SnowgodCCR said:
You do realize that DU is more or less harmless from a radioactivity standpoint, right? The Radon in you basement is FAR more dangerous from that direction than DU. From a heavy metals standpoint, it's as dangerous as Tungsten or Lead...
That's why is DEPLETED Uranium, not just Uranium. It has so little of the isotopes 235 and 234 (the really nasty ones) that it's more or less harmless - as indicated by it's relativley long half-life (4.5B years). Basically, it'll do more damage if you eat it than if you sit next to a few rounds of it. I'm more worried about Radon in my water than I am about Depleted Uranium.
Its radioactivity is pretty low, and the consensus is that it's noncarcinogenic, but it's certainly known to be a toxin. And in a war zone where countless rounds have been spent, you don't just eat the stuff. You eat things that have grown in contaminated soil, things that have eaten things that have grown in contaminated soil, and you inhale its oxides. None of that is really healthy, though just how unhealthy it is remains uncertain as yet.
You are DEAD WRONG on the Radiation.
I recommend you look up the work of the US ARMY's own top man on Depleted Uranium Munitions Dr Doug Rokke.
Or if don't like to read watch his interviews in a documentary called Beyond Treason.
Depleted Uranium does not produce high levels of the commonly tested for and much more deadly Gamma Radiation.
DU irradiates using Alpha and Beta much less deadly initially.
The problem stems from the Dust left behind when a Penetrator round has consumed itself on a building or tank.
Soldiers and Civilians inhale these particles readily.
If you have a small speck of radioactive dust in your lungs it will slowly overtime irradiate you and cause massive problems.
Initial low level exposure is minimal, but when you are 24/7 exposed for say 17 years you got problems.
We only lost around 100 US personnel during Gulf War I conflict. But the death toll since then is over 200,000
The Army and Air Force doesn't follow their own protocol for Handling and Disposal. (Dr Rokke wrote them for them until he became to sick and most of his team has died)
Apparently there is only one Iraqi blogger who writes in English left in Baghdad. He has a different take on the success of the surge.
What I feared from has occurred, the relative peace and quietness that we have witnessed in the past couple of weeks was just for terrorist's re-evaluation, it seems that the terrorists from all the sides were just planning what to do next, they were planning how to overcome the current changes and achievements, I don't know why but they always seem to succeed, why can't we have peace for at least a month?
Well, I think I know part of the answer, because today as the ministry of anterior has announced in a survey that they made that: 19,000 of it's members can't read or write!!!! 12% of the police force can't read or write!!! I just want to know how could they do their job when they can't even read the cars papers or even the IDs? That's a shocking part of the answer.
Now I know why these incidents happened with me in which I laughed my guts out, once a checkpoint stopped me and the policeman asked for my ID and the car papers, to my surprise, he hold the paper upside down and pretended that he is checking them, he looked at it for a moment and then told me I can go, what a farce.
And now I know why many times when they take the ID and the papers they stare at them like they were comparing a drawings to find the differences!!
I just want to know how could a force that 12% of it can't read or write bring peace and settlement back to a torn-up country like Iraq?
Billions of dollars go missing in Iraq - Then tribal leaders start backing the US Government in the outer regions of Iraq. Am I the only one noticing this coincidence? What happens when terrorists organizations start buying weapons with money that our government gave them?
For a great read on how Bremer, Bush and the neo-cons blew it, read IMPERIAL LIFE IN THE EMERALD CITY.
For a very good understanding of how this war has been fought and how amazing our ground forces are, read NO TRUE GLORY. It's about the battle for Fallujah.
The Surge is an example of how we should have fought this war from day one. Unfortunately, the administration had its theories as to what the war was going to refused to alter course or accept other views.
We have squandered too much wealth, let too many people bleed and die, and left too many of our finest citizens dead or maimed as a result of this pitiful, poor and self-absorbed leadership.
skeeve
Boston, MA
September 2006
DEC 04, 2007 06:03 PM