Microwave gun to be used by US troops on Iraq rioters

[GeronimoSkull]

...Using technology similar to that found in a conventional microwave oven, the beam rapidly heats water molecules in the skin to cause intolerable pain and a burning sensation. The invisible beam penetrates the skin to a depth of less than a millimetre. As soon as the target moves out of the beam's path, the pain disappears.

...The armoured vehicles will be named Sheriffs once they have been modified to carry the microwave weapons, known as the Active Denial System (ADS). Col Hall said that US army and US marine corps units should receive four to six ADS equipped Sheriffs by September 2005.

The project was initiated only three months ago but US military chiefs intend to rush the Sheriffs into the front line, believing that they can be of immediate assistance.

In another development, the Sheriffs will be fitted with Gunslinger, a rapid-fire gun currently under development that will detect enemy snipers and automatically fire back at them.


<http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/09/19/wirq319.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/09/19/ixworld.html>

[whathappened]

1. soon to be used

in the land of freedom of the usa

[LisaL]

18. And why not?

Are they going to microwave us next?

[Elginoid]

30. hearts and minds...

if you can't win'em over- fry'em up.

[da_chimperor]

2. Didn't they have something like this in a bond movie? n/t

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

24. Uncle Sam's Death Ray! "Do you expect me to talk?" "No, Mr. Bond.

I expect you to die."

[da_chimperor]

44. Yeah! That was it!

Microwave gun, death ray, big difference. Just pump up the juice and the former becomes the latter.

[number6]

3. just like a weird Sci-Fi

movie

[NJCher]

yeah, a bad movie and I've already seen in.

In the words of our bold leader, george bush.


Cher

[jimshoes]

4. I wonder if that could blow up your eyeball?

Or maybe sterilize someone? Ah crap, they're only Iraqi's so who cares.
<sarcasm>

[jean]

5. this reminds me - did the GOP use that sound blaster horn on protesters

in NYC?

[Barrett808]

17. I was there -- never saw it used, though it was conspicuously displayed

Next to Madison Square Garden.

The NYPD approach was remarkably low-tech: just throw cops at the problem. No rubber bullets or tear gas, just lots and lots of cops.

[sam sarrha]

6. that would be really nasty with sweaty balls an being uncircumsized..Ouch

:wow:

[PartyPooper]

7. This sounds like torture to me.

Who thinks up these bizarre things and their crazy names...Active Denial System? WTF?

Wait, don't tell me, I can guess...

:crazy:

[Eye and Monkey]

11. Or experimenting with human subjects

I wonder at the hideous moniker this weapon will earn.

[sam sarrha]

46. The experimenting is over, we're ready to cook em from inside out

This weapon could set up ammo and grenades at the right power and wave length.. put it on a plane and fry up whole villages of peasants for lunch to Bush and his NEOCON robber Barron's.

[Eloriel]

28. Or war crimes? n/t

[lostnfound]

8. This article (link) says damage to eyes may result; may use from aircraft

http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99991470
"heating a layer of skin 0.3 mm thick to 50 °C in just one second requires much higher power and may pose risks to the cornea, which is more sensitive than skin."

[Mr_Spock]

54. First thing I thought of - opaque eyes are too good to dee through

I hope we aren't introducing a weapon that will force our enemies to be as innovative.

[struggle4progress]

82. Thanks for the link. This is a credible danger. eom

[Bread and Circus]

9. All they have to do is put on tinfoil hats...literally...the microwaves...

can't go through the metal.

[meow2u3]

10. Effective antidote to microwave attacks: ALUMINUM FOIL

Yes, you read that right--you'll literally need a tinfoil hat! :tinfoilhat:

Microwave radiation doesn't work with metal.

[HamstersFromHell]

13. Darn, and here I was thinking an adequate defense...

...would be to cover yourself in bags of unpopped microwave popcorn.

"Captain, we've got one! There's this irresistable buttery smell!"

[truthisfreedom]

25. you're right. a mesh suit would proabably work, like chain-mail, or simple

aluminum foil wrapped around the front of your body and head, but you would have to protect your eyes using foil with pinholes in it so you can see (try this, it's possible with enough pinholes.) you could also carry a metal shield for your face if you were wearing a foil suit.

the good-old tinfoil hat finally comes in handy.

[mikehiggins]

26. I think you can use certain safety goggles that are designed

to protect against the wavelengths generated by electric arcs.

A welder's mask, for example.

Aluminum foil, welder's mask and RPG

Another multi-million dollar weapons system screwed.

Mostly we'll see slews of blinded children if this weapon is used in an urban area but what the fuck? THey'd probably grow up to be terrorists anyway. We'd just be preemptively blinding them.

THESE BOZOS HAVE TO GO!

[truthisfreedom]

40. the goggles would have to be metal-framed, and have silvered lenses.

it's not about light... it's about microwaves not passing through metal surfaces.

[KansDem]

49. HERE IT IS! The perfect outfit to counteract these rays...

Bring it on...!

[tlcandie]

68. Wow .. is this where the codpiece came from for jr's "Mission

Impossible" flight suit?

[pfitz59]

84. Henry the 8th suffered from "priapism".....

or "petrified wood". Historical fact! Thus, the armor....

[Deja Q]

80. King Kenry the 8th... Well, if you ask me, the 8 must mean

"millimeters".

Only those of grotesque inflated egos (and microscopic wing-wang-doodles) would make such a ridiculously sized, unwieldy codpiece.

[buycitgo]

38. make sure to use these if you take your kid/dog to marches these days

[LizW]

12. How fabulous to have a readily available human testing population

for all these new sci-fi weapons, eh?

Sick. :puke:

[Amigust]

20. You nailed it down !

eom

[saigon68]

14. WAIT TILL THEY DEPLOY THIS IN AMERIKA

YES KIDS --- ON THE STREETS OF AMERIKA-- coming to quell a labor strike at a plant near you..

To keep those pesky protesters at a G-8 meeting in line.

and to protect the "Corporate Movers and Shakers" who run this country.

[BeHereNow]

27. Oh yes...

only a matter of time.
They have all sorts of goodies in store for
us! Equal opportunity dissent crushing for all
under the global empire!
That is what the good 'murikkans have not yet
comprehended.
They still think that the Empire thinks they are "special."
BHN

[sam sarrha]

47. it is like being deep fried in boiling oil,leaves no marks..more humane

than blowing up women and children with 1000 pound bombs blowing up the much hut next door.

the Zionists can use this on those pesky rock throwing Palestinian refugee children, but not as much fun as shooting them in the head.. 980 were killed last year.

[Massacure]

15. What happens when it gets shot with an AK?

[ilovenicepeople]

75. or a RPG

Bring it on!:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

[Just Me]

16. Geez,...this is so,...not good,...

,...freedom and independence,...and "hope" are being challenged,...

*sigh*

,...humanity ever challenged by a disease,...the disease of a most destructive variety,...greedy human beings,...

*sigh*

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

19. The invisible beam penetrates the skin to a depth of less than a mm...

Yeah, right. I believe it, because, you know, they're TOO nice to have their weapons burn internal organs. Nosiree, they wouldn't do that. :eyes:

[w4rma]

21. sick. (nt)

[kodi]

22. once the US does that, the iraqi insurgents will use chemical weaponry

if the americans raise the ante by using such high tech weapons, the gloves are off and the iraqis will start using chemical gases that can be made simply with bleach, acid or ammonia.

[DBoon]

23. I work for a nameless defense contractor

that works on similar devices. Folks at this company think cooking political demonstrators with microwaves is absolutely hilarious.

This is why I believe the reports about the US military testing poison gas on Vietnam deserters. Many of the people at this company would fight for the chance to gas deserters.

[Eloriel]

29. OMG

How soul-destroying for you it must be to work at a place like that.

Thanks for sharing this little bit of good news. (Excuse me while I go throw up my whole stomach, not just its contents.)

[DBoon]

57. I don't work for "THEM"

I do non-military projects.

[Algomas]

31. Sheriff armoured vehicle, Gunslinger, ADS....

How long before this rig is being operated by a Terminator??? Hasta la vista terrorist scum...

[tlcandie]

32. Queques music to, "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly...." eom

[JSJ]

33. i can't wait for the resistance to capture a couple of these things nt

[grasswire]

34. this started in 1992

The Department of Justice and the Department of Defense signed a memo of coooperation to aid defense contractors in the development of non-lethal applications. This resulted in the tool you see in this story, as well as super-sticky immobilizing foam (also detrimental to the eyes) and various other items. The foe in the descriptive literature was named "urban hostiles." That's you and me, brother and sister. They're just testing it out over there.

[Emillereid]

35. Now we're going to microwave the people we came to liberate?

This is beyond SICK! I don't know about the rest of you, but I am having a real hard time being an American these days.

[schultzee]

36. Monsters are in charge of our country. These terrible things that

we are doing in Iraq will come back. These people, unlike westerners, have very long memories and will not forgive the USA.

[leftchick]

37. barf......

:puke:

[ParanoidPat]

39. Metal window screens or foil lined emergency blankets.....

.....are just as effective as tinfoil to block the microwaves. :evilgrin:

[MirrorAshes]

41. So this is it, huh? We've got lasers.

God only knows how far they can push this technology in the future. Scary.

[Hekate]

42. Coming soon to a protest near you

Creepy stuff, and no more "harmless" than rubber bullets aimed at eyes or Tasers used on anything that moves (including at least one 9-year-old girl here in the US). Microwaves can cook human flesh, which is why there are so many caveats to using your handy home nuker.

I promised a friend I'd meet her in Washington DC in the week after the national elections if there appears to be another mass voting fraud to bring W back to office. I have not read it elsewhere but she believes there will be a million-person march in that eventuality.

I only mention this here because although I have participated in dozens of peaceful marches (including the Women's March this past April), the Bushites have proven to be bitter foes of First Amendment rights and have been practicing lock-downs of major cities -- the latest being Boston and New York, for DNC and RNC respectively. And I think the next time a million or so folks march through the streets of Washington DC, if Bush-Cheney-Ashcroft-Rumsfeld are still in power, there will be a lot of unpleasantness coming from the authorities. More and worse than for the RNC.

Still plan to meet my friend, though -- I'm already going to be in the area visiting another old friend, so I might as well join the festivities.

:argh:
Hekate

[Kolesar]

43. That can't be legal!

It would interfere with cell phone and satellite TV receivers. That is a violation of FCC Part 68. They can't be allowed to interfere with cable news channels!

[Disturbed]

45. Billions spent on such crap but..

never enough money for Health Care or other Socialy positive programs.

Yeah, being an Amerikan has been an ordeal. Until I was about 21 I was actualy proud to say that I am an American. I no longer can say that. I am seriously thinking about moving to another country.

[ilovenicepeople]

76. as a Canadian I would like to say ...

this website proves that there are still some "good" people in your country."Keep up the good fight,my southern neighbor's!":hi:

[baldguy]

48. Iraqis - Guinea pigs in urban crowd control

The weapons industry has had these "non-lethal" torture devices under development for decades for the US military. Thank you Ronald Reagan.

[sweetheart]

50. Probably they have lotsa old microwaves...

to use as ammunition. I'm sure being hit with a microwave oven
hurled by one of these new sheriff catapults hurts more than a rock,
as geez, a microwave is kinda big.

Probably the smart thing to do is to try and catch it, so you can
take it home and use it for cooking... but the bastards are probably
gonna use broken microwaves, to get rid of the old ones, and make
sure that nothing they do enriches the quality of life... bummer.

[E. Tackleberry]

51. It's less leathal...

...quit your whinning. It should be a welcome change from shooting bullets into the crowd.


I have a question for you all; exactly what type of crowd control would you NOT complain about??:eyes:


.........Tackleberry

[sweetheart]

52. less lethal than ?

a water cannon? Heck, there are lotsa easier ways to do crowd control, one is to use a money cannon. Shoot dollar bills out and
the crowd will self-disperse.

Another is to not be there to start with, and then no crowd control
is necessary.

[E. Tackleberry]

55. Riiiight..............

.............and allowing droves of out of out of controll people to rampage around the streets causing havoc for other civi's and business owners is a real intelligent thing to do... :eyes:

If the US military allowed that to happen you guy's would be right back here pissing and moaning about how the US is doing nothing to assist in stabilizing the country. :/


......Tackleberry

[sweetheart]

58. hardly, the army should get the hell out NOW

Close up, take all the guns, the people and go home. Leave iraq
to sort its own destiny. Close the bases, close all the bases in
the middle east and use the fikkin army to defend the USA for once.

Geez, you picked the wrong liberal to claim any credence to the
theory that we should occupy other nations to help them. This
empire crap stinks... sell it to someone who's buying.

[E. Tackleberry]

59. Whoa.....stop the spin sweetheart

I never stated we should occupy anything to help anybody. However, that being said I do beleive now that we are there we have a responsibility and therefore we should handle things accordingly.




.........Tackleberry

[Tommy_Douglas]

61. And handling things accordingly involves...

Using microwaves on people.

Of course it all makes sense now. Using extreme force on people always cows them to your side. It takes the fight right out of them!

[E. Tackleberry]

64. The idea....

.....is to take the physical fight out of them, not the mental fight.


Oh and by the by using a controlled microwave beam on people is not extreme in the least, shooting them with bullets is the only extreme. When the beam is turned off, or the rioter's move out of the beam the pain they were feeling immediately subsides. When your shot with a firearms the pain and effects are longer lastng to be sure.

[sweetheart]

65. The army is the problem

Obviously YOU are not risking your life for some stupid private
oil war... and yet you would suggest someone else do so. I ask
no such thing of any americsn.

The US presence in iraq IS THE PROBLEM, not part of the solution.
You seem to think that this is "spin", so then you should go to
iraq and get shot at by people fighting against criminal invader.
In some parts of america, you can shoot at someone who comes in
your house in self defense. That same right extends to other
countries where imperialists think that they have some right to
visit and thieve.

The responsibility is to defend the constitution, and the army is
doing the direct opposite. So, you have a pre-spun definition
of "responsibly" that you're selling, and calling my views "spin".
I ain't buyin'.

[E. Tackleberry]

69. sweetheart, I never justified the war......

....and yes the very presence on the US Military is causing a great deal of the problems they are having, BUT since we did screw up their country even more then it was before we arrived we have an OBLIGATION to attempt to fix the problems.

If we were to up and leave things as they are now, believe it or not the situation would become a whole helluva lot worse then it has ever been.

[sweetheart]

72. How do you know?

To presume that things'd be worse with the US military gone is
pure assumption on your part.

The Military is bombing cities and killing civilians every day, which
is hardly filling an obligation to fix problems. It is a racist's
use of arms against brown people because we want to steal their oil.

Veiled behind the argument you're using is the oil theft. We want
the bases and the military to defend the oil supply. Well, then
come out and say it. It has fuck all to do with helping iraq get
back on its feet. Its all about justifying graft.

All the disengagement plans refuse to negotiate the bases and the
military presence... well, then the army is a buncha criminals then
and when they get shot, c'est la vie.

Many people said what you say about south viet nam in '75, and geez,
amazing that peace returned after the criminal military buggered off.

[tlcandie]

60. Crowd control not necessary if your governement

isn't lying, cheating, stealing, murdering, swindling... errr I'm sure there are other things, but all I am coming up with atm.

Maybe if they practiced honesty and actually made decisions that were in the best interest of its citizens, the environment, and the world instead of corporations, there would be no need for crowd control.

Greed and a lust for power is what causes the imbalance. If they don't want crowds to gather in protests then maybe they should start thinking about others and playing nice for a change.

Get to the ROOT of the problem instead of the symptom, but then that is too easy.

[E. Tackleberry]

62. That's not entirely true tlcandie.....

"Crowd control not necessary if your governement"
Posted by tlcandie
isn't lying, cheating, stealing, murdering, swindling...


There will allways be group somewhere that is pissed-off about something or another and decides to cause civil disobedience. Remember, you can please some of the people all of the time but you can't please all of the people all of the time.



.......Tackleberry

[tlcandie]

63. I don't agree with you ...

there is no need for crowd control when people protest/demonstrate for rights and such.

Martin Luther King did NOT need crowd control nor the women's rights movements for the right to vote.

If the crowd control police today weren't so heavy handed they would not need it today either. Most instances of meanness are started.. or hedged on by undercovers and infiltrators NOT protestors. They take advantage of the situations.

Why was there crowd control necessary in NY? Florida at the NAFTA? Why? Noone did anything, yet they pre-empted the protestors right to protest/march.

I'm sorry, but I do not agree.

EDIT:
Iraq is a FINE example of heavy-handedness and quelling the right to protest.. even sit ins that turned violent due to the military's interventions!

2nds EDIT:
I believe that protestors, if given half a chance and not chaos on part of the police, would control their own.

[E. Tackleberry]

66. I agree with you!!

there is no need for crowd control when people protest/demonstrate for rights and such...


So long as they channel their anger towards the ones restricting their right's (i.e. the .gov, NOT businesses or whatever unfortunate person(s) happen to be in their path.)

[tlcandie]

67. If you look at most of those protests.....

it was infiltrators that started that mess! If they want to protect the businesses then for heaven's sake line up in FRONT of the businesses!!!

Barricade OFF the businesses. All this crowd control is about intimidating the protestors, not protecting private property.

Why are the police lined up and batting their batons in their hands to intimidate the protestors instead of lining up on the streets with backs against businesses and such?

If that truly is their intent... protection of private property then they could put out the orange barrier crap they used to corral the protestors along the sidewalks (make it taller shouldn't be too hard to do :P) and keep the protestors to the streets.

If they really cared about rights and allowing views to be given in the public, they could work just as hard at inventing or coming up with something such as the orange barrier material for those rare occasions.

But, no... they desire to come up with weird shit that does damage and/or intimidates people to the point they hopefully will stop showing up for protests or demonstrations.

It's bassackwards if you ask me.

[E. Tackleberry]

71. Well....

.....the agent in which the US choses to deliver their *cough* "help" will always be open for debate so I guess we will just have agree to disagree. :)

tlcandie, you are one of the more level-headed posters here I enjoyed talking to ya.



......Tackleberry

[tlcandie]

73. LoL .. thanks!!

And there is nothing wrong with agreeing to disagree which I felt from the get-go that would be the case! :+

I always enjoy discussing and learning other people's views. We can always learn and possibly change our perspectives!

:hug:

[Monte Carlo]

53. Well, it's better than being shot, I suppose...

... not that that is really much of a comfort. Welcome to the world of laser guns.

[airstrip1]

56. Yawn. More techno bullshit

I would have thought that rioting crowds were the least of the problem.

US troops already enjoy massive logistical superiority over the Iraqi guerrillas. It has not made much difference so far. Given that many of the resistance are prepared to commit suicide in order to inflict casualties on the occupying power this sort of weaponry is not going to be much of a deterrent. The people most likely to suffer at the hands of this sort of device are innocent bystanders. The weapons main role will therefore will be as a recruiting sergeant for the rebel forces.

The fact that this weapon is being rushed into service is a sure sign how desperate things have got for the US army. Similar technical fixes were tried in Vietnam and failed. It looks as though history is going to repeat itself. People never seem to learn.

[seasat]

70. So... is this gadget made by Omni Consumer Products?

[bamacrat]

74. well

so what now we wont kill them "quick" with bullets we'll microwave them and give them cancer and eradicate the Iraqi population in 5 to 10 years.

[Cicero]

77. And what happens to anything metal on your body?

Hasn't everyone left a metal fork or something like that in the microwave by accident and then turned it on. Even if you realize the error after only a second, that fork has sparked all over the place and you know its too hot to touch.

So, what effect will this weapon have on zippers, belt buckles, watches, rings, keys, coins, necklaces, earrings, fillings, surgical pins, etc?

:nuke:

Later,

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

83. not to mention pacemakers and such

sounds like a violation of all kinds of international laws to me.

[GeronimoSkull]

78. Potential for domestic use being considered?

From Stars and Stripes:

"While the Pentagon is taking the lead in developing Project Sheriff, other agencies interested in the experiment’s progress include the Justice, Energy, and State departments and the FBI, Hall said."


http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=23525&archive=true

[Deja Q]

79. Nice. So much for such weapons being sci-fi. But it sounds weak.

I'm surprised the beam only gets only 1mm under the skin. Given the other big-weapon-small-(ego) weapons they make and use, this is rather a surprise.

[Endangered Specie]

81. Dang, just imagine if the SD had had that!

:scared: