Re: More Anti-Nuke Media Coverage....

[Rahim Ghanooni <rahimg@earthlink.net>]

Robin:

I think President Clinton read your note <GRIN>.

WASHINGTON, Nov 8 (AFP) - President Bill Clinton on Saturday announced that
an independent panel would oversee the Pentagon's probe into Gulf War
illness, which has been sharply criticized by veterans and lawmakers.

Clinton also promised 13.2 million dollars for new research into the
effects of low-level exposure to chemical agents and other possible causes
for the ailments.

The president rejected a congressional recommendation to let independent
scientists research the still-elusive cause of the ailments but opted to
name former senator Warren Rudman to head a committee to monitor the
Pentagon's investigation.

"To make sure our veterans and the public know all the facts and have full
confidence in the DOD's (Defense Department) fact finders ... (Rudman's
panel will) ensure that the Defense Department's ongoing investigations
into events in the Gulf meet the highest standards," Clinton said in a
statement Saturday after receiving a report from a presidential advisory
committee on Gulf War illness.

Defense Secretary William Cohen said in a separate statement that the
Pentagon would use recommendations from the report "to help direct our
continuing investigation into the illnesses reported by Gulf War veterans."

"The Department of Defense is committed to doing everything possible to
explain and treat Gulf War illnesses," Cohen said.

The Pentagon probe had come under fire in a congressional report last month
which said the investigation was "plagued by arrogant incuriosity and a
pervasive myopia."

"Voluminous and compelling, albeit circumstantial evidence ... had been
ignored, denied or discredited, while far less abundant evidence and far
less plausible psychological theories of causation were pursued with
vigor," said Republican Representative Christopher Shays when the report
was issued.

A draft of the president's advisory panel recommendations reportedly also
criticized the Pentagon for a sometimes "less than superficial investigation."

Nearly 100,000 US troops are believed to have been exposed to trace amounts
of nerve gas during demolitions of rockets at a munitions dump in southern
Iraq in March 1991 following the Gulf War.

US veterans say the government has tried to cover up the exposures and
explain away their resulting illnesses, which include muscle and joint
pain, difficulty concentrating, headaches, insomnia, rashes and intestinal
problems.

The president also pledged that all Gulf War veterans would receive
treatment and compensation for "all illnesses linked to services in the
Gulf, even if we cannot identify the direct cause."
========================
Rahim Ghanooni
Sr. Health Physicists
Certified Hazardous Material Manager (CHMM)
10269 US 31 North
Charlevoix, MI 49720	
rahimg@earthlink.net
616-547-8419 Tel
616-547-8201 FAX