BRITAIN and AMERICA CONDEMED BY A GROWING INTERNATIONAL OUTCRY OVER USE OF CLUSTER BOMBS IN AFGHANISTAN.
CLUSTER BOMBS

Afghanians Pick Up Food Dropped By American Planes--

Afghanistan
But Have Been Warned That Unexploded Cluster Bombs & Food Packages
Look A Lot Alike
UPDATE-New Food Packages Will Be Blue

U.S. SHOULD STOP USING CLUSTER BOMBS IN AFGHANISTAN.
In-Depth Analysis Cites Hazard to Civilians
HUMAN RIGHTS
This is a long article but here is an excerpt from it:

Cluster Bombs and Landmines
While cluster bomblet duds undeniably function like antipersonnel mines, they are not covered under the 1997 Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production, and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Landmines and on their Destruction, also known as the Mine Ban Treaty, which entered into force on March 1, 1999. There are 122 States Parties and an additional 20 signatories. The United Kingdom is a State Party; the United States has not signed.

The treaty defines antipersonnel mine as a munition "designed to be exploded by the presence, proximity or contact of a person." That is, the mine must be designed to be victim-activated. Cluster bombs are not designed to be victim-activated; they become so when they fail to function as designed. In this way, cluster bombs are not different than other types of unexploded ordnance (failed mortar rounds, artillery shells, grenades, etc.), none of which are covered by the Mine Ban Treaty.

The indiscriminate dangers posed to civilians by explosive cluster bomb duds, however, are essentially no different than antipersonnel mines. They will in most cases explode upon contact, whether being picked up or kicked or otherwise touched. One difference is that antipersonnel mines are generally designed more to maim than to kill, with a relatively small amount of explosive, while cluster bomblets (at least in the case of CBU-87s) are more likely to kill their victims. As noted above, experience in Kosovo has also shown that cluster bombs can pose special problems and dangers for the clearance professionals as well

End Of Excerpt From Human Rights Article. To Read Full Article Click on "Human Rights"Above

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AN EDITORIAL
DATE IS NOVEMEBER 4, 2003

  • Presidental Election Is Only Days Away
  • U.S. King George Still On Throne
  • V.P. Dick Cheney Is Still In Hiding
  • U.S. Economy In Disarray
  • Afghanistan Is Declared A United Nation Protectorate
  • Omar bi Laden Is Believed To Be in Mongolia or Tibet
  • The Chinese Yuan Has Replaced The American Dollar In Financial Markets
  • Congress, After Extended Debate, Federalized The U. S. Aviation Industry
  • Al Gore Disqualified As Presidential Candidate. His Beard Is Suspect
  • FBI Issues Its Weekly Terrorist Alert: It Involves 2 Third Party Candidates
  • Executive Order Issued: All Voting Machines Must Meet Florida Standards
  • King George Appeals To The Nation: Omar bin Laden Is Within Our Grasp
  • Election Day November 2003. Y2 Arrives: All Computers Shut Down
  • Electric Power And Fuel Supplies Very Limited Or Non Existent
  • Populace Hysterical And Frightened
  • Winter Strikes With A Vengeance In Mid West
  • Soldiers And Amputees Of Afghan War Are Reminded Of Nov 2001 & 2002.
  • Sanctions Are In Force Against The U.S. By U.N. Resolution 2-03
  • Sanctions Are Result Of Devastation Of The Afghanistan Nation By U.S.
  • Sanctions To Remain Until U.S. Clears All Land Mines & Cluster Bombs.
  • Britain and Israel Were The Only Votes Against The U. N. Resolution

    Dear Readers.

    The scenario above may seem a bit far fetched to many of you and a bit sarcastic of our President George Bush. But it is much the way I see things shaping up if we continue to follow the congressional rubber stamp of our President. A president that usurped the power of Congress and declared his own WAR ON TERRORIST. With the words, "If you are not for us you are against us."

    Twice he has been given the chance to bring Omar bin Laden, to trial in a court of law and has disdainfully turned it down. HE NEVER WENT TO CONGRESS AND ASKED THEM FOR THEIR OPINION. He would rather bomb a whole nation back to the stone age than take the time and effort to have one man, residing in that nation, brought into a court of law.

    Sure it was an horrendous act on 9-11 that killed within two hours over 6,000 people. Mr. Bush and company said the perpetrator of said crime was, Omar bin Laden, and that they had sufficient evidence to convict the man. Yet he would not accept the offer by the Taliban leaders to turn over bin Laden for trial by giving them that evidence.

    When Timothy McViegh blew up the Federal Building in Oklahoma did we call out the United States Airforce and bomb every city and village in Oklahoma to try and locate McVeigh. No, we did it like our laws are set up to do it. We put our law-inforcement officer in search of the culprits and when they found them brought them to trial and in the end convicted Timothy McVeigh. We did not say that because 168 people were killed at the Federal Building that another 168 or more Oklahomans were also to be killed in searching for the culprit.

    Today we are in Afghanistan, bombing around the clock for the past four weeks, destroying much of the infracturstructure of that very poor nation, dropping antipersonnel cluster bombs all over the country that will make it a very dangerous place for its inhabitants to live in for years after the war ends and killing hundreds of civilians who just happened to be ordinary citizens of that country.

    We are invading a country to change the type of government that it has because we do not agree with that government. We have almost forgotten about Omar bin Laden. Oh, occasionally the President or Mr. Rumsfield mentions his name less we forget what our cause is all about.

    Just because we are a big and powerful nation to day does not mean that some time other Nations are going to get enough world support to call our acts of war against such nations as Afghanistan, for what they really are.

    So before it is too late, let us appeal to our Congress to call a halt to the bombing of Afghanistan, asked for a United Nations Resolution, to the leaders of the Afghan Nation to turn over Omar bin Laden for trial upon charges that our nation and other nations have against him.

    Empires rise and fall, our Nation is the World Leader today. Partly because of our past benefits to helping the worlds populations. But that leadership is threatened because of the leadership in this present administration. who believe that they have all the answers to the worlds problems and in Mr. Bush's words: YOU ARE FOR US OR ARE AGAINST US.

    September 11th should have been a wake up call, not to go forth and fight terrorism with terrorism but to go forth and find out what are the causes that lead to terrorist acts and what we as a Nation might do to remedy those causes.

    We can as a Nation work to make things better in other countries by lending our knowledge and expertise or we can go on bombing, Afghanistan then Iraq, then Syria etc. & etc. and end up with some more horrendous terrorist attacks against the United States down the line.

    In 1999 we prepared for a Y2 computer shut down. It did not occur, We were all relieved. If this war goes on for another two years. I feel we as a Nation will see the Y2 computer shut down take place on or before the 1904 Presidential Election..

    If you think 9-11 and Anthrax have caused fear and anxiety? Then be prepared for an UPDATED Y2 attack that will really cause fear and hysteria in this nation.

    Editorial Comment
    By Bill Weber