Once more the town of Hardwick has sad news, as another Hardwick native has been killed in Iraq. Christopher Merchant was only 32 and left four children, ages nine to fourteen. Once again, we in Vermont are left to wonder why our sons, brothers, and members of our communities must die in a futile and ill-conceived war against an enemy who never threatened the United States.

In addition, we can wonder whether the kind of democracy we have in the United States, in which the government spies on its political opponents, is what Bush has planned for Iraq.

Small wonder that Bush’s popularity is at an all-time low and towns in Vermont are voting to support impeachment.

Vermonters who work hard and play by the rules deserve a government that guards our borders to keep us safe from attacks as well as from natural disasters.  Our troops deserve a government that only calls them out when there is a real need.  This means that we PREVENT attacks and PREVENT natural disasters when possible.  The Republican priorities are so skewed that the only ones benefiting are the very rich and the corporations.  Did someone forget to tell them it’s OUR tax money?

Why was NORAD not called out on 9/11?  Why is the whole country not calling for impeachment?  We are literally going bankrupt.

Why were the troops sent to Iraq without provocation and without the tools and protective equipment they needed to keep them safe?

Why are they using wmd like depleted uranium?  “Sixty-seven percent of babies born to the 400,000 vets who suffer from Gulf War Syndrome have birth defects,” said Joyce Riley, a former nurse who flew in Iraq and the founder and spokesperson of the American Gulf War Veterans Association. Iraq shows similar numbers of birth defects and high rates of leukemia (they call it the white death).

Army Regulation 700-48 requires mitigation of nuclear waste from these weapons. They are required by law to put into effect environmental remediation and medical treatment for those parties exposed. It’s just not happening.

Google ‘Doug Rokke’ (it’s much worse and more information that I can post here).

The very least we can do is test returning Vermont troops for DU once a year for as many years as it takes. Connecticut and Louisiana have implemented such laws.  New York has a bill in motion as well as about 11 or 12 other states.

Where does the Governor stand on this, and Dubie and Martha Rainville?  We need them to walk the walk as well as talk the talk.  They are the responsible parties in Vermont.  Support Our Troops is more than a slogan for a bumper sticker. By not speaking out they are effectively covering up a war crime and putting their Party before the people.

Mandatory testing of returning troops (since 1991) needs to happen — it’s the very least we can do.  Our sons, daughters, neighbors — shouldn’t be left swinging in the wind.

Barbara