VETERANS FOR PEACE Veterans For Peace Convention, August 6, 2009 By Mike Ferner the dominant cause of all the others, In Paul Newman’s 1967 classic, “Cool and VFP is well positioned to make Hand Luke,” the prison boss in the white this argument. suit repeatedly tells Luke to “get your mind The same year “Cool Hand right.” What turned out to be literally a Luke,” played in theaters, Dr. grave warning for Luke happens to be Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke at exactly what we need to hear today. Riverside Church in New York, We open our 24th annual convention giving what many believe was his against a backdrop of a crippled economy, greatest speech, “Beyond Vietnam.” sweeping foreclosures, widespread unem- In it, he called the United States “the ployment, millions without medical ben- greatest purveyor of violence in the efits, wars that now exceed a trillion dollars world today.” and have killed over a million people. “Time” magazine called King’s It’s a fair question to ask that, with a speech “demagogic slander that Mike Ferner at the 2009 convention. Photo by John Grant name like Veterans For Peace, should we sounded like a script for Radio “…what we are submitting our troops be concerned with issues that go so far Hanoi.” to is not simply the brutalizing process beyond opposing war? I believe the answer But every word in King’s speech was that goes on in any war…We are adding is “yes,” because war and our economic true – and timeless. Here are a couple calamities are not only connected, one is gems. Convention continued on page 16 Questioning the Army Experience Center By John Grant ing at the busy intersection of Knights and The marchers and their shouts of “War People came from all over on Saturday, Woodhaven Roads where speakers like is not a game!” and “Close it down!” filled September 12th to express their disgust writer Chris Hedges spoke about the insidi- the Mall, as the cops stood stern-faced, with the United States Army’s $13 million ous momentum of war. some looking pained as if they wished they experimental video-game recruitment cen- At 2 PM, led by the VFP Chapter 31 were somewhere else, as if their personal ter at the Franklin Mills Mall in Northeast banner, the spirited group marched down politics and their jobs might be in conflict. Philadelphia. At 11:30 AM, over 150 people Knights Road and into the Red Entrance of Inside the Army Experience Center, about from all over the east coast began collect- the Mall. The rowdy marchers entered the 30 members of the right-wing veterans mall and marched past the Dave Army Experience continued on page 12 & Busters game emporium – past Contents the neon signs Fall 2009 that say EAT- Departments Features DRINK - PLAY 1 President’s Message 1 Army Games -- right up to the 3 Editorial 2 Agent Orange entrance of the Army Experience 3 ED’s Report 4 Honduras Center, which 5 Chapter Reports 11 Women’s Caucus was protected 14 Poetry 13 American Holocaust by a phalanx 15 Book Reviews 13 Good Soldier Members of VFP Chapter 31 lead the march to the AEC past Dave & Busters game emporium up to the phalanx of of Philadelphia 18 Merchandise Philly cops. police. Board Of Directors Mike Ferner President Leah Bolger Vice-President Kenneth Mayers, PhD Treasurer Gary May Secretary Elliott Adams Anita Foster Photo by John Grant William Collins Nate Goldshlag Agent Orange: The New Institute Sharon Kufeldt of Medicine Report on US Veterans Patrick McCann By Paul Cox The Update carefully explains that cur- Michael Uhl, PhD The Agent Orange Act of 1991 requires rent science cannot determine causality— Hart Viges the Veterans Administration to address that is, it cannot prove that exposure to, say, dioxin or Agent White or picloram, has Rev. Pierre Williams the uncertainty about the long-term health effects on Vietnam veterans exposed to caused a particular disease in a particular veteran. Therefore, the committee looks for EXECUTIVE herbicides, commonly referred to as Agent Orange (AO). Every two years since 1994, elevated rates of certain diseases among ex- DIRECTOR posed populations. They rate the strength Michael T. McPhearson the Institute of Medicine (IOM) has issued a Veterans and Agent Orange Update report of the evidence and drop studied diseases Our Staff analyzing the scientific studies from “the into one of four “association” categories: widest possible range of knowledgeable Sufficient Evidence of an Association; Lim- ited or Suggestive Evidence of an Associa- Christine Brooks sources,” and make recommendations to the VA. The studies are conducted inde- tion; Inadequate or Insufficient Evidence of Virginia Druhe pendent of the VA by a panel of academic an Association; and Limited or Suggestive Evidence of No Association. Over the Woody Powell experts on the several aspects of herbicide exposure. years, several diseases have been placed Betsy Reznicek into IOM’s first two categories and—with The most recent report, titled Update the exception of hypertension—all are now Douglas Zachary 2008, released in July, is detailed and thor- considered by the VA to be presumptively ough at 569 pages. The current committee linked to a veteran’s exposure to AO. screened 7,000 studies, re- IOM Recommendations viewed 850, and This Update made numerous significant cited around 300 recommendations. It moved both Parkin- in the Update. son’s disease and ischemic heart disease Only four of the into the Limited-or-Suggestive-Evidence- studies focused of-an-Association category which quali- on Vietnam vet- fies them for consideration by the VA for erans, including compensation for presumed AO exposures. the well-known It also made a strong argument in Ranch Hand support of extending AO benefits to Blue Study. Stud- Water Navy vets that the VA has summar- ies of occupa- ily excluded from its definition as Vietnam tional exposures veterans. Recent studies reviewed by the of workers, committee show that the sea-water distilla- environmental tion process used to get drinking water for studies, and use on Navy ships actually transmits and VFP past-president Sandy Kelson raised in excess of twenty thouand dol- toxicological lars during the ’09 convention at College Park, MD, when attendees stepped concentrates dioxin in the drinking water. forward to pledge $1,000 each for Lifetime membership. studies were Photo by John Grant also used. Agent Orange continued on page 11 - 2 - Executive Director’s Report Waging Peace Until There Is War No More In this new political period of the Obama Administration and continue to do the long term work of abolishing war. expansion of war in Afghanistan with less emphasis on Iraq, Veter- We also need your help in retaining our members. Our work is ans For Peace continues to be a leading voice in resisting war and long term and hard. People burnout and become disillusioned with working for peace. the perceived lack of progress. War has plagued humanity perhaps We had a wonderful and exciting time during our annual conven- since the beginning. We have taken on an audacious and near tion in College Park Maryland. Moving From Hope to Action was impossible task. It is important to call on your fellow veterans and the perfect theme as we wrestled with what to do next. Members associate members to have potluck gatherings and other forms of participated from across the country. Many arrived a little worn out entertainment and relaxation. We must continue to do our work, and tired from years of struggle. Who would have guessed eight changing minds one at a time until there is a critical mass of people years ago that we would still be at who believe a different world is pos- it, resisting two wars and looking sible. But to keep up the struggle we at an expansion of a third? After have to take care of each other. a weekend of sharing, planning Lastly I would like to thank you for and simply enjoying each other’s joining Veterans For Peace. To our As- company, everyone left with a clear sociate members I give special thanks sense of purpose, rejuvenated for for your invaluable support. Veterans the next round of work to end these cannot end war alone. We need you occupations and wars. there with us to help strengthen our With our nation in the midst of a cause. Without your work across the historic economic crisis and tumul- country many chapters would collapse. tuous political division, our govern- I cannot say enough to fully express ment continues to execute a global my gratitude. war with two major fronts and a To the veteran members I thank you possible expansion of a third. The for heeding the call to serve your depravity of U.S. foreign policy, its country once again, but this time in negative impact on domestic poli- Michael T. McPhearson Photo by John Grant the secure knowledge that this duty cies and its devaluation of each of is also in service of all humanity. I us as individual people continues to grow. Veterans For Peace will know at times it is tough. I know that we have PTSD and other ills remain in the forefront of resistance to these wars and occupations. that we must overcome. I know that many of us carry anger and We will not rest nor stand aside until they have come to an end. cynicism that at times can be debilitating. But I also know that we To address the current crisis we are concentrating our efforts in have a fire burning inside of us that will not go away.