Jobs And Landmines Plus Open Thread

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Jobs And Landmines Plus Open Thread

Written By : William Teach

I couldn’t decide which story I liked better, so, how about both, starting with George W. Obama and landmines?

The Obama administration has decided not to sign an international convention banning land mines.

State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said Tuesday that the administration recently completed a review and decided not to change the Bush-era policy.

“We decided that our land mine policy remains in effect,” he said.

Hope! Change! Obama just can’t be bothered with actually making policy decisions.

And jobs?

As desperate Democratic lawmakers cast about for ways to create jobs from Capitol Hill, a 1970s-era jobs program is getting a fresh look.

Known as CETA — the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act — the program provided direct government funding to hire temporary workers. At its peak in 1978, it had created 725,000 public service jobs and shaved roughly one point off the unemployment figure.

Yeah, that should go over well. Of course, that is part of the plan, to have everyone working directly for and/or beholden to the federal government. Say, I wonder how well that worked out just a few short years later?

Government doesn’t create wealth. They take it from the private industry.

Consider this a pre-Thanksgiving open thread, too. Discuss away!

michaelalan

Why does Michelle Obama look airbrushed at the administration’s first official state dinner?
President_Friedman

Something extra to be thankful for this year: An abundant food crop. It’s been a long time since America faced an economic depression like this, but its been an even longer time since we faced real food shortages, and in the history of humanity, our food production system is nothing short of a miracle. In spite of a bad economy and lots of outsourcing, America is and always will be the breadbasket of the world, and in lean economic times that is something to thank God for.

http://american.com/archive/2009/november/give-thanks-for-this-harvest
“Nobody but we farmers celebrates a great crop like this one. The rest of America should celebrate, and be grateful for the abundance that agriculture provides.”
http://www.superdickery.com mightysamurai

The Obama administration has decided not to sign an international convention banning land mines.

Good for Obama. According to the US State Department:

Q. Where does the United States still use landmines?

A. The United States has a variety of landmines stockpiled for use in Korea, but currently maintains no minefields anywhere in the world, including Korea. The mines along South Korea’s section of the DMZ belong to South Korea. With the exception of non-self-destructing anti-personnel landmines, the United States has landmines available for use worldwide, where their use would be necessary to ensure the safety of our men and women in uniform and the success of their mission.

http://www.fas.org/asmp/campaigns/landmines/FactSheet_FAQ_NewUSLandminePolicy_2-27-04.htm

In other words, the United States is not part of the problem. America does not maintain any anti-personnel minefields anywhere in the world so this “international convention” would not have any practical effect on us anyway.

None of the anti-personnel minefields in the world that are currently killing innocent civilians belong to us. Furthermore, the US does not use persistent (“dumb”) landmines (the kind that remain perpetually active years after being placed). All of the of the landmines stockpiled by the United States are of the self-destructing/self-deactivating variety. This allows us to keep landmines as a valuable defensive tool without creating a humanitarian hazard.

I submit that the only countries with any responsibility to sign this so-called “treaty” are the nations whose mine fields are still killing innocent people right now. If each of those nations would take the initiative in cleaning up each and every mine field they ever placed, this humanitarian problem would go away completely. Hell, I’d even be willing to lend those nations some of the US’s anti-minefield equipment if they need it. But I fail to see why we should sign this treaty when we are not part of the problem.
Mike_M

“The United States has a variety of landmines stockpiled for use in Korea”

Yeah, exactly. Defensive doctrine in S. Korea depends on dumping mines across the entire penninsula between the DMZ and Seoul. They have the bridges wired with explosives with concrete barriers ready to fall into place on the highways north of the city. Talk about your creepy drives…

Taking mines out of the Korean equation costs tens of thousands of military and civilian lives since the North Korean invasion plan is to use their army like a huge steamroller pointed at Seoul. Mines delay their advance south and bleed them every step of the way. That’s why we didn’t sign, and Obama deserves credit for it.