The Hypocrisy of a Killer [Dow Chemical]

The Hypocrisy of a Killer

http://www.veteranstoday.com/2010/04/15/the-hypocrisy-of-a-killer/

April 15, 2010
by Chuck Palazzo

Danang, Vietnam

Hypocrisy is defined as "the act of persistently professing beliefs,
opinions, virtues, feelings, qualities, or standards that are
inconsistent with one's actions. Hypocrisy is thus a lie".

On April 18, 2010, The Dow Live Earth Run for Water will take
place. This is a series of 6km runs and walks that are to
simultaneously take place over the course of 24 hours in 150
countries and according to its primary sponsor and namesake, Dow,
"these activities will ignite a massive global movement to help solve
the water crisis".

Dow Chemical was one of several and the second largest producer of
Agent Orange before and during the Vietnam War. According to a
statement on their own website, "U.S. military research developed
Agent Orange, and the product was formulated based on exacting
military specifications." They further go on to state, "Today, the
scientific consensus is that when the collective human evidence is
reviewed, it doesn't show that Agent Orange caused veteran's
illnesses." This lie and the placement of guilt remain today. The
"concern" of this, one of the largest corporations in the world
today, is in its own corporate earnings ­ they could care less about
the victims of Agent Orange. They have done zero research to
substantiate this outlandish claim. The last time this statement was
update was on June 21, 2007 ­ almost 3 years ago.

http://www.dow.com/commitments/debates/agentorange/

What is an interesting and very disturbing observation from Dow's
so-called Sustainability statement I reference is that there are 10
languages this statement is available in ­ none of which is
Vietnamese. It was Vietnam, whose country was sprayed with Agent
Orange and the other so called rainbow herbicides which exposed 4.8
million Vietnamese people, resulting in 400,000 deaths and
disabilities PLUS over 500,000 children born with birth
defects. During the Vietnam War, between 1962 and 1971, the United
States military sprayed over 77,000,000 litres (20,000,000 gallons)
of chemical defoliants in South Vietnam ­ 20 percent of South
Vietnam's jungles were sprayed over a 9 year period. 12% of the country.

In 1963, the United States (suspecting the negative effects)
initiated a study on the health effects of Agent Orange that by 1967
confirmed that the chemical caused cancer, birth defects and other
serious health problems. The outcome of the study had no affect
whatsoever on the use of Agent Orange. The spraying continued, and
the chemical companies, namely Dow and Monsanto, reaped millions upon
millions of dollars in profits knowing that this chemical that they
produced was killing, maiming and genetically altering human lives,
for generations upon generations yet to come. In fact, Agent Orange
was widely used by the US Military from the late 1940's through the
1970's in our own United States, Korea, Canada, Australia, and Brazil
and throughout Southeast Asia. The American veteran and our
offspring continue to die, have children who are adversely affected,
and now, 3 generations after the war, continue to experience grossly
negative effects from this poison. Yes, several lawsuits were filed
against the companies responsible and yes a $180 million settlement
was reached in 1984 ­ with most affected veterans receiving a
one-time lump sum payment of $1,200. A slap in the face, a pittance
­ barely enough money to cover the travel back and forth to the DVA
to file claims, receive medical attention, maintain some semblance to
life. What is the value of a human life? $1,200? The Vietnamese
have received nothing. On March 10, 2005, Judge Jack B. Weinstein
of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New
York dismissed the lawsuit filed by the Vietnamese victims of Agent
Orange against the chemical companies which produced the defoliants
and herbicides.

The case was appealed and heard by the Second Circuit Court of
Appeals on June 18, 2007. The Court of Appeals upheld the dismissal
of the case stating that the herbicides used during the war were not
intended to be used to poison humans and therefore did not violate
international law.

On March 10, 2005, Judge Jack B. Weinstein ­ dismissed the suit which
was filed on behalf of the Vietnamese victims, ruling that there was
no legal basis for the plaintiffs' claims. The judge concluded that
Agent Orange was not considered a poison under international law at
the time of its use by the U.S.; that the U.S. was not prohibited
from using it as an herbicide; and that the companies which produced
the substance were not liable for the method of its use by the
government. The U.S. government is not a party in the lawsuit,
claiming sovereign immunity.

Sovereign immunity? Murderers ­ of our own US Veteran, victims of
the other countries mentioned, and of course, the Vietnamese.

Dow and Monsanto are indeed 2 of, if not the worst of the world's
most irresponsible companies. Dow Chemical (along with Monsanto)
will never escape the shadow of Agent Orange, the chemical used by
the U.S. military during the Vietnam War during the 'Herbicidal
Warfare' program, which lead to 400,000 deaths and disabilities and
500,000 children born with birth defects. But even with this evil
legacy ­ and that of Napalm, which it also produced ­ Dow is not
contrite. This corporation continues to pollute the earth without apology.

Two rivers downstream of Dow's plant in Midland, Michigan are
polluted with chlorinated furans and dioxins from the company's past
operations. Despite the fact that these chemicals are linked to
cancer and other health issues, Dow maintains that the contamination
is not a public health threat and has been fighting with the EPA over
cleanup for years. Many people in the area aren't even aware of the
extent of the dioxin contamination, and Dow has refused to put up
warning signs. Just recently, Dow Chemical sponsored a fishing event
in a waterway it polluted with dioxin, never even acknowledging the
contamination and its possible effects.

Furthermore, following the purchase of Union Carbide ­ the company
responsible for the Bhopal gas disaster which left nearly 20,000
people dead and hundreds of thousands disabled ­ Dow has refused to
take responsibility for the health and environmental effects of the incident.

In Dow's own words "Bhopal was a terrible tragedy that none of us
will ever forget. However, it is important to note that Dow never
owned or operated the plant, which today is under the control of the
Madhya Pradesh state government."

http://www.dow.com/commitments/debates/bhopal/

Fast forward to this weekend. Run for Water? As participants
naively walk and run in this event, Dow, Monsanto and the others
continue to run from their own responsibility from not only the ever
present deadly pollution they created, but from the murders, birth
defects and incredible agony the human race continues to have to
endure ­ because of Dow's and Monsanto's profit seeking.

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