It is unbelieveable that the military can have so little regard for its own soldiers, not to mention the civilians in the countries where these munitions are used. It is not only the military, but also the leaders who find this kind of behavior acceptable, that people's lives can be ruined and destroyed because of their callous indifference to the well-being of others, and especially their own troops. Total and complete insanity, what is frightening is that too many in authority just do not care, and the ones that do are ignored, the ones who would make good leaders never seem to make it to where they should be, in charge.

Clinton used them too im Europe. One of the reasons hawkish Hillary scares me. Guess mankind won't be happy till we sre all dead either from global warming or nuclear winter. Bastards.....

It isn't mankind so much as the type of people that get elected into power. They do not care about the average person as much as they do about their "friends" regardless of what party they belong too. It is just too damn prevalent in too many nations.

It beats me why any young person would volunteer to be in this toxic environment.
Angent Orange was bad, but DU is worse: it's radiological and toxic.
I think this is one of the reasons why very few politicians' children serve in the war...because it is guaranteed to mess up your progeny and your health.

Yes they should be banned, however our leaders would just say that is something we cannot abide, so it would not help much. I believe land mines have also been banned, but my understanding is that we have to reserve the right to use them too. We could ban nuclear missiles and bombs also, but what would we do then with ten thousand of those unless we use them? It is easy to see why America is looked at as a rogue nation by much of the rest of the world. If those things were all used for peace instead of more war and destruction it would be a different world today for all of us.

"You can fool some of the people all of the time, or all of the people some of the...."

This sums up the Wacko-Bushies thinking regarding the Iraq adventure. The whole world is now witness to the US quagmire in Iraq. No amount of lies, spin, or slander will detract from this. History will render these leaders into infamy and disgrace. Bush should be impeached for the good of America. Justice will prevail. Hussein was ousted, but the aftermath is a catastrophe for Iraq. We are now entangled in a perpetual petro-religious-civil war. Rather than appeal to the neighboring governments to help ameliorate the consequences, the paralyzed White House has chosen to drag us deeper into a hell-pit of endless war. These illegitimate statesmen are at the root of the problem in Iraq. They should be forced to serve on the front lines there along with their sons. Let's see if they change their strategy then.

They are drunk with their own power, a warning that America's founders gave us regarding the abuse of authority.

I will state the obvious that sometimes you have to fight wars, but America's elite are allowing the nation to be a war machine in too many places, at times it should not be there. Jesus said those who live by the sword will die by it. Take a look at history.

Rule number one. The people promoting the material as safe without convincing adduced proof must present themselves, their loved ones as family and guinea pigs for the effects of exposure to the same dose levels that are to be inflicted on innocent civilians in foreign countries. To simulate the respiratory effects, place the dust in the home air conditioning. If they say its perfectly safe, they have to take it.
The same rule applies to cluster bombs. For fair use testing, cluster bomblets must be scattered in sufficient density about the extensive mansions and dwellings of the CE0 and directors families of military corporations, in their kids kindergartens outdoor playing areas, to establish the safety of surface and buried unexploded devices to innocent populations. Cannot take this idea? Then do not make it, do not use it, or else go directly to prison. Do not take multi-million dollar payout.

The major problem that allows our soldiers to be put into situations that have negative results on their health and welfare is the indifference of the American public. This is the history of the situation; this is the root of the current problems with the mental, physical, and spiritual care of our Veterans; this is the root problem of soldiers over decades and decades being exposed to toxins.

If the American public stood together and demanded extensive research before soldiers were exposed to possible toxins; if the American public stood united in demanding proper, respectful, and timely care of our Veterans, Congress and any administration would have to abide by that demand.

This support of our troops is part of the unspoken Covenant - we will be there for you - be there for us - that we are not keeping faith with.

The media is to blame for a lot of this too I believe, instead of focusing on the welfare of the troops, and the non-combatants in the countries where these munitions are used, the media focuses on promoting the government agenda.
Who pays the bills for the media? Why are these corporations not demanding that the media be more responsible and equitable in their reporting? To allow your own troops to be treated like crap over and over again, as someone above mentioned Agent Orange, and now DU weapons, and the media for the most part, ignores the issue.
These men and women are doing what they feel is right, to obey their leaders, but those leaders have betrayed them over, and over again. What are the lives of those young people worth to these leaders........doesn't seem like much, just an expendable commodity in the useless wars of their choosing. America did at times standup for what was right, and now has become a war machine whose important values have gone out the window by the leaders, along with the care and concern for its own people. Four trillion dollars goes missing, and the government feels it is acceptable to say they cannot find out where? This money was paid to the government by hardworking people throughout America, and the government treats those people like crap, having the audacity to say it cannot afford programs that takes care of the poor and those in need. Many of the victims of Katrina are still unsettled, and this four trillion dollars just vanishes without any explanation, and what it could have done for those, and others who could have used the help. Life is not fair, but when a government becomes this indifferent and callous towards its own citizens, something in the leadership has gone completely awry in their thinking, their moral standards, and their consciences'.

Robert Fisk came to town a few years ago. He showed slides of cancer-ridden Iraqi children from Baghdad hospital that he had taken personally on site. As many know, Fisk lives in Beirut and has been a Middle East correspondent for many years now.

The cancer rate for Iraqi children has exploded since Desert Storm, and I believe is 2000% higher now than it was before Gulf War I. When Fisk shares this information and his pictures with American colleagues in MSM, the response is "Bob, we are not going to run a story about Iraqi babies."

It is not necessary to speculate about the health effects of urnaium shells. There is ample evidence in every nation where they have been used -- which is every conflict since Gulf War I, including the Balkan states attacked under Clinton.

We continue to use these shells in Gulf War II, of course. The long term effects of the shells, seeping into water supplies and handled by naturally curious children in towns across Iraq -- will be plain to see in the coming years for anyone who puts the effort in to seek out the data. Robert Fisk is probably a good place to start.

MIRF59: I will take the liberty of speaking on behalf of KEM PATRICK to thank you for the above posting.

What's most remarkable about the parallels between Agent Orange exposure and DU exposure (to military personnel) is the COWARDICE on the part of the military upper echelon to take responsibility or demonstrate accountability for the decisions that profit the bloated makers of weapons, but place coscientious soldiers in now inevitable harm's way. I hate war, and think 95% of the time it CAN be avoided through negotiation, enlightened trade agreements and compromise, but if we are going to have a military, then there ought be a humane guarantee that preserves their right to life as much as possible (given the dangers of any state of war).

Have DU weapons been cited against any Geneva Convention protocols as per "cruel and unusual punishment," etc? Of course in our era of Gonzales-style memos intended to anesthetize the very meaning of the word torture, my notion of applying higher standards to DU (exposure) become quaint.

DU has been around since 1943 and at any point in time someone or some group was aware of its chemical toxicity. 64 years later the chemical toxicity is still with us and each year more DU is being dumped on innocent civilians and members of the military. We can talk about how bad DU is and provide studies but nothing happens. We need to "Frame" this issue in a different manner. Any suggestions?

Earth to BushCo: this is YOUR genocide, started in the 20th century and running around this swirling dusty planet, through the lungs of children, camels and condors for a few thousand more. Is this really what God told you to do to us all??