The Wrong Solution To Land Mines  February 10, 1996  Death or
dismemberment is the goal of all devices bred when mankind's
creativity is married to designs of territorial conquest or
national defense.  By definition, weapons are horrible--but
while bullets and bombers can be unloaded or called back to
base, antipersonnel land mines keep on killing indiscriminately
long after the battlefield is silent. Like the dragon's teeth of
ancient myth, they have been scattered about the earth, ageless,
always ready to bite.  A plan by the United Nations to negotiate
an enforceable and verifiable worldwide ban on land mines is
laudable. A bill approved by Congress last month that requires
the U.S. military to unilaterally eliminate these weapons from
its arsenal is not.  To use arcane Pentagonese, land mines are a
"force multiplier," which means that a cheap, pressure-sensitive
explosive can effectively do the job of many soldiers, freeing
troops for more important work.  Land mines are excellent
sentries guarding an are