Hypocrisy

An interesting little piece of information on the BBC made me think about things. I know thinking is a dangerous thing to do.

In the 1960s and early 70s, the United States dumped a nice little chemical called TCCD, more commonly referred to as Agent Orange. Originally used to destroy the underlying foliage of the dense rainforest. It had unseen consequences, or was it known what it would do? Agent is one of the more potent toxins to humans. It can also cause birth defects for prolonged exposure. The US dumped millions of gallons on the country of Vietnam, enough that there are still residual amounts in the environment today.

Does Agent Orange classify as a Weapon of Mass Destruction (WMD)? What is a WMD? As defined by Free Dictionary and Wikipedia

Noun
1. weapon of mass destruction - a weapon that kills or injures civilian as well as military personnel (nuclear and chemical and biological weapons)
bioarm, biological weapon, bioweapon - any weapon usable in biological warfare; "they feared use of the smallpox virus as a bioweapon"
chemical weapon - chemical substances that can be delivered using munitions and dispersal devices to cause death or severe harm to people and animals and plants
nuclear weapon - a weapon of mass destruction whose explosive power derives from a nuclear reaction
weapon, weapon system, arm - any instrument or instrumentality used in fighting or hunting; "he was licensed to carry a weapon"
armed forces, armed services, military, military machine, war machine - the military forces of a nation; "their military is the largest in the region"; "the military machine is the same one we faced in 1991 but now it is weaker"
high explosive - a powerful chemical explosive that produces gas at a very high rate

By this definition then, Agent Orange is considered a weapon of mass destruction. Growing up in the city of Frederick, Maryland. There was a famous base in Frederick, Fort Detrick, once a site of biochemical warfare. Of course many of the items created at Ft. Detrick are still there for study and "safe" keeping.

What does this really have to do with anything? America was asked by the Vietnamese to give funding for the cleanup of Agent Orange. Something we politely refused to do. When America "invaded" Iraq in March 2003, we were seeking the WMDs that Saddam Hussein was supposedly stock piling. Of course the stock piles of WMDs that we have were conviently ignored. We weren't the bad guys, we've never done anything like what Saddam has done. Of course not, compared to the US Saddam is like a child. Just look at our history, the slaughtering of the American Indians, the concentration camps for the Japanese during WWII. I'm sorry I forgot only the Germans had concentration camps.

America needs to wake up. October, 2001, a little known bill passed with flying colors through the Congress. The Patriot Act was established in response to the attacks of September 11th. What does it do? Wikipedia has an excellent summarization of it. Basically it ensures that our civil liberties, those basic tenets that the founding fathers said were our unalienable rights, were null and void. Allowing the Federal government to trample on those rights if you are suspect of any terrorist acts. Of course what is suspect? Almost anything you say against the government could be considered suspect. The penalty is jail without right to counsel or trial, nor does the government have to fess up to where you are. It also allows for the government to issue a warrant, phone tap, and other numerous violations of privacy, with little to no evidence. Say the wrong word and poof you're gone.

What does this tell us? It is time for action. It is time to change our government. It is one of our unalienable rights as a United States citizen. It does not mean a revolution, it means it's time to think. It's time to put forth your voice. Don't just vote for a person because they need that extra percentage to get funding. Don't vote for a person because hey this famous person is backing him.

Vote to change the world. Vote smart.