Brazenly Callous Disregard for Life

Ensconced in the House and Senate

“War is never short of horrifying, but cluster munitions stand out even amid the terrible weaponry of modern war.… [A mandate of the U.S. Congress has prohibited] the transfer of cluster munitions with

over a 1 percent failure rate to any foreign nation. 

“Since most stockpiled U.S. cluster munitions have a failure rate of 2 percent to 6 percent (independent studies and humanitarian organizations cite much higher estimates that range from 10 percent to 40 percent), this effectively functions as a ban on U.S. transfers. 

“But recent requests from members of Congress and from officials in Ukraine are calling on President Biden to waive this transfer prohibition.” Defense One by Nuria Raul April 13, 2023: “Biden Must Resist Calls to Send Cluster Munitions to Ukraine Transferring the weapons may bring tactical benefits but would be a strategic disaster.” https://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2023/04/biden-must-resist-calls-send-cluster-munitions-ukraine/385142/

DISREGARD FOR HUMAN LIFE

Boasted by

Same creatures who champion “rights” of “preborns” 

“‘I hope every effort will be made to look into providing the cluster bombs (as) we have two million available,’” a sadistic Wilson utterance heard and reported by various news outlets. 

A South Carolina lawyer with non-active-duty military service and entrenched state and federal government employment (including staffer of U.S. Senator Strom Thurmond) dating to the early 1970s; seated in the U.S. House by special election in 2001; and in September 15, 2009, reprimanded by the U.S. House of Representatives for interrupting the President’s remarks before a Joint Session; the action by the Congressman “was a ‘breach of decorum and degraded the proceedings’ of the Joint Session”— Charleston, South Carolina, native Addison Graves WILSON (who calls himself “Joe” Wilson (Biographical Directory of the United States Congress).  Almayadeen News April 28, 2023 “Congressman Pushes for sending banned cluster bombs to Kiev,” by Al Mayadeen English (Source: Agencies), https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/congressman-pushes-for-sending-banned-cluster-bombs-to-kiev

Shouted in a press release dated March 21, 2023, Members of the US House and Senate call for export of cluster bombs to conflict arena in Eastern Europe: 

U.S., Senators James E Risch of Idaho and Roger Frederick Wicker of Mississippi along with U.S. Representatives Michael Thomas McCaul Sr. of Texas and Michael Dennis Rogers of Alabama fire off a missive (or missile) to the President of the United States (cc to arms-export advocates heading defense and state) urging his administration “to immediately provide cluster munitions… to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.” https://www.foreign.senate.gov/press/rep/release/risch-wicker-mccaul-rogers-urge-biden-to-send-dpicm-to-ukraine

BACKGROUND on Cluster Bombs

Deadly Significance of this issue

The Convention on Cluster Munitions adopted in 2008 grows out of civilization’s caring and deep concerns for human health and broader regional and international, societal and environmental concerns, some of which are these: 

• “That civilian populations and individual civilians continue to bear the brunt of armed conflict” 

• “That the remnants of cluster munitions kill or maim civilians, including women and children, obstruct economic and social development, including through the loss of livelihood, impede post-conflict rehabilitation and reconstruction, delay or prevent the return of refugees and internally displaced persons, can negatively affect national and international peace-building and humanitarian assistance efforts, and have other severe consequences that can persist for many years after use” 

• The determination of States Parties to the Convention “to put an end for all time to the suffering and casualties caused by cluster munitions at the time of their use, when they fail to function as intended, or when they are abandoned.”

Article I section 1: Each State Party undertakes never under any circumstances to: 

(a) Use cluster munitions 

(b) Develop, produce, otherwise acquire, stockpile, retain or transfer to anyone, directly or indirectly, cluster munitions

(c) Assist, encourage or induce anyone to engage in any activity prohibited to a State Party under this Convention.

The Convention was adopted on May 30, 2008, in the Republic of Ireland (Dublin), by 107 States and signed seven months later in Norway (Oslo). On August 1, 2010, the Convention “entered into force” and “became binding international law.” The current total of Member States of the Convention is 123: 111 States Parties and 12 Signatories.

Convention States Parties in the Americas:

Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Bolivia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uruguay.

NON-STATES PARTIES in the Americas: 

• Argentina
• Brazil
• United States of America
• Bahamas
• Dominica
• Barbados
• Suriname

United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs: Convention on Cluster Munitions
https://treaties.unoda.org/t/cluster_munitions
Status of the treaty https://www.clusterconvention.org/states-parties/

Composition and Commentary excluding quoted material and individual images

Copyright © Carolyn LaDelle Bennett 

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