Senate rejects limits on cluster bombs

[tocqueville]

By ANDREW TAYLOR, Associated Press Writer
Wed Sep 6, 7:25 PM ET

WASHINGTON - The Senate on Wednesday rejected a move by Democrats to stop the Pentagon from using cluster bombs near civilian targets and to cut off sales unless purchasers abide by the same rules.

On a 70-30 vote, the Senate defeated an amendment to a Pentagon budget bill to block use of the deadly munitions near populated areas. The vote came after the State Department announced last month that it is investigating whether Israel misused American-made cluster bombs in civilian areas of Lebanon.

Unexploded cluster bombs — anti-personnel weapons that spray bomblets over a wide area — litter homes, gardens and highways in south Lebanon after Israel's 34-day war with Hezbollah militants.

Sens. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., have long sought to keep cluster bombs from being used near concentrated areas of civilians. They say that as many as 40 percent of the munitions fail to detonate on impact — they can still can explode later — leaving innocent civilians and children vulnerable to injury or death long after hostilities have ceased.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060906/ap_on_go_co/cluster_bombs_3

[Rainscents]

1. Fuck them!

:nuke:

[Kagemusha]

2. Subject reads, Senate REJECTS limits on cluster bombs

You must've misread. Not like it's any great sin. Take care.

[Rainscents]

3. Yes, I did...

I must be sleepy! I re-read it and edited... Thank you!

:hi:

[gumby]

4. 70-30???

What HORRIBLE Democrats voted FOR cluster bombs?

How can any HUMAN vote to use cluster bombs in civilian areas?

edit: remember the stories of kids in Afghanistan picking up the bomblets to play with and because they resembled the air-dropped food packages? This is a very SICK government We The People have elected.

[Warren DeMontague]

5. Shoulda told 'em it limited cluster *fucks* among consenting adults

in that case, they probably would have been all over it.


Unless they figured it might criminalize the Iraq war... which is the biggest cluster fuck of them all right now.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

6. We also rejected the international treaty on land mines

Unfortunately, this happened during President Clinton's Administration.

From an article about the U.S.'s decision to not join the other 121 signatories of the Ottawa Treaty:

In trying to explain the United States' position, U.S. special representative Rick Inderfurth said, "It was not for lack of common dedication to eliminating anti-personnel land mines from the face of the Earth."

And having an affair was not for lack of my undying dedication to my wife, right?