• @[email protected]
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    6310 hours ago

    On the one hand, Carlson being against it makes me assume that it’s probably a good thing, but on the other I’m usually pretty against the use of landmines because they have a strong tendency to sit around for a long time and maim random civilians.

    But if he said the sky was blue I’d have to go check for myself.

    • Drusas
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      429 hours ago

      The landmines that Biden approved are battery powered. While they are still indiscriminate killing machines, they will self-neutralize rather than remain dangerous for decades to come.

    • @cogman
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      710 hours ago

      Yup.

      I think Biden is wrong for the reasons you lay out. It won’t just be the Russians that suffer from mining.

      WWII ordinances still get pulled up pretty regularly in France.

      • Drusas
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        249 hours ago

        World War II ordinances didn’t rely on batteries and so remain(ed) dangerous for far longer.

        • @cogman
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          28 hours ago

          These are still explosive. While the triggering mechanism may go bad after the battery dies, are the explosive chemicals neutralized? What happens on a shock to the device? For example, if it’s crushed by a vehicle or hit by a plow blade?

          I can grant that these are probably safer than yesteryear’s model, but I also think you are still setting up bobbytraps that are potentially dangerous for decades.

          • @[email protected]
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            104 hours ago

            Most explosives are chemically and physically stable like c4. Driving over them isn’t going to set them off, nor is hitting them with any kind of blunt force.

            • BombOmOm
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              33 hours ago

              Hell, you can even burn C4 and it does not explode.

      • NoneOfUrBusiness
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        58 hours ago

        I mean they’re being invaded, and by Russia out of all countries. Just like their use of cluster ammunition, they probably decided it’s worth the risk.