• ricecake
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    8 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@fedia.io
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      7 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@lemmy.world
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      8 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@fedia.io
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        7 hours ago

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

        • cogman@lemmy.world
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          6 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.

          • Strykker@programming.dev
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            2 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.

      • NoneOfUrBusiness@fedia.io
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        6 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.