The following is an archived copy of a message sent to a Discussion List run by the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq.
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Re my message on depleted uranium I included links the FAS (Federation of American Scientists) website. Its weapons index and dozens of fact sheets enabled other researchers and the media to check my analysis of the new generation of hard target guided weapons that use dense metal penetrators. As explained previously I suspect that the dense metal is depleted uranium. Unfortunately all the FAS links used in my analysis and messages to Mennolink appear to have been 'pulled'. The main site still works at www.fas.org . But the guided weapons section and other references to DU disappeared last night. The following report from the Los Angeles Times explains the pressures on FAS and similar websites. See extract below and at: http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-000094419nov27.story I understand the need to protect data about potentially vulnerable terrorist targets. But this was data about weapons systems that are being used in Afghanistan, not potential targets in the USA. So why the need for secrecy? By censoring weapons information that was previously public domain for citizens in US and around the world the security authorities increase suspicions that they have something very serious to hide about US and UK bombing operations in Afghanistan. If you still have copies of FAS pages read them again and back them up somewhere. Despite these restrictions on FAS the Internet remains the most effective way to raise international awareness and government questions about the full extent of DU use - past, present and planned (and of course all humanitarian aspects of the war). This new suspected threat from DU needs discussion in the United Nations. Unfortunately they only just rejected a call for an inquiry into the use of DU in Iraq - unaware of suspicions about the new weapons and potential risks for civilians and ground troops in Afghanistan. The countries that voted to reject the Iraq inquiry probably included the 24+ nations that have purchased some of the guided weapons systems under suspicion. Dai Williams, UK eosuk@btinternet.com ======= Extract from the LA Times, 27 Nov THE WEB NEVER FORGETS By DAVID COLKER, TIMES STAFF WRITER Within days of the Sept. 11 attacks, the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry rushed to pull a suddenly sensitive report from its Web site titled "Industrial Chemicals and Terrorism." The agency eliminated all traces of the document and its description of sources for home-brew nerve gases and improvised explosives. <several paras cut, see link for full article> Anti-Secrecy Group Now Pulling Pages ----------------------------------------------------- For Steven Aftergood, director of the project on government secrecy for the Federation of American Scientists, the Internet has been a primary tool in the organization's efforts to battle what it considers misuses of government secrecy. It collects and disseminates information on nuclear weapons, the "Star Wars" antiballistic missile initiative and other projects. Indeed, the Washington-based group was created after World War II by scientists from the super-secretive Manhattan Project worried that the government was concealing the dangers of building a nuclear arsenal. But since Sept. 11, Aftergood has found himself in the awkward position of following the government's lead in protecting sensitive information. So far, he has removed about 200 pages from the federation's site, mostly concerning intelligence and nuclear weapons facilities. > < original continues see link above > ================================== -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- This is a discussion list run by the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq For removal from list, email soc-casi-discuss-request@lists.cam.ac.uk CASI's website - www.casi.org.uk - includes an archive of all postings.