Posted on 06/01/2005 12:06:22 AM PDT by strategofr
Next Summer, the U.S. Army and Marines are sending to Iraq a number of wheeled armored vehicles (Stryker, Armored Security Vehicle and marine LAV) equipped with a number of electronic non-lethal weapons. The three most likely weapons to be used are;
* Active Denial System (ADS). This one looks like a small, flat, radar dish. It transmits, a 92 gigahertz signal which will penetrate human flesh to less than half a millimeter, and in less than a second make people feel like their skin is on fire. But people would require the beam to stay on them for over four minutes before any actual burning would take place. Tests on volunteers confirm the burning sensation, and the desire to get out of the area quickly. How well this would work against various types of hostile crowds is not known. But the system has been in development for some fifteen years, and it’s thought that it will be safe and will produce no surprises. Some scientists have warned of possible eye damage, but this has not shown up in human tests. Current range is about 500 meters, although work has been underway to extend that by at least fifty percent. However, used on a large crowd, it could cause a stampede that could cause injuries, and even death. In any event, the media will condemn the system as inhumane.
* Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD), which is a high-powered bullhorn type of device that sends out a focused stream of sound. This can be used to tell to direct a verbal message to about 300 meters on land (and over 500 meters over water.) LRAD also has the capacity to send a focused sound that causes pain as well.
* High powered searchlights. Using new illumination technology, a very bright and focused light can have a deterrent effect at night.
Such “peacewagons” could move around quickly, and rapidly disperse hostile crowds, without killing a lot of people. In a place like Iraq, you would still have to deal with hostile fire, which is why this equipment is being carried on an armored vehicle.
The vehicle will also have the usual night vision devices, making it easier to find targets at night. In this case, the vehicles would be used in support of combat operations. The ADS or LRAD could be used to force enemy fighters to move this way or that, and make them easier to kill. The “Peacekeeper” vehicle would also have weapons, and could kill any bad guys it flushed out.
Sad thing is, the slammies seem to be the ones rehearsing and practicing "leaderless resistance" right in our midst. Random mullahs issuing fatwas, propaganda, strategy and ordes in arabic right under our noses, to be acted upon by any random kook or sleeper cell when opportune.
A water canon worthy of the name should be able to put a lot of hurt on the people it hits, anyway. (I got washed into a pond with a 3" fire hose once as a fireman, and there is not much you can do.)
Acid, imho, might not have any color, but nitric will turn the skin orange, iirc.
10% Hydrochloric will give an instant burning sensation on skin contact, and will do some damage if you don't get washed off.
I have had sulfuric on my skin, but only at battery acid concentrations (not sure how strong that is), and it took a layer of skin off, but was not immediately painful.
It is hard to say what other lovely things someone like Noriega might have put in the water for 'entertainment' or punishment.
As far as Amnesty or the Press, they do much better at griping where there is freedom of the press than around any real dictatorships.
I can't see these weapons being much use in Iraq for crowd control. The crowds will just reform and come back again and again until we escalate the response to something potentially life-threatening. Then we get called inhumane by the local as well as Arab press.
Why is it that all I have to do is think of a dentist’s drill and my teeth start to hurt – and I haven’t had any teeth in nearly 20 years.
Works for me ;-)
Mark Twain wrote a short story fantasy about a guy meeting his 'conscience' and found out that a conscience only harangues a good guy and always leaves a dickweed alone. The story was tongue and cheek with an element of truth, but in the case of Amnesty and the Press, IMHO they've just out and out ditched their mission and sold out to the bad guys.
The concept works. Remember Bader Meinhoff, El Brigata Rosa etc etc and their cell concepts. If working systems is adheared to they work and are extremely hard to defeat. Their downfall was that they belonged to the most basic part of a group, tribe, club, ethnicity etc. Thus the old saying ....the only way for 2 people to keep a secret is if one of em is dead. To belong is to be caught, punished, imprisoned or demonized with disinformational spin eventually.
Thus the concept adopted by Col Amoss......
I personally like to think my directives , instructions and orders were written for me in the 1700's. When I entered the service in 72 I took an oath to follow those secret plans. I have secreted copies of those documents away if the day comes where the soap, ballot or jury box is no longer effictive and I must get out the ammo box.
It's a plan........:o)
Stay safe !
"Why would this disturb you?"
No logic to it. I am reporting an emotion that makes no sense, but it is a reaction I have.
So, speculating on what was in the tanks, maybe some dye, (rust in the water is possible, too) and something else, possibly an agricultural chemical pesticide/herbicide, although there would be a definite odor for either acids or ag chemicals.
Tough to say with Noriega, it could have been most anything. We do not have enough info to do much besides speculate.
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