HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 39
(By Mr. Speaker, Mr. Kiss and Delegates Fleischauer,
Beach, Marshall, Compton, Staton, Amores, Angotti, Ashley,
Azinger, Beane, Boggs, Border, Brown, Browning, Butcher,
Campbell, Caputo, Carmichael, Dempsey, Douglas, Doyle, Ellem,
Faircloth, Flanigan, Fletcher, Fox, Fragale, Hall, Hatfield,
Hrutkay, Hubbard, Kuhn, Leach, Louisos, Mahan, Manchin, Manuel,
Martin, Mathews, McGraw, Mezzatesta, Michael, Morgan, Perdue,
Poling, Prunty, Riggs, Romine, Schadler, Shaver, Shelton, J.
Smith, L. Smith, Spencer, Stalnaker, Stephens, Susman, R. M.
Thompson, Trump, Varner, Warner, Webb, Webster, C. White, G.
White, Williams, Wills and Wright)
[Introduced March 8, 2002; referred to the
Committee on Rules.]
Urging the passage and enactment of the Land Mine Elimination and
Victim Assistance Act of 2001 by the United States Congress
and the President and further urging the passage and enactment
of the International Land Mine Ban Treaty by the United States
Senate and the President.
Whereas, Every twenty-two minutes, a man, woman or child is
killed or horrifically maimed for life by land mines, which lay
indiscernible, just below the surface of the ground, until
triggered by the movement of any man, animal, machine, mechanism
or implement; and
Whereas, Tragically, a great proportion of the victims of land
mines are children; and
Whereas, The carnage inflicted from these deadly devices of war leave unimaginable devastation, especially in small, poor agrarian
countries, with the recent world focus on the plight of land mine
victims in Afghanistan providing the most compelling reasons to
eliminate these devices from any landscape where they exist, and
from the arsenals of civilized countries; and
Whereas, In the year 2000, Afghanistan had an estimated eight
to ten million land mines deployed along and within its landscape,
resulting in approximately one hundred incidents per month of death
and maiming; and
Whereas, In addition to the killing and maiming of civilians,
the adverse impact of these insidious devices upon the already
tottering economies and environments of small, agrarian nations is
enormous. Refugees who return to countries where land mines have
been indiscriminately buried have no means of economic support; and
Whereas, The preeminent consideration one must ponder in
determining the proper course that must be followed to adequately
address this problem is the astronomical toll of human lives that
is exacted by the use of these devices; and
Whereas, March 1st through the 8th is "Ban Land Mine Week";
therefore, this is a particularly appropriate time for this
legislative body to urge our Congressional members, as well as the President, to demonstrate support for the International Land Mine
Ban Treaty and to make a bold and unequivocal stand to ban these
nefarious devices from the arsenals of civilized countries;
therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Delegates:
That West Virginia supports and recognizes the worldwide
effort to eliminate land mines and to offer aide to the victims of
these devices and passage and enactment of the Land Mine
Elimination and Victim Assistance Act of 2001 by the United States
Congress and the President is hereby urged by the members of the
House of Delegates; and, be it
Further Resolved, That passage and enactment of the
International Land Mine Ban Treaty by the United States Senate and
the President is further hereby urged by the members of the House
of Delegates; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Clerk is hereby directed to forward
a copy of this resolution to this State's Congressional Delegation,
the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, the
President Pro Tempore of the Senate, and the President of the
United States.