Big spending bill bars US cluster bomb exports

[babylonsister]

Big spending bill bars US cluster bomb exports

WILLIAM C. MANN | March 12, 2009 07:10 PM EST | AP



WASHINGTON — The big spending bill that President Barack Obama signed this week includes a prohibition on most exports of cluster bombs, which can kill for years after their use in wars.

Cluster bombs spread small bomblets, which greatly expands the kill zone. Many of the strewn weapons fail to explode until much later. Often they go off only after unsuspecting civilians pick them up.

The weapons' latest use in war was by the Israeli air force during its 2006 war in Lebanon against Hezbollah militants.

The U.S. Air Force used them in NATO's Balkan war in 1999 and again in the "shock and awe" attacks that began the Iraq war in 2003. The bombs were stopped because of the danger they caused for U.S. soldiers as well as Iraqi civilians.

Sens. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., have introduced further legislation that would prohibit not only the export of the weapons but their use by the U.S. military.

more...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20090312/us-cluster-bombs/

[Rosa Luxemburg]

1. At last, thanks!

[spanone]

2. thank you....K & R

[4lbs]

3. But wait, less than 2% of it is "earmarks", so President Obama should have vetoed it instead!

:sarcasm:


At least that's the meme being pushed by the M$M and Repukes.

[babylonsister]

7. I hear you, but was thrilled to see this. nt

[EFerrari]

4. Finally! Southern Lebanon is right now the worst "mine field"

of bomblets in the world from all the ones we sold to Israel. Very good news.

[babylonsister]

5. Great news! It's a good start. nt

[OhioChick]

6. K&R

:kick:

[BuyingThyme]

8. I hope it's true.

kcik

[Chulanowa]

9. MOST exports of cluster bombs

Gee, I wonder who will still be getting them...

[Canuckistanian]

10. DiFi helped ban them?

They must not have been in her husband's portfolio.

[DCKit]

11. No kidding. That's the first thing I thought when I saw her name too.

Then again, if he dumped those stocks, would that constitute insider trading?

Hell, maybe they've just figured out a more efficient - likely a more profitable - way of spreading an even greater number of unexploded munitions among the little brown peoples.