Courtesy of Mother Jones' Must-Reads. The timing of this development is opportune - flashy and ostensibly "non-lethal" - with the rise of organized, popular protests around the world. The military is also likely to receive plenty in the way of applause for concentrating on a weapon which may not kill people outright. As for the bigger-than-the-atomic-bomb bit, it's probably less truth than salesmanship.
Military's new anti-human weapon

Feb. 28, 2001


The Marine Corps and Air Force are anxiously preparing to unveil a secret new weapons technology THE MARINE TIMES calls "perhaps the biggest breakthrough in weapons since the atomic bomb."

The new weapon -- which has been in development for about a decade by some reports -- is called a Vehicle-Mounted Active Denial system, which "fires directed energy at human targets," according to MARINE TIMES. "Directed energy" is the military euphemism for a high-powered laser or a beam of high-frequency microwaves.

While the military will likely tout the weapon's "non-lethal" nature, a 1997 Canadian study of "directed energy" weapons says they "they can cause thermal damage, including eye damage as well as physical destruction of targets." An earlier MARINE TIMES article, titled "The People Zapper," explains how the weapon works:

"[It] causes the moisture in a person's skin to heat up rapidly, creating a burning sensation similar to a hot light bulb pressed against one's flesh. When used as directed -- that is, briefly -- the weapon causes no long-term problems.... The amount of time the weapon must be trained on an individual to cause permanent damage or death is classified."