WSU to Study Iraq Toxins' Effect
Spokesman-Review
by Bert Caldwell
Research to examine how exposure might damage offspring of soldiers
Washington State University scientists will use a $1.7 million grant to study what multi-generation genetic damage might be done by toxins U.S. troops could encounter in Iraq.
The research using laboratory rats, not humans, will be the first for the military to examine the epigenetic effects of pesticides, herbicides and other compounds, said lead scientist Michael Skinner, director of the university's Center for Reproductive Biology.
Previous studies have looked at the health effects of other substances, notably the Agent Orange used to defoliate jungles in Vietnam, on the soldiers directly exposed, he said, not on their children or grandchildren.
"The science really had not caught up with the trans-generational stuff," said Skinner, one of several WSU pioneers in the field of epigenetic, or multi-generational, inheritance.
Besides herbicides and pesticides – which and in what combinations has not been determined – the study also will look at the effects of explosives residues, he said.
The four-year study will allow researchers to see how any changes in genetic chemistry that develop are passed along through two subsequent generations of rats, he said, noting that only the first two years of research have been funded.
Among the problems that might develop are kidney disease, or changes in the male and female reproductive organs, he said.
If any genetic markers are identified in rats, Skinner said, follow-up research could look at whether they might show up among members of the military as well.
That would be of particular interest to Dave Holmes, interim chief operating officer of the Institute for Systems Medicine, which was awarded the U.S. Department of Defense grant passed through to Skinner.
Holmes' son, Tim Hammond, did two tours in Iraq with the U.S. Marine Corps.
"They sprayed all kinds of stuff on them," Holmes said.
Although the grant money, the first awarded ISM, will fund work in Pullman, he said the organization's supporters hope any subsequent clinical studies will be done in Spokane.
"There's a lot of excitement about making it happen," he said.
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Another Warrior's View of Socialized Healthcare:
By Dick Wells
Eleven score and four years ago, our forefathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in Liberty and dedicated to the
proposition that government is instituted among men to secure their God-given Unalienable Rights. Now we are engaged in an insurrection, an
all-out-rebellion, a civil war waged by that very same government against the very foundation of its authority: The U. S. Constitution!
At every turn, the federal government is over-stepping the bounds of the Constitution. Congress allows the executive to openly campaign for
nationalization of private industries. Moreover, the administration has done just that to the auto & bank industries and is now poised to nationalize the healthcare industry, having succeeded with his
unconstitutional healthcare reform in congress!
When anyone challenges Obama's credentials in federal court, the challenge is dismissed for lack of standing! This is irrational at best, since many
of the challengers are under oath to "uphold, protect and defend the constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic!" Once taken, the
oath is incumbent for the life of the one taking it. One can only marvel (since all of congress took the same oath to the constitution), how is it
that no one is telling the administration to back off; the constitution confers no such powers to the federal government? The fault may be found
in our legal system. In our legal system, a law or action is admissible as long as no one complains; if the court can possibly dismiss the complaint
as "lacking standing," so much the better.
President Obama could likely be forming a legacy more remarkable than any other president before, or possibly after him. He has Single-handedly set
the standard for disregarding the constitution's limits on his powers, and those of congress. He has skyrocketed the national debt and announced his plans for draconian attacks on our Liberty with a national police force equal in strength to the military. He has ignored the people's complaint
about the folly of the war on terrorism with porous borders. Moreover, he is expected to seek amnesty for the invaders; witness his duplicity
regarding them in his heathcare "reform." He embarrassed us all with his genuflect to foreign leaders, instead of treating them as equals (showing no genuine respect for them or his own office). He has alienated our military veterans and home-coming military with his disregard for their
sacrifices (he has shown more regard for invaders). He lied during his campaign about being a "Christian"; and only after he gained office did he
admit that he is a muslim. He has brushed aside all challenges to his citizen status and therefore, there is no proof of his qualifications for the highest office in the federal government. However, most of these things will not live long in history compared to the impact he has brought home to Americans in every walk of life.
What the MFIC (Malefactor in charge) has accomplished with all of his deceit and mismanagement, that will live on long after he is gone, is of far greater importance than the wounds he inflicted on our government and way of life. He has awakened a sleeping giant. The ranks of patriots are a groundswell of men and women coming together all over the nation, dedicated to learning their heritage at TEA Party and Town Hall meetings of various sorts. People are recognizing that though they may have had little or no interest in politics as such, they do see that all of their
problems stem from our representative government not obeying the constitution. People are beginning to recognize that there is a remarkable difference between politics and the Rule of Law, which is the U. S. Constitution.
Posterity will, no doubt, thank you Barrack Obama, for waking their forefathers from their stupor. So, lead on Mr. President, the farther you
take us down this road to destruction, the more remarkable our patriot correction will become! Your legacy is not what you intended, to be sure,
but it is one sorely needed: the return to first principles embodied by the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights!
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