Bad idea
Where to begin?
WASHINGTON - 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.”
Rest assured, Secretary Wynne, that you will be vilified no matter what you do. Vilification in the press is inevitable because the press is largely in the service of our enemies. If exotic non-lethal weapons cause more trouble than they prevent, the obvious answer is to stick to lethal weapons. But field testing weapon systems on Americans is not an alternative.
Posted on September 14th, 2006 by pwyll
Filed under: politics
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Where to begin, indeed.
While I disagree with your opinion that “the press is largely in the service of our enemies”, Secretary Wynne should be looking for work at Walmart tomorrow.
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”, as quoted above. Though I know he was talking about non-lethal weapons, the image that comes first to mind is cluster bombs and, if necessary, cruise missiles for domestic riot control.” This kind of pronouncement from the Air Force Secretary is entirely irresponsible.
I guess Wynne thinks it a shame that their were only “four dead in Ohio.”