TV FOR THOSE WHO ENJOY MASSACRES: Futureweapons, Blackwater USA's only friend in the entertainment industry
Futureweapons' mission: Free publicity on US cable TV for world arms developers and the televising of great enthusiasms over the technologies of massacre, as mostly developed by American business in cooperation with the military.
As an educational tool for measuring delusion within the Department of Defense and political establishment, Futureweapons always delivers. Since it is devoted to the demonstration of potential massive escalations in force as an answer to everything, it mirrors the philosophy of the US military, capable of turning a foreign country into a cauldron of misery while losing and turning the entire citizenry and rest of the world against it with merciless exhibitions of sophisticated mechanized cruelties.
Once again, DD blog chooses to rag on Futureweapons, the only TV show I know of to make entertainment out of publicity video from corporate arms developers. (With the possible exception of network news agencies during the first two weeks of the invasion of Iraq.)
While the mainstream newsmedia was choosing to bite down on Blackwater USA's mercenary army actions in Iraq, Futureweapons took the opposite track.
Although the Blackwater USA piece must have been in the can for some months, the TV show chose to air a publicity video segment at the security giant's facility in Moyock, NC, during the week of the eruption of outrage over the company's shootings of civilians in Baghdad.
Futureweapons delivered to viewers Blackwater's vision of massive firepower and the putting of it downrange in the service of ... well, that wasn't actually important.
What was important was to show the hardware and ammunition: Rifle grenades, an armored car called the Grizzly, a machine gun designed to punch through a car and put down drivers.
Futureweapons is also the first show to put the United States Air Force's Active Denial System (ADS) on display as evening entertainment.
The Air Force and the developers of the ADS have a public relations problem.
The reputation of the ADS, accumulated over at least a decade of development, is a bad one.
As an allegedly miraculous directed-energy weapon, one which shoots a beam of energy designed to heat the skin of human targets, it is cumbersome and expensive. And it has up to now only been shown to the media in carefully scripted strapped-down chicken tests.
Outside of these carefully conducted publicity exhibitions, it is perceived as a potential exotic instrument of torture.
DD, in writing about the ADS for the past several years, has certainly contributed to its poor image. The Active Denial System is one of the most wretched weapon projects a person could think of, deceptively and laughably claimed to be a revolution in arms, a humanitarian mechanism able to solve the insoluble in places like Iraq.
The ADS has been such a magnet for bad publicity, the military is afraid to open real books of scientific testing on it.
If the Active Denial System is actually as wondrous, harmless and beneficial to the common good as its fuglemen have always insisted, it should logically be FIRST deployed on American streets against civilians as part of crowd control measures.
DD is betting this will never happen.
Read the entire piece of criticism at el Reg here.
Caveat emptor: For those who can't yet tell, I'm not a fan.
The Active Denial System ad nauseum news, from the archive.
Futureweapons' mission: Free publicity on US cable TV for world arms developers and the televising of great enthusiasms over the technologies of massacre, as mostly developed by American business in cooperation with the military.
As an educational tool for measuring delusion within the Department of Defense and political establishment, Futureweapons always delivers. Since it is devoted to the demonstration of potential massive escalations in force as an answer to everything, it mirrors the philosophy of the US military, capable of turning a foreign country into a cauldron of misery while losing and turning the entire citizenry and rest of the world against it with merciless exhibitions of sophisticated mechanized cruelties.
Once again, DD blog chooses to rag on Futureweapons, the only TV show I know of to make entertainment out of publicity video from corporate arms developers. (With the possible exception of network news agencies during the first two weeks of the invasion of Iraq.)
While the mainstream newsmedia was choosing to bite down on Blackwater USA's mercenary army actions in Iraq, Futureweapons took the opposite track.
Although the Blackwater USA piece must have been in the can for some months, the TV show chose to air a publicity video segment at the security giant's facility in Moyock, NC, during the week of the eruption of outrage over the company's shootings of civilians in Baghdad.
Futureweapons delivered to viewers Blackwater's vision of massive firepower and the putting of it downrange in the service of ... well, that wasn't actually important.
What was important was to show the hardware and ammunition: Rifle grenades, an armored car called the Grizzly, a machine gun designed to punch through a car and put down drivers.
Futureweapons is also the first show to put the United States Air Force's Active Denial System (ADS) on display as evening entertainment.
The Air Force and the developers of the ADS have a public relations problem.
The reputation of the ADS, accumulated over at least a decade of development, is a bad one.
As an allegedly miraculous directed-energy weapon, one which shoots a beam of energy designed to heat the skin of human targets, it is cumbersome and expensive. And it has up to now only been shown to the media in carefully scripted strapped-down chicken tests.
Outside of these carefully conducted publicity exhibitions, it is perceived as a potential exotic instrument of torture.
DD, in writing about the ADS for the past several years, has certainly contributed to its poor image. The Active Denial System is one of the most wretched weapon projects a person could think of, deceptively and laughably claimed to be a revolution in arms, a humanitarian mechanism able to solve the insoluble in places like Iraq.
The ADS has been such a magnet for bad publicity, the military is afraid to open real books of scientific testing on it.
If the Active Denial System is actually as wondrous, harmless and beneficial to the common good as its fuglemen have always insisted, it should logically be FIRST deployed on American streets against civilians as part of crowd control measures.
DD is betting this will never happen.
Read the entire piece of criticism at el Reg here.
Caveat emptor: For those who can't yet tell, I'm not a fan.
The Active Denial System ad nauseum news, from the archive.
posted by George Smith at 5:12 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home