Pentagon Building Torture Cannon

[iconoclastNYC]

US Military working on Torture Cannon

Occasionaly people like me get so frustrated with the rank apathy endemic in our country and the corruption of our elected leaders that we get into the streets to express our anger and try to raise awareness for our issues.

In these charged environments it only takes a couple jackass police officers to provoke protesters into violence. In rare instances these skirmmished lead to riots.

The police and national guardsmen have plenty of on lethal weapons at their disposal to regain control in these situations: water cannons, tear gas, billy clubs, rubber bullets.

Well via the New Scientist magazine (http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn7077) we learn that the US Military doesn't think these weapons are sufficient. They want nothing less than a torture cannon.

"The US military is funding development of a weapon that delivers a bout of excruciating pain from up to 2 kilometers away. Intended for use against rioters."

What even qualifies as a riot? If someone breaks a window, does that mean there is a riot and the meat-heads in the army can break out the torture cannon and get some laughs watching the pinko-hippy protesters writhing on the ground in pain?

This is an outrage. The police and the government already have effective ways to restore order in times of rioting. We don't need to find new scary and medically questionable ways to induce pain. Tear gas, rubber bullets, and and riot gear are scary enough.

"According to a 2003 review of non-lethal weapons by the US Naval Studies Board, which advises the navy and marine corps, PEPs produced "pain and temporary paralysis" in tests on animals. This appears to be the result of an electromagnetic pulse produced by the expanding plasma which triggers impulses in nerve cells."

I don't know about you but i don't think the government should be using weapons on our citizens that utilize the 4th state of matter (plasma) to fuck with our nervous system. It just raises a lot of questions. The effects of rubber bullets and tear gas are well known, unlike this torture cannon. What if you end up with MS or another nerve disorder later in life, how are you going to know this blast to your nerve cells wasn't responsible? What if someone with epilepsy is in the crowd and they get caught up in the torture cannons beam? Would you like to have a grand mal seizure in the middle of a riot?

Somewhere in the Pentagon a sociopathic General is jerking off thinking about using this weapon against war protestors.

Would-be tyrants in our government just love this idea because it will stifle dissent. Blast a few thousand people who dare protest the actions of their government with pain they'll never forget. How soon do you think they'll risk doing it again? And do you think this action would get a lot of play in the corporate controlled media? You can bet your ass this footage would be banned just like the images of 'collateral damage' from Iraq.

The idea of this weapon is morally disgusting. It is unnecessary and it is scary as hell. Congress should pass a law to ban research and implementation of any future weapons for use against protestors.

America does not need new ways to injure rioters. We need security forces that can maintain order without inciting riots. You know, prevention? Not as sexy to the guys in the Pentagon but it is the right thing to do.

[skylarmae]

1. I am sick after reading this. WTF will our grandchildren

have to look forward to. I'm shaking my head in disbelief at this one. I am so naive....

[flamin lib]

2. Weelllllll, I have to say that

a riot is truly something to see. I'm not talking about the handful of people throwing rocks and bottles, I'm talking 500 to 1000 fully engaged in hand to hand with the police and each other. A mob like that becomes a single entity capable of tearing down fences overturning cars and is completely uncontrollable with current non lethal methods. Rubber bullets only hit one person, tear gas disperses and many people aren't that badly affected, water cannon are effective but limited.

A full fledged riot like those after world soccer matches requires something more. As much as I detest the idea of developing new nasty weapons, I have to say that there is a time and place for such things.

[iconoclastNYC]

3. Don't you see the danger?

It takes away the power of the people to overthrow Tyranny.

Preventing riots is the cure to riots, not new weapons.

If you want less riots at sports events do what they did in europe and ban alcohol sales and or blacklist people who are known to start them. There are lists of british fans who can't travel becasue they've been inovlved in rioting in other countries.

And we've stopped every riot in history without the torture cannon, so why do we really need it?

[iconoclastNYC]

4. -deleted- dupe post

[atommom]

5. This made me think of the police spraying pepper spray on the

peaceful protesters at the inauguration. This would be less conspicuous, and probably not any more objectionable to the RW...