[fr_freak]

In the past few days, rumors had swelled on Iranian websites and social networks, saying that Pepsi Co. was going to shoot powerful lasers at the moon to display the brand’s colors on its surface.

One of the things I've always loved about being an American is that we've achieved so many incredible things in the last 100 years that some people have started to think that we can do anything. I remember a while back there was a story out of the Middle East about a rash of earthquakes, which the usual suspects were blaming on American earthquake machines because "Americans know how to do that." It's like we've achieved legendary status, alongside Atlantis and Brigadoon. Well, I'm sure we'll do every bit as well as Atlantis did.

If someone tried to tell me the rumor that Pepsi was going to project their logo on the moon, I'd say "That kind of technology does not exist." but I guarantee that somewhere in Iran, there occurred this exchange: "There is no way that Pepsi can project their infidel logo on the moon". "Oh yes they can - the Americans know how to do that."

[Future Snake Eater]

The Iraqis thought our Oakley glasses were x-ray glasses so we could see if they were carrying weapons under their clothes. They also thought that no person could function in the heat wearing all that body armor, so the rumor was that we took special “blood cooling” pills.

I also heard a story from early in the Afghanistan war that a Special Forces Soldier showed off his “death ray” to some of the local fighters by calling in an air strike on a Taliban compound and using a laser target designator. All they saw was this American Soldier using a laser rifle and the entire compound exploded...