Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Harry Manacsa Week 8 Blog

Harry Manacsa
Dr. Valverde
ASA150E
28 February 2017
Blog Week 8
I read through chapter 13 of Scorched Earth: Legacies of Chemical Warfare in Vietnam as if each letter was a case study on a patient—the format of “the patient presents with certain symptoms.” Following Fred Wilcox’s theme, Dr. Ken Herrman wants to outline Vietnamese testimonies in the framework of scientific literature—providing them with similarly reputable credibility. In fact, Wilcox’s inclusion of McNulty’s primate experiment exemplifies this more clearly: “After consuming food containing . . . TCDD, [the] primates became very quiet, began losing weight, lost their appetite . . .” (Wilcox 94) In all, Wilcox makes a case for Agent Orange’s connection to congenital defects. In truth, crafting these arguments are the only way to win, which manifests in Wilcox’s analysis of Weinstein’s ruling in chapter 7. As he claims, such arguments against Agent Orange are largely kept under wraps to deflect any responsibility on America’s irresponsible warfare. The problem continues today, as a 2016 Fox article mentions that “US officials have consistently denied a connection between contact with [AO] . . . and similar health issues experienced by people in Vietnam. (“Obama urged . . .”) Even the veterans “. . . refused . . . to give up trying to tell the world what Agent Orange/dioxin does to human beings.” (Wilcox 185) But if the US is found accountable, what reparative actions could be done? The foreseeable outcomes are to attenuate the living victims, and conduct research to minimize the incidence of birth defects in AO victims.

Works Cited:
Goodman, James. "Brockport professor leaves a lasting legacy." Rochester Democrat and
Chronicle. N.p., 04 Nov. 2014. Web. 28 Feb. 2017.
Fred A. Wilcox. Scorched Earth: Legacy of Chemical Warfare in Vietnam. 2011.
http://i.huffpost.com/gadgets/slideshows/490676/slide_490676_6767262_free.jpg
"Obama urged to visit Agent Orange victims during trip to Vietnam." Fox News. FOX News
Network, n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2017.


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