[Marxism] "Blowin' in the Wind" .... depleted uranium

[Bruce McPhie <lemonjuicebruce3@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Greetings friends!

While in Melbourne recently, I saw this new documentary film which I can highly 
recommend.  Perhaps you already know about it, but if not, please see it.....it 
should be required viewing for everyone on the planet!

After seeing the film, I was inspired to piece together this brief summary of 
depleted uranium, which I hope might be useful to you, and in helping to 
educate others.

Of course, if anyone can suggest improvements or corrections, please let me 
know, as I am no expert on this!

This and many other articles and web links that might be of interest, are on my 
blog - address at end of this email.

Best wishes to you all.
Cheers from Bruce.


The devastating new film by Australian documentary filmmaker David Bradbury:

"BLOWIN' IN THE WIND"

This is a must-see film about Depleted Uranium.....the best-kept secret of the 
Iraq War......a nuclear terror Weapon of Mass Destruction being used by the US 
and Britain (with an Australia connection), which will come back to haunt us 
and the whole world, and future generations.

Currently screening at the Kino Dendy, 45 Collins Street, Melbourne.
But don't miss it if it comes your way!





What is "depleted uranium"?

Some important points to consider:

* DU is a "low level" radioactive waste product left over from nuclear power 
reactors, which can then be turned into a devastating weapon of war.

* It is only "depleted" of U-235, but still full of radioactive U-238 - the 
main isotope in natural uranium.  So "depleted" does not mean safe!

* DU is an extremely dense, heavy metal that is used in everything from 
armour-piercing shells, to tank armour, sniper bullets, landmines, bunker 
buster bombs, artillery rounds and linings in thermonuclear warheads.

* DU actually sharpens as it travels through the air in shells or missiles, and 
remains sharp once it hits and penetrates its target. It then heats up and 
ignites, creating a furiously hot ball of dust, gas and schrapnel.

* DU is also a highly toxic metal, like lead or mercury, as well as being 
radioactive. The danger comes from breathing it in or swallowing it, or being 
hit by schrapnel that can't be removed. The wind has no boundaries, so no 
corner of the globe is safe.

* As it burns, DU sends up smoke containing fine particles of uranium oxide, 
which can lodge in the lungs, organs and bones, giving out a steady dose of 
radiation. Contaminated dust can blow onto agriculture, and pass into the food 
chain. The particles are so small they can pass easily into the cell nucleus, 
and can cause mutations. Of course, they pass straight through a gas mask.

* DU can kill countless millions of people for centuries to come - radioactive 
DU has a half-life of 4.5 billion years!

* Thousands of tonnes of DU have been used by the West in Kosovo, Serbia, 
Afghanistan and Iraq.  Eventually, battlefields go back to being people's 
homes, and soldiers go home, but the "walking death" goes with them always.

* The long-term effect of DU weapons is a "virtual death sentence", according 
to Arthur Bernklau, executive director of Veterans for Constitutional Law in 
New York.

* The US, UK (& Australia?) have been using DU weapons in Iraq since the first 
Gulf War in 1991. Since the 2003 invasion, it is estimated that perhaps 2200 
tons of DU have been spread around Iraq (UKAEA).

* DU is a cause of cancers, various diseases and horribly deformed babies into 
future generations, for the local people and the soldiers who use them. Doctors 
in Iraq estimate birth defects have increased by 2-6 times, and 3-12 times as 
many children have developed cancer and leukaemia since 1991.

* The US uses DU shells during military training, including in host nations, 
without necessarily telling them at the time (e.g. Puerto Rico, Japan). 
Australia has signed an agreement to increase the use of Australia as a US 
military training and testing site.

* Bombing other countries with radioactive waste is a monstrous war crime 
against humanity, and the global environment. As one Vietnam War medic puts it: 
"Uranium weapons are like Agent Orange on steroids."

* DU munitions violate the Geneva Convention, and are classified by a United 
Nations resolution as illegal weapons of mass destruction, "incompatible with 
international humanitarian and human rights law." The EU has twice called for 
DU weapons to be banned.

* Britain and the US not only used DU in this current Iraq war, they 
dramatically increased its use - from a minimum of 320 tons in the 1991 Gulf 
War to a minimum of 1500 tons in this one. Before it was mainly used in 
anti-tank weapons, but now has been extended to guided missiles and large bombs 
used in Iraq's cities.

* Far from banning DU, the US and Britain have stepped up their denials of the 
harm from this radioactive dust, as even more of their own troops become 
seriously ill.

* The military-industrial complex is hooked on DU and won't take kindly to a 
challenge. Expect lies and misinformation about DU from our powerful "friends" 
who wish to continue using it as a weapon of mass destruction in wars!

* That the scientific evidence of the terrible consequences of DU has been 
officially ignored or dismissed may be no accident. A US report, leaked in late 
1995, allegedly says:

"The potential for health effects from DU exposure is real; however it must be 
viewed in perspective...the financial implications of long-term disability 
payments and healthcare costs would be excessive."

And that's the least of our worries!

Sources:
Melbourne Age newspaper 'Good Weekend' magazine, October 22, 2005.
'Uncensored' magazine, NZ - Vol 1 Number 1, Spring 2005 - which lists many 
references.  www.uncensored.co.nz

Further information:
Low Level Radiation Campaign www.llrc.org
James Denver http://www.coastalport.com/05/04/09.htm






Cheers from Bruce.

Click here: http://lemonjuicebruce.blogspot.com

 "In times of war, the first casualty is truth."










                
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