WMDs in slow motion

The Guardian ^ | July 11, 2006 | Mary Robinson

[Parmenio]

Last week, Pyongyang test-fired seven missiles in defiance of international opposition. The response has been justifiably high, but far less attention has been given to an equally dangerous threat to security around the world - the spread of small arms.

The UN small arms review conference, which ended last Friday, was aimed at advancing international efforts to control the small arms trade. Small arms may get less press attention than other weapons, but they are no less deadly. Kofi Annan has described them as weapons of mass destruction in slow motion, and with good reason: small arms kill more people every year than the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki put together.

The small arms trade is not subject to a comprehensive global agreement. Instead, there is a patchwork of national export laws, which unscrupulous arms dealers can easily circumvent. As a result, small arms fall into the wrong hands every day. During the two-week conference most governments said that they supported an agreement to control sales, but instead of fighting to secure a deal that would protect the millions of people worldwide living in daily fear of armed violence, they stood by while the conference was scuppered. It collapsed without agreement after a small number of countries, most prominently the US, blocked key issues.

[Parmenio]

Mary Robinson is one of the biggest UN scoundrels from the decade of the 1990s. I don't know that much about the legal issues surrounding the gun trade, beyond a basic understanding of the 2nd amendment (maybe that's all I really need). But I posted this to get some critiques and comments from people more knowledgeable than me. You may fire when ready.

[RKV]

10 out of 10 vicious tyrants prefer their victims to be disarmed. Since the UN is primarily a dictators club now, with more member states being run by tyrants, dictators and oligopolies, it should be no surprise that the majority wants government control of arms.

[El Gato]

It collapsed without agreement after a small number of countries, most prominently the US, blocked key issues.

Best News Of The Week.

Key issues like "Turn 'em all in Mr. & Mrs. America"? That sort of key issues?

[kokonut]

Satellite Imagery of North Korean Nodong Missile Test Facility

Satellite Imagery of North Korean Nodong Missile Test Facility. First ever satellite photo obtained for this website for public inspection. Photo came from a reliable unamed source....
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1663536/posts

source: http://kokonutpundits.blogspot.com/2006/07/satellite-imagery-of-north-korean.html

[Element187]

Next time an article from the guardian is posted.. can we get either the gag or barf flag so we are prepared?

[philled]

Oh no!!! For once I'm actually agreeing with Mr. Koffee. I've been trying to eliminate small arms for quite some time. This morning, for example, I did two sets of preacher curls, two sets of reverse curls, and two sets of alternate dumbell curls. Combining that with my back and shoulder routine has kept me squarely in the medium-large arm category for quite some time. However, I challenge Kofie to kick it up a notch and try to eliminate not only small arms but small calves and legs!

[SouthernBoyupNorth]

Get the US out of the UN and the UN out of the US