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Raytheon's Pain Ray: Coming to a Protest Near You?
Science fiction movies become reality. Scary crap. Tasers to the nth degree.
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Rights and Liberties
Raytheon's Pain Ray: Coming to a Protest Near You?
By Michael Dickinson, CounterPunch. Posted May 29, 2008.
How long before the "Holy Grail of crowd control" is used to quell domestic dissent?
Coming soon, from the folks who brought you the microwave -- Raytheon! After more than ten years in the making and at a cost of over 40 million dollars, 'Silent Guardian', or Active Denial System, (ADS, in it's formal mood), is almost ready for public release!
Yes, Raytheon -- manufacturer of the 100 bunker buster bombs kindly flown by America to Israel at the height of their bombardment of Lebanon, and supplier of electronic equipment for the apartheid wall built on Palestinian land; -- Raytheon -- with its 73,000 employees worldwide and annual revenues of 20 billion dollars has gone and done it again!
For, Raytheon -- the world's largest producer of guided missiles, and fifth largest defense contractor in the world, provider of aircraft radar systems, weapons sights and targeting systems, communication and battle-management systems, and satellite components -- has come up with a system which could scatter a crowd in a trice without a drop of blood being spilled.
Yes, folks, originally designed to protect military personnel against small-arms fire without the use of lethal force, Silent Guardian, ADS, the Pain Ray, call it what you will, (Raytheon would prefer you not to use the latter however), will finally soon be here!
Transmitted at the speed of light over a 700 yard distance, the Pain Ray is a millimeter-wave beam that penetrates 1/64th of an inch beneath the skin, causing the water molecules there to bubble, producing an intense burning sensation, said to feel like being burnt by molten lava or a hot iron. Its delivery system attached to a Humvee and aimed right, the Pain Ray makes people run away -- fast.
Tests conducted at Kirtland Air Force Base south of Albuquerque, New Mexico, employ realistic combat scenarios to determine its potential effectiveness in a deployed environment, the first to expose an entire test subject to the ray.
The Defense Department want to use it for protecting Defense resources, peacekeeping, humanitarian missions and other situations in which the use of lethal force is undesirable, but already there have been inquiries from other institutes and wealthy individuals about using it to protect private property.
Testing, conducted on human volunteers and animals by the Air Force Research Laboratory's Human Effectiveness Directorate continues, and although it has not been proved that exposure to the ray can cause cancer, it has been ascertained that the corneas of Rhesus monkeys can be damaged.
Deployment of the system is slated to begin in Iraq in 2010, but there are rumors that it has already been tested there.
Raytheon congratulates itself on having developed a non-lethal weapon which has been described as "Holy Grail of crowd control," but their Silent Guardian also has its critics. One, author Richard Hunter asks:
"But what happens if the people faced with such a weapon can't just run away? What happens if they're trapped in a crowd, and the crowd can't move? How much pain must that crowd endure? How long can any member of the crowd be exposed to that weapon before his or her skin -- or their eyes -- simply cook off?
What happens if the devices are used deliberately in a manner designed to cause maximum harm -- say, by training the device on prisoners trapped in prison cells until they literally go mad with pain?
What happens if the system operator turns up the power? A little bit works well, why not try a lot?
What happens if the scientists didn't test the devices thoroughly, and they turn out to render anyone touched by them blind, or impotent, or sterile?"
And the National Lawyers Guild of the US has accused Raytheon of being "implicated in the commission of war crime."
One critical group, the Derry Anti-War Coalition, occupied the Raytheon weapons factory in Ireland in 2006 to protest at the production of guided missile components there.
Said a spokesman:
"We are calling for arms components manufacturers to be shut down all over Ireland -- North and South. It is disgraceful that so many companies in Ireland are profiteering from the maiming and murder of peaceful and innocent civilians in the Middle East. We are calling for and supporting non-violent occupation of all weapons manufacturers that supply arms to the Israeli Military."
The protestors were arrested and charged with damaging Raytheon property. They await conviction. The cheeky blighters have got up a petition to sign to support them!
As if you would!
They wouldn't have been able to get into the building if a Silent Guardian had been in action. A tiny squirt of the Pain Ray would have quickly sent them yelping away.
Michael Dickinson, whose artwork graces the covers of Dime's Worth of Difference, Serpents in the Garden and Grand Theft Pentagon, lives in Istanbul. Check out his website.
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In politics, nothing happens by accident. If it happens, you can bet it was planned that way.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities." --Voltaire
Saw this on one of the TV news programs (60 mins maybe) and they took a different approach to the story.
Instead of discussing how it was going to be "used against the people" they mentioned that funding of this non-lethal weapon is crap compared to the known to kill and kill a lot weapons from the DOD.
Seems like anytime an effective weapon can be made that has the ability to replace a lethal one is a step in the right direction.
It should be banned for domestic use or crowd control.
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oderint dum metuant (Latin for 'let them hate, so long as they fear').
Well, in truth I'm actually not a total hawk, but I'm not a dove either -- I'm more like an angry pigeon flying over the political arena after a really big meal. -Abba Gav
Saw this on one of the TV news programs (60 mins maybe) and they took a different approach to the story.
Instead of discussing how it was going to be "used against the people" they mentioned that funding of this non-lethal weapon is crap compared to the known to kill and kill a lot weapons from the DOD.
Seems like anytime an effective weapon can be made that has the ability to replace a lethal one is a step in the right direction.
It was on 60 minutes last night it seemed really cool. From essentially a half mile away they can use this and most people can't stand it more than 3-4 seconds before they back up.
As with anything there's the potential for abuse but they said in something lik 11,000 trials they've had like 2 cases of someone developing a rash, 4-5 cases of minor burns and that's it and that was with people who were just wearing underwear, fully clothed they've had no adverse skin reactions.
The military is resistant to it's use because the first time someone gets killed after using non lethal weapons, they're afraid they'll hear if he had an M16 he'd still be alive. I tend to think such a weapon would save a lot of lives.
For crowd control I don't know that it's even practical in its current applicaition but it sure would stop someone in their tracks who was about to throw rocks at police.
Force defense absolutely. I've been hearing about this for quite some time, this is exactly the type of tool you need to prevent incidents like the USS Cole.
Unfortunately it will be misused and sooner or later somebody somewhere will use it for crowd control.
Force defense absolutely. I've been hearing about this for quite some time, this is exactly the type of tool you need to prevent incidents like the USS Cole.
Unfortunately it will be misused and sooner or later somebody somewhere will use it for crowd control.
The attack on the Cole was an act of War. (Which is why I hate Clinton for not doing anything about it)
The only thing that should be used to prevent something like that from happening again is this:
__________________ "I carry a gun because a cop is too heavy".
I don't think they'll ever use anything like that in the states. The trial lawyers would have a field day.
Posse comitatus. Clear violation, unless the local cops get one. That in itself scares me. How does one use it selectively on a crowd. I imagine this will take away the rest of the rights. Fear of melting has a tendency to do that when free speeching.
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Posse Comitatus Act
The Posse Comitatus Act is a United States federal law (18 U.S.C. § 1385) passed on June 16, 1878 after the end of Reconstruction. The Act prohibits most members of the federal uniformed services (the Army, Air Force, and State National Guard forces when such are called into federal service) from exercising nominally state law enforcement police or peace officer powers that maintain "law and order" on non-federal property (states, their counties and municipal divisions) in the former Confederate states.
The statute generally prohibits federal military personnel and units of the United States National Guard under federal authority from acting in a law enforcement capacity within the United States, except where expressly authorized by the Constitution or Congress. The Coast Guard is exempt from the Posse Comitatus Act.
The Posse Comitatus Act and the Insurrection Act substantially limit the powers of the federal government to use the military for law enforcement.
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In politics, nothing happens by accident. If it happens, you can bet it was planned that way.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities." --Voltaire
Very shopisticated answer Heu, not, long on conservative rhetoric, short on information.
Lets look at your answer vs what I had hoped was informational.
Small boat approaches, your fire your 5" deck gun. This has several problems.
You don't at this point know the boat is a threat. If it isn't you risk blowing a family out for a day trip in international waters in a fast semi rigid inflatable. Ok, what you really risk is being setup but the effect is the same. It also true that in port it could be a family in a small craft, you just never know.
That gun isn't designed to hit that kind of target and you would almost certainly miss. I suggest a 50 cal might work a lot better and I know very little about guns, I'm surprised you aren't more knowledgeable, I would have assumed you know far more than I do.
Ever thought that in a confined space using such weapons is impracticable even if you know the intent is hostile which you wouldn't.
Your rhetoric is typical of the reaction, long on blow them away, short on identifying who 'they' are [either strategically or on the ground]
I was suggesting that having a non-lethal weapon in the military arsenal is a good thing. It allows for a measured response. It takes away a major weapon terrorists have, that being hiding in the general population [or civilian boats].
This gives our military a weapon they can use even if there is a possibility [or certainty in the case of human shields] that innocent civilians are in the target.
I'm not entirely sure why this generated the rhetoric from you ?
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