[LEMONS] 10.22.2001
When I saw Salon's top story today it took me back to high school (or pre college at least). The landmine on the right is made completely of plastic, although hot a "toe popper" proper (genuine toe poppers look more like a small plastic pot with a handle, like this: |_|-- ), everyone in Kuwait called these Toe Poppers. An ingenious an insidious device. They work thusly, a soldier (one would hope, rather than a non-combatant) steps on the device, triggereing it. It explodes, sending up plastic shrapnel and debris. This shrapnel and debris, combined with the explosion itself, will maim the soldiers feet and legs (and one would imagine genitals too) but does not kill the soldier. This effectively takes out three people rather than one (since two have to carry him off the field. How ingenious. They can be easily disabled by unscrewing them and dumping out the explosives. My psychotic roommate had quite a few in our apartment (along with various other bombs). Landmines are *everywhere* in Afghanistan. I'll be amazed if they don't maim the hell out of a lot of our unfortunate troops who get sent in harm's way. God be with you...
- l i n k -
