Somebody must have told Dani Sevilla about my problems with cluster bombs. You see, Sevilla represents Survivor Corps and they are testifying to the fact that Russia has used them against civilians in Georgia. I was contacted by Dani again today. I don't really know much about Survivor Corps, but I don't care. When it comes to cluster bombs, well, it kind of ruins my objectivity.
Back in the day when I was a freshly minted yuppie, I got all sorts of unexpected phonecalls to my new office in Southern California. Merrill Lynch wanted to offer me investment advice. The United Negro College Fund wanted my contribution. Amnesty International called me personally. They informed me first about what was up in Namibia, and then they told me about how the bad guys put shiny objects on cluster munitions in Afghanistan so that they would be attractive to children. Up until that moment I only had abstract ways of describing evil, a second later I was nearly puking up my lunch.
Many years later I had hoped to become the sort of man I couldn't be before - that could face harsh realities, and maybe I am. Maybe I'm not. But I'm certainly not so hard-eyed and pragmatic that I can take this kind of information without blinking. It still gets me in the gut. I cannot be politically correct in any direction when it comes to cluster bombs, and it doesn't matter what the reason. I'm scared to death of drowning and I'm one of those who still could make excuses for waterboarding. But a weapon that's designed to literally cost you an arm and a leg, I cannot under any circumstances put up with it. It just has that kind of emotional impact on me.
So there's two things to do. Number one go check out Survivor Corps' website and deal with that reality. Number two, forgive me for not giving any rationale or doing any homework like my usual skeptical self. Like I said, I just can't deal with the bomblets. I don't see why we should put up with anybody who does. Damn you Putin.
