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06/30/2003 Archived Entry: "We have handed this government over to insane people."
We have handed this government over to insane people.
What kind of country have we become when we want to develop weapons that can kill from space? And what type of sick, sadistic motherfucker thinks them up?
The Pentagon is planning a new generation of weapons, including huge hypersonic drones and bombs dropped from space, that will allow the US to strike its enemies at lightning speed from its own territory.
Over the next 25 years, the new technology would free the US from dependence on forward bases and the cooperation of regional allies, part of the drive towards self-sufficiency spurred by the difficulties of gaining international cooperation for the invasion of Iraq. The new weapons are being developed under a programme codenamed Falcon (Force Application and Launch from the Continental US).
A US defence website earlier this month invited bids from contractors to develop the technology and the current edition of Jane's Defence Weekly reports that the first flight tests are scheduled to take place within three years.
According to the website run by the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) the programme is aimed at fulfilling "the government's vision of an ultimate prompt global reach capability (circa 2025 and beyond)".
The Falcon technology would "free the US military from reliance on forward basing to enable it to react promptly and decisively to destabilising or threatening actions by hostile countries and terrorist organisations", according to the Darpa invitation for bids.
They seem to forget that we already have the most powerful military in history - and yet, the WTC was brought down by a handful of determined men with boxcutters.
Replies: 2 people speak up
AUGH! Where is Val Kilmer when you need him? This is right out of the 80's film "Real Genius", even the name "Falcon"! Except there the subversive geeks, one of whom lived in the steam vents, won out by using the weapon to destroy the evil professors house. Oh, well, one can hope there's a Chris Knight character working on this project.
Posted by arcane_um @ 07/01/2003 12:08 AM NY
This is the kind of stuff that should lead the rest of the world to figuring out how to stamp out the 'potential' evil empire.
As to "what type of sick, sadistic motherfucker thinks them up?" Well, science fiction writers have been riffing on this concept for a long time. It's the ones that actual put these ideas into practice that I worry about.
Posted by Steve @ 07/01/2003 07:57 PM NY
