Political rock band Anti-Flag have a new song appearing on the After Downing St. site. The song, "Depleted Uranium is a War Crime," addresses a topic that has for too long been silent in the mainstream media. I'm not a big fan of Anti-Flag's style of music, but the lyrics of the song are powerful and include statements from an interview ith US Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Washington State). Rep. McDermott is a Vietnam vet and a medical doctor by trade, and he has introduced HR 2410 ("The Depleted Uranium Munition Study Act") which would mandate studies of DU and its effects on the health of people exposed to it. In the song he is quoted as saying:“The doctor said, ‘Women (in Iraq) at the time of birth don’t ask if it’s a boy or a girl, they ask: Is it normal?’ …The military denies first, and then after the evidence builds to the point where they can no longer deny, then they do the research. That’s what happened in the Vietnam era around Agent Orange and I suspect and I’m worried that that’s what will happen this time.”
After Downing St. includes an activism page leading to more information about DU and a plea that we ask our own member of congress to cosponsor the bill.
2 comments:
Just a little FYI for you Tony. The closest Rep. McDermott got to the Vietnam War was the Naval hospital in Long Beach, CA. The facts, Tony, just the facts please!
I said "Vietnam Vet" but I would agree that "Vietnam era vet serving as Chief Psychiatrist at the Long Beach Naval Station" would be more accurate to describe his service. Thanks. -TP
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