SENATOR CLAIRE MCCASKILL HAS JUST
RELEASED A REPORT INDICATING THAT WORLD WAR II VETERANS THAT
WERE SUBJECT TO MUSTARD GAS TESTING, ESSENTIALLY USED AS HUMAN
GUINEA PIGS BEING EXPOSED TO MUSTARD GAS, WERE DENIED
BENEFITS THAT WOULD'VE HELPED TREAT SOME OF THE AILMENTS THAT
THEY DEVELOPED AS A RESULT OF
THIS TYPE OF TESTING.
THIS IS A QUICK LOOK INTO SOME OF THE
ISSUES OF THE VA AND SOME OF THE ISSUES WITHIN THE MILITARY WHEN
IT COMES TO NONDISCLOSURES AND NOT BEING ABLE TO SPEAK TO
DOCTORS ABOUT WHAT THEY HAVE GONE THROUGH THROUGH SOME
TESTING LIKE THIS AND THE RAMIFICATIONS OF NOT GETTING THE
CARE THAT THEY NEED AS A RESULT OF THAT.
LET'S GET TO THAT
RIGHT NOW.
ABOUT 60,000 MILITARY SERVICEMEMBERS WERE
USED AS HUMAN GUINEA PIGS AND A MILITARY RESEARCH PROGRAM TO
TEST PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT.
ROUGHLY 40,000 OF THEM RECEIVED
HIGH LEVELS OF FULL-BODY
EXPOSURE TO MUSTARD GAS OR LEWISITE, ANOTHER TOXIC AGENT
THAT THE VA HAS REJECTED THE CLAIMS OF 85% OF THE VETERANS
WHO APPLIED FOR BENEFITS RELATED
TO THE SECRET TESTING.
IN FACT FROM 2005 TO 2015, THE VA
IDENTIFIED 1213 DISABILITY CLAIMS RELATED TO MUSTARD AGENT
EXPOSURE FROM 792 WORLD WAR II VETERANS.
OF THOSE CLAIMS, 1028
WERE DENIED.
ONLY 40 VETERANS NATIONWIDE ARE NOW RECEIVING THE
BENEFITS.
THINK ABOUT THIS: THESE MEMBERS OF THE MILITARY
WERE PART OF A SECRET TESTING PROGRAM AND I SAY SECRET BECAUSE
THEY DIDN'T EVEN KNOW IT WAS HAPPENING TO THEM, THEY WERE
HAVING SOME SORT OF SUBSTANCE BROUGHT ONTO THEIR SKIN.
THEY
WERE FORCED TO BREATHE IN SOME SORT OF MYSTERIOUS GAS AND THEN
LATER ON, MANY OF THEM DID DEVELOP SOME SERIOUS HEALTH
ISSUES INCLUDING SKIN CANCER, LUNG PROBLEMS, BREATHING
PROBLEMS, AND ALSO IN SOME CASES, STROKES.
THEY APPLIED TO
GET HEALTH BENEFITS SO THEY CAN TREAT THESE ISSUES, BUT WHAT A
LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T KNOW IS THEY HAD TO SIGN BASICALLY
NONDISCLOSURE CONTRACTS THAT WOULD ENSURE THAT THEY COULD
NOT SHARE OR TALK ABOUT THE TESTING THAT THEY UNDERWENT
AND SO WHEN THEY WENT TO GO SEE A DOCTOR THEY COULDN'T TELL
THE DOCTOR WHAT THEY HAD GONE THROUGH.
WHEN THEY WENT TO THE VA, THEY COULDN'T EVEN TALK TO THE VA
ABOUT WHAT THEY HAD GONE THROUGH, AND SO AS A RESULT,
THAT BURDEN OF PROOF IN ORDER TO GET THE BENEFITS WAS
RIDICULOUS AND THEY WERE DENIED THIS BENEFITS.
IT WASN'T EVEN DECLASSIFIED UNTIL 1975.
UP UNTIL 1991, EVEN
AFTER IT WAS DECLASSIFIED AND PEOPLE KNEW THIS WAS HAPPENING,
THEY WERE THREATENED THAT THEY WOULD BE COURT-MARTIALED OR GET
DISHONORABLY DISCHARGED FROM THE
MILITARY OR BASICALLY, THEIR REPUTATIONS WOULD BE TARNISHED.
WHAT MAKES ME THINK ABOUT WHEN I HEAR STORIES LIKE THIS, AND THIS
IS VERY COMMON ESPECIALLY IN THE AMERICAN MILITARY, YOU HEAR
ABOUT THE AMERICAN MILITARY TESTING OUT THINGS ON SOLDIERS,
TESTING THINGS OUT ON PEOPLE THAT THEY DEEM TO BE ENEMIES OF
THE STATE AS WELL.
WHAT MAKES ME THINK IS HOW CAN SOMEONE BE A PART OF THE
ORGANIZATION THAT CURRENTLY ñ THAT CONSISTENTLY ENGAGES IN
THESE INHUMANE PRACTICES AND NOT SPEAK UP ABOUT IT?
I KNOW THE REASON OBVIOUSLY.
WE FUCKING RUIN WHISTLE BLOWERS
LIVES IN AMERICA.
YOU SEE
CHELSEA MAN AND EDWARD SNOWDEN.
HOW IS THERE NOT MORE OF A
BACKLASH?
HOW ARE PEOPLE NOT
FREAKING OUT AND ALLOWING THIS TO CONTINUE?
OFTEN TIMES WE TALK ABOUT THE VA, AND THIS IS A REAL ISSUE SO
I DON'T BEGRUDGE ANYONE WHO MENTIONS THIS, WE TALK ABOUT HOW
SEVERELY UNDERFUNDED IT IS, CAN WE TALK ABOUT THE INEFFICIENCIES
BETWEEN WITHIN THE VA, BUT WE DON'T TALK ABOUT THE CERTAIN
AGREEMENTS THAT THESE SOLDIERS
ARE FORCED TO SIGN EVEN WHEN THEY HAVE UNWITTINGLY UNDERWENT
THIS TYPE OF TESTING THAT HAS
SEVERE HEALTH RAMIFICATIONS.
I THINK THE CONVERSATION SHOULD
STICK TO THE ISSUE AND I
DEFINITELY COMMEND SENATOR CLAIRE MCCASKILL FOR TALKING
ABOUT THIS AND ADDRESSING IT.
IN FACT, THERE HAS BEEN
LEGISLATION PROPOSED KNOWN AS THE ARLA A LITTLE ACT AND WHAT
THAT WILL DO IS ENSURE ñ IT WOULD LESSEN THE BURDEN OF PROOF
THAT THESE SOLDIERS ARE VETERANS
HAVE TO GIVE DIVINITY VA TO GET THE BENEFITS THEY NEED.
BY THE
WAY, THE HYPOCRISY OF OUR POLITICIANS IS WHAT DRIVES ME
CRAZY BECAUSE ANY TIME A WANT TO GARNER SUPPORT FOR A WAR,
WHETHER IT'S PREEMPTIVE WAR OR FOR OUR PERPETUAL WAR IN THE
MIDDLE EAST, THEY WILL IMMEDIATELY GO TO THE TROOPS AND
SAY YOU HAVE TO SUPPORT THE TROOPS, THE TROOPS, THE TROOPS.
WE HAVE POLITICIANS RUNNING FOR OFFICE, THEY WILL BRING UP THE
VA ISSUE FOR POLITICAL GAIN AND
EXPLOITATION, BUT WHEN IT COMES TO THE REAL ISSUES AT HAND, AND
REAL SOLUTIONS THAT THEY CAN TAKE, THEY JUST DON'T DO IT.
IT'S MORE FOR POLITICAL GAIN THAN ANYTHING ELSE.
ANYTIME YOU HEAR ABOUT THEM SAYING SUPPORT THE TROOPS IT
IS BECAUSE THEY WANT TO CONVINCE YOU AS AMERICAN PEOPLE TO GO
TO WAR.
THEY DON'T ACTUALLY CARE ABOUT THE TROOPS.
THEY DONíT CARE ABOUT THE VETERANS.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE VAST AMOUNTS OF VETERANS THAT ARE
CURRENTLY HOMELESS MUCH LESS THOSE THAT DON'T HAVE HEALTH
BENEFITS, YOU WILL UNDERSTAND JUST HOW MUCH OF THE HYPOCRISY
IT IS WHEN THEY SAY SUPPORT THE TROOPS BUT THEN REFUSED TO DO
ANYTHING TO ACTUALLY SUPPORT THEM.
DO YOU THINK THOSE PEOPLE ARE IN HURRIEDLY EVIL TAX THIS IS
WHAT I DON'T UNDERSTAND.
WHEN YOU ARE A POLITICIAN, AND YOU
ARE CONSTANTLY SUPPRESSING BILLS LIKE THIS ONE OR ONES THAT WILL
HELP VETERANS LIKE THE ONE THE BIPARTISAN ONE THAT BERNIE
SANDERS AND JOHN MCCAIN PASSED
TOGETHER.
WHEN YOU ARE TRYING TO SUPPRESS OR OPPOSING BILLS LIKE THAT
WHAT IS GOING ON IN YOUR HEAD?
DO NOT REALLY SHE'S A REAL HUMANS AND THEIR REAL
CONSEQUENCES TO THE ACTIONS OF YOUR PREVIOUSLY TAKEN.
YOU
MIGHT NOT KNOW THEM, BUT THEY ARE REAL HUMANS AND THEY ARE
SUFFERING.
HOW CAN A HUMAN SET THERE AND BE LIKE WELL, LOOK, I
AM GOING TO BE PRAGMATIC ABOUT
THIS AND I AM BEING WENT INTO MAKING SURE THAT I VOTE AGAINST
THIS BILL.
IT MIGHT HELP POSSIBLY MILLIONS OF AMERICANS.
I THINK GOVERNMENT CORRUPTION DOES A LOT OF TERRIBLE THINGS TO
PEOPLE WHO MIGHT HAVE GOTTEN INVOLVED IN POLITICS WITH GOOD
INTENTIONS.
I HAVE SEEN A HAPPENED WITH PRESIDENT OBAMA,
I'VE SEEN IT HAPPEN WITH SO MANY POLITICIANS THAT SHOWED A GREAT
DEAL OF PROMISE AND THEN A SOON
AS THERE WAS A PROPHET MOTIVE OR THEY HAD TO WORRY ABOUT GETTING
REELECTED, OR THEY REALIZE TAKE, I NEED TO PLAY BALL WITH THIS
CORRUPT POLITICAL SYSTEM IN
ORDER TO HAVE A CAREER, THEN YEAH.
I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE
WHO ARE NOT PRINCIPLED WILL COMPLETELY DISREGARD HUMAN
LIFE AND DO IT BENEFITS THEM.
HILLARY CLINTON.
THAT IS THE MOST OPPRESSIVE PART ABOUT ALL OF THIS, BECAUSE
THESE ARE PEOPLE WHO DID DECIDE TO PUT THEIR LIVES ON THE LINE
TO PROTECT THIS COUNTRY AND WHENEVER YOU HEAR POLITICIANS
TALK ABOUT IT AGAIN IT'S JUST FOR POLITICAL GAIN.
THEY DON'T
TAKE REAL ACTIONS TO HELP PROTECT THEM OR TAKE CARE OF
THEM WHEN THEY COME BACK.