Charles Gray wrote:
On Sat, 24 Jan 2004 22:59:31 -0500, "Mike Yared"

wrote:

Cluster bombs called 'war crime'
Britain's use of cluster bombs in Iraq, similar
to the ones used by the
United States military, is a "war crime" and
should be referred to the
International Criminal Court (ICC) for prosecution,
academics, lawyers and
human rights activists in London said earlier
this week.
at http://www.washtimes.com/world/20040...3737-4342r.htm

Why did the lawyers not sue Saddam Hussein
first? Or the late Soviet leaders
for the the Soviet Union's 1956 Invasion of
Hungary? the 1968 Invasion of
Czechoslovakia; and the 1979 invasion of Afghanistan?
Will the late Yuri
Andropov and Leonid Brezhnev be labeled as
war criminals in historical
terms?


Well, you should check out the full article--
this is a group of
people, who seem to have little credibility--
even Human Rights watch
isn't in their corner.

Honestly, with a very few exceptonis (Chemical
and Biological, and
strategic nukes), as I understand it, the manner
of hte use of the
weapon is what defines whether or not it is
a warcrime.
Using a cluster bomb on a infantry column
is fine. Using one one a
group of peacefully demonstrating civilians
is a crime.
They also rather miss the point that while
yes, a Cluster bomb will
kill over a larger area, in some cases it can
actually be less
dangerous to civilians than an ordinary bomb--
if you have a group of
people in a building that is in the AOE of a
cluster bomb most damage
will be restricted to the facade and outer doors--
if you accidently
or on purpose drop a 500/1000lb bomb next to
it, damage is likely to
reach...considerably further inside.


HRW I don't mind. It's the loony left like the Socialist Worker's Party
(frequently visiting my old college and very disappointed in the lack of
support they get), Ramsey Clark and his WWP fronts like ANSWER and the "International
Action Center", and so forth. A lot of those making the CBU claim are prewar
apologists for Saddam's regime.I'd show these folks the mass graves, torture
and rape rooms, and execution chambers that Saddam's goons were running 24/7
and ask them if they still supported the now jailed Butcher of Baghdad.

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