02 August 2010

Legacies of Empire: Depleted Uranium

I find no joy in writing this, but it is something that needs to be said. I've written elsewhere, especially in the Why and How posts about the willful ignorance of the American and particularly Christian American public. I've written about the so-called Christian Worldview that instead of seeking truth, re-writes history, and filters current events and 'interprets' them rather than interacts with the facts.

Our so-called liberal media which is in reality a corporate media complex has chosen to ignore many stories of vast significance. I also mentioned how the United States has the most powerful propaganda machine in history. It's not one of suppression, but one of distraction. The information is available to all but is generally ignored, or for many disputed, because it comes from 'foreign' sources and is therefore untrustworthy. Some foreign reporting is undoubtedly false, but no more than American reporting and manipulation of facts.



One of the biggest stories I've been following since the mid-90's is the legacy of Depleted Uranium. Reminiscent of Agent Orange, in the end this story, someday, will be much bigger. American media continues to try and ignore it or downplay it, but someday, when all the current players are dead or in nursing homes, the reckoning will begin. They will still have to answer to God of course.

For those who don't know, Depleted Uranium is the ultra-dense heavy metal(s) which are left over from nuclear power plants. At some point the Department of Defense figured out this metal could be used in weaponry. These shells rip through tank armor and other fortifications quite effectively. The problem is, these materials are radioactive. The government maintains the radiation levels are low and not harmful. Others have termed it, low-intensity nuclear war.

Opponents maintain when the DU impacts it pulverizes into dust and this is a contaminant that pollutes water and can be inhaled. Every place the United States has used DU has seen dramatic rises in cancers and birth defects. There are many who also believe this is the cause of what is known as Gulf War Syndrome.

Our media will not cover this, or if it is mentioned, it ends up being something of a hack-job. I bring it up, because once again, it's starting to make the news. BBC has recently reported regarding problems in Fallujah. Remember that place? Another story that was never reported....When the Blackwater mercenaries were killed and the charred corpses were hung from the bridge, America retaliated.

I remember the retaliatory action being praised on Focus on the Family. Others spoke of a large scale civilian massacre, but that's another story. The story today is that Fallujah is experiencing a spike in cancers and birth defects.

Southern Iraq, the battlefield of the 1990-91 Gulf War has been heavily affected. And now, years later we're finding these problems all over Iraq, they're starting to be reported in Afghanistan, and there are reports emerging from places like Serbia and Kosovo.

Why am I talking about this on a site called Protoprotestantism? Because this is part of the overall theme I talking about. American Sacralism has made Christians the most blind of all people, the most strongly deluded, and rather than lament this horrific...literally barbaric evil...instead we, the 'christian' community remain fiercely militant and encourage the American use of force. If we bomb Iran, we'll be sure to see it there.

This is worse than Agent Orange. This radioactive material won't go away. A horrific crime has been committed, a wrong that we certainly cannot right. But we, as Christians, should be the last people to support actions that lead to it and the liars who defend it. And we as seekers of the Truth, should be aware of what's happening. This is a prime example of manipulation by our government and media. We shouldn't be susceptible to deception, even deception by omission.

I did not post the articles with the most horrible pictures. There are a couple which have warnings at the top. They're not easy to look at. For those who are more interested, all you have to do is type Depleted Uranium into Google Images and you're on your way. If you come to accept that the United States is responsible, it will literally make you want to weep if not outright sick.

Does this mean we should hate America? By no means. 99% of the public is ignorant of this and many other crimes of the state. But we need to be aware and vigilant. We need to think about this before we support wars and send our children off to fight in them.

And please, don't for a second think this is conspiracy stuff. I'm not into that at all. This is a large international story that makes America look bad and it's not talked about here. Only American officials and their allies try and suggest these horrors are not a result of DU. If there is a conspiracy, it's on their part, trying to cover it up.

But as I say, they don't really have to try very hard. The information is all out there. The answer is...don't draw attention to it by engaging. They finally had to acknowledge a degree of responsibility with regard to Agent Orange. But it's really too late for those who fought in Vietnam, and of course for the people that are still suffering in Indochina, they're out of luck so to speak.

Here are several article links, for those who are interested.

A Guardian article.

From Rense.com

from Common Dreams