In an effort to avoid bad international PR, the US military says it will test non-lethal devices, such as high-powered microwave weapons, on the US public before using them in war situations abroad. Air Force Secretary, Michael Wynne, said, “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.” He continues, “if I hit somebody with a non-lethal 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.” Wayne claims that by testing the devices in a domestic environment before using them in foreign battlefield situations, many possible international concerns about the safety of the weapons could be avoided.

While this may seem like a fair proposal to many Americans against the war in Iraq, it seems like a smoke and mirrors act to me. Any American up to date on news in the Middle East knows that microwave weapons have been in use by the US and Israeli military for quite some time now. This statement from Secretary Wayne is being made so the military can pretend they’ve taken the proper precautions before the cat is out of the bag. What’s even more disturbing is that even with Pentagon trial tests and battlefield trials of microwave technology, the military insists on using it on the American public.

This means that Iraqi civilians were actually the involuntary test group used by the military, before the glitches in these weapons could be worked out and deemed safe to use on the American public. Those in charge of enforcing justice, whether police or military, are known to use non-lethal weapons to excess because of the inherent misconception of safety in their use. Tasers, pepper spray, SAP gloves, fire hoses, or a good old fashioned ass whoopin’, are all non-lethal means of persuasion currently in use by law enforcement. These common practices often violate our human rights and have been known to result in death, indeed making them lethal weapons. The “better safe than sorry” frame of mind, adopted by law enforcement with non-lethal capabilities, does not always serve the public interest when the attitude of “you’re either with us or against us” prevails.

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