What did the hell did the US military do in Falluhjah

[HampshireSeagulls]

It may not be that they are presenting themselves now - it may simply be that they are being recorded more openly now. If you drop enough shite into the water, then at some point you are going to get more than cod with three eyes. I can't see Saddam allowing the reporting of birth defects, and the infrastructure may not have been capable of reporting.

As was said before, it's lazy reporting, a bit like the residents of Falmer claiming in six years that their dogs are all walking backwards and implying that the stadium is at fault, when in fact it's always happened and the dogs walk backwards because it stops the residents from getting round behind them - it's just that no-one reported before and it's handy to blame it on someone else!

 

[thejackal]

I see what you're saying but the US military operation was at its height around Fallujah where these defects are being reported. Saddam certainly wasn't averse to chemical weapons but that was all over the place and especially in the Kurdish north.

Add to that the fact that his chemical attacks were many years ago and, if he had been responsible for these birth defects, it's more likely they would have presented before and in other places.

If the Americans are to blame for this (and it's not proven) it would be a another pretty terrible indictment of what claims to be the leader of the free and peaceful world.

Fallujah was a Saddam area. He would never have dropped poisons or bombs on his 'own' sunni supporters.

Remember that we (UK and US) sold Saddam those chemicals to use on the Iranians. To start complaining that he used them on the wrong people is extreme hypocrisy on our part.

The Americans are almost certainly to blame for this - there's a mountain of independent info out there - but you will seldom read about it in the mainstream press.

 

[bhaexpress]

probably, its very good for that. id imagine they go through buildings pretty well too.



thats my point earlier. but the fact that it doesnt mention DU, White Phosphorus or other specifics, isnt propaganda, just reporting lite. (if it were propaganda it would mention them wouldnt it?)

I agree the Americans could well be responsable but there's always two sides to this tragic situation.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Depleted uranium is nasty stuff, with a legacy as horrific as landmines.

My oldest lad learned a lot about the issues in 2001 when he was involved in a music tour of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Serbia with Coldcut aimed at highlighting the work that needs to be done in the aftermath of war to deal with the effects of depleted uranium.

There seems to have been little progress in getting international agreement that the use of depleted uranium should be classified as a war crime.

The USA and the UK are the only countries that have acknowledged that they use DU for military purposes, although France, Russia, China, Turkey, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, Kuwait, Pakistan, Thailand, Iraq and Taiwan are thought to possess the capability.

Depleted uranium - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[crasher]

It may not be that they are presenting themselves now - it may simply be that they are being recorded more openly now. If you drop enough shite into the water, then at some point you are going to get more than cod with three eyes. I can't see Saddam allowing the reporting of birth defects, and the infrastructure may not have been capable of reporting.

As was said before, it's lazy reporting, a bit like the residents of Falmer claiming in six years that their dogs are all walking backwards and implying that the stadium is at fault, when in fact it's always happened and the dogs walk backwards because it stops the residents from getting round behind them - it's just that no-one reported before and it's handy to blame it on someone else!

I'd have to agree with you that there could be a wide range of explanations - we can't be sure the US military are to blame.

But I dont agree that it's lazy reporting - it's something of intense public interest and, especially when you see the pictures, deeply disturbing. Also - if it had happened for years but not been officially reported then I'd hope the BBC would have investigated that possibility and talked to people who, after al, would have had no reason now to hide the fact it had been around for a long time. After all, it's not easy to hide someone with six fingers.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

After all, it's not easy to hide someone with six fingers.

Never been to the Isle of Wight?

 

[sydney]

maybe its all the phosphates their putting on uncle henry leaching into the water ,or maybe the nitrates from their placcy............they aint gonna be shaggin no maidens with 3 heads is they........??

 

[Barrel of Fun]

Never been to the Isle of Wight?

Were they not hidden then or were you saying there is a distinct lack of six-fingered people?

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Were they not hidden then or were you saying there is a distinct lack of six-fingered people?

NO - they are hidden ON the I.O.W. Away from the normo's.

 

[jezzer]

Lazy reporting my arse, John Simpson asked the doctor when seeing some of these kids how many do you get of these a month and he said they get several a week! Then he asked for proper figures and they came out at around 1000 children in the last year alone. Would the us or uk want to acknowledge or admit to the possibility its anything to do with them? Not on your nelly.

 

[Napper]

More like Sadaam doings, thank Blair we got rid of him

 

[sleepytom]

Iraq has become a hell of a lot more dangerous for the average civilian since Saddam's removal than it was before.

But anyway this has been going on for a long time now in Iraq, back to GW1 and "gulf war syndrome" or the effects of low level radiation positioning on US troops.
Gulf War victims have Uranium Poisoning - New evidence that Gulf war syndrome exists and was caused by radiation poisoning.

It's also been seen in Serbia and Bosnia with birth defects showing a sharp increase after the war. Data has also been collected on NATO troops suffering radiation poisoning post Balkans conflict but the military reports on the topic are not published in public.
Serbia - Eight Years After the Nato War

It is clear in both Yugoslavia and Iraq that the use of DU by US and UK forces has had a long term impact upon the civilian population that were allegedly being helped by these invasions. If we want to play at being the world police (as Gordon Brown seems to think that we should, even if it is on a self appointed basis) then we should act in a way which doesn't have long lasting negative impact upon the populations that we are supposed to be helping. This means that we cannot use DU, White Phosphorus or cluster bombs. Just the same as we accept that we cannot use Landmines, Agent Orange or Nukes.

Going to war to help people may sometimes be the right thing to do, but if it is then we need to be extra careful that we do not use weapons which will have a long lasting negative impact.

(oh and Happy Birthday Dad, your camel is in the post!)

 

[Lord Bracknell]

(oh and Happy Birthday Dad, your camel is in the post!)

Cheers Tom.

Have you got that TV fixed yet?