U.S. Army Huey helicopter spraying Agent Orange over Vietnamese agricultural land
Agent Orange is the combination of the code names for Herbicide Orange (HO) and Agent LNX, one of the herbicidesand defoliants used by the U.S. military as part of its chemical warfare program, Operation Ranch Hand, during theVietnam War from 1961 to 1971. Vietnam estimates 400,000 people were killed or maimed, and 500,000 children born with birth defects as a result of its use.[1][2] The Red Cross of Vietnam estimates that up to 1 million people are disabled or have health problems due to Agent Orange.[3] The United States government has dismissed these figures as unreliable and unrealistically high.[4][5]
During the Vietnam War, between 1962 and 1971, the United States military sprayed nearly 20,000,000 US gallons (76,000,000 l) of material containing chemical herbicides and defoliants mixed with jet fuel in Vietnam, eastern Laosand parts of Cambodia, as part of Operation Ranch Hand.[7][8] The program's goal was to defoliate forested and rural land, depriving guerrillas of cover; another goal was to induce forced draft urbanization, destroying the ability of peasants to support themselves in the countryside, and forcing them to flee to the U.S. dominated cities, thus depriving the guerrillas of their rural support and food supply.[8][9]
The US began to target food crops in October 1962, primarily using Agent Blue. In 1965, 42 percent of all herbicide spraying was dedicated to food crops.[9] Rural-to-urban migration rates dramatically increased in South Vietnam, as peasants escaped the war and famine in the countryside by fleeing to the U.S.-dominated cities. The urban population in South Vietnam nearly tripled: from 2.8 million people in 1958, to 8 million by 1971. The rapid flow of people led to a fast-paced and uncontrolled urbanization; an estimated 1.5 million people were living in Saigonslums.[10]
United States Air Force records show that at least 6,542 spraying missions took place over the course of Operation Ranch Hand.[11] By 1971, 12 percent of the total area of South Vietnam had been sprayed with defoliating chemicals, at an average concentration of 13 times the recommended USDA application rate for domestic use.[12] In South Vietnam alone, an estimated 10 million hectares (25 million acres, 39,000 square miles) of agricultural land was ultimately destroyed.[13] In some areas, TCDD concentrations in soil and water were hundreds of times greater than the levels considered safe by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.[14][15] Overall, more than 20% of South Vietnam's forests were sprayed at least once over a nine-year period.[9]
Some American has the concious to look at the truth!
Before attacking OTHER countries who gas their own people..........Why not clean up our OWN country. Consider - Aspartame, and ROUND UP - used on play grounds, (and made by same company who made agent orange...Monsanto.) The use of genetically modified corn syrup in soda available to children in public schools and to the general public. GMO wheat and corn (again Monsanto), which are destroying livers and lives. Why do we have those poisons HERE, in the U.S.?
An excellent point. Our military industrial-congressional complex is a 'walking' wad of hypocrisy.
Critics of a possible U.S. military intervention in Syria say any potential campaign would be a serious gamble for American interests. But for John McCain, the high stakes were apparently centered on his iPhone after McCain was photographed playing a game of video poker during Tuesday’s Senate hearings on Syria.
And with his support for a congressional resolution authorizing military action already a given, it’s perhaps understandable why McCain was easily distracted during Tuesday’s testimony from Secretary of State John Kerry, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey.
It’s unclear exactly when McCain was caught playing the video poker game. But it wouldn’t be a shock if his attention were diverted during Hagel’s testimony. After all, Hagel and McCain publicly feuded in Januarywhen Hagel was confirmed to his post.
McCain's poker playing has already resulted in some humorous responses on social media, including a photo illustration placing the Arizona senator in one of the famous “dogs playing poker” paintings.
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