[ RadSafe ] Re: [DU-WATCH] House Passes Rep. McDermott DU Amendment to Defense Bill

[roger helbig]

Bad news since McDermott heavily influenced by Moret and
Rokke, for example, the forged document purporting to be
memo to Maj Gen Groves about DU in 1942.  Hope Senate has
more sense.  Maybe though, the resulting study will prove
once and for all that there is no danger to veterans or
their children.  We can only hope.  Apparently, McDermott
in his ignorance has no knowledge of the already extensive
studies which have proved the activists wrong time and time
again, but their clever use of internet and obscure world
wide radio has kept their version of the issue in the minds
of legislators.

Roger Helbig

--- R Rands <rrands at bigpond.net.au> wrote:  Note word is
being spread by the Australian arch-activist Robert Rands

> To: <du-watch at yahoogroups.com>
> From: "R Rands" <rrands at bigpond.net.au>
> Date: Fri, 12 May 2006 17:41:31 +1000
> Subject: [DU-WATCH] House Passes Rep. McDermott DU
> Amendment to Defense Bill
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: Denise Nichols
> 
> 
> The McDermott(WA) amendment to the DOD bill for a
> study on DU passed the floor of the House at
> approximately 2:27 EST!   It was carried in floor
> proceedings carried on CSpan, the Committee did not
> fight the amendment and it was passed by voice vote
> to be included in the Defense Bill.
> 
> Sincerely,
> Denise
> DSNurse
> 
> 
> House Passes Rep. McDermott Amendment
> Possible DU Health Effects on Soldiers Will Be
> Studied
> For Immediate Release, May 11, 2006
> 
> After years of relentless and unwavering efforts,
> including speeches, interviews, news conferences,
> working with groups like Physicians for Social
> Responsibility, and even appearing on a song in a
> newly released Punk Rock album, in order to raise
> public awareness, the House of Representatives today
> passed legislation (DoD Authorization) that includes
> an amendment by Rep. Jim McDermott (WA-D) ordering a
> comprehensive study on possible health effects from
> exposure to depleted uranium on U.S. soldiers and
> their children.
> 
> "As long and winding as the road has been to get
> where we are today, this is only the beginning- but
> this is a great day because we have taken the first
> step to defend the U.S. soldiers who protect and
> defend us," McDermott said.
> Shortly after passage, Rep. McDermott received a
> letter from James King, the national executive
> director of AMVETS, the American Veterans
> organization: 
> 
> "This is a very important issue for AMVETS and its
> membership. Our ultimate goal is to provide atomic
> veterans with the tools necessary to file a claim
> and be considered for due compensation. Your
> amendment will help begin this process. 
> "Again, thank you for your amendment and your
> support of veterans and their families." 
> 
> Rep. McDermott has spent several years working to
> get the House to study DU. He explained the reason
> behind his passionate advocacy for the issue in this
> way:
> 
> "For me, this is a personal, not political, quest.
> My professional life turned from medicine to
> politics after my service in the U.S. Navy during
> the 1960s, when I treated combat soldiers returning
> from Vietnam. 
> 
> "Back then, the Pentagon denied that Agent Orange
> posed any danger to U.S. soldiers who were exposed.
> Decades later, the truth finally emerged. Agent
> Orange harmed our soldiers. It made thousands sick
> and some died. During all those years of denial, we
> stood by and did nothing while soldiers suffered. No
> more Agent Orange!
> 
> "If DU poses no danger, we need to prove it with
> statistically valid, and independent scientific
> studies. If DU harms our soldiers, we all need to
> know it, and act quickly as any doctor would, to use
> all of our power to heal the sick. We owe our
> soldiers a full measure of the truth, wherever that
> leads us."
> 
> The amendment to undertake a comprehensive study of
> possible health effects to soldiers from exposure to
> depleted uranium was contained in the Department of
> Defense Authorization Bill, which passed the House
> on Thursday evening.
> 
> Depleted uranium is a by-product of the uranium
> enrichment process. Because it is very dense, the
> U.S. military uses DU for munitions like
> armor-piercing bullets and tank shells, and as a
> protective shield around tanks. When used in
> munitions, DU pulverizes into a fine dust upon
> impact; it can hang in the air, be inhaled or seep
> into the soil.
> 
> During the Gulf War, the U.S. military used
> approximately 300 metric tons of DU as munitions. To
> date in the Iraq War, approximately 150 metric tons
> have been used. During conflicts in Bosnia, Kosovo,
> Serbia, and Montenegro, about 12 metric tons were
> used. (A metric ton is slightly more than 2,200
> pounds.)
> In addition to its own use, the United States has
> provided or sold DU and DU munitions to several
> other nations.
> 
> -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
> 
> McDermott Presses Amendment to Study Possible DU
> Health Impacts on U.S. Soldiers, notes Ken Kadlec
> 
> 2006-05-11 | Jim McDermott's amendment, which adds a
> provision to the DoD Authorization measure to
> require the U.S. Secretary of Defense to conduct a
> study on the health impact that Depleted Uranium has
> on soldiers, will be considered on the House floor
> today (Thursday, May 11). Majority has indicated
> that they will accept the amendment, and it will
> pass the House later this morning. 
> 
> Ken Kadlec
> 
> Photo of an Afghani child victim of "Depleted"
> Uranium (DU), courtesy of the 
> Afghan DU & Recovery Fund:
> http://www.afghandufund.org 
> 
> Please have the courage to view other photos on the
> above website and at: 
> The Center for an Informed America: NEWSLETTER #13
> August 13, 2002;
> http://davesweb.cnchost.com/nwsltr13.html 
> For greater clarity, please click the photo and then
> continue ...
> 
> 
> -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
> 
>  Select Legislative DayMay 02, 2006May 03, 2006May
> 04, 2006May 08, 2006May 09, 2006May 10, 2006May 11,
> 2006    
> 
> 
> 
> CURRENT HOUSE FLOOR PROCEEDINGS 
> LEGISLATIVE DAY OF MAY 11, 2006 
> 109TH CONGRESS - SECOND SESSION 
> 
> H.R. 5122: 
> to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2007 for
> military activities of the Department of Defense, to
> prescribe military personnel strengths for fiscal
> year 2007, and for other purposes 
> 2:28 P.M. - 
> DEBATE - Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 811,
> the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes
> of debate on the Tierney amendment. 
> 
> Amendment offered by Mr. Tierney. 
> An amendment numbered 22 printed in House Report
> 109-461 to restructure the missile defense program
> to be consistent with a Congressional Budget Office
> (CBO) alternative proposal; to prohibit the
> deployment of: (1) Ground-Based Midcourse Defense
> beyond the authorized systems; and (2) any
> space-based interceptors; and reduce the Missile
> Defense Agency's (MDA's) $9.3 billion budget by
> $4.747 billion so as to still enable the MDA to
> focus on research and development as well as testing
> and upgrades to current systems. 
> 
> 2:27 P.M. - 
> On agreeing to the McDermott amendment Agreed to by
> voice vote. 
> 
> 2:23 P.M. - 
> DEBATE - Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 811,
> the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes
> of debate on the McDermott amendment. 
> 
> 2:22 P.M. - 
> Amendment offered by Mr. McDermott. 
> 
> An amendment numbered 13 printed in House Report
> 109-461 to direct the Secretary of Defense, in
> consultation with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs
> and the Secretary of Health and Human Services, to
> conduct a comprehensive study of the health effects
> of exposure to depleted uranium munitions. 
> 
> On agreeing to the Hooley amendment as modified
> Agreed to by voice vote. 
> 
> "There are too many legitimate medical questions
> concerning possible adverse health effects on our
> soldiers in Iraq from the U.S. military's use of
> depleted uranium," McDermott said. "We owe it to our
> soldiers to get answers." 
> 
> Earlier in this Congress, McDermott introduced H.R.
> 2410. This bill calls for a comprehensive study of
> health effects from exposure to DU, a study of the
> environment where DU has been tested in the United
> States, and mitigation and cleanup of contaminated
> sites, if studies find DU to be harmful.
> 
> The Pentagon routinely states that DU is a safe and
> effective weapon, and the Republican-controlled
> Congress refuses to hold a hearing on the issue or
> McDermott's legislation. However, many veterans of
> the Gulf Wars believe that exposure to depleted
> uranium could be a cause of Gulf War Syndrome. 
> 
> "As a medical doctor, I know the difference between
> a cursory and a comprehensive study," McDermott
> said. "We don't have the kind of credible,
> independent, scientific evidence on which to judge
> DU harmful or not. U.S. soldiers deserve better than
> 'trust us,' which is what the Pentagon is saying.
> They said that before during the Vietnam War when
> concerns were raised about the use of Agent Orange.
> Decades later, the Pentagon finally admitted Agent
> Orange was harmful. I have the same concerns about
> DU."
> 
> McDermott said his amendment differs from his
> legislation in order to jump parliamentary hurdles
> to be included in the DoD authorization bill. The
> amendment Reps. McDermott and Shays submitted calls
> only for a comprehensive study of health effects on
> U.S. soldiers. 
> 
> "I was willing to scale back my DU legislation to
> fit the narrow requirements of the Rules Committee,"
> McDermott said, "because U.S. soldiers have every
> right to know if exposure to depleted uranium might
> harm them now or in the future."
> "Our soldiers deserve our thanks, and they deserve
> our commitment to a comprehensive medical study that
> will answer scientifically and independently whether
> DU poses health dangers."