The U.S. government is dancing around Agent Orange again.

The U.S. government recently conducted a study it said would finally find out the truth about the effects of Agent Orange, a defoliant used in Viet Nam, on the soldiers exposed to it. It said this study finally would help Viet Nam veterans get what they have long deserved.

The result: the government apparently thinks that Viet Nam vets deserve a kick in the teeth.

The study found that Viet Nam veterans exposed to Agent Orange were at increased risk to only one type of cancer, and thus should not receive extra benefits from the government.

The veterans secretary, however, graciously has decided to award benefits to the 1,600 veterans who have this form of cancer because it would help heal some of the divisiveness between veterans and the government over the issue. But, is patronizing really that much better than nothing at all?

Veterans argue that the study wasn’t accurate because it didn’t take into account those who actually worked with Agent Orange, and it unfairly compared the number of healthy veterans to how many were unhealthy.

When there are so many veterans who, all at once, are suffering from cancer, rashes, colitis, sense ailments, and have lost a child or two to brain tumors, it is time to take a very hard, long realistic look at the issue.