[SlackerSlayer]

So far, I have only heard the Democrats ramble on about the theft of property within Vietnam by the Vietnamese Government, what I thought was a soverine Nation unto its' own.

Our Congress is wasting our time with the concerns of a foriegn interest in a foriegn nation???

We are at War, and they speak of Vietnams' troubles???

[MNJohnnie]

Bye Bye Democrat clown.

[MikefromOhio]

sniff sniff....

[cripplecreek]

If you're just now figuring out that this is what congress does, maybe you should ignore politics and by all means avoid the polling places.

[balch3]

IBTZ

[MNJohnnie]

I suppose a DUer like you would rather have a Congress that legislated this sort of crap hmmm?

Senators Feinstein and Leahy Call for New Policy on Use of Cluster Bombs
California Chronicle ^ | 5 SEPT 2006 | California Political Desk


Posted on 09/09/2006 12:32:29 PM CDT by radar101


Washington, DC – U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) today introduced an amendment to the FY 2007 Department of Defense Appropriations bill aimed at preventing hundreds of unnecessary civilian deaths and injuries caused every year by unexploded cluster bombs.

The Cluster Munitions Amendment would prevent funds from being spent to purchase, use, or transfer cluster bombs until the Department of Defense has adopted rules of engagement to ensure that cluster bomb are not used in or near any concentration of civilians.

“Instead of targeting troop formations and enemy armor, unexploded bomblets target innocent civilians, seriously maiming or killing their victims,” Senator Feinstein said. “This runs counter to our values and counter to the laws of war.

Senator Feinstein continued, “The human death toll and injury from these weapons are felt every day. Innocent children think they are picking up a play toy in the field, and suddenly their arm is blown off. We need to adjust our policies on the use of cluster bombs, and we can do so easily.”

“For too long, innocent civilians, not enemy combatants, have suffered the majority of casualties from cluster munitions. The recent experience in Lebanon is only the latest example of the appalling human toll of injury and death. Strict rules of engagement are long overdue, and I hope the Pentagon will support this amendment to ensure that our cluster munitions are not used in civilian areas,” said Senator Leahy.

A cluster munition is a large bomb, rocket or artillery shell that contains hundreds of small submunitions, or individual bomblets. In some cases, up to 40 percent of the bomblets fail to explode and therefore pose a significant danger to civilians long after conflict has ended. In addition, U.S. military forces face thousands of unexploded bomblets as they advance in combat.

Senator Feinstein cited Israel’s recent alleged use of cluster bombs in Lebanon as a factor in proposing this amendment. Throughout southern Lebanon, more than 405 cluster bomb sites containing approximately 100,000 unexploded bomblets have been discovered. Each site covers a radius of 220 yards.

Thirteen people, including three young children, have been killed and 48 injured. So far, more than 2,900 unexploded bomblets have been destroyed in Lebanon but it will take 12 to 15 months to complete the effort.

In addition to the most recent use of cluster bombs, the impact of unexploded cluster bombs on civilian populations has been devastating:

· An estimated 1,220 Kuwaitis and 400 Iraqi civilians have been killed since 1991.

· In Iraq in 2003, 13,000 cluster bombs with nearly 2 million bomblets were used. Combining the first and second Gulf Wars, the total number of unexploded bomblets in the region is approximately 1.2 million.

· In Afghanistan in 2001, 1,228 cluster bombs with 248,056 bomblets were used. Between October 2001 and November 2002, 127 civilians were killed, 70 percent of them under the age of 18.

· In the first Gulf War, 61,000 cluster bombs were used containing 20 million bomblets. Since 1993, unexploded bomblets have killed 1,600 innocent men, women, and children and injured more than 2,500.

· Between nine and 27 million unexploded cluster bombs remain in Laos from U.S. bombing campaigns in the 1960s and 1970s. Approximately 11,000 people, 30 percent of them children, have been killed or injured since the war ended.

“Unexploded cluster bombs fuel anger and resentment and make security, stabilization, and reconstruction efforts that much harder,” Senator Feinstein said.

[edcoil]

The are democrats, they are trying out how to duplicate it here.

[mnehring]

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c109:H.RES.415:

109th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. RES. 415
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Socialist Republic of Vietnam needs to do more to resolve claims for confiscated real and personal property, and for other purposes.


IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

July 28, 2005
Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California (for herself and Mr. BURTON of Indiana) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations

---

RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Socialist Republic of Vietnam needs to do more to resolve claims for confiscated real and personal property, and for other purposes.

Whereas during the establishment of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam as a 1-party state ruled and controlled by the Vietnamese Communist Party, uncompensated confiscation of real and personal property from Vietnamese citizens was a widespread occurrence;

Whereas the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam continues to use the confiscation of land as a tool of repression against certain ethnic minorities, such as the Montagnards of the Central Highlands region;

Whereas Article 23 of the Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam provides that `[t]he lawful property of individuals and organizations shall not be nationalized';

Whereas according to the Department of State, more work is necessary to adequately protect property rights in Vietnam; and

Whereas the people of the United States are firmly committed to freedom, democracy, and basic human rights for the citizens of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam: Now, therefore, be it


Resolved, That--

(1) The House of Representatives--

(A) welcomes recent attempts by the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to establish private land use rights for some of its citizens, and hopes that these rights are quickly expanded to encompass all Vietnamese citizens;

(B) calls on the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to more fully recognize its responsibility to provide equitable, prompt, and fair restitution of property that was confiscated by the government;

(C) calls on the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to direct local officials, particularly in the Central Highlands region, to promptly investigate and resolve complaints about discriminatory and uncompensated confiscation of land;

(D) urges the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to form a national commission for processing restitution claims, and to obligate local government officials, bodies, and agencies to provide all necessary documentation and cooperation to facilitate the implementation of decisions issued by the national commission; and

(E) strongly urges the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam--

(i) to ensure that implementation of land use reforms by local officials does not result in increased inequity in access to land, particularly for the poor and for those out of favor with the Communist Party; and

(ii) to ensure that the government provides fair, prompt, and equitable restitution to former landowners for the property rights of all confiscated lands; and

(2) it is the sense of the House of Representatives that--

(A) the President should specifically consider land use rights for individuals in determining whether the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a country of particular concern for religious freedom under section 402(b)(1)(A) of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6442(b)(1)(A)); and

(B) the President should direct the Secretary of State to include, in the Secretary of State's annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices submitted to the Congress under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, the status of land use rights and restitution claims in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

[Darksheare]

sovereign, foreign, spork, weasel, moose, beeber, unngh...

[docman57]

I smell Troll...where's my ZOT GUN

[Rovendem]

For your own good, dont watch hogdogs/sausages being made:-)

[oyez]

We also have a concern for private in Cuba as well. there is also about $200,000 in frozen Cuban assets that have been locked up since 1959. When the criminal Cuban and Viet Nam governments fall, the families of the property owners are supposed to get first claim.

[MNJohnnie]

That's it! Ride your stupidity for all it is worth! Revel in your moronness! Some people rise to greatness but not you! No YOU have chosen a more difficult path, you have chosen to sink to the lowest possible level of idiocy it is possible to reach and STILL be able to operate a computer! Way to flaunt your single digit IQ!!!!! BRAVO! Encore!!!!!

[Blue Jays]

Fake hyperlink. IBTZ.

[308MBR]

I wonder why Congress isn't working to stop the theft of property of US citizens by their own government.

LOL

I guess that might interfere with earmarks and force the government dependent to fend for themselves instead!

[areafiftyone]

Do you have a better link?

[GretchenM]

Anyone know where John Kerry was when all this was going on?

[Jaysun]

We need to fire all of them and reopen the Capital in Jakarta. I hear you can get decent men there for about .70 a day.

[Constantine XIII]

LOL, who says we're not winning the War in Vietnam? :P

Patience..

[Xenalyte]

While we're asking questions, why do you feel compelled to put so many question marks at the end of yours?

[1035rep]

IBTZ

Just in case.......................