FriendBurst Blog

As many of my friends already know here on Friendburst,my wife is from Laos. Although I knew previous that cluster munitions were horrific but now my experience as seen through her eyes only made me more aware that they were and are pure evil my friends. She lived in Laos throughout the war there and her native country is known as the most bombed country in the world.Yes my friends tiny little Laos is the most bombed country in our world. Not only were bombies as they are called
used during that war but also they are still used even today in many,many,many other nations conflicts and wars. Obviously my wife has healed over the years and yet she will always be affected.This blog shall not be mentioned in my home by me too her for obvious reasons……Even today television programs on such subjects are not welcomed in my home, her memories are enough .
Cluster munitions must be outlawed by our global community my friends and yet we still use them.The United States my native country still uses them and although I am American I am continually ashamed of my country for doing so.
Yes I am ashamed of the United States for continuing to use these kinds of killing machines my friends,how can I not be ?
How can any person not be…..?
The following video’s are in of themselves horrific in nature and I strongly suggest that they should not be viewed by children,or anyone that is not prepared for what they are about to view.

Wars do not simply end when the last bullet leave the gun barrel my friends,no they continue on throughout lifetimes for those who have had to experience them first hand.

Also many,many peoples throughout our world are still continually draw into the horror of those wars even today as many of our former atrocities are played out over and over again
by our unearthed munitions long after those wars are done on our ends.

AFFECTED COUNTRIES AND TERRITORIES

37 countries and territories are known to be affected by cluster munitions from use in armed conflict:

Afghanistan, Albania, Angola, Azerbaijan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cambodia, Chad, Chechnya, Croatia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Falklands/Malvinas, Georgia, Grenada, Iraq, Israel, Kosovo, Kuwait, Lao PDR, Lebanon, Mauritania, Montenegro, Mozambique, Nagorno-Karabakh, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand Uganda, Vietnam, Western Sahara, Zambia, Yemen

USERS OF CLUSTER MUNITIONS

19 countries have used cluster munitions:

Colombia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, France, Georgia, Iraq, Israel, Libya, Morocco, The Netherlands, Nigeria, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Former Yugoslavia (Serbia), Sudan, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States

PRODUCERS OF CLUSTER MUNITIONS

35 countries have produced or are still producing cluster munitions:

Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Brazil, Chile, China, Croatia, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, North Korea, Pakistan, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States

STOCKPILERS OF CLUSTER MUNITIONS

86 countries have stockpiled cluster munitions:

Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Honduras, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Libya, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, Nigeria, North Korea, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Thailand, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uzbekistan, Yemen, Zimbabwe

Source; http://www.stopclustermunitions.org/the-problem/countries/
Source; http://www.stopclustermunitions.org/

The United States of America (US) has not acceded to the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

In November 2011, a US official said, “The United States recognizes the important contributions of the Oslo Convention,” but said the US views a new protocol on cluster munitions in the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) as the way to take “a significant step forward to eliminating the humanitarian impact of cluster munitions” as it would capture “major users and producers of cluster munitions,” the US included.[1] It is not known if the US will review its policy on cluster munitions following the failure in November 2011 of the US-led effort to conclude a CCW protocol that would have permitted continued use of cluster munitions (see the Convention on Conventional Weapons section below).

The administration of President Barack Obama has continued to implement a cluster munition policy created under President George W. Bush in July 2008. Under the 2008 Department of Defense policy, by the end of 2018 the US will no longer use cluster munitions that result in more than 1% unexploded ordnance (UXO).[2] Until 2018, any use of cluster munitions that exceed the 1% UXO rate must be approved by the Combatant Commander.[3] The 10-year transition period was seen as “necessary to develop the new technology, get it into production, and to substitute, improve, or replace existing stocks.”[4] Under the policy, all cluster munition stocks “that exceed operational planning requirements or for which there are no operational planning requirements” had to be removed from active inventories as soon as possible, but not later than 19 June 2009 and demilitarized as soon as practicable.[5]

In November 2011, the US stated that it would continue to implement the 2008 Department of Defense policy on cluster munitions as it considers cluster munitions to be “legitimate weapons,” but acknowledged the need to reduce damage to civilians and infrastructure.

Source;http://www.the-monitor.org/custom/index.php/region_profiles/print_theme/2292

I must encourage all those people to read the above source link materials provided here to further realize the importance
of this issue not only to those Americans reading this blog,but all people reading this and recognize the importance too our entire world community.

Humanity must continue to oppose cluster munitions as well as other weapons of war or else stop calling themselves Human.

Today we are both American citizen’s who continue to want to be part of the global world community and are not willing to be just humans who call themselves such but do nothing to continue to be such.

Thank You
DL

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