Effects of Agent Orange Persist 40 Years After Historic Action Against Dow Chemical

Interview with Bernie Meyer, 1969 D.C.-9 protester, conducted by Melinda Tuhus

On May 18, the International People's Tribunal of Conscience, meeting in Paris, determined that the use of dioxin by the US military in Vietnam from 1961 to 1971 was a war crime and a crime against humanity. Dioxin -- one of the deadliest chemicals ever produced -- was the active ingredient in Agent Orange, 21 million gallons of which was used as a defoliant by American forces during the war in Southeast Asia. The tribunal found Dow Chemical, the maker of Agent Orange, and other chemical companies guilty of colluding with the U.S. government.

This decision, from an international group of lawyers, followed a ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court in March not to hear a case brought by representatives of Vietnamese civil society and by American military victims of Agent Orange. The court let stand a lower court ruling that the plaintiffs could not sue because Agent Orange was an herbicide used as a defoliant, and was not a poison targeting humans. In other words, those who died or have suffered injuries as a result of their exposure were considered expendable, described as being "collateral damage."

Thousands of GIs and their offspring were affected, along with three to four million Vietnamese. Bernie Meyer, a former Catholic priest, along with eight other activists, participated in a 1969 action that destroyed Dow Chemical Company files in Washington, D.C., as a protest against the use of Agent Orange in Vietnam. The protesters were known as the DC-9. When the group began planning a 40th anniversary gathering held in mid-May, Meyer decided it was time to visit Vietnam and meet some of the victims of Agent Orange in person. Between The Lines' Melinda Tuhus spoke with Meyer about his visit.

For more information on the Friendship Village Project, visit the website www.vietnamfriendship.org

Related links:

* For more information, visit www.warlegacies.org/AgentOrange.htm

btlonline.org/2009/ram/meyer060509.ram

MP3:
btlonline.org/2009/mp3/meyer060509.mp3

LISTEN to this week's half-hour program of Between The Lines by clicking on one of the links below:

RealAudio:
btlonline.org/2009/ram/btl0060509.ram

DOWNLOAD the MP3 by visiting:
btlonline.org/download

VIEW the Between the Lines website by clicking on the link below:
www.btlonline.org

***********************************

"Between The Lines" is a half-hour syndicated radio news magazine that each week features a summary of under-reported news stories and interviews with activists and journalists who offer progressive perspectives on international, national and regional political, economic and social issues. Because "Between The Lines" is independent of all publications, media networks or political parties, we are able to bring a diversity of voices to the airwaves generally ignored or marginalized by the major media. For more information on this week's topics and to check out our text archive listing topics and guests presented in previous programs visit: www.btlonline.org
*
"Between the Lines," WPKN 89.5 FM's weekly radio news magazine can be heard Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m. ET; Wednesdays at 8 a.m. ET and Saturdays at 2 p.m. ET (Wednesday's show airs at 7:30 a.m. ET during fundraising months of April and October).
*
For an email subscription of "Between The Lines Weekly Summary" which features a RealAudio link to the week's program for Between The Lines, send an email to btlsummary-subscribe-AT-lists.riseup.net
*
For an email subscription of "Between The Lines Q&A" which features a RealAudio link and weekly transcript to one of the interviews featured on Between The Lines, send an email to btlqa-subscribe-AT-lists.riseup.net
*
betweenthelines-AT-snet.net
*
www.squeakywheel.net/
*
Distributed by Squeaky Wheel Productions
©2009 Between The Lines. All Rights Reserved.