Discussion
When the world's at stake, go beyond the headlines.
isamuel: Very weird that clandestine imperial gophers start to feel anxious and have trouble sleeping after a while. must be a secret laser
Beestie: Here is a 2019 study that supports the claims of actual injury:https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2738552
ChrisArchitect: Related:60 Minutes Havana Syndrome report finds U.S. government tested energy weaponhttps://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47314335
themafia: I'm not sure having a microbiologist on to talk about RF energy weapons was a good choice. I also have significant doubts about this "black market Russian RF weapon" storyline. Just because you found an item on the black market doesn't mean it exists in general, is a viable weapon, or can be used to explain "Havanna Syndrome."There's almost no data with which to draw any conclusions about this.It seems convenient that this pops up right at the moment the government could use a distraction.
zamadatix: I'd apply the same level of skepticism to the bit at the end - the government seems to always be in the state of having use for a distraction so when is it "convenient" or just reporting on something other than what the government's latest mess is?
cleaning: Reader's note: the author was a member of the CIA for 26 years
halyconWays: That should disqualify them from ever being taken seriously on anything. Would you trust water from a well that was once poisoned? Even if you scrubbed every inch with soap and water, wouldn't there still be some residue that you'd rather not ingest? And I don't think people's inner selves can actually be cleaned, nor do they even want to, usually.
gcanyon: Note: “We were right” here means “it’s a real thing,” but the article has almost nothing concrete to offer about what actually is going on or who is responsible.
rurp: Exactly, the definitive claim in the headline is not at all supported by the article.
themafia: The government needs different levels of distractions at different times. For example, when they're stuck in a boondoggle of a war with Iran that's not going nearly as well as they hoped or projected.
PaulHoule: It's amazing that everybody who has a tendency for paranoia or an interest in weird knowledge knows abouthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microwave_auditory_effectbut that kind of person can't get a security clearance or get taken seriously by the State Department.
MisterTea: > but that kind of person can't get a security clearance or get taken seriously by the State Department.This feels similar to the early Area 51 law suits which were thrown out because the government denied the facility existed. I feel that yes, the government was aware of the situation but downplayed it because they have something to hide.My tin foil hat explanation is that the US government was fully aware of what was happening. Why is unknown though I could guess that A. the US denied knowledge of such weapons to give plausible deniability which leads to B. The US deployed such a weapon on premises to use/test against Cubans and inadvertently sickened their own people in an accident.I don't doubt Cuba could initiate such an attack but I find it very unlikely the US would be befuddled when the US government along with others have developed and experimented with sonic weapons. Given the recent trends towards more authoritarian governments these weapons are easy to deploy against citizens. This article was posted to hn recently: https://earshotngo.substack.com/p/sonic-attack-on-a-silent-v...
matthewdgreen: One proposal I've heard is that the US also has weapons like these and wanted to keep their existence classified.
MisterTea: I could have been more clear, but yes, that is my point too.
