Agent Orange was the nickname given to a powerful herbicide and defoliant used by the U.S. military in its Herbicidal Warfare program during the Vietnam War. Agent Orange was used from 1961 to 1971, and was by far the most used of the so-called "rainbow herbicides" used during the program. Degradation of Agent Orange (as well as Agents Purple, Pink, and Green) released dioxins, which have caused harm to the health of those exposed during the Vietnam War.

Agents Blue and White were part of the same program but did not contain dioxins. Studies of populations highly exposed to dioxin indicate increased risk of various types of cancer and genetic defects; the effect of long term low level exposure has not been established. Since the 1980s, several lawsuits have been filed against the companies who produced Agent Orange, among them being Dow Chemical and Monsanto. U.S. veterans obtained $180 million in compensation in 1984, while Australian, Canadian and New Zealand veterans also obtained compensation in an out-of-court settlement the same year.

In 1999, 20,000 South Koreans filed a lawsuit in Korea; in January 2006, the Korean Appeal Court ordered Monsanto and Dow to pay $62 million in compensation to about 6,800 people. However, no Vietnamese have obtained compensation, and on March 10, 2005 Judge Jack Weinstein of Brooklyn Federal Court dismissed the lawsuit filed by the Vietnamese victims of Agent Orange against the chemical companies that produced the defoliants/herbicides.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agent_orange

I have a friend who worked for Mon-satan. They're pretty much that generic evil super-company from movies and video games.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monsanto

Criticism

In 1990's Monsanto conducted genetically modified (a.k.a. Terminator genes) Cotton trials in India through its subsidiary Cargill Seeds. It generated stiff opposition from the Indian Farmers and one of its Plants in Karnataka State was pulled down by protestors within hours and finally the Indian Government banned the company from continuing further. While in Brazil later in 2003 followed India in a similar protest in Goias.

Frontline's "Seeds of Suicide: India's Desperate Farmers" [10] has detailed some of the struggles facing the Indian farmer. The transition to using the latest pest-resistant seeds and the necessary herbicides has been difficult. Farmers have been lured to genetically modified seeds promoted by Cargill and Monsanto because of their promise of greater yields, but instead, research has shown that these seeds require more water and more pesticides (sometimes by design). For some of the farmers, these hidden factors have cost them their entire harvest because they may not have more water or they may not be able to afford the pesticides. Their resulting debts from their gamble with genetically modified seeds have lead them into what amounts to indentured servitude and an alarming rate of suicide. The problem is exacerbated by the current corporate influence in the government: previously, a government expert would give knowledgeable advice to farmers about their crops, but now the positions are filled by corporate representatives who receive incentives for promoting their company's products. Admittedly, it is not a system which keeps the farmers' best interest in mind.

Criticism can also be found in the documentary The Future of Food which sheds light on the relationship between agriculture, big business and government. It examines the effects of biotechnology on the nation's smallest farmers and discusses the downsides of genetically modified foods.

Pretty sad.

"Birth defects are common. According to a U.S. Air Force study, one of every five children born to Air Force veterans who had sprayed Agent Orange had a minor or serious birth defect. The birth defects weren't caused by Agent Orange. The same rate of birth defects was observed in men who had never sprayed Agent Orange.

It makes far more sense to treat illnesses and birth defects in Vietnam as they are treated in other countries. To spend money on efforts to link Agent Orange with common diseases that have many known causes is to squander funds that can treat suffering people. To barrack and parade deformed children in "Peace Villages" may elicit sympathy, but it's certainly degrading to children who already have burdens to bear. Richer countries have spent billions investigating possible links between diseases and birth defects and Agent Orange and the dioxin in it. They have found nothing convincing."

For your consideration ladies and gentleman please meet Quantum mushroom, spokesman in favor of corporate genocide.

The US Veterans Administration has listed prostate cancer, respiratory cancers, multiple myeloma, type II diabetes, Hodgkin’s disease, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, soft tissue sarcoma, chloracne, porphyria cutanea tarda, peripheral neuropathy, and spina bifida in children of veterans exposed to Agent Orange as side effects of the herbicide.

Clearly our veterans are obviously lying to us.

*dead

Sorry Farhad, stumbled into this one while researching

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*promote

Promoting this video back to the front page; last published Sunday, February 11th, 2007 8:52am PST - promote requested by Fedquip.

This is really hard to watch:(