the olive ream

So I read this article the other day on the CNN web site, about this new military technology that is catching everyone’s attention. I present the same article here for your review but with my comments in BOLD.

The military’s new weapon is a ray gun that shoots a beam that makes people feel as if they will catch fire. [How fantastic! But they can do that by holding a lighter next to someone's face so why spend billions inventing such an expansive alternative?]

The technology is supposed to be harmless — a non-lethal way to get enemies to drop their weapons. [Ooh! just like the tazer guns were supposed to be non-lethal, right? The same tazers guns that have resulted in 'accidental' deaths of several innocent civilians when they were utilized by law enforcement.]

Military officials say it could save the lives of civilians and service members in places like Iraq and Afghanistan. [Why? Is the US military planning to leave Iraq and Afghanistan and are permanently removing their military bases from these countries?]

The weapon is not expected to go into production until at least 2010, but all branches of the military have expressed interest in it, officials said. [Are these the same branches of the military whose senior personnel are shareholders in the company producing this offensive weaponry or are they the paid lobbyists for the company in question?]

During the first media demonstration of the weapon Wednesday, airmen fired beams from a large dish antenna mounted atop a Humvee at people pretending to be rioters and acting out other scenarios U.S. troops might encounter. [Hold on a minute! I thought you just said this was 'a non-lethal way to get ENEMIES to drop their weapons.' So a rioting public is the enemy, and the stones, sticks and banners they might be holding are their weapons. Yes I can certainly see how dangerous such weapons can be for armoured personnel sitting inside a tank. And what 'other scenarios' are we talking about here? People yelling, screaming obcenities telling the US military to f*ck off out of their country...and perhaps people walking aggressively is another scenario that qualifies as dangerous.]

While the sudden, 130-degree Fahrenheit (54.44 Celsius) heat was not painful, it was intense enough to make participants think their clothes were about to ignite. [Apparently, feeling like your clothes are about to burst into flames is not painful. It is just like disrobing because you feel slightly warm and you feel the need for a tan.]

“This is one of the key technologies for the future,” said Marine Col. Kirk Hymes, director of the non-lethal weapons program that helped develop the weapon. “Non-lethal weapons are important for the escalation of force, especially in the environments our forces are operating in.” [Actually, the environment you are operating in requires a de-escalation of force...and the US military force to be exact.]

The system uses millimeter waves, which can penetrate only 1/64th of an inch of skin, just enough to cause discomfort. By comparison, common kitchen microwaves penetrate several inches of skin. [But kitchen microwaves don't make you feel like your clothes are on fire either unless you are sitting inside the microwave while warming your food.]

The millimeter waves cannot go through walls, but they can penetrate most clothing, officials said. They refused to comment on whether the waves can go through glass. [So all the enemy has to do is stand behind a wall, and this million dollar weapon becomes utterly useless. I guess it becomes even more apparent that this weapon is solely meant for rioters or protestors (i.e. the general public) out in the open and the military qualifies them as the 'real' enemy. And why the refusal to comment if this will go through glass? Is it because it can't or they haven't tested the damn thing going through glass or is it because it shatters the glass injuring innocent civilians?]

The system was developed by the military, but the two devices being evaluated were built by defense contractor Raytheon. [No wonder the military is showing so much interest in buying this damn thing, they made it. And 'Ray-theon' was probably chosen because the name seemed appropriate based on the weapon in question.]

Airman Blaine Pernell, 22, said he could have used the system during his four tours in Iraq, where he manned watchtowers around a base near Kirkuk. He said Iraqis often pulled up and faked car problems so they could scout U.S. forces.[He is 22 and he's done four tours of Iraq at this age? The US military is seriously short of volunteers. I am sure he could have used this system, like many other US soldiers who use the alternate method of firing indiscriminately at the crowd to disperse them. But then again, the weapon wont be much of use, if the Iraqis run and hide behind walls.]
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From the article above, one gets the clear impression this weapon is developed and will be used primarily on the general public for crowd control at times of government protests. So water canons, tear gas, rubber bullets and now this! … a weapon against civil disobedience.

The source of the article is here.