Panama angry over US weapons left along canal

[donsu]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051105/ts_nm/panama_usa_weapons_dc

- When the U.S. military handed over control of the Panama Canal in 1999, it left behind thousands of unexploded weapons strewn across jungle firing ranges that are still killing people.

Many Panamanians accuse the United States of ignoring the dangers and
President George W. Bush will face protests over the controversy during a visit starting on Sunday night.

-snip-

Around 30,000 acres were cleaned but 8,000 acres are still scattered with live mortars, grenades, bombs, rockets and Agent Orange residue. Outside the canal zone, seven mustard gas bombs weighing between 500 pounds and 1,000 pounds were abandoned on Panama's uninhabited Pacific island of San Jose.

-snip-

The restricted areas have minimal security beyond a few faded warning signs, and those near Escobal run alongside a national park renowned among bird-watchers.

The United States says the jungle is too dense to cut a path through for bomb disposal experts, and warn that trying it would erode the topsoil and silt up the canal.
-snip-
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aaaarrrrrggggghhhhh

[drdtroit]

1. "The United States says the jungle is too dense to cut a path through ..."

Ever hear of a fuckin' helicopter?

[Caoimhe]

2. Gosh it almost sounds like they are

PRETENDING TO CARE ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT!!!??

ugh

[Retired AF Dem]

4. I have to admit

Georgie has nothing to do with this one, didnt build it, didnt give it up.

[Double T]

3. I think the rest of the world is getting tired of our excuses...........

The U.S. made the 'mess', now we should clean it up. I can't wait for the day when we have a socially responsible government. If our government did the right thing they would not have to spend so much on our own weapons and military of mass destruction.

[pushycat]

5. Leaving mustard gas bombs around is NUTS. Wouldn't a

TAIRIST like to have something like that?
It appears that the little defense budget is too poor to allocate funds for line items like 'cleaning up toxic operations and ordinance'. This is similar to the Army's dumping mustard gas containers off the Virginia Coast or the SF Naval Shipyard at Hunters Point (http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/hunters_point.htm).

Military budget planners have all the resources they need to estimate and plan for clean up costs related to base operations. They just lack the will to do what any ordinary business would be required to do when vacating a location. A case in point is the independent gas station owners who went out of business in the late 70's because of the environmental costs of leaky storage tanks.

[Retired AF Dem]

6. I suggest you go to

http://www.greatwar.nl/gifgas/houthulst-eng.html

You don't live in the worst country of the world.

[pushycat]

7. Went there... The cost of war is so high, so why so much of it. damn

[Retired AF Dem]

8. That is the question

I don't think the answer is known. Or ever will be.