Police to use microwave 'Silent Guardian' gun on citizens.

[vhx]

People saw this awhile ago I assume, but there is now a video of it being tested from 60 minutes, and also there was an interview below.

http://rawstory.com/news/2008/...y_gun_tested_0602.html

The Pentagon has been developing a raygun which can harmlessly repel enemies by causing a burning sensation in the top layer of the skin. However, according to CBS's 60 Minutes, the military is unwilling to actually trust this weapon enough to deploy it in Iraq.
...
The Active Denial System was developed in secret for ten years before being unveiled by the Pentagon in 2001. As of 2004, it was being described as ready for use in Iraq within the next 12 months. This has still not occurred, and according to Secretary Payton, use of the weapon in Iraq is now "not politically tenable" because after Abu Ghraib "you don't ever, ever, ever want a system like this to be thought of as a torture weapon."

However, the failure to deploy the weapon as planned has raised suspicions that the real intention is to use it for domestic crowd control.

In 2006, Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne was quoted as saying that the device should be used first on Americans, because "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. ... 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."

Here is some snips from an interview of Dave Gaubatz:
http://frontpagemagazine.com/A...4CE2-AC8A-277DAD7E766B

Frontpage Interview?s guest today is Dave Gaubatz, the first Federal Agent (civilian) to enter Iraq in 2003. Currently the Director of the Mapping Shari'a project and owner of Wahhabi Counter-terrorism publications providing first-hand intelligence for law enforcement and CT professionals.

FP: So tell us about the 'Active Denial' Program ? the Ray Gun. What is it and what?s the issue? The Pentagon informed 60 Minutes (CBS) that the Ray Gun could not be used in Iraq . But your experience and evidence suggests that that is not true. What?s the story here?

Gaubatz: Before I discuss the Ray Gun issue I want to inform your readers that 60 Minutes (CBS) Producer Mary Walsh telephoned me last week to discuss my allegations pertaining to the false and very inaccurate report conducted by 60 Minutes. She asked for documentation to prove my knowledge of the system and why their report is false. I provided the documentation. She wrote back and wanted to know why the Pentagon had lied to her. I essentially informed Ms. Walsh that she should ask them since it has hurt the credibility of her and the 60 Minutes staff. Readers can view the documents on my site at www.kidsandterrorism.com.

Gaubatz: The Pentagon has had an operational ?Ray Gun? since early in 2003. The Ray Gun was designed to be a lethal weapon. It can kill, injury the person very badly, or just slightly depending on the setting of the mechanisms. if they want to show the ?Ray gun? to news media and some politicians who advocate non-lethal weapons, and are usually the same politicians who have advocated getting our troops out of Iraq months before they were even sent there, they bring in a journalist and ?feed? him/her the non-lethal story. Otherwise know as liberals who know less about the Ray Gun than they do basic fundamentals of war.

FP: Ok, so let?s crystallize this: the Ray Gun has been reported by 60 Minutes and Pentagon officials as a non-lethal weapon. You're saying this is completely false?

Gaubatz: The Ray Gun was designed as a lethal weapon. During my conversation with Ms. Mary Walsh, she advised she was told by Pentagon officials the Ray Gun had been tested on animals. I was very surprised to hear this because Pentagon officials have just confirmed animals are used for testing of weapons such as the Ray Gun at Kirtland AFB. I coordinated the security when the truck loads of animals were being brought in during the middle of the night. Dead animals can?t speak, but if a goat or 500 pound cow can be killed almost instantly with the Ray Gun, then I believe most readers can safely assume a 175 pound man or woman could also die instantly from the intense heat.

The weapon could have been used in early 2003. Before I left for Iraq I had numerous meetings with AFRL/DE engineers and scientists. I knew the capabilities of the weapons. The scientists and their Directors asked me to test and evaluate the DE weapons at Kirtland AFB. I did this immediately after 11 Sep 2001. For several months, the weapons were operational and ready for use in Iraq .

A microwave weapon first designed to kill (and could cook a 500 lb cow) being converted to police usage. And being sold to the media, public, and politicians as non-lethal. It burns your skin and who knows what the long term effects of a focused microwave beam would be (if any). The future taser? I guess question would be, would you rather be microwaved or tased?

Thoughts?

 

[jpeyton]

Military says it was unwilling to use it in Iraq.

As mentioned in the article, using this in Iraq would be a public relations disaster on the level of Abu Ghraib.

Not that using it against our own people would rank much higher.

This is just another tool for police on a power trip to abuse citizens with. Don't look at the cops funny or they'll fry your organs.

 

[ericlp]

Maybe you could stuff your pockets with microwave popcorn and have a snack before going to jail?




I think good ol tear gas is way better then this thing. Germans have been working on this long before America has...

 

[sandorski]

Don't Microwave me bro, don't Microwave me!

 

[venkman]

Can you say super lawsuit waiting to happen.

I got Ray Gun tazed, now I have skin cancer. :Q

 

[GenHoth]

Originally posted by: vhx

A microwave weapon first designed to kill (and could cook a 500 lb cow)

Bulk beef anyone? We could hold an entire cookout for AT with a couple cows and a ray gun!

 

[GodlessAstronomer]

Is it just me or is this forum looking more and more like a Digg mirror?

 

[Genx87]

They had this on an episode of future weapons. I didnt realize it could be tuned up to cook a cow. Supposed to make the people feel like they have a bad sun burn so they scatter.

 

[Throckmorton]

Originally posted by: venkman
Can you say super lawsuit waiting to happen.

I got Ray Gun tazed, now I have skin cancer. :Q

They say it's safe because it only affects the top layer of skin, and they say it's eye safe because you look away.

That's bullshit. You won't know this weapon is burning the surface of your cornea UNTIL it begins to cloud, and that clouding is permanent unless you get a cornea transplant.

 

[sportage]

This is nothing.
Few if ANY cities will be able to afford or
budget for this "luxery" item.

Unless you live in a community with massive croud problems and
massive crime issues, no police force will be able to justify
the purchase.

You'll just have to keep using your home micro to cook that popcorn.

 

[Rainsford]

Originally posted by: Throckmorton

Originally posted by: venkman
Can you say super lawsuit waiting to happen.

I got Ray Gun tazed, now I have skin cancer. :Q

They say it's safe because it only affects the top layer of skin, and they say it's eye safe because you look away.

That's bullshit. You won't know this weapon is burning the surface of your cornea UNTIL it begins to cloud, and that clouding is permanent unless you get a cornea transplant.

I guess the geniuses who invented this thing never took a EE class in college (which is pretty funny, considering...). In the labs for those classes, one of the things they STRONGLY stress is making sure you know when any IR lights you're using are powered up because the energy from those lights can damage your eyes but since you can't see it, your pupils won't dilate and you won't look away. I'm not 100% positive that the waves this devices uses can cause damage, but I *AM* positive you can't see them...so if the designers are counting on people looking away, that's probably not a good thing.

 

[Genx87]

It takes about 1 sec before you scatter. Not sure if that would be enough time to cook an eye. I doubt anybody will be able to stand there staring at it for 30 seconds or something.

 

[lupi]

Guess the tazers just didn't have a hi enough kill rate.

 

[digiram]

"Don't nuke me bro"

 

[BassBomb]

This is reminding me of CNC

 

[rpanic]

Perfect weapon for cannibals.

 

[Robor]

Originally posted by: Genx87
They had this on an episode of future weapons. I didnt realize it could be tuned up to cook a cow. Supposed to make the people feel like they have a bad sun burn so they scatter.

I saw that episode. Wasn't the actual device huge - way too big for it to be mounted on a patrol car?

 

[Genx87]

Originally posted by: Robor

Originally posted by: Genx87
They had this on an episode of future weapons. I didnt realize it could be tuned up to cook a cow. Supposed to make the people feel like they have a bad sun burn so they scatter.

I saw that episode. Wasn't the actual device huge - way too big for it to be mounted on a patrol car?

Apparently the military version of this is called "Active Denial System" and is mounted on a humvee. Silent guardian is a smaller more mobile version designed for police dept use.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_Guardian