Comments on: Navy’s Deadly New Darts http://www.noahshachtman.com/blog/archives/3194.html Mon, 22 Feb 2010 03:14:22 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: David Hambling http://www.noahshachtman.com/blog/archives/3194.html/comment-page-2#comment-22742 David Hambling Fri, 09 Feb 2007 10:26:55 +0000 http://www.noahshachtman.com/wordpress/?p=3194#comment-22742 <p><br /> Some interesting comments here, though it seems the word 'chemical' is a trigger for some folks.</p> <p>The DETA causes the explosive to burn rather than exploding, and neutralises it in seconds. The resulting debris may not be too environmentally friendly, but it's a great deal better than a live minefield.</p> Some interesting comments here, though it seems the word ‘chemical’ is a trigger for some folks.

The DETA causes the explosive to burn rather than exploding, and neutralises it in seconds. The resulting debris may not be too environmentally friendly, but it’s a great deal better than a live minefield.

]]> By: kyliniemi http://www.noahshachtman.com/blog/archives/3194.html/comment-page-1#comment-22741 kyliniemi Tue, 06 Feb 2007 20:08:39 +0000 http://www.noahshachtman.com/wordpress/?p=3194#comment-22741 <p>DETA is a chemical in liquid form, read the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet). The article says it neutralizes the explosive not detonates it. How long does it take? Hours, days or weeks?</p> <p>Can't they use the darts without the chemical? Criticizing a bad idea does not make one a liberal or un-American.</p> DETA is a chemical in liquid form, read the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet). The article says it neutralizes the explosive not detonates it. How long does it take? Hours, days or weeks?

Can’t they use the darts without the chemical? Criticizing a bad idea does not make one a liberal or un-American.

]]> By: G Hayes http://www.noahshachtman.com/blog/archives/3194.html/comment-page-1#comment-22740 G Hayes Tue, 06 Feb 2007 11:02:01 +0000 http://www.noahshachtman.com/wordpress/?p=3194#comment-22740 <p>DETA, really isnt a chemical, its an explosive normally used in sheet form. Yes it is a chemical explosive but so is EVERY other explosive. C-4 for example is made out of RDX and a plasticizer with a mix of 91% and 9% respectively. So yes everyhting is a "chemical" but military standards for explosives state that they must be minimally toxic. You dont want your average engineer running around with c-4 in his pocket being exposed to some chemical that is going to rot his leg off. As long as you dont eat it, you are good to go.</p> DETA, really isnt a chemical, its an explosive normally used in sheet form. Yes it is a chemical explosive but so is EVERY other explosive. C-4 for example is made out of RDX and a plasticizer with a mix of 91% and 9% respectively. So yes everyhting is a “chemical” but military standards for explosives state that they must be minimally toxic. You dont want your average engineer running around with c-4 in his pocket being exposed to some chemical that is going to rot his leg off. As long as you dont eat it, you are good to go.

]]> By: Robert http://www.noahshachtman.com/blog/archives/3194.html/comment-page-1#comment-22739 Robert Sun, 04 Feb 2007 11:11:43 +0000 http://www.noahshachtman.com/wordpress/?p=3194#comment-22739 <p>First of all, Bush Sr. DID NOT SEND US TO SOMALIA! Clinton and his Commi Dictator wife sent us to Somalia! First Clinton sent us to Haiti and Port-au-Prince, then we were sent to Somalia. I know, I WAS THERE!</p> First of all, Bush Sr. DID NOT SEND US TO SOMALIA! Clinton and his Commi Dictator wife sent us to Somalia! First Clinton sent us to Haiti and Port-au-Prince, then we were sent to Somalia. I know, I WAS THERE!

]]> By: Monkeyfister http://www.noahshachtman.com/blog/archives/3194.html/comment-page-1#comment-22738 Monkeyfister Wed, 31 Jan 2007 14:30:27 +0000 http://www.noahshachtman.com/wordpress/?p=3194#comment-22738 <p><br /> ChrisB--</p> <p>George H.W. Bush put us INTO Somalia, in late 1992, during his Lame Duck period. Do your homework. </p> <p>Clinton brought the troops OUT of Somalia. </p> <p>To many people are determined to believe that was Clinton who put the Troops into Somalia-- Folks HATE him for it, erroneously. It was a time-bomb left by Bush 41 for the Clinton administration. Something that demanded he deal with IMMEDIATELY. THAT is what happened. READ, man.</p> <p><br /> --mf</p> ChrisB–

George H.W. Bush put us INTO Somalia, in late 1992, during his Lame Duck period. Do your homework.

Clinton brought the troops OUT of Somalia.

To many people are determined to believe that was Clinton who put the Troops into Somalia– Folks HATE him for it, erroneously. It was a time-bomb left by Bush 41 for the Clinton administration. Something that demanded he deal with IMMEDIATELY. THAT is what happened. READ, man.

–mf

]]> By: Chris B http://www.noahshachtman.com/blog/archives/3194.html/comment-page-1#comment-22737 Chris B Mon, 29 Jan 2007 21:00:56 +0000 http://www.noahshachtman.com/wordpress/?p=3194#comment-22737 <p>I had to respond. An earlier post said we were in Somalia because of the media. Not 100% accurate. WE were there because of that greasy rat bastar% Bill Clinton and his co-president Hillary's using the military as an experimental agent of social change in another country spurred on by lopsided reporting by the media. pretty much the same reason we didn't finish the job that Preident Bush's father started. There was such a mental disconnect between how war is waged with today's technology versus how war actually looks after the precision guided weapons and the multiple MLRS volleys that impacted the so called "highway of death" that when the media showed it everyone just said F### it, we gotta stop this. So we did, rather than keeping the momentum going and finishing the job. Now we are trying to finish the job in a half assed way.<br /> As for the darts, my favorite weapon system that never got fielded was called THOR, after the god of thunder in Norse mythology. The idea was great, but technology at the time was lacking. But not now. 4 or 5 satellites in geosynchronous orbit for communications. One or more (the more the merrier)sats carrying the payload that consisted of very long, thin and HEAVY darts with movable fins and guidance that were in a polar orbit. The idea was that even with only one payload sat, eventually it would "see" the entire earth's surface. When a target needed to be eliminated, the sat would fire a rocket to take itself out of orbit. When it started to fall, the darts would be released, eventually guiding themselves (GPS wasn't invented yet) to the selected target. The more sats in polar orbit, the less the response time. Terminal velocity at time of impact would be on the order of 17,000 mph or more. The kinetic energy alone would destroy anything. Delay some darts and the repeated hammering could take out bunkers. No left over explosives, there are none involved. If by some freak chance someone finds one buried in the ground after an attack, all he's gonna do is stub his toe on it. But he'd have to dig a DEEP hole to find it. The technology is here now for it to be a success, and it fits in nicely with St. Reagan's Star Wars vision. Very Nice!</p> I had to respond. An earlier post said we were in Somalia because of the media. Not 100% accurate. WE were there because of that greasy rat bastar% Bill Clinton and his co-president Hillary’s using the military as an experimental agent of social change in another country spurred on by lopsided reporting by the media. pretty much the same reason we didn’t finish the job that Preident Bush’s father started. There was such a mental disconnect between how war is waged with today’s technology versus how war actually looks after the precision guided weapons and the multiple MLRS volleys that impacted the so called “highway of death” that when the media showed it everyone just said F### it, we gotta stop this. So we did, rather than keeping the momentum going and finishing the job. Now we are trying to finish the job in a half assed way.
As for the darts, my favorite weapon system that never got fielded was called THOR, after the god of thunder in Norse mythology. The idea was great, but technology at the time was lacking. But not now. 4 or 5 satellites in geosynchronous orbit for communications. One or more (the more the merrier)sats carrying the payload that consisted of very long, thin and HEAVY darts with movable fins and guidance that were in a polar orbit. The idea was that even with only one payload sat, eventually it would “see” the entire earth’s surface. When a target needed to be eliminated, the sat would fire a rocket to take itself out of orbit. When it started to fall, the darts would be released, eventually guiding themselves (GPS wasn’t invented yet) to the selected target. The more sats in polar orbit, the less the response time. Terminal velocity at time of impact would be on the order of 17,000 mph or more. The kinetic energy alone would destroy anything. Delay some darts and the repeated hammering could take out bunkers. No left over explosives, there are none involved. If by some freak chance someone finds one buried in the ground after an attack, all he’s gonna do is stub his toe on it. But he’d have to dig a DEEP hole to find it. The technology is here now for it to be a success, and it fits in nicely with St. Reagan’s Star Wars vision. Very Nice!

]]> By: Robert Jewett SSG Retired http://www.noahshachtman.com/blog/archives/3194.html/comment-page-1#comment-22736 Robert Jewett SSG Retired Mon, 29 Jan 2007 17:51:51 +0000 http://www.noahshachtman.com/wordpress/?p=3194#comment-22736 <p>Guys- "This is not a poison gas weapon the chemicial is not released until the darts are well underground(undersea), the Chemicial reacts with nitrates like in plastic explosives, & SIMEX. It makes then chance into amides, and cease to be explosive. Any civilians in the area of the darts would be in greater danger of stepping on one of their own mines. the DETA over a few weeks naturally decomposes int ammonia and other non-toxic stuff. it is non carcogenic. True if you get a big dose, hot, it would be bad, so would a lot of things used in the USA every day.<br /> "Maybe it would just be better for us to advoid the entire area, and leave the mines for the kids playing on the beach to step on by accident."<br /> </p> Guys- “This is not a poison gas weapon the chemicial is not released until the darts are well underground(undersea), the Chemicial reacts with nitrates like in plastic explosives, & SIMEX. It makes then chance into amides, and cease to be explosive. Any civilians in the area of the darts would be in greater danger of stepping on one of their own mines. the DETA over a few weeks naturally decomposes int ammonia and other non-toxic stuff. it is non carcogenic. True if you get a big dose, hot, it would be bad, so would a lot of things used in the USA every day.
“Maybe it would just be better for us to advoid the entire area, and leave the mines for the kids playing on the beach to step on by accident.”

]]> By: James Mata http://www.noahshachtman.com/blog/archives/3194.html/comment-page-1#comment-22735 James Mata Sun, 28 Jan 2007 20:16:47 +0000 http://www.noahshachtman.com/wordpress/?p=3194#comment-22735 <p>OK, I'm beating a dead horse here, but , yes get the "media" out. Just look at all the videos being posted from the combat zone in the Shock and Awe site. The soldiers are much better "reporters" than ANY "official" media mad I've ever seen. The videos are raw, uncensored, and in many cases, un-edited. This makes it the REAL DEAL! A friend and co-crewman on my tank during Desert Storm did the same thing. Held a camera in one hand, and a CARBINE in the other! We documented just about EVERYTNING we did, with 2 cameras mounted on the tank, one inside behind the gunner with a wide angle lens, the other tied into the main gun targeting electronics. We took over 800 hours of video...with about 700 hours of it being mundane crap cruising on patrol. The key was, we kept the cameras rolling as much as possible, because you never knew when you would be engaged by the enemy. Of course we weren't the first ones to do this, but we consider ourselves among the "pioneers" of the SOLDIER JOURNALIST. I use that term, because we were SOIDIERS first, historians and journalists second. And, like the guys today, nothing was off limits. We got the enemy getting blown to hell, and ourselves as well. Captured Iraquis as well as bloodied casualties and body bags of ours. All was seen and recorded. So , YES! get the media out! If you want the reas stories, ask the guys getting lead thrown their way, and throwing it back!!!!!</p> OK, I’m beating a dead horse here, but , yes get the “media” out. Just look at all the videos being posted from the combat zone in the Shock and Awe site. The soldiers are much better “reporters” than ANY “official” media mad I’ve ever seen. The videos are raw, uncensored, and in many cases, un-edited. This makes it the REAL DEAL! A friend and co-crewman on my tank during Desert Storm did the same thing. Held a camera in one hand, and a CARBINE in the other! We documented just about EVERYTNING we did, with 2 cameras mounted on the tank, one inside behind the gunner with a wide angle lens, the other tied into the main gun targeting electronics. We took over 800 hours of video…with about 700 hours of it being mundane crap cruising on patrol. The key was, we kept the cameras rolling as much as possible, because you never knew when you would be engaged by the enemy. Of course we weren’t the first ones to do this, but we consider ourselves among the “pioneers” of the SOLDIER JOURNALIST. I use that term, because we were SOIDIERS first, historians and journalists second. And, like the guys today, nothing was off limits. We got the enemy getting blown to hell, and ourselves as well. Captured Iraquis as well as bloodied casualties and body bags of ours. All was seen and recorded. So , YES! get the media out! If you want the reas stories, ask the guys getting lead thrown their way, and throwing it back!!!!!

]]> By: A Real Patriot http://www.noahshachtman.com/blog/archives/3194.html/comment-page-1#comment-22734 A Real Patriot Sun, 28 Jan 2007 19:47:45 +0000 http://www.noahshachtman.com/wordpress/?p=3194#comment-22734 <p> Hey, kyliniemi !!! You better get your head out of the sand and pay attention! Doe's this article say anything about "Chemicals of mass destruction"? These are obviously designed to detonate the mine,next time real the whole article. Or admit that you are a liberal. In that case, you are not smart enough to read the whole thing!</p> Hey, kyliniemi !!! You better get your head out of the sand and pay attention! Doe’s this article say anything about “Chemicals of mass destruction”? These are obviously designed to detonate the mine,next time real the whole article. Or admit that you are a liberal. In that case, you are not smart enough to read the whole thing!

]]> By: Dudley http://www.noahshachtman.com/blog/archives/3194.html/comment-page-1#comment-22733 Dudley Sat, 27 Jan 2007 23:28:36 +0000 http://www.noahshachtman.com/wordpress/?p=3194#comment-22733 <p>Bob S is so right! Get the news media out of there. They got us into Somalia, remember. </p> Bob S is so right! Get the news media out of there. They got us into Somalia, remember.

]]>