Cluster Kids

The Bomb that keeps on giving.
There were lots of ‘precision’ weapons used against Lebanon by Israel, one cheeky little number is the cluster bomb. Many of these ‘bomblets’ are now scattered all over Southern Lebanon and are continuing to kill civilians. To date 8 have died. Israel continues to resist calls to ban use of cluster bombs.

So much for ‘precision’ strikes, this from AlertNet
On 14 August, the Lebanese army began the painstaking task of clearing the thousands of unexploded cluster bombs that litter the fields, gardens, doorsteps and playgrounds of Nabatiyeh and its surrounding villages. Some 150 cluster bombs were detonated on Friday on the tarmac behind Najde hospital, said Dr Ali. A Lebanese soldier said he had detonated 1,000 such devices already. "I have never seen anything like it before. It is far more widespread than in Iraq," said Sean Sutton, spokesman for the Nabatiyeh office of the Mines Advisory Group (MAG), a UK-based NGO.


US Army Recruiters calling kids at Home
The US Army are so desperate to try and get new recruits, they are cold calling students in their last year of school at home from phone lists that Schools are forced by law to provide the Army. Is there something a little sick in phoning 18 year olds at home to try and get them to fight overseas?

This from BBC
As the "war on terror" drags on, the US military is finding it difficult to fill its ranks and there are growing concerns some recruiters are breaking the rules. Sgt 1st Class Arnold also does something every day that is the subject of controversy in America - he makes cold calls to high school students trying to talk them into signing up. He tells the students about the financial help the army can give them for their college education, the bonuses and how the training can help in their future careers. He uses lists of students that federal law requires the schools to provide to military recruiters. The law - passed in 2001 before the 11 September attacks - grew out of the military's frustration that some public schools banned recruiters from visiting campus. Others put severe restrictions on their access and many refused to provide phone lists. Today, the schools have no choice and the summer before their final year of secondary education, it is not uncommon for students to get calls from every branch of the service. The army recruiters in Kokomo will make 300 calls a day, Sgt 1st Class Lang told the programme. "Pressure is always there. It's the army, it's your mission, and they drill that into you every day," he added.