Comments on: Did Syria drop hallucinogens on rebels? http://boingboing.net/2013/01/15/206025.html Brain candy for Happy Mutants Sun, 19 May 2013 03:29:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 By: Jean Baptiste http://boingboing.net/2013/01/15/206025.html#comment-1629903 Jean Baptiste Wed, 16 Jan 2013 23:58:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=206025#comment-1629903  "Ooooh, I want some fruity hallucinogens..."   <--- said in a "George from 'Bored to Death' voice")  ”Ooooh, I want some fruity hallucinogens…”   <— said in a "George from 'Bored to Death' voice")

]]> By: Cowicide http://boingboing.net/2013/01/15/206025.html#comment-1629737 Cowicide Wed, 16 Jan 2013 21:35:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=206025#comment-1629737 Xeni, FAIR.org has been covering this quite a bit.  This is very likely just <b>bullshit</b> that's trying to get us Americans into yet another profitable (for the very few, that is) war.  <b>Sources</b>: http://www.fair.org/blog/2012/12/20/syrias-mobile-weapons-labs-where-have-we-heard-this-before/ http://www.fair.org/blog/2012/12/07/this-time-trust-anonymous-wmd-claims-theyve-got-specific-intelligence/ http://www.fair.org/blog/2012/12/11/jeffrey-goldberg-wmd-expert/ Xeni, FAIR.org has been covering this quite a bit.  This is very likely just bullshit that’s trying to get us Americans into yet another profitable (for the very few, that is) war.

 Sources:

http://www.fair.org/blog/2012/12/20/syrias-mobile-weapons-labs-where-have-we-heard-this-before/

http://www.fair.org/blog/2012/12/07/this-time-trust-anonymous-wmd-claims-theyve-got-specific-intelligence/

http://www.fair.org/blog/2012/12/11/jeffrey-goldberg-wmd-expert/

]]> By: jandrese http://boingboing.net/2013/01/15/206025.html#comment-1629544 jandrese Wed, 16 Jan 2013 19:03:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=206025#comment-1629544 The thing that doesn't make sense to me is if you're going to drop chemical weapons on your opponents, why use fruity hallucinogens that are difficult to administer in a battlefield environment instead of more conventional chemical weapons like nerve gas, mustard gas, or even simple chlorine gas?  The thing that doesn’t make sense to me is if you’re going to drop chemical weapons on your opponents, why use fruity hallucinogens that are difficult to administer in a battlefield environment instead of more conventional chemical weapons like nerve gas, mustard gas, or even simple chlorine gas? 

]]> By: Joe Buck http://boingboing.net/2013/01/15/206025.html#comment-1629432 Joe Buck Wed, 16 Jan 2013 17:18:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=206025#comment-1629432  The motive may be that Obama declared that the use of chemical weapons was a "red line" that might cause us to intervene.  Syrian rebels hearing that now have an incentive to make up a story about a chemical weapons attack.  The motive may be that Obama declared that the use of chemical weapons was a “red line” that might cause us to intervene.  Syrian rebels hearing that now have an incentive to make up a story about a chemical weapons attack.

]]> By: Joe Buck http://boingboing.net/2013/01/15/206025.html#comment-1629428 Joe Buck Wed, 16 Jan 2013 17:17:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=206025#comment-1629428 It's called bullshit ("propaganda" is the more polite word).  Unsurprising. Those of you in your late 30s or older might remember the horrible story about invading Iraqis tossing baby Kuwaitis out of incubators and stealing the incubators. Later (after the Gulf War was over) it came out that the emotional young woman telling the story was the daughter of the Kuwaiti ambassador (she testified under a false name) and the whole thing was made up. It’s called bullshit (“propaganda” is the more polite word).  Unsurprising.

Those of you in your late 30s or older might remember the horrible story about invading Iraqis tossing baby Kuwaitis out of incubators and stealing the incubators. Later (after the Gulf War was over) it came out that the emotional young woman telling the story was the daughter of the Kuwaiti ambassador (she testified under a false name) and the whole thing was made up.

]]> By: fruityboots http://boingboing.net/2013/01/15/206025.html#comment-1629289 fruityboots Wed, 16 Jan 2013 15:23:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=206025#comment-1629289 It's called field testing. Unsurprising. It’s called field testing. Unsurprising.

]]> By: Christopher Lee http://boingboing.net/2013/01/15/206025.html#comment-1629281 Christopher Lee Wed, 16 Jan 2013 14:53:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=206025#comment-1629281 Reading about possible battlefield use of hallucinogens always makes me think of the comic book CROSSED - how willing the governments of the world would be to unleash something really, truly terrible. Reading about possible battlefield use of hallucinogens always makes me think of the comic book CROSSED – how willing the governments of the world would be to unleash something really, truly terrible.

]]> By: ocker3 http://boingboing.net/2013/01/15/206025.html#comment-1629253 ocker3 Wed, 16 Jan 2013 13:14:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=206025#comment-1629253 Actually at 0:16 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiW9Js4RiAw you see one trooper who didn't have a happy trip at all, but he's the odd one out here. David Nutt's book on drugs suggests that Physical Setting and Personal Mindset (my terms) are highly important if you seek a good experience while tripping. Considering the setting in this case was common to the other soldiers, perhaps this guy was struggling with another issue (something from his personal life?) on the day of the test. Actually at 0:16 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiW9Js4RiAw you see one trooper who didn’t have a happy trip at all, but he’s the odd one out here. David Nutt’s book on drugs suggests that Physical Setting and Personal Mindset (my terms) are highly important if you seek a good experience while tripping. Considering the setting in this case was common to the other soldiers, perhaps this guy was struggling with another issue (something from his personal life?) on the day of the test.

]]> By: Tchoutoye http://boingboing.net/2013/01/15/206025.html#comment-1629218 Tchoutoye Wed, 16 Jan 2013 10:35:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=206025#comment-1629218 This story was "first reported by Foreign Policy’s Josh Rogin and laid out in a secret cable from the U.S. consul general in Istanbul." "Secret cable" indeed. Finally a leak that does actually help Al Qaeda fighters. But not via Wiki Leaks, so that's ok then. This story was “first reported by Foreign Policy’s Josh Rogin and laid out in a secret cable from the U.S. consul general in Istanbul.”

“Secret cable” indeed. Finally a leak that does actually help Al Qaeda fighters. But not via Wiki Leaks, so that’s ok then.

]]> By: niktemadur http://boingboing.net/2013/01/15/206025.html#comment-1629217 niktemadur Wed, 16 Jan 2013 10:32:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=206025#comment-1629217 I can hear it now, the men tripping on Sandoz: - Blimey! - Jolly good, carry on Sergeant Major. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtbKSXoueks I can hear it now, the men tripping on Sandoz:
- Blimey!
- Jolly good, carry on Sergeant Major.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtbKSXoueks

]]> By: ☠FIGHTLINKER☠ http://boingboing.net/2013/01/15/206025.html#comment-1629186 ☠FIGHTLINKER☠ Wed, 16 Jan 2013 08:07:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=206025#comment-1629186  Tell that to the Kurds  Tell that to the Kurds

]]> By: Rindan http://boingboing.net/2013/01/15/206025.html#comment-1629175 Rindan Wed, 16 Jan 2013 07:30:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=206025#comment-1629175 Wait, they are giving the rebels FREE hallucinogens?  From a strategy point of view, if they didn't run in and kill them all while they were tripping, I think they screwed up.  Nothing helps relieve some of the stress of rebellion like a nice 12 hour tripping party. Wait, they are giving the rebels FREE hallucinogens?  From a strategy point of view, if they didn’t run in and kill them all while they were tripping, I think they screwed up.  Nothing helps relieve some of the stress of rebellion like a nice 12 hour tripping party.

]]> By: Tchoutoye http://boingboing.net/2013/01/15/206025.html#comment-1629138 Tchoutoye Wed, 16 Jan 2013 06:05:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=206025#comment-1629138 Wasn't BZ the chemical in the movie Jacob's Ladder? Wasn’t BZ the chemical in the movie Jacob’s Ladder?

]]> By: Dlo Burns http://boingboing.net/2013/01/15/206025.html#comment-1629127 Dlo Burns Wed, 16 Jan 2013 05:30:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=206025#comment-1629127  chemical weapons don't seem to be very effective.  chemical weapons don’t seem to be very effective.

]]> By: Preston Sturges http://boingboing.net/2013/01/15/206025.html#comment-1629125 Preston Sturges Wed, 16 Jan 2013 05:29:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=206025#comment-1629125 There are some very very funny videos of early LSD experiments including the British giving some acid to infantry troops out on maneuvers. Nobody ever seemed to have bad experiences in these videos, probably because they were getting pure pharmaceutical grade LSD. Anyway, the British determined that the troops were rendered useless and unable to make decisions. One guy climbed a tree trying to feed the birds, but they talked him down OK. They all had quite the jolly time. It's on youtube. There are some very very funny videos of early LSD experiments including the British giving some acid to infantry troops out on maneuvers. Nobody ever seemed to have bad experiences in these videos, probably because they were getting pure pharmaceutical grade LSD. Anyway, the British determined that the troops were rendered useless and unable to make decisions. One guy climbed a tree trying to feed the birds, but they talked him down OK. They all had quite the jolly time. It’s on youtube.

]]> By: Daemonworks http://boingboing.net/2013/01/15/206025.html#comment-1629116 Daemonworks Wed, 16 Jan 2013 05:05:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=206025#comment-1629116 Because killing people indiscriminately is perfectly fine, provided you do so with guns and bombs as god intended. Because killing people indiscriminately is perfectly fine, provided you do so with guns and bombs as god intended.

]]> By: Jean Baptiste http://boingboing.net/2013/01/15/206025.html#comment-1629109 Jean Baptiste Wed, 16 Jan 2013 04:42:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=206025#comment-1629109 It was "Trixie" (2-4-5 Trioxin): the same shit they were testing out on our homeless brothers and sisters a few months back, and attributing it to (ha!) "Bath Salts".  WhatEVER... It was “Trixie” (2-4-5 Trioxin): the same shit they were testing out on our homeless brothers and sisters a few months back, and attributing it to (ha!) “Bath Salts”.  WhatEVER…

]]> By: xian http://boingboing.net/2013/01/15/206025.html#comment-1629106 xian Wed, 16 Jan 2013 04:40:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=206025#comment-1629106 For free? For free?

]]> By: Flashman http://boingboing.net/2013/01/15/206025.html#comment-1629086 Flashman Wed, 16 Jan 2013 04:20:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=206025#comment-1629086 Actually according to the article the speculation is that the agent *wasn't* the hallucinogen BZ. There was an article in the New Yorker just a couple of weeks ago about the US testing of BZ (which I'd never heard of before) on unsuspecting GI volunteers. BZmakes people trip out and do weird shit, and lose interest in killing their opponents on the field of battle, which I guess was the point, but the US Army eventually concluded it was too hard to deploy effectively to be of any use as a weapon. You need a high, concentrated dose, which is basically impossible to administer on the battlefield rather than in an enclosed laboratory. Actually according to the article the speculation is that the agent *wasn’t* the hallucinogen BZ.
There was an article in the New Yorker just a couple of weeks ago about the US testing of BZ (which I’d never heard of before) on unsuspecting GI volunteers. BZmakes people trip out and do weird shit, and lose interest in killing their opponents on the field of battle, which I guess was the point, but the US Army eventually concluded it was too hard to deploy effectively to be of any use as a weapon. You need a high, concentrated dose, which is basically impossible to administer on the battlefield rather than in an enclosed laboratory.

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