[News] Raytheon's Pain Ray

[Anti-Imperialist News]

May 28, 2008
http://www.counterpunch.org/dickinson05282008.html

Raytheon's Pain Ray


Fry 'Em!

By MICHAEL DICKINSON

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 its73,000 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! 
<http://www.petitiononline.com/dawc/petition.html>http://www.petitiononline.com/dawc/petition.html 


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.

Roll on the ADS! Coming soon!  To a street near you!

Michael Dickinson, whose artwork graces the 
covers of 
<http://www.easycartsecure.com/CounterPunch/CounterPunch_Books.html>Dime's 
Worth of Difference, 
<http://www.easycartsecure.com/CounterPunch/CounterPunch_Books.html>Serpents 
in the Garden and 
<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1567513360/counterpunchmaga>Grand 
Theft Pentagon, lives in Istanbul. He can be 
contacted via his website 
<http://yabanji.tripod.com/>http://yabanji.tripod.com/ 
or at: <mailto:michaelyabanji at gmail.com>michaelyabanji at gmail.com




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