Trump’s orange legacy may be worse that his fake orange hair

 

Trump’s orange legacy may be worse that his fake orange hair

 

Ask someone to comment on Trump and orange and you’ll likely get a snarky reference to his hilarious orange hair

 

But Trump may go out with an infinitely more dubious connection to orange: the president who dumped US efforts to eradicate Agent Orange in Vietnam, still disabling over 3 million there 50 years after the war ended.

 

The half century acknowledgement of America’ skedaddling from Saigon, April 30, 1975, has brought renewed interest in the Agent Orange nightmare US imposed on the hapless Vietnamese in that senseless war.

 

To remove cover from advancing Viet Cong and North Vietnam troops, the US poured down nearly 20 million gallons of defoliants to lay barren the Vietnam landscape. Over 10 million gallons were Agent Orange, a benign moniker that contained cancer causing dioxin. Agent Orange leached into food and water supplies in 58 of Vietnam’s 63 provinces. Nearly 3% of its population suffers serious health issues associated with its use.

 

America was slow to recognize the human and environmental catastrophe they unleashed upon Vietnam. It wasn’t till 1991 when US Viet Nam vets were provided benefits related to Agent Orange disabilities. It took another 16 years to acknowledge and begin funding cleanup in Vietnam.

 

But Trump’s cuts to US AID and other foreign aid have put US assistance to Vietnam, impossible without aid, in doubt. Most US AID staffers in Vietnam are scheduled to be out this year. That would leave nobody to administer the cleanup even if that project remains funded which is doubtful. An estimated 70% of the 650,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil remain untouched.

 

 

Trump trumpets his America First mantra which implies the other 194 countries are a distant second. But if he does cut off the Agent Orange cleanup in Vietnam, it will mean America First, Vietnam Last…dead last.