Nonlethal weapons such as high-power microwave devices should be used on American citizens in crowd-control situations before they are used on the battlefield, the Air Force secretary said Tuesday.
Domestic use would make it easier to avoid questions in the international community over any possible safety concerns, said Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne.
"If we're not willing to use it here against our fellow citizens, then we should not be willing to use it in a wartime situation," said Wynne.
"(Because) if I hit somebody with a nonlethal weapon and they claim that it injured them in a way that was not intended, I think that I would be vilified in the world press."
Translation:
You need to protect my reputation with the UN by using a torture device against the sovereign individuals I am employed to serve. Oh, and we're gonna need to nuke an American city, because unless we're willing to use such weapons on Americans, we have no business deploying them in war.
This guy shames our military.
ReplyDeleteAn internationalist at the cost of American liberty.
I find myself in slight agreement with him - we shouldn't be using non-lethal (or even less-lethal) weapons on the battlefield.
ReplyDeleteIf they're worth taking down in battle then they're worth taking out.
While it's so tempting to suggest testing out such crowd countermeasures at events like the Democratic Convention in my heart I know it's wrong.
However I do recognize the advisibility of doing our testing somewhere close to home - where the support / R&D folks are.
Fortunately I can think of a couple of solutions to this dilemma: Our Southern border and/or the UN complex.
To the first anonymous poster: if you think any branch of the government or an subdivision thereof cares about liberty, you are sorely mistaken. The military included.
ReplyDeleteWe are the tax cows, and if we refused to be milked, we are euthanized. It's that simple. The facade of freedom is just that, a facade.
David C., you can trust me on this. These non=lethal weapons were never intended for war-time battle use.
ReplyDeleteI know someone that was involved in their development. This person was trying to convince me of the humanitarian purposes for their design. Right up until I challenged the logic.
Non=lethal war is stupid. It is also a guaranteed way to lose the war. If the discomfort or disabling of your enemy combatant is only temporary, he has no reason not to return tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow, until his lethal methods finally depopulate your forces. He wins.
I next pointed out to this person that tools such as this appeared to be more politically acceptable as a crowd control measure for civilian populations. A measure that discourages dissent, yet does not engender the outrage the Kent State killing did. Nor does it lessen the taxpayer pool. While, hopefully, for the powers that be, instilling enough general fear in the general populace that as a whole we become much more malleable.
This person just looked at me and smiled and said "You always were too smart."
That was the end of our conversation about that topic.
So, the American citizen can be the guinea pig here and if he dies, oh well!
ReplyDeleteMay God take them all now!
straightarrow--trust me, I know.
ReplyDeleteSeveral years back I had a column in Guns & Ammo titled "Things to Come" that explored these and other types of weapons being developed.
Wish I could repro it here, but I sold the rights and it's not on the internet to link to.
By the way, nice to see you back--haven't seen a comment for a while. Hope all is well.
Yeah, good here. just a bump in the road. thanks
ReplyDeleteThe unsayable, unprintable, unameable, vile, filth and foul, motherless, fatherless, son of the devil. I have a hard time equating pig shiese like this with the people who started and established this country. How in the wagon yard hell can he call himself a member of the Armed Forces of the United States of America? How bout' a blowtorch and a pair a pliers for you, flyboy?
ReplyDeleteI'm not surprised by one of the "only ones" having the "let's test it on the peasants" mentality.
ReplyDeleteWhat I do find shocking however is that he is actually willing to say it to a reporter!
I wonder if we have finally reached the point where those bent on subjugating the hoi polloi feel that they no longer have to hide their intent?
Sobering times we live in...
Keep your powder dry. You're gonna need it!
ReplyDelete