birts, he shared his take on the remaining challenges, the u. s. financial system faces and the consequences the turbulence may have for the whole world. the 5 large banks, the 3 giant new york banks, the 2 giant california banks. these banks have trillions of dollars of derivatives. the value of bridge is twice the size of the g. p of the entire world. yet their capital base is only in billions. so they are holding they are, they are exposed to risk in the trillions of dollars. and they do not have the capital base to support that risk. so if something happens again in these derivatives,

as it did earlier this century, when we had the big crisis, those banks will be in jeopardy if these big bikes get in jeopardy from their derivatives. it will spread into europe when the president says something like biden, that's his job is to reassure people, so they come down. they don't rush to the banks and pull out their money. but i doubt if biden, or anyone in his administration or even the federal reserve has any idea of the extent of risk. if one of the very large bikes, the job banks, if they get into serious trouble with their derivatives, it will impact the rest of the world. that's our, up on the hour and coming up for years. the u. s. military burned the toxic byproduct of their activities at sides called burn pit. the fumes were known to

cause extremely viral forms of cancer. something the u. s. military establishment denied for a long time. john carry off who sits down with a former marine to discuss the horrors of bird fits next. found the whistle blowers they closed. ah ah, imagine you're in the u. s. military and your job is to take care of waste disposal . that sounds easy enough and your orders are to pull those everything into a giant pile, spray it with jet fuel and set it on fire. that sounds like a terrible idea. it'll pollute everything, and it will cause untold health problems. i'm john curiosity and you're watching the whistleblowers

burn pits have become a serious issue in u. s. military policy. the concept of burned pits is relatively simple. the military needs a way to dispose of its waste. but that waste includes every thing, food scraps, plastics, rubber, medical, waste, chemicals, even broken military equipment. the policy for decades was to bulldoze everything into a giant pile using acres of land hose it all down with jet fuel and then set it on fire. just imagine all of that burning waste, it would have to be one of the most toxic environments on earth. and what happened is that soldiers and proximity to the burn pits began returning to the united states and showing signs of rare cancers, especially glee, oh bless, domus brain cancers claiming the lives of people like bo biden,

the son of president joe biden, and claiming the life of my best friend, david mccracken, the connection between the burned pits and these rare cancers was clear, but the pentagon refused to acknowledge it. and for years after the burned pits were wound down and the u. s. withdrew from places like iraq and kosovo, the victims continued to suffer and to die. our guest today is joseph hickman. joe hickman spent most of his life in the military 1st as the marine. and then as a soldier in both the army and the national guard, he is deployed on several military operations throughout the world, sometimes attached to foreign militaries, the recipient of more than 20 commendations and awards. jo hickman was awarded the army chief met metal and the army commendation metal. while he was stationed at guantanamo bay, he's also the author of the book, the burn pits. joe, welcome back to the show. thanks john. joe, the problem of burn pit seems to be patently obvious. everybody knows that you

can't burn plastic. everybody knows that you can't burn rubber or medical waste out in an open field. everybody knows you can't mix chemicals and equipment and food and just set it all on fire. how did this stupid policy begin in the 1st place? i began in the beginning, you're remembering trash and military years. decades during the war we birch. but we really started to realize something's wrong, even though we changed that realization we gave the job to dispose of waste and soldiers. and from the basis we're building to government contractors and the government contractors that did we gave her to a j, v. r. james, he was former ceo of the company or vice president united states,

and they were cutting cost figure out a way to do stuff, high temperatures, generators decide to take the bridges of fields and burn our ways in burn. joe, how long was it before people began to see a correlation between the burn pits and illnesses. even if those illnesses weren't these rare cancers, what happened then? did the complaints go back to the pentagon in a timely fashion? it did most the once the down cause it moves so slowly on. we started seeing crowns almost within months after we dated once we got into iraq, they call it the iraqi cried within 2 to 3 months. so you're coming down really sick with a lot of bonuses and mostly sort of

a symptoms understood, and they call it into the regular people begin to realize that you're living. this is what was causing this so called the cylinders you've done a major investigation of this policy that led to your 3rd book, the burn pits. why did the pentagon deny for so long that there was a problem? why did they deny that these clusters of rare cancers affecting a wide variety of people who had one thing in common that they worked in or near the burn pits? was this financial issue that the pentagon just didn't want to have to deal with? it was definitely a financial issue. it was also after, wow, the pentagon stopped denying it was an issue, but they went so it was a legal li loophole that they could use k,

b r was held responsible for the birth. so that's actually also from there were $400.00 soldiers, many illnesses of the burg this well gave york laid on the military towing saying the military saying that the military came up with the idea of where to go and give your schools the military stake on the issue because the ferris doctrine can't sue the military. so j b r a military, no solid. and it was just the case for the liberal accuser this problem because it just who do you blame? why the sides denying it and the other side by side. this denying it and you get to that well, let me ask you a follow up on that issue because i think i think you're hitting on

a very important point here. you've got these military contractors who are more or less indemnified for what they're doing in war zones during war time. you've got k, b r which is a multi $1000000000.00 company with very, very close ties to the military industrial complex. but then they get away with something like this. this is the same company that got away with multiple accusations of sexual harassment, of female employees. for example. why is it that these 2 big to fail military contractors who are clearly in the wrong on some of these issues of life and death? just get away with it. how does this happen? well, i used to all of your biggest things there. like i said, dick cheney is a timers before or become wise. say he had resigned years ceo. he was he had very host tired to keep your money

when he left, which $1000000.00 in stock. gosh. that was part of his stuffing down was part of what he sees after the rocky and yes, the more started his doctor who stock options for trips. so i really, i mean, i figured there was a lot of evidence so certain. yeah. it's a lot of things. why your god, the contract? no big contract to waste management and the money that you're you know, government official date on this? absolutely, sir. yeah. yeah. it's astounding for these members of the u. s. military who were exposed to the burn pits. joe, tell us a little bit about what they had to endure. in the case of my friend david mccracken, he worked on burden pitts,

both in kosovo and iraq. he came home and developed a glee, oh, blessed alma and was dead. less than a year later, at the age of 46, his family was denied defense department medical benefits. and he was even denied permission to be buried at arlington national cemetery. because they said that his illness was not service related. was that kind of treatment common for soldiers coming back, who had been exposed to the burn pits? is that what ho biden's family and others endured? yes, and i did have the practice. and this was for client was a terrible story, cerebral french story. unfortunately, the story is very common and it is to show the back or yet i don't understand why this should be right on the front page of all these people actually be denied at 1st. everyone was

denied now denied benefits and a lot of them died just completely drunk and not given heroes. you know, you know, we're just under the radar. these are all your lessons. tell us about some of the diseases that we're talking about here. i mentioned in a moment ago glee, oh, blessed oma, which is this rare brain cancer? it's something that my friend had. it's something that bo biden had. it turned out that in my friend, david's case, he had to tumors in his brain. one, the size of a walnut and one the size of a p, but they were so deep in his brain that they were inoperable. there was just nothing that could be done. it turned out that bo biden had pretty much the same thing. but what else are we talking about here? are we talking about respiratory illnesses like c o, p d? are we talking exclusively about cancers? what are these people coming home with?

their current home? so different diagnosis, you have to share, there was, you're burning anything and everything. so you're, you're deal with with thousands of cars that are affected by so many different ways . i've talked to people that had this soldier who had a tumor on the side of his side on the side, the size of football. and i think to really understand all the look at the rock here. and what was your purpose? asked the cd. she don't even have names for dollars. so i think i think the sex where does you know so many different things. the soldiers are having an error in her having this i'm believe

you may go, you make a very good point there. and a very important point, i read a new york times account of burn pits in iraq. that said that when the, when the wind would shift, the smoke would settle on a u. s. military base. and literally everybody on the base was, was forced to breathe in this. iraqi gunk as you call it. everybody got sick, whether it was from asthma or a cold or an upper respiratory infection, all the way down to these these rare cancers. but then just imagine what people and neighboring villages had to go through. if you're a soldier, you're eventually going to cycle out of that base. you're going to come home or you're going to be transferred somewhere else. if you're an iraqi national or a coast of our or an afghan, and you live near these, these burn pits, you breathe this in for years and,

and nothing good is going to come to this. no, it was um, you're talking about over a 180 different build law for us, iraq or outside of military bases. and like i said, the earth respects their state. now the 1st try to say it was your anger ost and what several dockers. she can see that there is from the owner of her history country on it's a developing story. it is very sad to know the story this, these children are being born with some of the worse birth defects you ever see. we are speaking with joseph heckman, about the toxic burned pits created and used by the u. s. military around the world and how they lead to untold human misery among american soldiers and others, including the locals. we're going to take a short break and come right back, stay to. 2 2 2 2

look forward to talking to you all that technology should work for people. a robot must obey the orders given it by human beings, except where such order does that conflict with the 1st law show your identification. we should be very careful about, on personal intelligence at the point, obviously is to great trust, rather than fits with various job with artificial intelligence. real. somebody with a robot must protect its own existence with a

ah ah, welcome back to the whistle blowers. i'm john kerry. aku were speaking with joseph hickman, a u. s. military veteran, an author of the book, the burn pitts. good to have you back joe. the u. s. defense department is now estimating that 3 and a half 1000000 troops. that's u. s. troops in kosovo,

iraq and afghanistan eventually returned to the u. s. with respiratory or other health problems because of, of exposure to the burn pits. that is a gigantic number. but the problem that we've seen since 2010 is that the pentagon didn't bother to keep records of what was actually burned, where it was burned, how it was burned, and who was exposed to the smoke. as a result, the u. s. department of veterans affairs has been reluctant to admit that these diseases were service related. has that finally been fixed, or veterans finally receiving the care and the benefits that they deserve. a lot more better in the here. there's a pack that recently was a huge benefit, but again, the driver moves so slow, we're still seeing a lot of people being denied that we shouldn't be there. but it is turning around,

it's getting better. it should have been better a lot faster. what happens with ages aren't, which is very similar to. ready as far as how we handle it, it took 27 years for this veterans from the army and were just seeing the same thing with them. or what are you trying to do tribute that to, to just bureaucratic normalcy or, or is there some other reason why the, the pentagon and the department of veterans affairs just can't seem to get it's, it's act together on this issue. i, i think it's, it's deeply cool at all. i could tell you that before the 14, now i had a company global research solutions and i submitted a detailed report on what was happening with these burg,

that's better and we're going through the problems. i told me directly to senator ron johnson directly the senator ron johnson, thompson and i asked him to explain to you got behind it 100 percent when i was going to this office and he said he would do what he can. and then just a couple weeks later, a bill was introduced to, to actually recognize the issue and to do some sort of, you know, testing evaluations on soldiers or started the verbage. and he, he's already against the bill. oh, i couldn't understand why he was correct. member is all the staff and his better is people don't staff any? yeah, probably 7 bill on

a missile system. i think the guy that he had to go for $35000000.00 to help them. and the bank, i believe the one that this will because it hasn't worked in years trials, trials, but he passed it i, i d, d live where she were or something we're just really paid by the military, industrial, military and so much into slows these issues down one of the things that has me perplexed is, it's now clear to everybody, including at the pentagon and the pentagon's leadership. that burne pits are toxic, that they kill people, and that they should not be in use. but at the same time, the defense department still has not officially bands there use. why is that, and is there any role for congress here? why are the oversight committees?

not banning the bern pits and legislation. you're john, you're just as good as mine. actually. my wife has serious rust is where it's, you know, why she's on the shoes in my racket into this issue is just not going away and their, their band aid, they're not drinking it all. in late summer, jo president biden signed a bill into law that is supposed to improve medical benefits for service members who were exposed to the burn pitts. do you think that's enough? it took a long time and it doesn't look like there's any more legislation pending. is there more that you think should be done or do i think there's more or morality issues that should be done military deal with their own veterans?

i don't, i didn't. i didn't like the abilities time, but there's so much work to do hardly see the bill itself. i think i think we should just start by shutting, leaving our veterans services that has worked for years and years and years under the concept. ok. or sick or injured military related and that's how they operate. instead of operating that way they have to just change change. okay. you are sitting and you're showing you tell me we have to prove its not. ready ready should be changed. i don't see we started off here talking about k b r and and defense contractors have defense contractors taken

a position on these legislative issues that k b r a side. obviously, because k b r has a vested interest in bern, pitts, not being recognized as a health concern. what about some of the other big defense contractors or are the victims of the burn pits, standing alone there standing these, these covered these, these companies a draft drake themselves flag is out of your window in the end. they don't, they don't they, it's all about them. and why do you think we're not seeing more support on capitol hill? you just now told this awful story about senator ron johnson, which i completely believe. i worked on capitol hill for many years and, and this kind of thing happens all the time. but why isn't there a movement among other members of congress, whether it's the house, the senate to do something to protect our service members,

it just seems like there's this is a no lose situation. if you're a politician, they are hungry. you have a couple that are really good. it was the north carolina marriage, impassioned the guy in the driveway. one help booker, for helping others. all these what there's just a few and far between. like there's, there's some that are just independence. some just seem like the talk again, but when it comes to her, there are not as it really was. and i think it over is the people that the country we have to start paying attention to how you go. yes or no. and all these things are supposed to help. not just jo, back in august, there was a protest about the bern pits right here in washington, d. c. with big names like john stuart,

standing with veterans and trying to bring this to light. what more do you think needs to be done to bring about change? ah, when, like i said, i think it has to start in into the system itself has to be completely has to be turn around and start actually better actually give stacks. when you go to the site i go on, there is a lack of respect to the veterans. so they, they don't really believe with the veterans saying maybe the doctors are, are just overwhelmed because it's short staffed. every time i go to church and they have a lot to do, it just has to. they have to changes. you know, good luck. we haven't seen that yet. i'm sorry. that's okay. you have to follow the fax joe. one last question for you. you have blown the whistle on 2 major

issues affecting the u. s. military, that's torture at guantanamo. and we're going to discuss that separately. and on these bern pitts. what has the reaction been to you personally by the u. s. military? i'm sure the rank and file are grateful for what you've done. i know that my friend, david's widow, is grateful for what you've done. but what's the reaction been from the pentagon, pentagon, they, i had a hard time when i came for this group one time. first radar still active duty and it was probably a really bad time. you are my but i had to because literally a situation so they, they gave me a hard time sometimes which amount to much

because there is payroll issues that some issues with where i was station to be moved to a different job. it was a lot of problems in a lot of people. hired them, spoke pretty roughly why for the people in my my peers got longer and i'm logged in to research joe heckman. thank you so much for joining us today. that's all we have for you today. remember, in this case, the words of the dalai lama. a compassionate concern for others well being is the source of happiness. a self centered attitude is the source of the problem. we have to take care of ourselves without selfishly taking care of ourselves. if we don't

take care of others, we cannot take care of ourselves. i'm john curiosity. and this has been the whistle blowers. we'll see you next time. ah. 2 2 2 2 ah, every year on march, the sixteen's, hundreds of people gather in the center, agree go to commemorate the land fans who fought with nazi germany in beth and assist attachments during world war 2. this day is known as legion in a day with police just got started with advocates. if the veterans claim the landfill soldiers had nothing to do with the trustees committed against jews. despite historical evidence to prove that country with

boldness like a socialist russia, because i lose you with a look at this drill was a multiple push strike drone that could carry up to 1700 kilograms of explosives. can you imagine the dimension aircraft drones suddenly new york or san francisco moscow plant, the u. s. program were in fact the waters as a probably cation also say russian jets did not cause the downing b, u, a v, suffering a flight failure on. so i had with terrorist attack is no longer a secret. moreover, it was a terrorist acts committed at a state level cuz no m.