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I have been accused, on more than one occasion, of being too cynical. I have been accused, on more than one occasion, of being too angry in my commentary of the powers that be and their assault on the lives of ordinary human beings and on mankind itself for its abysmal attempts to protect itself against the governmental assault that it faces because the TV is up too loud and they cannot hear what I am saying. I have been accused, on more than one occasion, of expecting too much from the people of the world because it is not their fault they do not understand as the topic is very complex. I have been accused, on more than one occasion, of refusing to see the good in people. And, with that in mind, I am going to pay heed to this advice, for one article only, this one, and I am going to correct all of my mistakes... Israel has requested that the US government sell them some M-26 rockets with cluster munitions. Rather than be cynical, aggressive, expect too much or refuse to see the good in you, I will leave it to the Tennessee Army National Guard’s 1/181st Field Artillery Battalion to explain exactly what an M-26 rocket actually is:
And now I will call upon Lt. Col. Koby to explain exactly what an M-26 rocket actually does:
So, have we got that? These missiles are actually about 644 missiles packed into an 8" party-popper and, when fired, they rain down these submissiles upon those on the ground, exploding and shredding anything in its path on impact. For the record, the name "Steel Rain" was coined by the Iraqi army in 1991 when they were subjected to this exact weapon by the US military during "Operation Desert Storm". It is also worth noting that these missiles, even in their latest "wind-corrected" incarnation, have a "footprint" or "death-causing radius" of well over 200 metres and each of the 644 submissiles has a blast radius of 4 metres and is capable of piercing 4 inches of armour. Therefore, when the US military announces that it has had a request for these weapons, which were banned for sale to Israel by Ronald Reagan after they were used to bomb civilian targets in Lebanon, it piqued my interest somewhat. But, like I said, I shall not be cynical, angry, expect too much or refuse to see the good in people. My immediate feeling on seeing this article was one of horror, bewilderment, shock and disbelief...But then I remembered the "rules" for this article. So, given that Israel have shown such restraint thus far and given that they are clearly avoiding all and any civilian casualties with their precision munitions, I leave you with the following statement that not only tidies this whole mess up before I become cynical, angry, begin to expect too much or refuse to see the good in people, but it also fulfills the opposite of all the criteria: The following statement offers belief where once there was only cynicism, calm where there was only anger, I neither expect anything where once I would have naturally expected carnage and destruction of human life on a massive scale and I do not feel the least bit cynical about the following statement: The senior official said there was discussion to block the sale because during Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon civilians were killed with the weapon, but added that the rockets would likely be delivered and that Israel would be told to "be careful." ...and the World has finally gone completely MENTAL! You see, I cannot do it...But with a statement like this, who in their right mind could? "Be careful" they say as they hand missiles capable of such furious and widespread murder to a group of people who have shown the least regard for an innocent life since Hitler himself goose-stepped his way around Europe. "Be careful" they say when handing these weapons over to a country that, 24 years ago (when they first invaded Lebanon and have occupied parts of its lands ever since) Ronald Reagan banned them from having them because they USED THEM ON CIVILIAN TARGETS. "Be careful" they say as they escalate the war in the Middle East to such proportions and horrors that they themselves must also now be charged with war crimes. "Be careful"... ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!??! PROTEST NOW! SAVE THE WORLD NOW! DO NOT ALLOW THESE LUNATICS THE ROOM TO ESCAPE FROM THESE BRAZEN ACTS OF TERRORISM FOR THAT IS WHAT THEY ARE. TERRORISM, YES...THE US, THE UK, ISRAEL AND ANYBODY WHO JOIN THEM IN SUPPORTING THIS SENSELESS DESTRUCTION OF HUMAN LIFE IS A TERRORIST. DO YOU SUPPORT THIS ACTION? THEN DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT OR GET READY FOR THE DAY WHEN THE US, UK OR ISRAEL IS BEING CAREFUL AROUND YOUR BACKYARD WHILST THEY ARE "ONLY TRYING TO ROOT OUT THE TERRORISTS." How is that for cynical, angry, expecting too much and refusing to see the good in people?!??! |
Friday 11th August 2006 | AFP |
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The US government is considering an Israeli request for M-26 artillery rockets with cluster munitions it wants to use against Hezbollah missile sites in Lebanon, The New York Times said. A senior US official said the request was likely to be approved shortly, but other officials said the State Department is delaying approval amid concerns the munitions might cause civilian casualties and complicate diplomatic efforts to end the war. The senior official said there was discussion to block the sale because during Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon civilians were killed with the weapon, but added that the rockets would likely be delivered and that Israel would be told to "be careful." Month-long battles between Israel and Hezbolla militias have left more than 1,000 civilians dead in Lebanon and 38 in Israel, while diplomats at the United Nations have been wrangling over the wording of a proposed resolution urging an end to hostilities. Described as short-range antipersonnel rockets, the M-26 are fired in barrages and carry hundreds of grenade-like bomblets that scatter and explode over a broad area. Israel wants to use the M-26 to target Hezbollah Katyusha missile sites in Lebanon its bombers and artillery attacks have been unable to destroy, the officials said. The sale of M-26 rockets to Israel was approved some time ago but had not been delivered when the current crisis in Lebanon broke out, the newspaper said. The sale of cluster munitions to Israel was suspended in 1982 by late US president Ronald Reagan when it was determined Israel had used them against civilian areas. The moratorium was lifted later in the Reagan administration and since then the US has sold Israel some types of cluster munitions, the senior US official said. The M-26 is used in conjunction with the Multiple Launch Rocket System, which Israel has already received, the daily said. |
