The enemy of us all.		June 14, 2009, 11:35PM
	by: 666JonathanVonLangkabel666 topic: Current Events bookmark this article view bookmarked articles go to archives
The horrors of war are often not over once the fighting has stopped. The terrible ordeal has already been recorded and imprinted into the minds of those who had to live through such terrors and those who had to endure other aspects of the war.Psychological damage and trauma as well as physical trauma are a common aspect of the atrocities of war but what of when the wars and battles are over and the soldiers have gone home? What of the people who are native inhabitants of the war torn lands that are now left to be tilled and lived upon again, not by massive armies and war machines but by the houses of villagers and peaceful farmers.The lands left in barren black ravages a calling card of the destructive forces that stationed themselves into the grounds and defeated the life and lively hood of all in oppostion. Not only are their home lands in a state of disaray and temporary defeat but they're also littered with the remains of war engines left by their creators, abanoned but not defective. I'm speaking of landmines, an anti-personal device that I'm sure most of you are familar with due to service in your own countries military or through media forms and video games.But in case there are some who are not familar with the design of a land mine it is a small explosive device often encased within wood,metal, or plastic and is detonated by the pressure of a foot step or a passing vehicle.Landmines are partial submered into the soil of a land only exsposing the trigger that is set off by your foot step or similar means and are often never recovered by the military force that employs their use.Leaving them still active and still effective for years to come and landmines unlike soldiers or other manned war machines are indiscrminate as to whom they maim or kill.To a landmine a childs footstep is just as effective for death enducing results as that of a soldiers. Landmines are an epidemic, a cancer eating away at innocent people in lands across the globe. They're a horror of war that lives on long after screams and gun fire have left the battle field.They're a very simple and effective killing design that can be as cheap as $3 a single mine to manufacture, making them a popular weapon in the arsenal of almost all military forces. However their indiscriminate manner of killing makes them as much a threat to their own creators as to that of the opposing force and as such they're rarely recovered and dismantled by those who choose to use them. Making them a threat to peaceful communities and villages everywhere.Landmines are affecting 82 countries world wide and more are sure to follow if more isnt done to stop the use of these indiscriminate weapons of war that kill and maim innocent civilians long after wars are over. Landmines can last potenitally effective for decades, many landmines laid in WWII are still effective and still cause civilian casualties to a war effort that has been over for 64 years. In the course of one years time from 2002 to 2003 landmine casualties were reported in 65 of the 82 landmine devestated countries, 41 of these countries were not actively at war and had civilians, innocent children, women, and men who were casualties of a war that was long over.In fact it's estimated that 30-40% of all landmine victims are children under the age of 15, mines are responsible for killing and mutilating eight to ten thousand children every year. Landmines are so adept at killing they even begin to actively kill the enviroment they're placed in causing soil degradation,pollution of water with heavy metals, and effecting entire animal species through changing their habitat and altering their food chain.As of now only five countries formerly infected with landmines have been declared safe and mine free. A small victory when portrayed against the number of countries that are still suffering casualties and injuries to innocent men,women, and children against landmines, but yet it is a victory and a triumph none the less. Landmines, though they may not be the most powerful or devestating weapon of war when compared to nuclear weapons they are one of the only weapons of war that is actively killing innocent victims in over 80 countries uncaring of their age, political party, or allegiances.While the outlook is pretty grim with the death toll still steadily building in these countries their future is the only thing we have the capablility of changing.Only we can prevent the further devastation caused by these horrific mines by means of raising the awareness of their role in causing casualties in the form of innocent children,women, and men. And only we can help aid the process of finding and eliminating abandoned and forgotten minefields that often lie hidden and unknown in areas frequented by those who live in mine affected countries. Thanks to the international mine ban treaty many mines have already been destroyed. The treaty which was started in 1997 has been signed and ratified by 156 differnt countries and of those 156 countries 82 have completely destroyed their stockpile of landmines with the other 74 countries are in the process of destroying their stockpile of landmines.Only 39 countries have yet to sign it and destroy their stockpiles of landmines. Interestingly China,Russia, and The United States who happen to have the three largest landmine stockpiles in the world have yet to sign the mine ban treaty and help to rid the world of a weapon of war that isnt just a weapon against enemy soldiers but a weapon of murder against innocent civilians, mostly children. If you'd like to do more to help erradicate this world of abandoned mine fields that are still actively mutliating and killing innocent people everyday around the world I reccomend you look into this orginzation that has already done so much to help clear the path to a safer world. http://www.landmines.org

JV

Honestly I don't think the United States gives a shit about anything but it's own personal interest, and by "United States" I mean the government, I think it's a sad thing this landmine business, but horrible things happen to people all across this world everyday, children are getting blown up in some countries and starving in others, I can't show actual remorse for anything or anyone I don't know, for the simple fact that I know death happens every day, whether it be natural or by the hands of someone else, be it a person or country. It's a nice gesture, and something I myself wouldn't take the time posting, but at the end of the day, unless the government wants to score brownie points with these foreign countries, they wont do shit. Nice article friend. JV ------ The world is like a snow globe, you have to shake it up to get any action June 17, 2009, 4:31PM

hogmaster

June 17, 2009, 9:51PM

DXMisthedevil

your not the first person to ask these questions after all even Sun Tsu said that a wise warrior avoids war whenever possible; however the sad truth of this world is people prey on the weak, its dog eat dog and dance on the backs of the bruised out there and there are bound to be casualties... the only things you can really to are either decide personally not to fight someone elses war, start one of your own, or hey if you can't beat em.. you know June 18, 2009, 3:16AM

ImAWhat Article Editor

Quite possibly the worst attempt at addressing left-over landmines I've seen to date, DXM. ------ He was going to put his thick, hard candy cane into her no-no place, but then the Wiggles came on! June 18, 2009, 1:01PM

DXMisthedevil

thank you June 18, 2009, 5:20PM

hogmaster

why the hell would you want to get rid of landmines? i enjoy the thrill of running across a field not knowing if the next step will be my last. you people are nothing but a bunch of bleeding heart cry babies.... June 18, 2009, 7:13PM

DXMisthedevil

the bleeding hearts an artist-Roger Waters(Pink Floyd) June 18, 2009, 7:47PM

SirFoggy

"People have round shoulders from faring heavy loads And the soldiers liberate them,Laying mines along their roads..." You know Princess Diana began her own crusade against left over landmines... Unlike many bullshit programs that are started"For the children"yada yada... She and her people were actually doing good work,Some of those countries that've been declared mine free is due to her efforts while she was alive... June 19, 2009, 2:14AM

BlackHaze13

Wow, Hogmaster can go kill himself. I bet he would feel terrible if he had a kid and it was killed my a mine. Fucking asshole. But I agree. We need to do something about this. ------ To the world you bay seem li ke one person. But to one person you may seem like the world. June 19, 2009, 12:47PM

DXMisthedevil

i concur but you said it in any case it's not something to be completly ignored, however, i think the real question is what will be left us after this war all over the middle east? more radiation? depleted natural resources creating serious environmental problems over there? what weapons will be employed that might bear similar problems in the future? we should recognize this and avoid repeating history but alas this is usually not what happens in an ideal world... (sigh) June 19, 2009, 1:36PM

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