Ohio Valley Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) unites with the Friends Committee on National Legislation and the U.S. Campaign to Ban Landmines to urge our government to join the 107 countries who in May 2008 agreed to a treat to ban the production, use, stockpiling and export of all existing cluster munitions. Cluster bombs, like landmines, often kill or maim civilians months or years after a war is over, especially children, since many (one study found over 90%!) do not explode in the air or on impact and they look like softballs or soda cans on the ground. Cluster bombs also cause many civilian casualties during military strikes when they do explode as they disperse hundreds of bomblets over an area the size of several football fields.
In keeping with the peace testimony of the Religious Society of Friends, Ohio Valley Yearly Meeting calls upon our Congressional representatives to support the Cluster Munitions Civilian Protection Act, S. 594 (Senate Bill) and H.R. 1755 (House bill), which would ban the use of cluster bombs near civilian areas. We also urge our senators and representatives to join 13 cosponsors of a joint resolution introduced in May calling on the United States to sign on to the Convention on Cluster Munitions when it becomes open for signature in December 2008.
