US Rejects Ban on Cluster Bombs

[babylonsister]

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines07/0224-02.htm

US Rejects Ban on Cluster Bombs


The United States on Friday rejected an international call to abandon the use of cluster bombs, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.

"We ... take the position that these munitions do have a place and a use in military inventories, given the right technology as well as the proper rules of engagement," McCormack said.


98% OF CASUALTIES FROM CLUSTER BOMBS ARE NON-COMBATANTS
File picture shows an unexploded cluster bomblet. Forty-six countries - but not the US - pledged on Friday to aim for an international ban next year on cluster bombs, blamed for thousands of civilian casualties around the world. REUTERS/Ruben Sprich
Forty-six countries meeting in Oslo on Friday pledged to seek a treaty banning cluster bombs by next year, with major user and stockpiler Britain and manufacturer France signing on, Norway said.

"We, ourselves, have already taken a couple of other steps with regard to technical upgrades to cluster munitions, as well as looking very closely at the rules of engagement, how they are used," said McCormack.

"So it is something that over the course of the years we have looked at very closely. We have taken very seriously the international discussion with respect to the threat posed by unexploded ordnance to innocent civilians," he said.

more...

[NMDemDist2]

1. Friday Night News Dump anyone?

what a bunch of bleeding assholes

[proud patriot]

2. Well I reject that rejection

vote again ...IMPEACH

[Monkeyman]

3. K&R

[sakabatou]

4. Just like landmines...

[Solo_in_MD]

12. Both have a legitimate role to play and are at times the right munition for the task at hand

I know that doesn't sit well, but that is the military reality.

[Boogie]

5. All warfare is about terrorizing civilians.

Aren't these the same things they painted yellow to look like emergency rations falling from the sky? That wasn't a coincidence.

[Solo_in_MD]

13. Are you really that dumb or just uninformed...

Electric yellow is a color NEVER found in nature. Kind of like hunter orange. It causes things to stand out. Submunitions have been yellow for decades. Then again, so have the newer fire trucks, motorcycle jackets, fire coats, and yes emergency rations. They are that way so they STANDOUT. Sheesh!

To claim it was done for an insidious purpose in extreme hyperbole truly worthy of a multi layer tin foil hat.

[Boogie]

17. My word, are you this rude in public?

You are so right the U.S. military has NEVER:sarcasm: targeted civilians on purpose.

[Solo_in_MD]

18. Only to those who are so foolish

[City Lights]

6. What a surprise!

Not.

Assholes. :grr:

[AnOhioan]

7. When will sanity prevail??? n/t

[EFerrari]

8. Well, at least American arms dealers are safe. We're at war, ya know!

:sarcasm:

K&R

[Tom Joad]

9. US ally Israel was also opposed to this.... it dropped one million cluster bomblets on the people of

Lebanon last year. They were everywhere.

What we did was insane and monstrous, we covered entire towns in cluster bombs" said the head of an Israeli army rocket unit in Lebanon, quoted by Meron Rappaport in the daily Ha'aretz in September.

It was a terrible war crime. Made in the USA

[Stephanie]

10. I wanna see the roll-call vote.

Let's see who supports the use of cluster bombs.

[babylonsister]

11. Puzzling at best because Congress wasn't in session yesterday.

:shrug: Maybe this was a vote they had nothing to do with?

[Solo_in_MD]

14. It was an international conference

which means it was more of a beauty contest than anything with real meaning. Sub munitions are not going away, any more than landmines are going. They have too great a tactical utility and there is no effective replacement. Restrticting their use and sale is reasonable. The cheap ones are not coming from the US (look east instead).

[babylonsister]

15. Duh! Thanks for pointing that out. It still puts yet another stain on our

tarnished reputation, I'm thinking.

[G_j]

16. how sad it is that nobody is surprised

the real surprise would be if the US supported the ban

[bananarepublican]

19. At least they're up front about it this time!

Does anyone have any delusions about whether or not Uncle Sam is still engaged in biological, chemical, and 'new-kook-ular' R&D? How big a part of the budget is dedicated to 'black projects'?

The big question is... what can be done about it? Congressional oversight? Too much is protected by bogus 'national security concerns'. This secrecy is directly related to the success of forces hidden from public view and scrutiny.

'Black ops' are conducted in such a way as to keep the world in the dark. Democracy... wtf!