on the alex salmond show and i'll be speaking to guests of the world of politics or business i'm show business i'll see you then. greetings and sal you take. welcome back everyone to your daily dose of reason accountability and stories that actually matter in the greater scheme of things starting with this little nugget out of bogota we're after a 6 year halt to colombian president ivan 2 k. has decided to restart to the toxic aerial spraying of life glaive to sate coca crops as early as next month. how exciting now for today's bonus prize who here remembers just what made that awful chemical life

a state such a household name for those of you playing at home feel free to yell it out yell out that correct answer yes you in the back you got it right yes mun santino life to say comes from the month told round up lawsuits remember it was quite the state that we killing and. oh edge of lee cancer causing chemical now was at the center of the now infamous $10000000000.00 civil lawsuit settlement that monsanto owner bayer paid out to thousands upon thousands of non hodgkin lymphoma suffering groundskeepers and home owners who got horribly ill after using their roundup brand of weed killer that is chock full of life to say so now the question is why on earth would colombian president took a decide to spray such a dangerous and grotesque chemical into the air and on to the plant soil and

waterways of his country. well the united states war on drugs of course you see coke of makes well cocaine and you can and we can have that now can we yes thanks to pressure from not only the trumpet administration who told the president of colombia that he's got got to spray during a white house visit back in march of 2020 but now the biden administration is also giving its full throated support to these efforts with the vice news reporting that the administration celebrated colombia's decision to restart aerial eradication of coca in its annual international narcotics control strategy report lovely given the united states is long and sordid history of terrorism sanctions and forced coup d'etat in central and south america i guess the colombian president figured it was better to poison his own people with weed killer than face the wrath of just saying no to the u.s.

war on drugs and that my friends is why we are today watching. what's going on a city street. there so you. see there is this you always see. crazy city displays systemic dissent says so which. so brings up the old. welcome i want to watching the hawks i am tired robot and i'm in the chicago so look at this a maze of the biden administration along with the trump administration before it totally supports the spring of a toxic chemical all in the efforts to fight the war on drugs and is pressuring south american countries like colombia to do this it's ridiculous one thing we've learned about the war on drugs that the government has no stopping point when it comes to attempting to fight it a war that will never in clearly and one that has not stopped

a thinking person. from becoming addicted or actually selling drugs that's so true it hasn't carcer it a whole lot of people and caused lots of pain and suffering and heartache throughout communities not just here in the united states but around the world as well because of these actions and the by administration support of this more than 150 experts on drug security and environmental policy have actually written a letter an open letter to biden chastising his hypocrisy on this issue they have actually wrote quote the recently announced decision sends an unfortunate message to the colombian people that your administration is not committed to abandoning the ineffective and damaging war on drugs internationally even as your administration takes bold steps to mitigate its multiple impacts on black indigenous and people of color in the united states who is that a telling sign of hypocrisy there by the ministers in the way we want to change things and laws here in the this country but we're still going to put pressure on

colombia and other countries like oh it absolutely is i mean we have for the longest in this country imposed regulations and sometimes very deadly situations on what we saw as outside actors and we were doing things just as bad or worse right here i think that this one is particularly interesting because as we move towards a new mindset when it comes to drug enforcement laws and things like that and criminal justice reform in general the push to eradicate where some of these drugs come from and not really recognizing the fact that a lot of these places they may end up you know having strong strong processes in terms of how they fill them and how they manufacture it based on the same reasons that we have in many communities in the united states extreme poverty and other things that drive people to do this there is absolutely no reason why in my mind after the months out o. situation and the huge amounts of money paid out from that why knowing exactly the damage that can be caused you would be ok in allowing this to happen to another population of people it reminds me a lot of agent orange back and back in the vietnam war era. we also turbo.

veterans the men and women who serve valiantly in the armed forces deserve not only gratitude and respect but for giving their all and risking their lives the government has a responsibility to take care of them when they return home but all too often that's just not the case us veteran homeless this is an all time high as is the decline in mental health and ongoing threats to veteran and active duty service members exposed to toxic chemicals that cause long range problems veterans are coming back home with deep lung damage from reading incinerate waste from burn pits a recent daily beast article outlines the experience of retired army staff sergeant bill thompson his lungs were found to have black spots and burns throughout there was metal found as well something still alive but on his 2nd lung transplant

but the u.s. government doesn't believe that burn pits are to blame for thompson's ailments the military simply doesn't connect the dots between the burn pits and the severe long decline experienced by thompson and millions of others without that acknowledgement none of the sufferers exposed to burn pits qualify for benefits the military system is crystal clear in its retirement in health care provision they're dependent on length of service active or reserve status deployment type injuries they're in if not in combat action early retirement pay is not even a part of the conversation thompson is one of at least 3500000 veterans since 2001 who served in war zones exposed to toxins from burn pits according to the estimates . that aren't advocacy groups continue to raise awareness despite the growing number of veterans' claims that are being denied many active and retired service members see the light at the end of the tunnel with a new presidential administration notably president joe biden spoke candidly after

the brain cancer diagnosis of his late son beau. 2900 speech biden said quote because of exposure to burn pits in my view i can't prove it yet he came back with state or glioblastoma. veterans that are in support groups in the like continue to testify before congress and push federal leadership at richard brooks shire director of the black veterans project and joins us now welcome richard. pretty good pretty good glad to have you richard you spoken about this before bird pits and their potential to cause injury up to and including death have been documented for quite some time at this point why aren't veterans who've been exposed to these toxins in naming from these pits able to receive benefits and in many cases are denied the care necessary to survive the v.a. itself has listed the estimate of 3500000 people exposed to burn pits yet the government won't pay out and is denying retirement benefits why is it so challenging for veterans to receive justice. well i mean this.

earlier it's just that we could. and as far as why. that are and aren't receiving the kind of. especially when. this is just frankly why we don't want to spend the money that you require in order to get. on it we are going to change policy right there still actually. overseas and so while having to admit in one hand there are culpable environments. in afghanistan and iraq which. members and needlessly at risk they also don't want to kind of have to to pay out according with our always trying to figure out ways to deny. claims and this is just one says that you know every elected official

runs on supporting veterans and wrapping themselves in the red white and blue you know it's a common talking point but when we break it down that narrative no i'm always here for the veterans of all that seems to fall flat what type of movement are you seeing in congress and our elected officials. can we count on the new administration given biden's connections to the burn pits and what happened with his son i know that some are deliberately reduce to a broad bill and 29000 that spoke to toxic exposure but not much has come from it can we expect any change out of our elected officials except more broken promises. now i'm not sure if that's the question to answer you know the senate is it is a challenge for many many legislations are legislative efforts so i'm not sure i mean i know that president biden obviously has this on his radar it. and i know that there are sponsored advocates on the congressional members who take this

issue seriously oh about a concerted effort without collaboration from republicans specifically the no we're not going to see the kind of the kind of progress that we should have on the kind of bills that would alleviate this. and richard your organization supports veterans' health and raises the issue of dangers presented to them in the ways that government has failed them in many cases testimony from veterans health officials and support of celebrities like former daily show host jon stewart speak to the reality of the post 911 that veterans are currently facing what do you think congress needs how do you think congress needs to move forward in advancing just as porous are with men and women and do you think those testimonies are helpful. i think. anytime the better and to tell the story is helpful right along the needs of problem that we all know as far as what can be done i mean there's already there's already legislation legislation presented in front of congress and they can act but

i don't think it goes far enough right we know that it's just one issue toxic exposure is probably our basic issue in the military that affect everything from the barracks the public that the housing that families are living in that are infested with mold even or that was released last summer by the government accountability office stated that there hadn't been enough done to rectify that in my own experience you know i was a combat medic i served in afghanistan and i was stationed in germany and for much of my time on active duty our aid station our medical clinic where we serve all matter of souls or what had been condemned by the german government for its best this but rather they still allowed us to to work there every single day and serve soldiers so this is an issue that goes far beyond permits in there has to be there has to be an expansive view there's never really has to be an honest conversation about how pervasive exposures actually are for people at home who are hearing your target say wow i didn't realize the state of the medical facility in germany how

dangerous these burn pits are what can they do to best help their veterans support this cause how can so that help elevate awareness and get action on those. ideas or anything else you know kind of legislation calling your congressmen in supporting organizations like i have the eggs really going to iraq and afghanistan veterans america has really been one of the central champions around dressing burnet issues in so yeah i mean like making sure that you are acutely aware of the legislation that's being put forth and know where your representative stands on supporting that legislation and obviously getting to or musicians there advocating for veterans who are the passage of. this type of legislation but also a better one is aces that are stepping in and being discussed between as the government dragged its feet these days that are and still need all of different types of care retrofitting of their homes. the list goes on and on and so there are

better ways nations that actually kind of come in intervene and provide those services because the government continues to fail there richard thank you so much for the good work that you're doing and keeping clear and helping our veterans like yourself and others and it's truly an honor and thank you for educating our audience today on these issues and. we are as we go to break remember that you could also start watching the hawks of the males with the brand new or old t.v. which is available on all platforms with definitely check it out coming up the 18th anniversary of the iraq war is upon us and we talked to one of the people who has been protesting against it since it's a very inception 18 years ago stay tuned to watching the.

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to max kaiser financial survival guide. looking forward to your pension account. yanks this is what happens to pensions in britain. you watch kaiser report. i'm going to. bring a. longer view i mean you know. i'm . not. i'm not. a you. must you not yet you nationally for sides. knew all. the new.

all extremists all of which i don't know much. new top of that if you should get a bill be you are you able review. of the story and don't let them bring me up will be of the night. and let them know what you. right welcome back and one and all 18 years yes 18 years ago one of the greatest

and most tragic of the events of the early 21st century transpired and was cultivated under the watch of the united states of american government and the george bush administration of course my friends i'm talking about the iraq war started on march 20th 2003 based on the now long and completely made up assertion that the iraqi leader saddam hussein was desperately in search of weapons of mass destruction to do what with no one will ever really set beyond bag spooky speculations and mushroom clouds over manhattan the 2nd invasion of iraq turned out my friends to be quite the doozie originally dubbed operation iraqi liberation or oil yes oil not making this up the united states shock and awe campaign of invasion and occupation resulted in over hundreds upon hundreds of thousands of iraqi citizens killed and over $1.00 trillion us tax dollars spent. and what

was ultimately accomplished what did the american people or the rest of the world really game from what at the time was the thing to vote for and support for all the cool kids here in the halls of congress and the white house including representative adam schiff from senator chuck schumer. joining us now to discuss the 18th anniversary of the u.s. invasion and occupation of iraq is the co-founder of code pink would be a benjamin would be always a pleasure having you on. the ice. so looking back at the 18th anniversary of the u.s. invasion and occupation of iraq what sticks out to you the most about that moment in history and how it has now shaped the world today. perhaps the most tragic irony is that the u.s. overthrow saddam hussein iran

a lot more power in iraq and in the region itself and so now you see the u.s. in this war with iran precisely because the u.s. invasion open the gates or the he actually munity words like you are the oppressed . so you have more power and therefore iran as well. amity your organization code pink was founded in november of 2002 being the lead up to the iraq war one of the least mentioned stories about the invasion with a massive global protest against it despite the lack of news coverage of those protests at the time what do you believe was and is the lingering significance of them in 2002 and present. i think those protests eventually you know they have an effect in the sense that u.s. government doesn't want us to being killed in iraq so they change the way they

fight a war they brought a lot of troops home. unfortunately the air war is going on the negative side i think it. led to a lot of disillusionment among the protesters to say here we got millions of people globally out on the streets and yet our leaders didn't listen to us but it perhaps they also sensitized the leaders more because they understand the u.s. is tired of these wars they understand public opinion is not only in favor of getting out and were iraqi and afghanistan but also doesn't want another war like a war with iran. could agree to more and you know you you and i used bush have been watching this over the last 18 years what do you believe and you've been speaking out against this very very awesomely every time you've gone to jail and speaking out against this war what do you believe was the biggest misconception today

regarding the u.s. war in iraq as a whole besides the fact that hey there are still u.s. troops there we never have actually left. i think for a lot of younger people they really don't know anything different than the u.s. being in iraq in afghanistan in a kind of creates this sort of background noise without understanding how horrific it is what the u.s. has done there you talked about all of the deaths millions of people displaced internally and fleeing to neighboring countries the u.s. troops the numbers are not that high in terms of the numbers killed but it's over 4500 and for what and then the number of injured and never of contractors that it been hurts the trauma that people live with that psychologically it's well it's really there are so many repercussions of this war and i want to say for the people of iraq who have suffered so to mend asli for the

younger generations they. at least generations of. often times without education allow her to knit these living with the violence and this has scarred a whole generation we saw people out protesting in 201829900 m. getting killed for protesting against a corrupt government put in place by the united states so i think we owe her mendis debt to the people of we're act whose country we destroyed the sectarian violence we created we basically created isis as well and i don't think the american people have any idea how much damage we wrought and how much we owe in terms of things like reparations to the iraqi people or you kind of touched on my next question but i also wanted to add to your statement about the timing we entered iraq and afghanistan when i was in high school i was a freshman at this point you know i've gone to undergraduate grad school been out

of grad schools there's 2012 and we still happen to be occupying their mood we talk about the u.s. paying reparations so that iraqi people for the destruction that we've caused in the region i want to get a little bit of your feeling on what that actually means what it would look like and why is it so important. well unfortunately because the united states is a superpower it doesn't feel that it needs to say it sorry or make amends when obama came in he said we're not going to look back and hold anybody accountable in the bush administration for the law is that led us into this disastrous war and instead look forward and now we have joe biden who himself was a supporter of this war the fact that he managed to become president shows that there's no accountability in the united states so unfortunately i don't see in the cards that we're going to pay reparations i said we should but i doubt that the

u.s. will because we don't. we don't hold ourselves accountable for the destruction that we create when we invade and occupy other countries and it's that fact that we don't hold ourselves accountable why it is so wonderful that we have people activists out there like yourself and the hundreds and thousands and millions of others around the world who do still stand up and say that this is wrong and that we shouldn't be doing this and speak truth to power and continue to fight for the for the little people that are trampled on by these empires and by these nations who do not accept accountability for their actions i want to thank you so much for coming on today and educating our audience always a pleasure having you on keep up the great work out there. thank you and remember we still have to bring the troops home from iraq yes we do most definitely we do. damn damn damn and no these are not curse words dams they're being removed and for

good reason in the us 69 dams were removed from rivers in 2020 the american rivers a national nonprofit is leading the charge to restore rivers to their natural state that involves disrupting the dam system they created a damaging environment for wildlife. though damming has been 2nd nature for centuries the piling up of sediment is choking the life out of rivers destroying natural habitats and soaking up tax dollars the removal of just one dam can open up a route for this species to travel in fact a 60 mile stretch of culturally sacred salmon near bellingham washington just found its way back home with the removal of a dam but as much as eradicating dams is about wildlife and ecological safety it's also about dollars and cents reopening rivers brings revenues industries like boating and fishing depend on it. but you know that i mean that's incredible when you when you see that because it's like for years growing up years ago we need to

dam up the river in order create water but then you realize how much damage it's actually causing yeah i mean i was always taught the dams were helpful for the longest you know it was it was a source of being able to clean it was served as one or at least propagated as one that was going to be able to stop water overflow and things like bad what now we find that they've actually destroyed a lot of wildlife in addition to you know just creating really damaging sediment problems it's amazing the one we just you know leave me alone to its own devices how well it works. for everybody that there's a show for you today remember in this world we are definitely told that we are loved enough so i tell you all 'd i love you i roll them and i'm of the people are watching those hawks never a great day out there. americans

love. this was a fundamental part of how our political leadership and our country a large understood the bargain you get a home. and then you know. the things you have a stake in the system. and. the longer deeper history. in the united states not just that. the american dream. the dream. i'm max kaiser one more of my guide to financial survival this is fun it's a device used by professional scallywags to earn money. that's right.

not accountable and we're just getting more and more to the. totally destabilize the global economy you need to protect yourself and get in for god's guys or. humanity has never seen such strange natural phenomena before. coming to this appearing in the peninsula. one after another. look never. give us your boy you know whom does. he want. this one appeared in 2020. how often and where will new creases appear. how dangerous are they for humans mom only you. and 2021 russian scientists came quite close to working out what's going on. they built a full scale 3 d. model of the black hole.

23rd of march in the headlines germany imposes yet another round of harsh anti code restrictions as a huge scandal over political profiteering from fay small sales hits the top no with the health ministry himself in the firing line. protesters hit the streets across europe against paid. people tell us why. take it anymore. or not we are fed up we no longer know wish to stand on a little lost the soul of the thing is you call him districts life so much we are here in castle today because all the measures that are being taken here in germany no longer serve the people. until now u.s. forces journalists haven't needed time to another.