"Cluster bombs" are indiscriminate weapons that, because they cover a wide area with residual minefields of "dud" cluster submunitions, have killed and maimed tens of thousands of civilians. These concerns led more than half the world's nations to negotiate a global treaty banning cluster bombs in May 2008.
Despite worldwide rejection of cluster munitions, the Pentagon recently announced that it will continue to produce, use, and export them for another 10 years. The Bush administration has refused to endorse or even attend global negotiations for a cluster bomb ban.
In H.R. 1755, the "Cluster Munitions Civilian Protection Act of 2007,"
Congress finds the following:
(1) Cluster munitions pose grave dangers to civilian populations because of their wide area effects and the large number of active duds which are triggered indiscriminately like landmines.
(2) Tens of thousands of civilians have been killed and injured by cluster munitions in more than 20 countries.
(3) At least 34 countries have produced cluster munitions and at least 75 countries stockpile cluster munitions containing billions of submunitions.
(4) On February 23, 2007, 47 countries committed to conclude by 2008 a new legally binding instrument that will prohibit the use, production, transfer and stockpiling of cluster munitions that cause unacceptable harm to civilians.
(5) In January 2001, the Department of Defense stated that in the future it would purchase only cluster munitions with a 99 percent or higher functioning rate.
(6) In view of the growing problems caused by cluster munitions for civilian populations during and after conflicts, as well as the proliferation of these indiscriminate weapons, the United States should play a leadership role in addressing this problem by ensuring that cluster munitions used, sold, or transferred by the United States have a 99 percent or higher functioning rate and are subject to strict controls to prevent unacceptable harm to civilians.
Who are the people who work in the manufacturing plants of defense contractors that make cluster bombs? What do they think about as they pack the explosives? Who are the people who assemble bombs that are indiscriminately going to kill innocent children?
Unfortunately, many are likely to call themselves Christians.
There are about 200,000,000 Americans who call themselves Christians. These are, by and large, the most powerful people in the world. They have enough money to end war, poverty, and illiteracy around the world simply by tithing 10% of their income to groups committed to Christian Reconstruction, and they have enough votes to overthrow our tyrannical government. But 200,000,000 Christians are not investing in the future of the planet because they believe "Jesus is coming soon." Or they believe that "we are not under law, but under grace," meaning "we don't have to be involved or take personal responsibility in areas like law, politics, foreign policy, defense policy, and other areas of life that are not as
"spiritual" as going to church. If you're a Christian or you know a Christian who would like to study the Bible in 2009 from a completely new perspective, click here.