Helping to Ban Landmines: What's in it for me?

Helping to fund the removal of land mines from war-torn countries is in 
the economic self-interest of the United States. Increasingly, U. S. 
companies must be competitive internationally. U. S. corporations 
benefit by opening new markets in which to sell American-made products. 
War-torn countries are far from being saturated with such products.

Also, we want our children to learn about geography and cultural 
diversity in school. Teachers often require their students to write 
reports about other countries. This requires that up-to-date information 
be available. What's a report without an up-to-date photo from the 
country about which the report is written?

We want our children to have knowledge of planet Earth and its various 
regions, cultures and ecosystems. Why allow the presence of landmines to 
hinder the enhancement of this knowledge? Do we want our children to 
have a balanced, complete picture of the world they are inheriting, or 
one that is skewed toward wealthy, industrialized regions?

Children love to learn about dinosaur bones, solar eclipses, endangered 
and extinct animals, and physical geography. These phenomena are not 
limited to the world's landmine-free countries. In order to dig up 
dinosaur bones, study and preserve endangered species and observe solar 
eclipses, all parts of all continents must be safe places for people to 
walk!

Also, for health-related reasons, it is essential that the Earth be made 
safe for walking. In order to study and treat diseases and other 
phenomena, medical researchers need to be able to visit different 
countries, and examine and learn from those who are affected by such  
diseases and conditions.

Moreover, the removal of landmines and cessation of their use will make 
family reunions, including transatlantic ones, and visits to ancestral 
homelands possible for all people, not just for those whose ancestors 
lived in places where landmines are now scarce. 

Gang members have been known to acquire and use imported and 
foreign-made weapons. What's to stop them from using landmines? 

Landmines have killed and maimed many American soldiers, permanently 
disrupting the lives of their families, and will continue to do so if we 
let them. Can the human race afford to perpetually restrict ambassadors, 
athletes, entertainers, scientists and business people from vast regions 
of the world? 

If you regard certain populated regions of the world as  unimportant, 
ignorable basket-cases, how will you explain such attitudes to people 
who are from those regions?

Many, if not most companies that are on the internet want to sell their 
products internationally. The more people there are on the internet, the 
more potential customers a company has. Landmines hinder the provision 
of electricity and  internet access, as well as delivery of other goods 
and services to areas that don't yet have these things. 

Many talented entertainers and athletes are of African origin. As we 
speak, Angola could be producing the next Sade or Hakeem Olajuwon, Alek 
Wek or Manute Bol. 

In this day and age, it is no longer unheard of for the President of the 
United States and the First Family to tour Africa. Why allow landmines 
to restrict where this family can go?

What kind of world will our children inherit if the extinction of 
elephants, tigers, bonobos, gorillas, pandas or rhinos is hastened by 
the presence of landmines that "cost too much to remove" or landmines 
that "protect American troops"?  



robertpsingleton@hotmail.com

Posted: 12 October 1998