cluster bombs....should we be using them?

[danielson]

nice and current question....big who-ha over here about cluster bombs being used, as they supposedly kill lots of civillians.

basically im sure you;ve all seen the footage of a cluster bomb, but what it does is 1 big bomb spilitiong up into lots of different bombs which all rain down on the earth and explode taking out lightly armoured vehicles, people etc.

however a lot of them dont go off, and whe people step on them they blow up and kill them. apparently this is a design feature, not a flaw. however they are supposed to be very effective against troops

some people liken them to being air-dropped mines as people go and die after stepping on them. so what do you think....should we potentially interfere with the way our forces fight or should we keep using them (i was under the impressin they were being used in desert are but they are being used near kabul etc.)

thoughts?

 

[Citruscide]

Hmm... sure... why not? I don't think anyone would think twice about killing "our" civilians.

C

 

[DcupSheepNipples]

Yes, War is War is War. They are not banned in warfare so they must be used. But I will say it is pretty messed up because they are yellow and the food packets from the food drops are yellow also. Think about it you go to get dinner and Boooom! At the very least they should change the colors on them. Or maybe it is a conspiracy and it was planned that way!

 

[danielson]

i think we should to....i'd just be very wary of dropping them near civillian areas which we are doing now.....escpecially aftre what you just said D-cup

but to put fowarda another arguement, sonce landmines are so 'bad' as once the war is over people still die, what makes cluster bombs any different to land mines. its what a lot of people are saying here?

 

[DcupSheepNipples]

i think we should to....i'd just be very wary of dropping them near civillian areas which we are doing now.....escpecially aftre what you just said D-cup

Well my only solution for the problem is to give each side in the war only fly swatters. Then wich ever side can stand the gayness of hiting each other with fly swatters will win. This way even woman and children can fight in war without worring about being killed!

 

[danielson]

yeah!.....time to start high altitiude drops of fly swatters

 

[DcupSheepNipples]

U.S. Warns Afghans of Yellow Cluster Bomblets
By Deborah Zabarenko

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. radio broadcasts into Afghanistan (news - web sites) now include a safety warning: airdropped food parcels are square, unexploded cluster bombs are can-shaped, and both are yellow, so it is important to tell them apart.

``Attention people of Afghanistan!'' the broadcasts in Persian and Pashto say. ``As you may have heard, the Partnership of Nations is dropping yellow Humanitarian Daily Rations. The rations are square-shaped and are packaged in plastic. They are full of good nutritious, Halal food,'' prepared according to Islamic precepts.

``In areas far from where we are dropping food, we are dropping cluster bombs,'' the radio spots say, according to a transcript obtained on Monday.

``Although it is unlikely, it is possible that not every bomb will explode on impact. These bombs are a yellow color and are can-shaped ...

``Once again, we will not be using these bombs in areas near where we are dropping relief supplies. Please, please exercise caution when approaching unidentified yellow objects in areas that have been recently bombed.''

Cluster bombs are meant to hit so-called soft targets, including people and vehicles. Cluster bombs can contain many bomblets that disperse as they drop, and it is these that might be mistaken for food packages. Bomblets that fail to explode on impact could well blow up if disturbed on the ground.

The ones mentioned in the radio spot are cylindrical, measuring about 2.5 inches by 6.5 inches, some with a yellow ''tail'' on top. Each Humanitarian Daily Ration (HDR) is approximately 7 inches by 13 inches.

The radio warning is a departure from other broadcasts in the area delivered in a U.S. operation named ``Commando Solo.''

Transcripts of these broadcasts released earlier by the Pentagon (news - web sites) showed they were aimed at members of Afghanistan's ruling Taliban, believed by Washington to be harboring Osama bin Laden (news - web sites) and his al Qaeda guerrillas.

Washington holds bin Laden responsible for the Sept. 11 hijack attacks on the United States that killed some 4,800 people, and blames the Taliban for harboring him.

``When you decide to surrender, approach United States forces with your hands in the air,'' an earlier radio message said. ``Sling your weapons across your back, muzzle toward the ground. Remove your magazine and expel any rounds. Doing this is your only chance of survival.''

As of Monday, U.S. military planes had dropped some 960,000 HDR food packages on Afghanistan. The yellow-wrapped 2,000-calorie meatless bundles are a key propaganda component of President Bush (news - web sites)'s war against terrorism.

The Bush administration has stressed that the United States is not at war with the people of Afghanistan.

As airstrikes continued for a 23rd day on Monday, so did the delivery of airdropped HDRs, Defense Department officials said.

 

[Dillon35]

This would be better

 

[DcupSheepNipples]

This would be better

Hey, stop steeling my bit. I was the Nuke poster a couple of months ago! Get you own bit.

 

[Dillon35]

OR THIS!!!