Do not despair TwoeY if we all continue despite the few detracters we will ultimately be successful. If we don't satnd up now we will never do so.

Dobie.

Thans Dobie, I appreciate your comment.
I'd like to take an opportunity to thank pioneer8rar, Dave your communications to me have been a light to me where there was none. Your diligence despite the ignorance surrounding these issues has made me feel less alone.

Twoey's Tantrum of the Day.

The headline in The Age "Mother's desperate plea"

The body of the story defines for me the attention and resources that the media and Government will utilize to "save" Tuong Van Nguyen, a fellow that is reported to have made a decision import heroin to Singapore (to pay his brothers legal bills) that will most likey harm him.

Barristers Lex Lasry, QC, and Julian McMahon described the decision as a "personal rebuff for our leaders"

Mr Downer said last night: "If anybody has any new and constructive ideas, we're happy to look at them. But there is not anything apparent to us. We have done everything we can."

Look what can happen if you, however admirmirally decide to pay your brothers legal bills.

Look I may well empathise with the peddler and I find myself thinking what kind of idiot looks after his brother by getting hanged, and it would be a shame to lose a young life blah blah blah.

We are still waiting to see even a glimmer of the same kind of attention, we are many not one, and WE HAD NO CHOICE. Thanks Downer, you dick. Oh hey Kevin Rudd theres a reason you are in opposition, you have no spine.

There are quite a few 4 letter words I would like to use.
I cycle between rage and desparation and despair when I see the obvious bulls**t some people and Government subscribe to.

What the heck do you think would happen if we all piled into an illegal fishing vessel with $7 billion in cocaine and had our mothers call the newspaper.

And the w**ker barrister, the race card aint gonna make a damn bit of differnce.

I have read the above comments and find some totally unbelievable. I am a Vietnam Veteran and have 3 daughters. The eldest is now 35 and suffers from Gillian Barre Syndrome, a virus that causes the white cells to eat away at your nerve endings. Thirty percent of sufferers die. My daughter is lucky,as she is overcoming the disease with massive doses of steroids, which has caused her to double her weight in a few months.
My second daughter has malformations in her spine and suffers from chronic back ache. She has two sons. The eldest who is now 4, developed Juvenile diabetes at age two. Her youngest now almost 3 was born with Cleft lip and Cleft Palate, has had to have tubes inserted to drain his tear ducts, and has had a number of operations with more to come.
My youngest daughter, who is now 22, had endometriosis, has mild Spina Bifida, has lots of backache from this. She has just had her first child and thankfully, this child seems to be perfect.She is only 5 days old). For 9 months I have been very worried about the new grandchild, hoping and praying for good health, as I have been blaming myself for my daughters ill health and for my grandchildrens ill health. I was a National Serviceman and in Vietnam in 1966/1967 and have lots of health problems as well. I am TPI and demand that the COWHS goes ahead for the sake of our children and their children.
Merv17

Merv17

You are not to blame for events beyond your control, it has taken me many years to live down my guilt at my own children's ill health and the best thing we can all do is give COVVHS and the PVA as much support as we can muster.

For those that don't know check the deformities suffered by the people of South Vietnam.

Dobie.

As a Vietnam Vet of the regular service ilk my health issues are my problem as I volunteered to do my governments bidding. However my son did not and his medical issues, which fall into the unusual catagory should be addressed by the government. He is not looking for compensation just some answers and if possible some treatment. We as veterans deserve to know more about the possible consiquences of chemicals used to Protect us. I have no concerns if they caused my health problems as technically like bullets and bombs they were used with the best of intentions for our safety, but my son should not have to suffer because of my service.
Buck Ryan ex 135th Assault Helicopter Company.

I am the child of a Vietnam veteran who served for two tours in 68 and 69. Five years ago I was diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Anxiety Disorder and Clinical Depression. I have also in that time been consulting a GP who is as perplexed as I am that I have a 'rare' red blood cell disorder, so rare in fact that there is no name for it. Can this be attributed to Agent Orange? My father tells me he remembers it raining down on him, and he remembers it cracking the webbing between his fingers and toes. He has also been diagnosed with a 'rare' red blood cell disorder.
The point of this is that pointing fingers will not change the fact that we both have something wrong with us. Not including my younger brother who has been diagnosed with Manic Depression.
Perhaps it would be more productive to carefully consider engaging in war in the first place. Active service women and men in Irag and Afghanistan are required to take 'medicine' to counter the effects of the Allied Forces depleted uranium weapons. That begs the question - in thirty years time will we need a new committee and a new inquiry to determine the extent of damage occuring in those veterans' families?
There must be a better way!