Headline: "US Warns of Terrorist Lasers"...warning,this is truely pathetic

U.S. warns of terrorist lasers
Thursday, December 9, 2004 Posted: 9:38 PM EST (0238 GMT)


WASHINGTON (AP) -- Terrorists may seek to down aircraft by shining powerful lasers into cockpits to blind pilots during landing approaches, U.S. officials warned in a bulletin distributed nationwide.

The memo, sent by the FBI and the Homeland Security Department, says there is evidence that terrorists have explored using lasers as weapons.

There is no specific intelligence indicating al Qaeda or other groups might use lasers in the United States, they added.

"Although lasers are not proven methods of attack like improvised explosive devices and hijackings, terrorist groups overseas have expressed interest in using these devices against human sight," the memo said.

"In certain circumstances, if laser weapons adversely affect the eyesight of both pilot and co-pilot during a non-instrument approach, there is a risk of airliner crash," the agencies said.

-snip-

http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/12/09/terrorist.laser.ap/index.html

Will the media EVER learn its lesson on horrible unresearched reporting like this?

This just makes me want to lobby for a law defining news and making it illegal to report a story that is unresearched and merely speculation and call it news.

birds would not fuck with them, would they be allowed on airliners????

Who would be willing to frisk them? That is IF grasshoppers had sixshooters!!! :grr:

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Yeah, a lot longer than that. Try ever since they came out with those little low-cost laser pointers.

Do you think it's really been 'terrorists' who've been doing this? Or stupid kids with laser pointers? I put my money on it being stupid kids. When 'terrorists' want to take out a plane, they usually use explosives, as it's a lot more effective.

How about they drop the 'TERRORISM' hystrionics and just take precautions against stupid kids shining laser pointers at them?

there's a new threat. I call it the Santa factor. Look back, and every year of this administration, everyone leaves a little apprehensive and holiday cheer is a little muted because of the newest threat.

Scrooge couldn't have done so well, and the Grinch was never so creative (laser beams, for crap's sake. Was the admin watching the new Star Wars DVDs when they came up with this one?!)

edit: my typing.

While reading this...."I am going to take over the world with my LASER"

Sorry - couldn't help it! :-)

If the can induce the "fright" response, then there is no problem with rational thought getting in the way. Essentially, they have about 50M Americans operating at the reptilian level.

...I remember reading about "blinding lasers" as a potential weapon years ago. We were worried that the Russkies might use them on us. And we, of course, were investigating their potential as a weapon of our own.

Our use, of course, would be exclusively sanctioned by God.