Daisy Cutters Into Daisies: #NoWarButClassWar
By Mickey Z
04 May, 2012
Countercurrents.org
"You can't say civilization don't advance. In every war, they kill you in a new way." - Will Rogers
Seed bombs are compressed balls of soil and compost embedded with wildflower seeds. When jettisoned onto construction sites, vacant lots, etc. seed bombs become a method of protesting and combating urban sprawl.
The BLU-82B or “Daisy Cutter” bomb was described as "the largest conventional bomb in existence and is 17 feet long and 5 feet in diameter, about the size of a Volkswagen Beetle but much heavier. It contains 12,600 pounds of GX slurry (ammonium nitrate, aluminum powder, and polystyrene) … the ammonium nitrate in just one Daisy Cutter bomb is about six times the amount used in the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City."
Seed bombs are used to turn forsaken parcels of land into gardens.
The Daisy Cutter—first used in Vietnam to clear helicopter landing sites and more recently employed with devastating effects in both Iraq and Afghanistan—is extremely lethal but due to the intense magnitude of its impact (and ensuing shock waves), became increasingly utilized as a "psychological tool" (shock and awe, remember?). "The Daisy Cutter has an explosion similar to a small nuclear or atomic bomb," writes Ridhwan Saleem. "They say that when one was dropped in Iraq, the explosion lit up the entire front. Many Iraqi soldiers defected after seeing that bomb."
Green-spirited seed bombs and mean-spirited Daisy Cutters. Take a wild guess which one is illegal here in the Home of the Brave™.
Seed bombing could get you arrested or sued, but…could also result in real daisies, as in the family Asteraceae (from the Greek aster or star)—a family of plants roughly 50 million years old.
The legal and taxpayer-subsidized Daisy Cutter bomb, on the other hand, was used to destroy anything and everything in a 600-yard radius.
The daisy family has more than 22,750 currently accepted species, spread across 1620 genera, and 12 subfamilies.
The Daisy Cutter generated pressures in excess of 1,000 pounds per square inch near the point of impact, and the shock waves could be felt miles away.
Daisies include not only the familiar flowers, but also valuable medicinal herbs like Echinacea and arnica, and edible plants like artichokes and endive.
The Daisy Cutter was the product of an institution—the U.S. military—that is funded by 54 percent of American tax dollars and owns the dubious distinction of being the planet's worst polluter.
Daisies make up 10 percent of all flowering plants on Earth.
The Daisy Cutter has already been retired and replaced with an even more destructive version, the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb (known as The Mother of All Bombs or MOAB). The largest non-nuclear bomb in the US arsenal, the MOAB is very similar to the Daisy Cutter, except it is larger and uses a guidance system which makes it one of those "smart" bombs.
Daisies are still found everywhere on the planet except Antarctica.
In 2007, the Russians announced they'd tested the "Father of All Bombs." Described as "the world's most powerful non-nuclear air-delivered munition, the Russian military claimed it was four times more powerful" than the MOAB.
Both the "father" and "mother" of all bombs are officially permitted and have become popular fodder for YouTube addicts.
Seed bombing remains a crime.
Still wondering if you should occupy?
We are the 99%. Expect us. Join us…
#OccupyPermaculture. #OccupyFoodNotBombs. #OccupyClassWar.
I'd love to see you all at this great community venue for some post-May Day solidarity. Please spread the word about May 6...
http://www.facebook.com/events/201684593276760
Mickey Z. is the author of 11 books, most recently the novel Darker Shade of Green. Until the laws are changed or the power runs out, he can be found on an obscure website called Facebook.
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