* NEW * Cast your Vote for President

Turboguy......I will not argue with you anymore.........You have it all figured out!! The fact is I never said, how old I thought the earth was! You just assumed what I thought. In the scheme of things it hardly matters....as far as working out everyday...I do the same! I'm 6'3" and weigh 235lbs....and can hold my own! You are very good at "running" people down on here (Subtlely).....it fits your arrogant mind-set! .......I will not apoligize for Believing in "Jesus Christ".....I'm not ashamed of the Gospel....that you so eloquently run down!! I believe Jesus Died for sinners like me and rose from the grave! I believe he's coming back one day too! You are ok in saying, you have a right to question the authenticity of the "Bible"..........I too have questioned it many times........But, by faith I beleve it's the Word of God!! I have studied and studied.....and have come to the conclusion that all the Prophices concerning Jesus in the Old Testament could not have happend by "Chance".......So, with childlike faith I beleive!.....By the way, I never said anything about "Devil Talk".....more termalogy to mock me!! .....The Bottom line is you can't prove.....and I can't prove!......It's by "faith" that one comes to Christ!.....in that Regard I don't need proof! I have all I need!...........So why don't you try to respond without your arrogant responses. By the way....not all Churchs' are as you say! Not all Church's would stifle your questions! Questions are good! While I agree there are some bad T.V. Evangilist and such. God's true church has helped millions of unfortunate people accross this planet! There are many, many people who spend their lives as missionaries giving all they have to the needy!
They will probably never be recognized in this life. But, they are the true heros! Turboguy, I think you are a very smart guy.....You can hold your own with the best of 'em........but, you're not always right!!

I'm not always right either!!

LOL! My friend Morgan says I look like some pro wrestler named John Cena. He's been working that angle on my for a couple years now...

LOL naw, just in the face.

If I was huge like him, dude, I'd swear off police work in favor of a lucrative stripping career! I'd be like the Fonze. Walk into a bar, snap my fingers over my head, and have screaming women come running!

Ok...back to politics. Is Hillary toast?
Will Hillary try to steal the Nomination?

Come on Evergreen.....He has not said anything about changing the constitution. He has said, he would like to overhaul the IRS......and make it fairer!

Dubya, has kept our country and families safe from "Further terrorist attacks"...one day we may know how many attacks have been thwarted. I know Bush is a hated man on this site...but I like him.

Do you really think Huckabee is more dangerous than Obama or Hillary??....

Gypsy1 wrote: Come on Evergreen.....He has not said anything about changing the constitution. He has said, he would like to overhaul the IRS......and make it fairer!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D08Dq_iNMRk

If that's not Mike Huckabee talking about how he's going to change the Constitution, I'm Hitlary Klinton.
    

Before this article below, thanks Turboguy for making my case about Huckabee's Constitution plans. D


Article URL: http://starbulletin.com/2008/02/20/news/story01.html
© 1996-2008 The Honolulu Star-Bulletin | www.starbulletin.com


Vol. 13, Issue 51 - Wednesday, February 20, 2008

FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM
During last night's Democratic presidential caucus at Manoa Elementary School, there was a crush as the crowd moved inside the cafeteria.

Obama rolls to heady victory
Hawaii Democrats give him 76% of the vote to Clinton's 24%; A record turnout at the caucuses causes big problems.

Star-Bulletin Staff
U.S. Sen. Barack Obama won a landslide victory in the state of his birth last night as an unprecedented turnout at the Hawaii Democratic caucus overwhelmed precinct volunteers and party officials.

More coverage
» Excited first-timers flock to Kawananakoa
» Chaos rules at caucuses
» Newcomers and old-timers alike turn out
» Neighbor island polls draw thousand
With 100 percent of precincts counted, Obama had 28,347 votes, or 75.7 percent, to 8,835, or 23.6 percent, for U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York.

Excitement about Obama, who graduated from Punahou School and represents Illinois, raised interest in last night's caucuses to record levels. Party officials had expected a larger-than-normal turnout and printed 17,000 ballots. It proved well short of the more than 37,000 votes cast and many precincts resorted to handing out scraps of paper to voters to write in their choice.

In comparison, the last caucus in 2004 had a total of nearly 4,000, which had been considered a strong turnout.

But last night's turnout caused myriad problems throughout the state. Many would-be voters walked away frustrated while others were turned away.

The Democratic caucus preference poll will dictate how many of the 20 pledged delegates from Hawaii will go to Obama; however, that exact count was unclear as of press time. Hawaii also has nine unpledged superdelegates, giving the state a total of 29 votes at the August Democratic National Convention in Denver.

Hawaii became something of a national political player this year because the caucus time was moved from March to February.

The state was expected to go to Obama, but Clinton launched an all-out effort by bringing in Chelsea Clinton, the 27-year-old former first daughter. Also, Hawaii's senior U.S. senator, Dan Inouye, who backed Clinton, returned from Washington to vote last night.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FULL STORY »



JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARBULLETIN.COM
People waited last night in a line that snaked around the cafeteria and through the campus at Kawananakoa Middle School in Nuuanu. Thousands of supporters for the Democratic candidates came to vote, overwhelming staff and parking resources, and causing delays.



By Richard Borreca and Laurie Au
rborreca@starbulletin.com lau@starbulletin.com
Hawaii Democrats appeared in record numbers yesterday turning their caucus into a love fest for homegrown presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama.

With all precincts reporting, Obama had 28,347 votes, or 75.7 percent, and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton had 8,835, or 23.6 percent, according to the Democrat Party's "preliminary final" figures released after 12:30 a.m. today.

Obama supporter U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie called Obama last night to describe the scene at Manoa Elementary School where hundreds were standing in line.

"He (Obama) said he was overwhelmed with gratitude and joy," Abercrombie said.

Obama's victory in Hawaii makes 10 wins in a row for the 46-year-old Illinois Democrat, attorney and community organizer who was born in Hawaii and graduated from Punahou School. The victory means that the majority of 20 pledged delegates for Hawaii will go to Obama.

The local campaign has been hard fought with surrogates waging the battle for both Obama and Clinton, D-N.Y.

In the past month, Clinton slipped from her front-runner position as Obama won more states, collected more delegate votes, and raised more money than the former first lady.

Obama state coordinator Andy Winer said the Obama campaign would now move to include the Clinton supporters in a statewide effort.

"The first thing we have to do is keep working to secure the nomination ... then we have to work together to bring the party together and work with Sen. Clinton's supporters to make sure we have a Democrat in the White House in November," Winer said.

Clinton put on a strong show before the votes were counted in Hawaii thanks to the early support of some of the Hawaii Democratic political establishment.

U.S. Sen. Dan Inouye and state Senate President Colleen Hanabusa (D, Nanakuli-Makua) led the campaign for Clinton, which brought in the politically potent Hawaii Government Employees Association, the state's largest union.

As the delegate returns were coming in to the Democratic Party headquarters at Ward Warehouse last night, Inouye noted that the national election "is not over yet."

But in Hawaii, the night belonged to Obama.

"It was wild. I think this is how people are showing their support for Obama," said Chris Chang, who voted at Wilson Elementary School.

On the Windward side, Mike McCartney, the former Democratic Party chairman, said he had never seen so many people crowding the Kailua High School parking lot.

"There could be a thousand people, it is overwhelming," McCartney said.

At 8 p.m., McCartney, who was helping count ballots, said that Obama was clearly winning in the Windward precinct.

"There is an energy in this room I have never felt, and I was a member of Jesse Jackson's Rainbow Coalition," McCartney said.

In Waianae, Hanabusa reported that her precincts were swamped with new voters. So many Democrats came out, the party officials ran out of ballots and resorted to recording their choices on scraps of paper.

"We had people writing on pieces of yellow paper," Hanabusa said. "I don't think anyone was interested in issues, the common comment was that Obama is a local guy and he is from here.

"I wouldn't be surprised if there is also a good showing for him out here," she said.

Chang said, "I didn't see any sign of Clinton support at our precinct, not a shirt, not a sticker, it was overwhelmingly for Obama."

Although last night belonged to the Democrats, the Hawaii Republicans must wait until their May convention to pick a candidate. Sen. John McCain won in yesterday's GOP primary in Wisconsin and he said he is confident he will win the GOP nomination.

Willis Lee, the Hawaii GOP chairman said he doubted Obama could win in November.

"I am confident that Hawaii voters will look beyond his lofty rhetoric and realize that his inexperience does not qualify him to be commander in chief," Lee said.

According to national reports, some strategists have said Obama's win in Wisconsin and Hawaii yesterday have put Clinton in a must-win situation in Texas and Ohio next month to keep her campaign afloat.



GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Pandemonium reigned as voters lined up to register to vote in last night's Democratic caucus at Jefferson School in Waikiki.



But Inouye, a strong Clinton supporter, said she will hang in there until the national convention.
"There are other races. It would be helpful if she won," Inouye said at Jefferson School in Waikiki.

Despite backing the losing candidate, Inouye called last night's vote "historic."

"The only thing I can compare this to is the vote for statehood," Inouye said.

Thousands of voters lined up well before the precincts opened last night in what many say were record-breaking numbers for any election in Hawaii.

"I think this is historic," Inouye said. "It's the first time since I voted that I've seen a turnout like this."

Marco Polo resident Patricia Shields said she volunteered at the 2004 Hawaii caucus in Niu Valley, where the number of voters barely filled the room.

"I am thrilled that people are so jazzed up," Shields, 56, said. "The caucus in 2004 wasn't widely advertised. People didn't even know there was a caucus or what one was. And this year, everyone's excited to participate in the caucus."

Many of the voters last night said it was their first caucus and they were compelled to vote because of the excruciatingly close race.

"This is the first time I've ever been so interested and excited in a presidential campaign," said Mary Chan, 74, an Obama supporter. "I'm voting for Obama not only because he's born and raised in Hawaii but because I believe in him."

Conrad Ng, the husband of Obama's half sister Maya Soetoro-Ng, greeted supporters at a rally at E&O Trading Co. at Ward Center. Obama supporters at the rally included Hawaii-born actress Kelly Hu and Daniel Dae Kim, of the TV show "Lost."

Ng told supporters that his wife wanted to attend, but was too ill to make an appearance, having come down with the flu after a busy week of campaigning for her half brother.

"Thank you, everyone in Hawaii tonight, who stood up for change," Ng told the throng of about 50 people.

Although the caucus generated widespread excitement, many voters were frustrated with the experience.

"This is a mess," said Dennard Byrd, 62, of Kapahulu, at Jefferson School. He began waiting in line before 5 p.m. and was told to move to another line an hour later.

"You've got a whole lot of elderly and upset people for miscommunication that could have been sorted out at the beginning," said Byrd, an Obama supporter.


Star-Bulletin reporter B.J. Reyes contributed to this report.

Article URL: http://starbulletin.com/2008/02/20/news/story01.html
© 1996-2008 The Honolulu Star-Bulletin | www.starbulletin.com


    

I think it's the Democrats who want to amend the Constitution.....it is they who say, "It's a living breathing document" that needs to change with the times. For example they want to do away with the Second Admendment.

I completely agree with that comment Gypsy! The Constitution was set in stone and the Federalist Papers were written to explain it all. The Democrats *ARE* just as bad if not far worse than the Republicans. The Democrats would absolutely love to amend the Second Amendment right out of the Constitution if they could. Problem is that we're talking about taking something from armed, angry people. It's far easier to tax the crap out of unarmed people.

I was watching Obama's speeches last night and had to make a weird face at most of his talking points. I think he's relying on the stupidity of the average voter in this day and age. the question I'd love to ask Barak is: "How the HELL do you think we're going to pay for all THAT!?!"

He's talking about no taxation on huge blocks of our society, which sounds great to me! Also he's going to give all students $4000, and numerous other giveaways. Hey, I'm all for the government giving me money that I didn't earn, but we're pretty much talking about giving each and every American and average of $10,000!!! That's 3,101,399,470,000 or THREE POINT ONE TRILLION DOLLARS!!! AKA one third of our current national debt. Where the hell is he going to come up with that kind of money *AND* pay for a healthcare program, *AND* pay for every other program they've come up with!?! I'm afraid I'm going to have to bring out and wave the flag that bears the image of fecal matter spawned from the Anus of a male cow.

Turboguy....we do have differences. But we agree on most poltical issues. ( I think ) ....I apologize for my demeaning rhetoric towards you. You are probably a great guy. I know I'am! haha........We can differ....and argue like gentlemen!

Evergreen , I didn't bring up Abortion! But there are some smart and good people who are pro-life!

American Research Group, Inc.
February 20, 2008

Concerns over Economy Push
George W. Bush's Overall Job Approval to New Low

George W. Bush's overall job approval rating has dropped to a new low in American Research Group polling as 78% of Americans say that the national economy is getting worse according to the latest survey from the American Research Group.

Among all Americans, 19% approve of the way Bush is handling his job as president and 77% disapprove. When it comes to Bush's handling of the economy, 14% approve and 79% disapprove.

Among Americans registered to vote, 18% approve of the way Bush is handling his job as president and 78% disapprove. When it comes to the way Bush is handling the economy, 15% of registered voters approve of the way Bush is handling the economy and 79% disapprove.

A total of 78% of Americans say the national economy is getting worse and 47% say the national economy is in a recession. A total of 42% of Americans, however, say they believe the national economy will be better a year from now, which is the highest level for this question in the past year. This optimism does not spread to improvements in household financial situations as 17% of Americans say they expect their household financial situations to be better a year from now, which is the lowest for this question in the past year.

The results presented here are based on 1,100 completed telephone interviews conducted among a nationwide random sample of adults 18 years and older. The interviews were completed February 16 through 19, 2008. The theoretical margin of error for the total sample is plus or minus 2.6 percentage points, 95% of the time, on questions where opinion is evenly split.

Overall, 19% of Americans say that they approve of the way George W. Bush is handling his job as president, 77% disapprove, and 4% are undecided.

Bush job approval Approve Disapprove Undecided

Feb 2008 19% 77% 4%
Jan 2008 34% 59% 7%
Dec 2007 32% 66% 2%
Nov 2007 31% 64% 5%
Oct 2007 25% 67% 8%
Sep 2007 34% 60% 6%
Aug 2007 28% 65% 7%
Jul 2007 25% 71% 4%
Jun 2007 27% 67% 6%
May 2007 31% 64% 5%
Apr 2007 33% 62% 5%
Mar 2007 32% 63% 5%
Feb 2007 39% 56% 5%

Among Republicans (29% of adults registered to vote in the survey), 45% approve of the way Bush is handling his job and 50% disapprove. Among Democrats (43% of adults registered to vote in the survey), 1% approve and 99% disapprove of the way Bush is handling his job. Among independents (28% of adults registered to vote in the survey), 17% approve and 75% disapprove of the way Bush is handling his job as president.

Overall, 14% of Americans say that they approve of the way George W. Bush is handling the economy, 79% disapprove, and 7% are undecided. Among registered voters, 15% approve and 79% disapprove of the way Bush is handling the economy.

Bush handling the economy Approve Disapprove Undecided

Feb 2008 14% 79% 7%
Jan 2008 29% 63% 8%
Dec 2007 28% 71% 1%
Nov 2007 32% 62% 6%
Oct 2007 23% 67% 10%
Sep 2007 33% 58% 9%
Aug 2007 29% 64% 7%
Jul 2007 23% 73% 4%
Jun 2007 29% 64% 7%
May 2007 31% 62% 7%
Apr 2007 33% 63% 4%
Mar 2007 32% 64% 4%
Feb 2007 40% 54% 6%

Among Republicans, 41% approve of the way Bush is handling the economy and 54% disapprove. Among Democrats, 93% disapprove of the way Bush is handling the economy and 1% approve. Among independents, 8% approve and 83% disapprove of the way Bush is handling the economy.

A total of 1% of Americans say that the national economy is getting better, 20% say it is staying the same, and 78% say the national economy is getting worse.


National economy
Getting better
Staying the same
Getting worse
Undecided


Feb 2008 1% 20% 78% 1%
Jan 2008 8% 22% 64% 6%
Dec 2007 7% 28% 64% 1%
Nov 2007 18% 26% 55% 1%
Oct 2007 8% 18% 69% 5%
Sep 2007 14% 20% 63% 3%
Aug 2007 8% 29% 59% 4%
Jul 2007 12% 28% 58% 2%
Jun 2007 16% 28% 55% 1%
May 2007 19% 24% 53% 4%
Apr 2007 23% 17% 59% 1%
Mar 2007 19% 29% 50% 2%
Feb 2007 22% 20% 57% 1%

Among those saying they approve of the way Bush is handling his job, 1% say getting better, 52% say staying the same, and 41% say getting worse. Of those saying they disapprove of the way Bush is handling his job, none say getting better, 14% say staying the same, and 86% say getting worse.

A total of 42% of Americans say they believe the national economy will be better a year from now, 30% say it will be the same, 27% say it will be worse, and 1% are undecided.

National economy a year from now

Better than today

The same as today

Worse than today

Undecided


Feb 2008 42% 30% 27% 1%
Jan 2008 32% 35% 21% 12%
Dec 2007 28% 28% 43% 1%
Nov 2007 24% 29% 39% 8%
Oct 2007 18% 27% 53% 2%
Sep 2007 32% 26% 38% 4%
Aug 2007 32% 20% 42% 6%
Jul 2007 22% 31% 42% 5%
Jun 2007 22% 33% 42% 3%
May 2007 16% 29% 48% 7%
Apr 2007 26% 29% 41% 4%
Mar 2007 22% 27% 49% 2%
Feb 2007 29% 23% 44% 4%

Among those saying they approve of the way Bush is handling his job, 93% say better and 3% say worse than today. Among those saying they disapprove of the way Bush is handling his job as president, 32% say better, 34% say the same, and 33% say worse.

Overall, 47% of Americans say they believe that the national economy is in a recession, 29% say they do not believe the economy is in a recession, and 24% are undecided.

National economy in a recession Yes No Undecided

Feb 2008 47% 29% 24%
Jan 2008 35% 24% 41%
Dec 2007 7% 28% 65%
Nov 2007 34% 41% 25%
Oct 2007 40% 38% 22%
Sep 2007 25% 52% 23%
Aug 2007 31% 38% 31%
Jul 2007 29% 37% 34%
Jun 2007 22% 41% 37%
May 2007 36% 38% 26%
Apr 2007 28% 53% 19%
Mar 2007 25% 46% 29%
Feb 2007 19% 57% 24%

Among those saying they approve of the way Bush is handling his job, 16% say the national economy is in a recession, 64% say is it not in a recession, and 20% are undecided. Of those saying they disapprove of the way Bush is handling his job, 53% say the national economy is in a recession, 20% say the national economy is not in a recession, and 27% are undecided.

A total of 25% of Americans rate the national economy as excellent, very good, or good and 74% rate it as bad, very bad, or terrible.


National economy

Excellent

Very good

Good

Bad

Very bad

Terrible

Undecided


Feb 2008 1% 7% 17% 44% 10% 20% 1%
Jan 2008 2% 14% 27% 21% 17% 18% 1%
Dec 2007 7% 16% 12% 31% 16% 17% 1%
Nov 2007 16% 11% 21% 25% 12% 14% 1%
Oct 2007 8% 10% 20% 29% 14% 18% 1%
Sep 2007 13% 14% 21% 27% 7% 17% 1%
Aug 2007 9% 19% 21% 22% 16% 12% 1%
Jul 2007 9% 11% 23% 28% 12% 16% 1%
Jun 2007 16% 11% 20% 31% 9% 12% 1%
May 2007 12% 15% 16% 25% 16% 15% 1%
Apr 2007 17% 12% 29% 30% 8% 3% 1%
Mar 2007 16% 13% 25% 26% 12% 5% 3%
Feb 2007 12% 18% 26% 23% 3% 15% 3%

Among those saying they approve of the way Bush is handling his job, 66% say excellent, very good, or good and 33% say bad, very bad, or terrible. Among those saying they disapprove of the way Bush is handling his job, 85% say bad, very bad, or terrible and 14% say excellent, very good, or good.

When it comes to rating their household financial situations, 59% of Americans give an excellent, very good, or good rating and 40% give a bad, very bad, or terrible rating.


Household financial situation


Excellent


Very good


Good


Bad


Very bad


Terrible


Undecided


Feb 2008 6% 17% 36% 22% 11% 7% 1%
Jan 2008 12% 13% 45% 15% 6% 8% 1%
Dec 2007 14% 16% 36% 12% 17% 4% 1%
Nov 2007 13% 14% 38% 27% 6% 1% 1%
Oct 2007 11% 22% 32% 27% 2% 5% 1%
Sep 2007 12% 17% 44% 18% 3% 5% 1%
Aug 2007 11% 19% 25% 33% 9% 2% 1%
Jul 2007 5% 24% 39% 15% 9% 7% 1%
Jun 2007 8% 19% 41% 22% 6% 3% 1%
May 2007 15% 9% 38% 19% 12% 6% 1%
Apr 2007 11% 16% 51% 17% 3% 1% 1%
Mar 2007 11% 16% 44% 24% 2% 2% 1%
Feb 2007 11% 19% 29% 28% 7% 4% 2%

Among those saying they approve of the way Bush is handling his job, 100% say excellent, very good, or good. Among those saying they disapprove of the way Bush is handling his job, 46% say excellent, very good, or good and 53% say bad, very bad, or terrible.

A total of 8% of Americans say they think the financial situations in their households are getting better, 45% say staying the same, and 41% say getting worse.


Household financial situation

Getting better

Staying the same

Getting worse

Undecided


Feb 2008 8% 45% 41% 6%
Jan 2008 22% 25% 49% 4%
Dec 2007 20% 50% 29% 1%
Nov 2007 14% 54% 26% 6%
Oct 2007 17% 45% 35% 3%
Sep 2007 24% 39% 34% 3%
Aug 2007 21% 37% 41% 1%
Jul 2007 15% 47% 37% 1%
Jun 2007 11% 48% 37% 4%
May 2007 21% 44% 34% 1%
Apr 2007 24% 41% 31% 4%
Mar 2007 20% 40% 39% 1%
Feb 2007 18% 46% 34% 2%

Among those saying they approve of the way Bush is handling his job, 29% say getting better, 52% say staying the same, and 12% say getting worse. Among those saying they disapprove of the way Bush is handling his job, 4% say getting better, 40% say staying the same, and 48% say getting worse.

Looking to a year from now, 17% of Americans say that they think their household financial situations will be better than today, 52% say the same as today, and 25% say worse than today.


Household financial situation a year from now


Better than today


The same as today


Worse than today


Undecided


Feb 2008 17% 52% 25% 6%
Jan 2008 28% 41% 24% 7%
Dec 2007 36% 37% 25% 2%
Nov 2007 29% 43% 19% 9%
Oct 2007 26% 48% 23% 3%
Sep 2007 48% 29% 18% 5%
Aug 2007 32% 33% 24% 11%
Jul 2007 34% 39% 22% 5%
Jun 2007 29% 39% 23% 9%
May 2007 29% 33% 33% 5%
Apr 2007 30% 33% 36% 1%
Mar 2007 35% 30% 29% 6%
Feb 2007 38% 46% 12% 4%

Among those saying they approve of the way Bush is handling his job, 32% say better than today, 52% say the same as today, and 16% say worse than today. Among those saying they disapprove of the way Bush is handling his job, 14% say better than today, 50% say the same as today, and 29% say worse than today.




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

About this Survey -

Survey Sponsor: American Research Group, Inc.

The American Research Group has been conducting national surveys of consumers since 1985.

Sample Size: 1,100 completed telephone interviews among a random sample of all adults age 18 and older living in telephone households in the continental United States.

Sample Dates: February 16-19, 2008

Margin of Error: ± 3 percentage points, 95% of the time, on questions where opinion is evenly split.

Question Wording:

How do you rate the condition of the national economy these days - would you say it is excellent, very good, good, bad, very bad, or terrible?

Do you think the national economy is getting better, staying the same, or getting worse?

Would you say that the national economy is in a recession, or not?

A year from now, do you expect the national economy to be better than it is today, the same as it is today, or worse than it is today?

How do you rate the condition of the financial situation in your household - would you say it is excellent, very good, good, bad, very bad, or terrible?

Do you think the financial situation in your household is getting better, staying the same, or getting worse?

A year from now, do you expect the financial situation in your household to be better than it is today, the same as it is today, or worse than it is today?

Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling his job as president?

Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling the economy?


TOP | ARG Home

Or maybe you'd prefer to have our brains "messed with" like this:

February 20, 2008

Pentagon report investigated lasers that put voices in your head

A recently unclassified report from the Pentagon from 1998 has revealed an investigation into using laser beams for a few intriguing potential methods of non-lethal torture. Some of the applications the report investigated include putting voices in people's heads, using lasers to trigger uncontrolled neuron firing, and slowly heating the human body to a point of feverish confusion - all from hundreds of meters away.

A US citizen requested access to the document, entitled "Bioeffects of Selected Non-Lethal Weapons," under the Freedom of Information Act a little over a year ago. There is no evidence that any of the technologies mentioned in the 10-year-old report have been developed since the time it was written.

The report explained several types of non-lethal laser applications, including microwave hearing, disrupted neural control, and microwave heating. For the first type, short pulses of RF energy (2450 MHz) can generate a pressure wave in solids and liquids. When exposed to pulsed RF energy, humans experience the immediate sensation of "microwave hearing" - sounds that may include buzzing, ticking, hissing, or knocking that originate within the head.

Studies with guinea pigs and cats suggest that the mechanism responsible for the phenomenon is thermoelastic expansion. Exposure to the RF pulses doesn´t cause any permanent effects, as all effects cease almost immediately after exposure ceases. As the report explains, tuning microwave hearing could enable communicating with individuals from a distance of up to several hundred meters.

"The phenomenon is tunable in that the characteristic sounds and intensities of those sounds depend on the characteristics of the RF energy as delivered," the report explains. "Because the frequency of the sound heard is dependent on the pulse characteristics of the RF energy, it seems possible that this technology could be developed to the point where words could be transmitted to be heard like the spoken word, except that it could only be heard within a person´s head. In one experiment, communication of the words from one to ten using ´speech modulated´ microwave energy was successfully demonstrated. Microphones next to the person experiencing the voice could not pick up these sounds. Additional development of this would open up a wide range of possibilities."

The report predicts that communicating at longer distances would be possible with larger equipment, while shorter range signals could be generated with portable equipment. Putting voices in people´s heads could cause what the report calls "psychologically devastating" effects. The technology might even allow for communicating with an individual hostage surrounded by captors, although this would require "extreme directional specificity."

With another weapon, electromagnetic pulses could be used to disrupt the brain´s functioning, although this technology was still in the theoretical stages at the time.

Under normal conditions, all brain structures function with specific rhythmic activity depending on incoming sensory information. Sometimes, the brain synchronizes neuronal activity in order to focus on a specific task, but the degree of neuronal synchronization is highly controlled. However, under certain conditions (such as physical stress or heat stroke), more areas of the brain can fire in a highly synchronized manner, and may begin firing uncontrollably.

The report describes a method for replicating this highly synchronized neuron firing across distances of several hundred meters. High-voltage (100 kV/m) electromagnetic pulses lasting for one nanosecond could trigger neurons to fire, disrupting the body´s controlled firing activity. Short-term effects may include loss of consciousness, muscle spasms, muscle weakness, and seizures lasting for a couple minutes. These high-voltage pulsed sources, which would require an estimated frequency of 15 Hz, exist today.

Another form of non-lethal torture described in the report is microwave heating. By raising the temperature of the body to 41°C (105.8°F), humans can experience sensations such as memory loss and disorientation, and exhibit reduced aggression. According to the report, humans can survive temperatures up to 42°C (107.6°F), at which time prolonged exposure can result in permanent brain damage or death.

The microwave heating technique was tested on a Rhesus monkey, where a 225 MHz beam caused an increase in the animal´s body temperature. Depending on the dosage level, the temperature increase occurred within a time of 15 to 30 minutes. After the beam was removed, the animal´s body temperature decreased back to normal. The report suggests the technique could be useful for controlling crowds or in negotiations.

While the investigations reveal intriguing techniques for non-lethal torture, the report does not mention plans for carrying out specific experiments or studies in the future.

Full report: Bioeffects of Selected Non-Lethal Weapons
via: Wired

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Hate to tell you this folks Obama bin Laden will be the Dems guy and McCain the GOP guy. If Obama bin Laden is elected president be afraid be very afraid. People of America if you have never voted in your life this is the time to register to vote and go out and vote for McCain because the alternative is worse.

YES- Could be very bad. I do not trust him..

Evergreen, we have been in Germany for 60 years and Korea for 50. If we want to keep our Hummers and SUVs running and get to work we will be in Iraq for 100 years because the tree hugging Democrats will not let us drill for oil in Alaska. We did not learn from the 1970's Oil Crisis, "Thems that got the Oil makes the rules."   Remember Hitler, everyone followed him with his "Solution".   Reminds me of Obama bin Laden's call for "Change". Change what? The Bible for his Koran. He was raised a Muslim and he has not changed. McCain is the lesser of two evils. America we put ourselves in this position of these two men we do not want for President do not make a bigger mistake and vote for the downfall of our great country.

Ralph Nader has now entered the race.   Might have to start another poll soon. 

FluMom wrote: The Bible for his Koran. He was raised a Muslim......

I actually am persuaded by Turboguy to the possibility of US presence in Iraq for a longer period than I would like to see. However, your comment above smacks of pure malice and ignorance. That stuff has already been debunked, so repeatinig it yet another time will not make it so. He's been a Christian for 20 years, as long as we're keeping score.

Trust your gut feel. If you don't trust Obama bin Laden now what will you do if he is your President and we find out we made a very big mistake. Obama will be the Commander Of Our Armed Forces.   McCain is a little too liberal for my taste but like McCain's MaMa said, "We will all have to hold our noses and vote for him." or the alternative will be President Obama bin Laden.