I believe the admin moderators are already employing such a weapon:
Posted on 11/02/2002 5:08:18 PM PST by Pokey78
Britain has been involved in secret talks with the United States over the development of so-called non-lethal weapons, including lasers that blind the enemy and microwave systems that cook the skin of human targets.
The Observer has established that British and US military leaders met at the Ministry of Defence HQ in London to discuss the operational benefits of such technology when used as a 'persuasive tool' against people from enemy regimes.
Documents obtained under the US Freedom of Information Act detail talks about battlefield uses of the weapons and whether they could be used to back up economic sanctions against target countries. The weapons include lasers that can blind and stun an enemy and cut through metal to disable vehicles.
Another weapon discussed was a system that uses microwave beams to heat the water in human skin in the same way as a microwave oven cooks a meal. The third category of weapons was the use of gases similar to those deployed to end the terrorist siege in a Moscow theatre, which killed more than 100 hostages.
The disclosures prompted demands last night from opposition politicians for a full statement on Britain's involvement in developing such weapons. Opposition MPs and campaigners believe the fact that the military is considering developing and using these weapons in war or as a tool to threaten other states breaches a number of international arms and humanitarian treaties.
Menzies Campbell, foreign affairs spokesman for the Liberal Democrats, called on the Government to 'come clean' on Britain's involvement and will demand Foreign Secretary Jack Straw gives details.
'These reports have serious implications,' Campbell said. 'If Britain and American are together seeking to exploit loopholes in existing international arms convention, our credibility will be severely undermined. Suggestions that we use such weapons as part of any sanctions programme is a level of policy which must be discussed on the House of Commons.'
British personnel at the secret meeting with the US military included Vice Admiral Sir Jeremy Blackham and Dr Martin Hubbard, who heads the non-lethal weapons research programme at Porton Down, Wiltshire. US officers included Major General Bice, deputy commander of the US Marines in Europe, and Brigadier-General Richard Zilmer, deputy director of US operations at European Command Headquarters.
The documents reveal the full scope of the new weapons programmes that the US military is developing. The first was high-power microwave technology that cooks an enemy's skin. Its military name is the Vehicle-Mounted Active Denial System (V-Mads), but it has already been nicknamed the People Zapper. It works by harnessing electromagnetic power to fire an invisible pulse of energy at light speed towards a target. The beam causes the water molecules under the skin to vibrate violently, producing heat and discomfort. Scientists believe the system could heat a person's skin to about 130 degrees in two seconds.
The US delegation admits there might be problems with legal claims by victims.
The documents reveal that both the British and US military believe laser beams have a 'number of potential applications and desirable attributes as a non-lethal weapon'. They are impressed that laser guns can be 'tunable' either to stun or kill. Although laser weapons that permanently blind are banned under international law, the documents show officials are studying low-energy lasers that blind temporarily and others that produce a stunning effect.
The classified document, which is an 'assessment report' of a meeting that took place on 30 November 2000, admits the term 'non-lethal' was inaccurate.'
Our rulers apparently don't see anything wrong with that.
Pish posh. Hook up a couple hundred M60s to motion sensors and drop them randomly along the border. Plant signs all along the border that say:
WARNING: IF YOU PROCEED YOU MAY BE SHOT TO DEATH BY ROBOT GUNS. CONTINUE AT YOUR OWN RISK. THE NEAREST LEGAL BORDER CROSSING IS X MILES THATAWAY. PLEASE TURN AROUND. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
Have you seen what a human abdomen looks like after a guy's been shot in the gut with a .223 bullet?
What they're describing is something that could be used to convince somebody to go away, before you get to the point of having to shoot.
I think I know who you're refering to. Hmmm, let me see... has this demographic segment been known to squat when they pee?
I can see where this weapon would facilitate the mass confiscation of firearms in the future. Gun owners are fighting against the door to door searchs for illegal guns? Just fry them with this weapon. It can be done with a clear conscience; after all, it may horribly disfigure them for life, but it is non-lethal.
I suspect that that intolerance fades dramatically when you're the shootee instead of the one sitting back in your living room watching the war on CNN/FOX.
Godspeed
One of the points the show made was very profound: It said that the good news was that with such weapons people could be deterred without having to kill them. The bad news was that since you're *not* killing them (and in some cases causing no lasting harm at all), governments would be far more willing to use them, since they wouldn't have to worry about the backlash that simply mowing down a crowd would cause.
The reason this is troubling is because it would encourage governments to use oppressive measures to "keep the peace" or simply suppress dissent whenever it arose. It's easy to picture a government developing a "if anyone causes trouble, zap 'em until they quiet down" policy. It makes the slippery slope towards a police state and/or dictatorship that much steeper and more slippery.
I believe the admin moderators are already employing such a weapon:
Perseus had the Medusa's head. All I have is this:
You stole my thunder. I saw the same show. I believe it was on TechTV. At first, I thought, ...how cool! Then, they talked about a police state. I thought of what it would be like if Barbra Boxer or Hillary were in power. You might protest their policy a time or two, but then you might think long and hard about protest again after suffering through these "Non-leathal" weapons. Most people would just submit after a time or two, convinced that giving up the 2nd amendment ain't so bad. Who cares if you pay 80% taxes, after all its for the children. We would be just mindless robots for them to control. Any resistance would just be met yet again, with "minimal force." If they can get "Hate Crime laws" passed, they can make everything illegal.
I saw some descriptions of infrasonic weapons as well. Relatively low technology devices that blast the hell out of their targets. No radiation. Very focused destruction.
How about the underground tunnels ?
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