Cluster bombs scatter dozens to
hundreds of explosive bomblets that spray deadly shrapnel fragments over wide areas of land, making it very difficult
to avoid civilian casualties. The bomblets sometimes fail to detonate on impact,
leaving behind large numbers of unexploded duds that are akin to landmines.
In the last 15 years, the U.S. has dropped cluster bombs
in civilian-populated areas of the former Yugoslavia,
Afghanistan and Iraq. U.S.-made cluster bombs have also
been dropped in many other countries. The United Nations has discovered U.S.-made cluster bombs dropped in front of hospitals, schools and other civilian areas.
Since the last U.S. cluster bomb was dropped on Laos in 1973, approximately 12,000 Laotian civilians have been killed or injured by an unexploded bomblet. As many as 60% of casualties from unexploded cluster munitions in South East Asia are children.
The Cluster Munitions Civilian Protection Act of 2007 (S. 594) would ban the use of cluster bombs in or near civilian areas and ban the use, sale and transfer of almost the entire existing U.S. arsenal of close to one billion bomblets.
Sign this petition now to tell your Senators to cosponsor
the Cluster Munitions Civilian Protection Act.
Dear Senator [Last Name]:
In the last 15 years, the U.S. has used cluster bombs in civilian-populated areas of the former Yugoslavia, Afghanistan and Iraq. These deadly bombs disperse smaller "bomblets" that are designed to kill all living creatures within a specific area that is often as large as several football fields. The U.S. still has an arsenal that includes nearly 1 billion of the deadly bomblets.
This type of bomb keeps on killing for decades because bomblets that fail to detonate on impact become explosive "duds" that are akin to landmines. Since the last U.S. cluster bomb was dropped on Laos in 1973, 12,000 Laotian civilians, many of whom were not born when the bombs were dropped, have been killed or injured by an unexploded cluster dud.
The Cluster Munitions Civilian Protection Act of 2007 (S. 594), introduced by Senators Dianne Feinstein (CA) and Patrick Leahy (VT), would ban the use of cluster bombs in or near civilian areas and ban the use, sale, and transfer of almost the entire existing U.S. arsenal of cluster bombs.
I urge you to cosponsor the Cluster Munitions Civilian Protection Act of 2007 (S. 594). This bill would ban the use of cluster bombs in or near civilian areas and ban the use, sale, and transfer of any cluster bomb with a failure rate of more than one percent.
[Your Comments]
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
