« Belgium: Police Chief Wants Separate Jails For Muslim Radicals |
| UK: Muslim Boxer's "Arrogance" While Leaving Jail Is Condemned »
September 6, 2006
US: Democratic Senators Offer "Cluster Bomb" Amendment
Via The American Thinker comes a story that shows the utopian mentality at its finest. Senator Dianne Feinstein, unsurprisingly, is right in the middle of it: Senators Feinstein and Leahy Call for New Policy on Use of Cluster Bombs
Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) today introduced an amendment to the FY 2007 Department of Defense Appropriations bill aimed at preventing hundreds of unnecessary civilian deaths and injuries caused every year by unexploded cluster bombs.
I've said this before, and I'll say it again, but it is worth remembering: policies ought not to be judged by their intentions ("introduced an amendment ... aimed at preventing hundreds of unnecessary civilian deaths..."), but by their consequences.
The Cluster Munitions Amendment would prevent funds from being spent to purchase, use, or transfer cluster bombs until the Department of Defense has adopted rules of engagement to ensure that cluster bomb are not used in or near any concentration of civilians.
In the meantime, our soldiers depending on such munitions, can all rot in hell. After the amendment, they can all rot in hell too, unless the enemy decides to fight in open plain, with no houses around.
"Instead of targeting troop formations and enemy armor, unexploded bomblets target innocent civilians, seriously maiming or killing their victims," Senator Feinstein said. "This runs counter to our values and counter to the laws of war."
Besides everything else, Senator Feinstein betrays her ignorance. Cluster bombs are not designed to target Armor--they are inneffective against Armor. They target "soft targets"; trucks, fuel depots, artillery, rocket launchers, and yes, enemy soldiers. And using the munitions does not run counter to the laws of war. She wishing it did does not change the fact.
Senator Feinstein continued, "The human death toll and injury from these weapons are felt every day. Innocent children think they are picking up a play toy in the field, and suddenly their arm is blown off. We need to adjust our policies on the use of cluster bombs, and we can do so easily."
No, "we" cannot do so easily: Senator Feinstein from Capitol Hill, can do so easily. The adjustment for soldiers and commanders in the grounds would not be as breezy as she makes it out to be.
"For too long, innocent civilians, not enemy combatants, have suffered the majority of casualties from cluster munitions. The recent experience in Lebanon is only the latest example of the appalling human toll of injury and death. Strict rules of engagement are long overdue, and I hope the Pentagon will support this amendment to ensure that our cluster munitions are not used in civilian areas," said Senator Leahy.
Another clueless bore makes his entrance into the story: the enemy claims cluster munitions do not harm their fighting ability, but harm civilians instead. Why is Senator Leahy swallowing enemy propaganda?
Good Lord. Must our elective representatives be this self-righteously moralistic when it comes to defending the enemy?
Posted by Ruy Diaz at September 6, 2006 12:35 PM
Comments
It all fits in with the policies of our Lords and Masters of sending our young men and women into harm's way with one hand tied behind their backs.
I'm only surprised that anyone should be surprised.
Would someone, here or elsewhere, be so kind as to tell us which, if any of the American Senators, congressmen/women, members of the government, and also British members of parliament, House of Lords, have children or grandchildren serving, present or past, in harm's way in Iraq or Afghanistan.
I will return here to see if anyone has done so (I can't do it, I don't have the investigative skills).
If someone should do this, I promise I will do what I can to disseminate this information in every forum I can.
A correlation with their voting records would be handy.
If our young men and women are in those places, they should at least have everything THEY think they need to do the job they've been given.
Posted by: Sir Henry Morgan ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.westernresistance.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at September 7, 2006 10:45 AM
Hi Sir Henry
I am not aware of any UK politicians' sons in combat zones, or even in the military, but I will check.
But on preliminary investigation, there is only one known US Senator's son to have been in combat zones recently.
A report from March 2003 stated that Brookes Johnson, son of Senator Tim Johnson of South Dakota serves in the 101st Airborne Division as a sergeant. He was in Kandahar Afghanistan in 2002, and by March 2003 was in Kuwait.
http://www.campbell.army.mil/division.htm
In late June, 18-year old Jimmy McCain,the youngest son of Arizona's Republican Senator John McCain was soon to join the Marine Corps, with three months induction at a boot camp in California.
Source:
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=politicsNews&storyid=2006-07-29T193028Z_01_N29240690_RTRUKOC_0_US-CONGRESS-MCAIN-SON.xml&src=rss
Apparently these are the only two I can find.
Best wishes
Giraldus
Posted by: Giraldus Cambrensis at September 7, 2006 11:40 AM
Post a comment
Thanks for signing in, . Now you can comment. (sign out)
(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)