall Parrish of the NERC Isotope Geosciences Laboratory in the UK and others has detected depleted uranium and in one case enriched uranium in former workers and those who lived and worked nearby the Colonie, NY, NL Industries plant, where depleted uranium munitions cores were produced decades ago.
Below first is the press conference video sketch and below that the site visit, filmed by Wes Rehberg. produced by Wild Clearing (c) 2007 --
NL INDUSTRIES SCIENTIFIC STUDY FORUM - DEPLETED URANIUM STILL CONTAMINATES THOSE IN UPSTATE NEW YORK
Community Concerned About NL Industries Capital Region Action Against Breast Cancer! Invite you to attend a Public Forum on
NL Industries Depleted Uranium Contamination: New Scientific Study Released Wednesday, December 5 6:30 PM Sand Creek Middle School 329 Sand Creek Rd., Albany, NY 12205
Speakers * Randall Parrish, Professor, Dept. of Geology, University of Leicester and NERC Isotope Geosciences Laboratory, British Geological Survey, Keyworth, England. * David Carpenter, M.D., Institute for Health & the Environment, University at Albany. * John Arnason, Assistant Professor, Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, University at Albany. * People who lived or worked near NL and tested positively for depleted uranium. Speakers will describe new environmental and health test results relating to the NL Industries depleted uranium site at 1130 Central Avenue, Colonie.
* A report finds depleted uranium (DU) can be detected in people more than 20 years after exposure when using high sensitivity urine tests. Radioactive DU has also been found in the dust of two homes and a workplace after the NL site federal cleanup.
* The isotope measurement testing project, which has never before been conducted on any U.S. community, is a joint initiative of U.S. and British scientists, led by Professor Randall Parrish. The results are being published in an international journal, Science of the Total Environment, in the near future (electronically available on-line), and will be released at a December 5th morning press conference in Albany.
* The NL Industries factory emitted at least 5 tons of DU aerosols from 1958 to 1982. DU is a toxic chemical due to its heavy metal and radiological properties. NL used DU to manufacture armor-piercing munitions.
For more information, contact Anne Rabe, CCNL at annerabe[at]msn. com.
NEW MEXICO VETERANS AND THOSE ON ACTIVE DUTY TO BE TESTED FOR PRESENCE OF DEPLETED URANIUM
The following article was forwarded by Linda Modica, national chair of Sierra Club's radiation committee, and co-founder of First Tennessee Progressives.
Thursday November 8, 2007 New Mexico veterans to be tested for presence of depleted uranium
By Kathy Helms, Diné Bureau Gallup Independent
WINDOW ROCK ‹ The New Mexico Department of Health will be testing New Mexico veterans and active duty military personnel beginning next week to determine whether they have high concentrations of natural uranium and/or depleted uranium in their urine.
The department¹s Environmental Health Epidemiology Bureau is offering the tests free of charge at its Scientific Laboratory in Albuquerque for military personnel and veterans who may have been exposed to depleted uranium in the Persian Gulf War, the Afghanistan conflict or the current war in Iraq.
The Department of Health will make appointments to test individuals in every county of the state from Nov. 13 to the week of Dec. 10. Tests will be conducted the week of Dec. 10 for individuals from San Juan, McKinley, Cibola, Sandoval and Los Alamos counties.
"The New Mexico Legislature gave us funding to test veterans and active duty military who may have been exposed to depleted uranium," said Health Secretary Dr. Alfredo Vigil. "We encourage military personnel to take advantage of these free tests."
At the appointment, a Department of Health staff member will give a brief questionnaire and take a tap water sample, which will also be tested for total uranium. The water is tested for uranium because New Mexico, on average, has a higher concentration of uranium in drinking water than the rest of the country.
If the urine sample tests high for uranium, the department will offer a follow-up test to determine if this uranium is depleted or natural uranium.
Depleted uranium is used for bullets, tank armor and explosives. One of the possible side effects of having high levels of depleted uranium is kidney damage.
Another possible consequence of exposure to depleted uranium is diabetes, according to Leuren Moret, a geoscientist and international radiation specialist who formerly worked as a scientist at Lawrence Berkeley and Lawrence Livermore laboratories.
In an article published in 2006, Moret said data from Japan, the United States, India and Europe confirms her discovery of a global epidemic of diabetes which began with Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 and has continued to increase during atmospheric testing, nuclear power plant operations, and very sharply since depleted uranium was introduced in 1991.
"The major radioactive pollutant from atmospheric testing was uranium. There is an established link in the scientific literature between uranium and diabetes. Diabetes has also been linked to radiation exposure in Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and Chernobyl survivors," Moret said.
Her theory has been corroborated by Dr. Ernest Sternglass, professor emeritus of Radiological Physics at the University of Pittsburgh Medical School, a pioneer in the study of the health effects of low-level radiation, and other health experts.
In an article first published from last December through Valentine¹s Day 2007 in the San Francisco Bay View, "From Hiroshima to Iraq, 61 Years of Uranium Wars," Moret wrote that the conduct of secret nuclear wars since 1991, through the use of depleted uranium weaponry by the United States and Great Britain with their allies, has taken place in the Middle East, the former Yugoslavia, Afghanistan and Lebanon.
"It has been carried out for the express purpose of destroying the public health and mutilating the genetic future of vast populations in oil rich and/or pipeline regions," she said.
"Carpet and grid bombing with depleted uranium weaponry in Iraq, Yugoslavia and Afghanistan has guaranteed permanent radioactive terrain contamination. The recent discovery that U.S. depleted uranium bombs dropped by Israel on Lebanon in 2006 contained enriched uranium suggests covert testing of fourth generation nuclear weapons, in violation of the Geneva and Hague Conventions and the 1925 Geneva Poison Gas Protocol.
"For populations that must continue to live in contaminated areas, the long-term effects are lingering illnesses and mutilation of their DNA. Š Mutations induced in the DNA of a single egg or sperm which form a fertilized egg are expressed and repeated in every cell of the developing organism, and defects are passed on to all future generations.
"Global atmospheric pollution from depleted uranium particulates will result in massive depopulation on a global scale. By increasing death rates and decreasing birth rates globally, more than 2 billion people will be eliminated," Moret predicts.
"Not only are U.S. and allied soldiers exposed and civilian populations genocidally targeted, but the depleted uranium pollution is now global. In reality, we are all Gulf War veterans."
Information: To volunteer or find out more, contact the Department¹s Environmental Health Epidemiology Bureau at: DOH-EHEB@state.nm.us or call toll-free, 888-878-8992.
VETERANS ADMINISTRATION HEALTH CARE FIGURES MOUNT AMONG THOSE IN MILITARY INVOLVED IN THE GULF WARS
The commentary below is from Dr. Doug Rokke -- the figures from Veterans Administration data:
The hope or dream that members of congress or the administration will
ever fund prompt and effective medical care and facilities will never
be fulfilled. Today with well over 750,000 casualties from the Persian
Gulf combat since we initiated combat action during May 1990. and then
we have over 400,000 Vietnam Vets affected by Agent Orange and then
thousands of WW2 and Korean War vets who need medical care too. Even
when congres(s) passes the budget the Office of Management and Budget-
OMB stops it cold.
Portions of the internal Va report on OEF- OIF casualties follows:
Analysis of VA Health Care Utilization Among US Global War on Terrorism
(GWOT) Veterans Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Iraqi Freedom VHA
Office of Public Health and Environmental Hazards October 2007
Among all 751,273 separated OEF/OIF Veterans
35% (263,909) of total separated OEF/OIF veterans have obtained VA health care since
FY 2002 (cumulative total)
96% (253,730) of 263,909 evaluated OEF/OIF patients have been seen as outpatients only by VA and not hospitalized
4% (10,179) of 263,909 evaluated OEF/OIF patients have been hospitalized at least once in a VA health care facility
% OEF/OIF Veterans
(n = 263,909)
Sex
Male 88 %
Female 12%
Age Group
<20 5%
20-29 52%
30-39 23%
>40 20%
Branch
Air Force 12%
Army 65%
Marine 12%
Navy 11%
Unit Type
Active 50%
Reserve/Guard 50%
Rank
Enlisted 92%
Officer 8%
Diagnosis (n = 263,909)
(Broad ICD-9 Categories) Frequency * %
Infectious and Parasitic Diseases (001-139) 28,665 - 10.9%
Malignant Neoplasms (140-208) 2,193 - 0.8%
Benign Neoplasms (210-239) 9,129 - 3.5%
Diseases of Endocrine/Nutritional/ Metabolic Systems (240-279) 50,968 - 19.3%
Diseases of Blood and Blood Forming Organs (280-289) 5,086 - 1.9%
Mental Disorders (290-319) 100,580 - 38.1%
Diseases of Nervous System/ Sense Organs (320-389) 83,273 - 31.6%
Diseases of Circulatory System (390-459) 39,633 - 15.0%
Disease of Respiratory System (460-519) 49,464 - 18.7%
Disease of Digestive System (520-579) 81,427 - 30.9%
Diseases of Genitourinary System (580-629) 25,561 - 9.7%
Diseases of Skin (680-709) 38,791 - 14.7%
Diseases of Musculoskeletal System/Connective System (710-739) 117,424 - 44.5%
Symptoms, Signs and Ill Defined Conditions (780-799) 93,093 - 35.3%
Injury/Poisonings (800-999) 48,736 - 18.5%
*These are cumulative data since FY 2002, with data on hospitalizations
and outpatient visits as of June 30, 2007; veterans can have multiple
diagnoses with each healthcare encounter. A veteran is counted only
once in any single diagnostic category but can be counted in multiple
categories, so the above numbers add up to greater than 263,909.
If you go to www.va .gov then pull up the May 2007 HGWVIS report you
wil(l) find out on page 9 that out of out of 1,129,340 who have served
in the Gulf since May 1990 that only 963,083 are still alive.
So given these horrible casualties are due to our own actions- failures
medical care and facility funding will never be provided. IT WOULD
BREAK THE BANK!
FOLLOWING JONESBOROUGH, TN, RALLY, AEROJET ORDNANCE'S COMPANY SPENDS 45 MINUTES ON WILD CLEARING WEBSITE
Depleted uranium weapons producer Aerojet Ordnance's
company visited Wild Clearing's web site for 45 minutes, following the
United for Peace and Justice rally in Jonesborough, TN, where the
penetrator munitions cores are produced. A snapshot of the company's
visit, the day after the Oct. 27 rally, is below ... intriguing that
they should stop by again ...
PHOTOS AND VIDEO FROM JONESBOROUGH, TN, OCT.27 UFPJ RALLY AGAINST DU WEAPONS AND IRAQ WAR
We have posted photos and video from Jonesborough, TN, rally Oct. 27, 2007 against depleted uranium weapons and the Iraq war, sponsored by United for Democracy and Justice (UFPJ) and First Tennessee Progressives ...
-- Herbert Reed, Iraq war vet under treatment for DU contamination, addresses rally
The rally was part of a continuing effort to oppose the production,
testing and battlefield use of depleted uranium munitions -- including
those manufactured at Aeroject Ordnance in Jonesborough -- to view the photos and a Flash video clip, filmed by Wes Rehberg, visit this iink ...:
Below also is the video clip -- Robert Bruce Baldwin singing his song, "All Across America" --
82-YEAR-OLD WWII NAVY VETERAN CARRIES ON FIGHT AGAINST DEPLETED URANIUM WEAPONS USE BY USA
Bud Deraps, an 82-year-old Navy veteran of World War II, has been waging a personal campaign against depleted uranium weapons use by U.S. military forces, as well as against their production in the USA. He is a member of Veterans for Peace and Military Families Speak Out, and lost a grandson in the Iraq war. He produced the video viewable below, carrying his message: "What Are We Doing to Our Own" --
Department of Veterans Affairs Reports 73 Thousand U.S. Gulf War Era Deaths
By Clive Boustred
More Gulf War Veterans have died than Vietnam Veterans: The Department of Veterans Affairs, May 2007, Gulf War Veterans Information System reports the following:
Total U.S. Military Gulf War Deaths: 73,846 – Deaths amongst Deployed: 17,847 – Deaths amongst Non-Deployed: 55,999
Total “Undiagnosed Illness” (UDX) claims: 14,874 Total number of disability claims filed: 1,620,906 - Disability Claims amongst Deployed: 407,911 - Disability Claims amongst Non-Deployed: 1,212,995
Percentage of combat troops that filed Disability Claims 36%
NOTE: Soldiers, by nature, typically don’t complain. In other words, the real impact of those who are disabled from the US invasions in Iraq, Afghanistan and other Nations, is not fully reflected in the official Veterans Affairs numbers. When soldiers are sent to murder women and children they tend to never be able to live normal lives there after. How come the government numbers of 3,777 as of 9/7/7 are so low? The answer is simple, the government does not want the 73,000 dead to be compared to the 55,000 U.S. soldiers killed in Vietnam Iraq = Vietnam. What the government is doing is only counting the soldiers that die in action before they can get them into a helicopter or ambulance. Any soldier who is shot but they get into a helicopter before he dies is not counted. 73,000 dead amongst the U.S. soldiers for this scale operation using weapons of mass destruction is not high - we expect the great majority of U.S. soldiers who took part in the invasion of Iraq to die of uranium poisoning, which can take decades to kill. From a victors perspective, above any major war in history, The Gulf War has taken the severest toll on soldiers. More than 1,820 tons of radio active nuclear waste uranium were exploded into Iraq alone in the form of armor piercing rounds and bunker busters, representing the worlds worst man made ecological disaster ever. 64 kg of uranium were used in the Hiroshima bomb. The U.S. Iraq Nuclear Holocaust represents far more than fourteen thousand Hiroshima’s. The nuclear waste the U.S. has exploded into the Middle East will continue killing for billions of years and can wipe out more than a third of life on earth. Gulf War Veterans who have ingested the uranium will continue to die off over a number of years. So far more than one million people have been slaughtered in the illegal invasion of Iraqi by the U.S. Birth defects are up 600% in Iraq – the same will apply to U.S. Veterans. Statistics and evidence published by the government and mainstream media in no way reflect the extreme gravity of the situation. Those working for the government and media must wake up and take responsibility for immediately reversing this U.S. Holocaust. Understanding who is manipulating all of us is critical for all of us.
Authors Website: www.libertyforlife.com Authors Bio: As one of the industries foremost technology & business strategists, Mr. Boustred has provided strategy and the architectural vision for some of the world's most successful companies. Mr. Boustred has designed massively scalar systems that have grown to support well over ten million users. The next generation Internet and banking systems Mr. Boustred designed to support billions of users was interrupted by a governmental assault during deployment, which resulted in him analyzing the legal industry and the development of Liberty For Life & CopperCards. For more on Clive visit: http://www.libertyforlife.com/team/clive_boustred.htm
VIDEOS: VIEQUES ACTIVISTS SPEAK OUT ABOUT DU CONTAMINATION ON THEIR ISLAND
VIEQUES ACTIVISTS ON DU IMPACT Nilda Medina in Vieques
While in Vieques in September 2007, I spoke with Nilda Medina, Ismael Guadalupe, filmmaker Andres Nieves and Robert Rabin, founders and members of the Committee for the Rescue and Development of Vieques, on the impact from contamination from the U.S. Navy bombing practice on the Puerto Rican island. These interviews are part of a developing documentary on the impact of depleted uranium contamination on people and the environment. Nilda speaks of the need for health services, Ismael offers insights into the resistance against the U.S. Navy presence for over 60 years and the contamination, Andres tells how he was personally affected, and Robert scopes out the history of the occupation and the extent of the contamination. These are roughly compiled video clips, basically unaltered, about 10 minutes each. To view these, visit this web page ... -- Wes Rehberg .
VIEQUES INTERVIEW NOTES WITH ACTIVISTS ON DEPLETED URANIUM AND OTHER MILITARY CONTAMINATION
Vieques interview notes with activists on depleted uranium contamination –
for Stop-DU meeting and other forums:
From Wes Rehberg
The interviews and the visit to Vieques are part of a documentary I’m
making on DU contamination dangers – U.S. Navy contamination from
weapons testing on this Puerto Rican island was the key theme of the
interviews. The interviews were conducted during my Sept. 18-24 2007
journey throughout the island.
The key interviews were with six people: * Nilda Medina, former science teacher, long-time activist and organizer
and now developer of cooperative enterprises, who has been imprisoned
for her activism against the Navy presence on two-thirds of the island,
the weapons testing there, and who now speaks to the health problems of
contamination; * Ismael Guadalupe Ortiz, activist since he was 19 (now aged 63),
activist and organizer, addressed UN committee on colonialism twice,
was imprisoned four times, who sees contamination now and the necessity
of its cleanup as the cause for new occupations of Navy land by
activists; * Andres Nieves, cinema photographer in US, moved to Vieques on
retirement, documented via video more than 1,000 hours on Vieques
problems for Fort Conde Marisal Museum archives, also an activist, has
been tested positive for contamination; * Zaida Torres, nurse at Vieques hospital, whose child died of cancer,
and who addresses issue of contamination and the need for health
services and remedies on the island; * Robert Rabin, a former Bostonian who has lived in Vieques for more than
two decades, is director of the museum mentioned above, is a key
activist, organizer and educator via the museum, and who has also spent
time in federal prison for his activism. * Tania Cruz Morales, youth activist who speaks to problems related to contamination, including psychological;
I also spoke off-camera with a man who works on the decontamination
project for USA Environmental, one of the Navy contractors responsible
for cleanup – briefly, he offered a contrast about the exposure and
said he has also been involved in Iraq and Kuwait recent cleanup
efforts. The contrast is this: He has to wear an array of protective
gear, including a protective mask that he says is capable of filtering
contaminants at a sub-micron level – uranium oxide and ceramic uranium
oxide are such contaminants; but if he’s so protected, then the danger
of exposure is clearly evident, including the danger to the people of
Vieques, despite Navy and other disclaimers about such a danger. (This
part I’ll have to narrate into the documentary)
Summary:
It would be more comprehensive to provide individual summaries of what
each said, but in the interests of space and time, I’ll address the key
points they made:
1. The Navy remedies for decontamination are inadequate. Not only are they
inadequate, but the Navy is exploding unexploded ordnance in the open
air as part of the “cleanup,” further spreading contaminants. In
addition, the Navy disclaims responsibility for the contamination,
saying it’s part of the natural Vieques environment. The activists’
response is that the Navy can be the only source – there is no industry
on the island except for a small GE plant, and the types of
contaminants and the extent are not naturally occurring. These include
uranium oxide, lithium, mercury, lead, arsenic, antimony (gunpowder) –
some of which has also entered the food chain. The contamination is on
land as well as in the surrounding seabed, has been found in fish as
well as measured in sea grass at some distance from the test proving
grounds sites. Soil, water, food-chain and the air carry the
contaminants.
2. There is a considerable need for medical resources to serve people
affected – people have to travel by ferry to the main island of Puerto
Rico (1¼ hour trip each way) and then by public transportation to
receive chemotherapy and dialysis treatments, for example (diabetes is
linked to the contamination as well). The contaminants affect the
lungs, kidneys, bones, heart, stomach, pancreas, and other organs.
Vieques has a rate of cancer at least 26 percent higher than the main
island of Puerto Rico, and now possibly measurable at 50 percent higher.
3. In the face of opposition by the U.S. government, the Puerto Rican
government and the U.S. military to comprehensive cleanup and health
services related to contamination, it would be easy to give in to
despair, but this is self-defeating.
4. Activists must remain optimistic
that their cause will bear the results they want accomplished.
5. The solutions are not immediate and short-term. They are long-term
because of the pervasiveness of the contamination and the health
problems.
6. The problems must not be elided or submerged in people’s consciousness,
thus education and continued activism is essential. There’s a tendency,
for example, to view the cancer problems fatalistically rather than the
result of practices that are specific to the island.
7. The Navy must yield the land ultimately back to the people (some has
been "turned over" to the U.S. Department of the Interior as a wildlife
preserve) – the Navy originally expropriated two thirds of this island,
cramming its 10,000 inhabitants in the center – the island is 21 miles
long and 4 miles wide. The land, cleaned up, and the seabed, cleaned
up, would be a valuable resource for people and their lives.
(Ironically, as in Puerto Rico, tourism is the number one economic
producer in Vieques – in Puerto Rico’s mainland; the number two
industry is pharmaceuticals).
Basically unspoken except in Andres’ case, these activists have been
exposed to the contaminants themselves and so have put themselves at
high risk.
-- Wes Rehberg
HIS HOLINESS THE DALAI LAMA BACKS URANIUM WEAPONS BAN -- FROM ICBUW
From the International Coalition to Ban Nuclear Weapons (ICBUW) ...
The
Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists has given
his support for ICBUW's campaign for a global ban on uranium weapons.
14 September 2007 - ICBUW
The Dalai Lama, who is opposed to the use of weapons and all forms
of violence as a means to resolve conflict, has offered his support via
his office in exile in Dharamsala.
The Nobel Peace Prize winner is renowned for his support for
environmental and human rights campaigns and his strict adherence to
the principles of non-violence has won him recognition around the
world.
He firmly believes that violence begets violence and therefore it is
no solution to a lasting settlement of conflicts; believing instead in
the settlement of conflicts through dialogue and compromise so that a
lasting solution is found without one being the victor and other the
loser.
This document is in PDF format and can be read using 
Midway through our documentary, yet in production, on the terrible consequences of depleted uranium contamination from the use and production of these munitions, I've videoed reflections on how it seems to be going. The reflections were recorded on a MacBookPro using its iSight software. The 10-minute reflection can be found at 
