Hello my friends. I have been digging into something important if you would like to help. When I read the New York Times each morning, I often come upon an article or op-ed piece that stabs my heart and compels me to ask [again] "what can I do?".
The 9.15.2017 NY Times article (see first link below) is a strong case in point. It is about the forgotten victims of Agent Orange - the children and grandchildren of Vietnamese people, living in Vietnam who are living the effects of the horrible atrocity committed by the United States during the Vietnam War.
U.S. veterans are still fighting the battle for justice and compensation for the horrific consequences of Agent Orange -- and the Vietnamese people have never been compensated for the atrocities the U.S. government inflicted upon the people - and the children and descendants from 50 years ago are still paying the price, living with unimaginable birth defects, diseases and heartbreaking medical conditions, caused by Agent Orange.
If you would like to add the "Vietnam Agent Orange Relief & Responsibility Campaign" to your list of charitable contributions, you can read more below and donate at the link at the bottom of this email: http://www.vn-agentorange.org/donate.html
You can also support the current H.R.334 - Victims of Agent Orange Relief Act of 2017 by writing to your congressional leaders or by sending the attached postcard to Congress (see top of this page) -- here is the link to the Text of the current legislation:
There are so many, many, many vitally important causes in this world, both local and global - it is overwhelming to me at times I must admit -- but THIS is a mission that should not be forgotten. We can never make it right for the victims of Agent Orange in Vietnam, but we can continue to do something - and we owe so many so much more than we have done so far -- to U.S. veterans and to the people of Vietnam - and their descendants.
You can review the information below when you have time, if you would like to help, and please spread the word if you can.
THANK YOU! I realize again and again with each passing day that nobody gets through this poop-storm alone. I am grateful for the goodness out there. I still hold onto the hope that it will prevail in the end.
Love,
Cinda
Information to dig into if you would like to do that:
Link to 9/15/2017 NY Times Op-Ed piece re: The Forgotten Victims of Agent Orange:
Background from HR Legislation currently in House Sub-Committee:
Findings.—Congress makes the following findings:
(1) From 1961 to 1971, approximately 19,000,000 gallons of 15 different herbicides were sprayed over the southern region of Vietnam.
The agents included 13,000,000 gallons of Agent Orange, 4,500,000 gallons of Agent White, 1,000,000 gallons of Agent Blue, 420,000 gallons of Agent Purple, and relatively smaller quantities of the other herbicides. Many of the herbicides, including Agents Orange, Purple, Green, Pink, Dinoxol, and Trinoxol contained the toxic contaminant dioxin (TCDD). Agent Blue contained high levels of arsenic. The aforementioned 15 herbicides, including the contaminant dioxin, are usually collectively referred to as Agent Orange.
(2) Between 1968 and 1971, a total of 6,500 spraying missions were carried out in an area of about 1,500,000 hectares, which represented about 10 percent of South Vietnam.
(3) Studies show that between 2,100,000 and 4,800,000 Vietnamese and tens of thousands of Americans were exposed to Agent Orange during the spraying. Many other Vietnamese were or continue to be exposed to Agent Orange through contact with the environment and food that was contaminated or as offspring of those exposed who now suffer from illnesses and disabilities.
(4) Today, there are still dozens of environmental hot spots that continue to contaminate the food, soil, sediment, livestock, and wildlife with Agent Orange. In fact, concentrations of TCDD as high as 1,000 mg/kg were found in soil and sediment samples more than 30 years after Agent Orange was sprayed in Vietnam.
(5) Agent Orange exposure continues to negatively affect the lives of veterans of the United States Armed Forces, Vietnamese people, Vietnamese-Americans, and their children. The lives of many victims are cut short and others live with disease, disabilities, and pain, often untreated or unrecognized.
(6) The Department of Veterans Affairs recognizes certain illnesses and diseases, including AL amyloidosis, chronic B-cell leukemia, chloracne, diabetes mellitus type 2, Hodgkin’s disease, ischemic heart disease, multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Parkinson’s disease, acute and sub-acute peripheral neuropathy, porphyria cutanea tarda, prostate cancer, respiratory cancers, and soft-tissue sarcomas as associated with the spraying and use of Agent Orange by the United States Armed Forces during the Vietnam era.
(7) No similar consideration has been given to affected Vietnamese or Vietnamese-Americans.
Link to current 2017House of Representatives legislation to compensate victims of Agent Orange:
