Whatever happen to that caravan, anyway?

[GMDino]

Just to verify that tear gas is illegal in war but legal to use on civilians.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/11/27/tear-gas-forbidden-war-but-legal-use-civilians-and-migrants/2133144002/

Of course legal doesn't equal moral or right.

Quote:Tear gas is considered a riot control agent because the effects dissipate a short time after exposure,’’ said Kelsey Davenport, director for nonproliferation policy at the Arms Control Association. “But even though the effects of tear gas wear off, its symptoms are harsh and terrifying, including severe eye irritations and difficulty breathing.


“The United States may justify firing tear gas across the border as legal, but the decision to use an indiscriminate, psychologically terrifying toxic chemical was excessive and certainly immoral.’’

The odd juxtaposition of a weapon banned in combat being approved for use on civilians stems from a desire to clarify conditions at war and avoid escalation.


Richard Price, a political science professor at the University of British Columbia and author of the book “The Chemical Weapons Taboo,’’ said Iraq’s chemical warfare on Iran in the 1980s prompted the 1993 treaty, which banned the production, stockpiling and use of such weapons.


Tear gas, also known as CS gas, was included on the list largely to avoid confusion at war, but was granted an exception for law-enforcement purposes.


“It’s one of the really strange situations we have in attempts to restrain various weapons of violence, because you actually have tighter restrictions on the use of this particular method than you do in domestic policing,’’ Price said.


“The idea is that, if you’re only going to ban certain chemical weapons and not others, then clearly in the fog of war it becomes impossibly confusing. If you’re a soldier in the field and you see a gas shell exploding around you, you’re not going to sit around and go, ‘Is that mustard gas? Sarin? Tear gas?’’’


Department of Homeland Security officials defended the use of tear gas – which also causes nose and throat irritation, as well as coughing and a choking sensation – as the least harmful way for CBP agents to defend themselves as they were pelted with rocks and bottles from the other side of the fence.


They also said the approach would be used again, if required, and that those who wanted to avoid its effects steer clear of violent protests.


“We don’t target women and children,” said Rodney Scott, chief Border Patrol agent in the San Diego sector. “If women and children choose to insert themselves into a violent crowd that is attacking police officers with rocks and bottles, there are going to be unintended consequences.”


Those are especially noxious for children. Sven Jordt, an expert on chemical weapons at Duke University, said how somebody reacts to tear gas depends on its distance, concentration and the person’s health status. The impact could last as little as 10-20 minutes.


However, children are more vulnerable because of their size and the likelihood they don’t know to cover their mouths and close their eyes to minimize the harm.



“Tear gas is heavier than air, so the concentrations are higher lower to the ground,’’ Jordt said. “Children also have much smaller lungs, so if they inhale it, they are exposed to higher levels. And, obviously, they cannot understand what’s happening to them, this pain developing, so they also develop much more anxiety and fear response.’’

I think it is just wonderful that we have rules of war to keep the people sent to kill each other from getting (more) hurt but we just can't extend that to every citizen.