Article

2005-04-22 Iraq-Jordan

Mine-hunters of Iraq slowly clear Saddam's legacy

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Posted by phil_b 2005-04-22 2:23:45 AM|| || Front Page|| [2 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Yes, indeed. Thanks for finding this, phil_b.

Posted by trailing wife 2005-04-22 7:44:04 AM|| 2005-04-22 7:44:04 AM|| Front Page Top

#2 Excellent article, Phil. We should funding mine-clearing as much as possible. There should be a dozen Mr. Zangana's clearing the country.

Posted by Steve White 2005-04-22 9:00:03 AM|| 2005-04-22 9:00:03 AM|| Front Page Top

#3 Eventually, there needs to be deployed a directed energy weapon that can clear a large area. Since line-of-sight is important, it should be elevated; and since time-over-target is also a consideration, it should be a dirigible. The large amount of energy would almost have to be generated by a small, 2-5 ton nuclear reactor. Something like a powerful microwave dish that would heat the soil to a temperature hot enough to detonate the mine, to a depth of one foot.

Posted by Anonymoose 2005-04-22 10:44:18 AM|| 2005-04-22 10:44:18 AM|| Front Page Top

#4 Hmmm. This might be as effective as sewing salt or soaking in oil, heh. Think of all the critters, insects and worms and nematodes - etc, that would be baked. I'm thinking heat to a 1 ft depth over broad swaths sounds like a major ecologicial FUBAR... Hey, I'm just sayin...

Posted by .com 2005-04-22 10:50:40 AM|| 2005-04-22 10:50:40 AM|| Front Page Top

#5 This is nuts. What I don't get is why they don't fire up a thousand fuel-air explosive bombs and just clear the area. A cheaper way would be to use flail tanks, as in Normandy.

Posted by Zhang Fei 2005-04-22 11:22:07 AM|| [http://timurileng.blogspot.com] 2005-04-22 11:22:07 AM|| Front Page Top

#6 I have got a simple idea that is relatively inexpensive and enviornmentally sound. Let them take their convicted thugs and allow them volunteer for chain gangs (with long segments between them of course) to clear by hand! As an incentive give them a target amount for clearing and provide a reduced sentence for work completed. Have them walk the cleared areas afterward just to be careful though.

Posted by Tkat 2005-04-22 11:38:32 AM|| 2005-04-22 11:38:32 AM|| Front Page Top

#7 The ecological effects are very limited. First of all, the largest of minefields is tiny compared to the land around it. Second, while it would, indeed, sterilize the ground, the ground wouldn't stay that way very long. Third, and this is an interesting effect, the moisture in the soil would be turned to steam, strongly churning the soil. This would be much like plowing it, making it more fit for either agriculture or to return to its natural state.

Posted by Anonymoose 2005-04-22 11:51:36 AM|| 2005-04-22 11:51:36 AM|| Front Page Top

#8 pretty funny Tkat

Posted by Cool Hand Luke 2005-04-22 11:52:28 AM|| 2005-04-22 11:52:28 AM|| Front Page Top

#9 ...we freeze to clear mines. The weight 'o bergs do the trick.

Posted by Gleremping Igloos 2005-04-22 12:13:49 PM|| 2005-04-22 12:13:49 PM|| Front Page Top

#10 Anonymoose is right. Sterile soil is pretty quickly recolonized by the organisms in the encircling, uncooked soil. If you feel bad about it, though, just culture a batch from the nearby soil ahead of time, attach to a hose, and spray as soon as the popcorn sound stops. You can even include fertilizers and legume seeds (eg. peas, alfalfa or clover, depending on whether you wish to provide food, feed goats or attract bees) to improve over the original condition.

Posted by trailing wife 2005-04-22 12:39:12 PM|| 2005-04-22 12:39:12 PM|| Front Page Top

#11 Anonymoose / tw - Cool - it just struck me that, because you don't know where the mines actually are the area zapped would be large, and the goodies in our symbiotic existence would be smacked - an out of balance situation that I didn't see being rectified so easily. Glad it's not nearly as dire as my first thoughts implied. Thx!

Posted by .com 2005-04-22 12:52:49 PM|| 2005-04-22 12:52:49 PM|| Front Page Top

#12 hey.. they use poison gas to make sterile ground to grow strawberrys in so what's the diff?

Posted by 3dc 2005-04-22 3:58:14 PM|| 2005-04-22 3:58:14 PM|| Front Page Top

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