The Washington Post and NPR are reporting that on June 1, when law enforcement forcibly cleared protesters from Lafayette Square to make room for trump’s photo-op at St. John’s church, federal officials began to stockpile ammunition and seek devices that could emit deafening sounds and make anyone within range feel like their skin is on fire, according to an Army National Guard major who was there.
www.npr.org/… reports —
In written responses to the House Committee on Natural Resources, Major Adam DeMarco of the D.C. National Guard said he was copied on an email from the Provost Marshal of Joint Force Headquarters National Capital Region. He was looking for two things: a long range acoustic device, a kind of sound cannon known as an LRAD, and a device called the Active Denial System, or ADS (the heat ray weapon).
The ADS was developed by the military some twenty years ago as a way to disperse crowds. There have been questions about whether it worked, or should be deployed in the first place. It uses millimeter wave technology to essentially heat the skin of people targeted by its invisible ray.
The Washington Post adds -
But in the email, on which DeMarco was copied, the lead military police officer in the National Capital Region wrote the ADS device “can provide our troops a capacity they currently do not have, the ability to reach out and engage potential adversaries at distances well beyond small arms range, and in a safe, effective, and nonlethal manner.”
The email continued: “The ADS can immediately compel an individual to cease threatening behavior or depart through application of a directed energy beam that provides a sensation of intense heat on the surface of the skin. The effect is overwhelming, causing an immediate repel response by the targeted individual.”
Federal police ultimately were unable to obtain the ADS heat ray device (or the LRAD device) during the early days of protests in D.C., according to the Defense Department official.
Pentagon officials were reluctant to use the (ADS) device in Iraq.
In late 2018, the New York Times reported, the Trump administration had weighed using the device on migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border — an idea shot down by Kirstjen Nielsen, then the Homeland Security secretary, citing humanitarian concerns.
DeMarco first appeared before lawmakers on the House Natural Resources Committee in late July and followed up at the end of August with more specific answers to legislators’ questions with a written response, which is the basis of this story.
From en.wikipedia.org/...
The Active Denial System (ADS), is a non-lethal, directed-energy weapon developed by the U.S. military.
The ADS works by firing a high-powered (100 kW output power) beam of 95 GHz waves at a target, which corresponds to a wavelength of 3.2 mm. The ADS millimeter wave energy works on a similar principle as a microwave oven, exciting the water and fat molecules in the skin, and instantly heating them via dielectric heating. One significant difference is that a microwave oven uses the much lower frequency (and longer wavelength) of 2.45 GHz. The short millimeter waves used in ADS only penetrate the top layers of skin, with most of the energy being absorbed within 0.4 mm (1⁄64 inch), whereas microwave oven radiation will penetrate into human tissue about 17 mm (0.67 inch).
The ADS's effect of repelling humans occurs at slightly higher than 44 °C (111 °F), though first-degree burns occur at about 51 °C (124 °F), and second-degree burns occur at about 58 °C (136 °F). In testing, pea-sized blisters have been observed in less than 0.1% of ADS exposures, indicating that second degree surface burns have been caused by the device. The radiation burns caused are similar to microwave burns, but only on the skin surface due to the decreased penetration of shorter millimeter waves. The surface temperature of a target will continue to rise so long as the beam is applied, at a rate dictated by the target's material and distance from the transmitter, along with the beam's frequency and power level set by the operator. Most human test subjects reached their pain threshold within 3 seconds, and none could endure more than 5 seconds.
Long-term exposure to the beam may cause more serious damage, especially to sensitive tissues, such as those of the eyes. Two people have received second degree burns after exposure to the device.
In addition, some claim that subjects who have body piercings, jewelry, or tattoos are likely to suffer serious skin damage.
Note that the term microwave generally refers to electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths between one meter (300 MHz frequency) and one millimeter (300 GHz). Microwave ovens use microwaves at 2.45 GHz frequency.
From www.eetimes.com/… — “thick clothing, balaclava helmets and gloves (can be) quite effective at nullifying the heat ray”, which makes the weapon more effective against unprepared domestic protesters rather than war-zone insurgents.
Here is a short (promotional) video from 2015 on the Active Denial System (ADS) -
Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD)
From en.wikipedia.org/… — “The Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD) is an acoustic hailing device, sound cannon and sonic weapon developed by LRAD Corporation to send messages and warning tones over longer distances or at higher volume than normal loudspeakers. LRAD systems are used for long-range communications in a variety of applications including as a means of less-lethal, non-kinetic crowd control.”
LRADs have been used by the police on various occasions. It was used recently in Portland in June.
From — www.wweek.com/...
Critics have argued the LRAD is not a good alternative (to tear gas), saying the intense sound the device emits can cause permanent damage.
A federal lawsuit is pending in New York challenging the use of LRADs by that city's police department, which reportedly began using them as early as 2004. New York appealed the case all the way the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing officers should be shielded by the doctrine of qualified immunity, but the Supreme Court disagreed and sent the case back to lower courts for trial.
More on LRAD from gizmodo.com/...
However, these (LRAD) devices also come equipped with a “deterrent” function that blasts a series of high-pitched tones that can reach more than 150 decibels on some models (basically the equivalent of a gunshot or firecracker going off). Anything above the 120-decibel mark can “cause immediate harm to your ears,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
People unlucky enough to be nearby when cops have sounded these devices off in the past said they developed migraines, sinus pain, dizziness, and ringing in their ears as a result of the sonic blasts. A federal judge ruled in 2017 that the sound emitted by LRADs could be considered a form of excessive force.
A similar-looking auditory device was spotted in Orlando, Florida on Friday, and the makers behind LRADs, Genasys Inc., claimed in a press release this week that police departments across the country are deploying them.
“Police departments in Portland OR, San Jose, CA, Colorado Springs, CO, Phoenix, AZ, Columbus, OH, Charleston, SC, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, and other cities used LRAD systems to communicate unlawful assembly and other orders to crowds after recent protests turned violent,” the company wrote.
In other lawlessness and disorder news —
Barr wants to charge protesters with sedition -
Barr wants to arrest local officials for keeping police from hurting protesters -
And there was this story on forced sterilization by ICE earlier this week -
To what extent will this criminal gang go to keep their power, given that they seem to be at war against Americans and our constitution? What October surprises have they planned? Are these rehearsals for post-election protests when the trump administration tries to stop mail-in votes from getting counted? How can they be stopped?
Let’s make sure this story is heard far and wide. Let’s anticipate their next move and be prepared. Let’s do all we can to get rid of this fascist regime this November — volunteer, donate, GOTV.
