The Men Who Stare at Goats (or, How Crazy Can the Military Be?)
Dalboz
Resident Puppy EaterRight behind you...Registered User regular
Resident Puppy EaterRight behind you...Registered User regular
There once was book called The Men Who Stare at Goats. This was a nonfiction book which detailed the US Army's intelligence wing's attempt at creating psychic warriors after the defeat in Vietnam, called the First Earth Battalion. The program was eventually stopped when media began report on a "Stargate" program for turning soldiers into Jedi that caused public outcry as a waste of tax dollars. But the program didn't really end. While the main program of creating psychic warriors technically stopped, a number of the techniques were re-employed in the military by the Bush administration during the War on Terror, particularly in interrogation techniques (waterboarding wasn't the only thing they did). The book takes it's name from Goatlab, a secret facility where these soldiers were trained. One room contained a number of goats that the soldiers would stare at in an attempt to stop their heart using only their mind. This book is actually quite an interesting and quick read and is recommended. You might have seen Jon Ronson interviewed on the Colbert Report about this book.
As mentioned on the Colbert Report, this book has been made into a movie:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC2TzspJn5A&feature=player_embedded
As mentioned on the Colbert Report, this book has been made into a movie:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC2TzspJn5A&feature=player_embedded
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By the way, the movie with Clooney, McGregor, Bridges and mutherfucking KEVIN SPACEY!?. I'm seeing the hell outta that shit!
Which pretty much happened.
Which is why he said it and why I quoted it.
I am somewhat interested in killing goats with my mind too.
Just in case.
Well, of course, we all knew that.
IOS Game Center ID: Isotope-X
Who's freaking out now, Mutons?!
Let 'em eat fucking pineapples!
I'd be interested in seeing how many by-products of military research actually made it into the civilian sector. I know GPS is a big one.
God I love that game.
Frankly I'm glad for the millitary looks at blue sky research avenues. The possibility of a big leap forward is always a good practical reason to follow up on something. I mean I basically live in hope that cold fusion will turn out to be practical (not as reported, but one of the variants).
If there was any sort of proof that psychic abilities existed, or at least a theory grounded in physics then I could see this being worth the money. With what we know, it was a colossal waste.
The Crazy Rulers Of The World - Episode One: The Men Who Stare at Goats
well, sure, you don't think they would let us achieve a psychic warrior gap, do you?
Well, of course psychic abilities don't exist! But if they did we wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of a psychic attack, now would we?
Developing psychic warriors we'll never use is just barely less crazy than building nuclear weapons we'll never use, and probably costs a lot less money. I wouldn't be surprised if there was someone in the Pentagon looking at ways to turn an enemy nation's plants into sentient beings that would attack their animal kingdom overlords.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L61RptUUEqU&feature=fvw
Plants can be dangerous!
This looks pretty fake.
True, but it's pretty much along the lines of what the US were doing
Wikipedia article here
Well, the Soviets were more approaching it from an espionage/wetwork angle, IIRC - they saw psychics as the perfect assassins, able to kill someone from a distance, making it look like they dropped dead of a heart attack.
Who wouldn't. I'd roll up everywhere surfing on the body of some dude I mind chuck all over the place.
This actually became a minor scandal in the 80s when a couple congressmen tried asking the "psychics" for personal advice.
that's why we call it the struggle, you're supposed to sweat
Maybe if we prescribe some type of medicine to pregnant women with the side effect of giving their their children mind powers. hmmm...
Not that I've read a lot about this, but SUN STREAK and STARGATE (and various predecessors) never turned up anything that could be considered a verified success. They had some hits on things like locating troop or naval movements and so on, but nothing that wasn't more likely to have been pre-information or simple blind luck.
One of the dudes involved wrote a book ten or fifteen years ago and claims the government drove him insane, but I haven't bothered reading it.
that's why we call it the struggle, you're supposed to sweat
Enjoy, it's one of my favorite wacky reads of all time. I'd love to have my own First Earth Battalion Samurai Battle Mantle.
Arch,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_goGR39m2k
Some things, mostly nonviolent weapons, that were developed as part of the First Earth Battalion were actually deployed. The sticky foam that was used in Ang Lee's "Hulk" is actually a real weapon, basically a fast hardening foam the would theoretically stop an enemy in their tracks. It was deployed in Mogadishu when the people started rioting, but proved to be completely ineffective. Basically, they used it to create a wall between the troops and the rioters and it stopped the rioters for a few minutes while they tried to figure out what the hell the stuff was. Then they just climbed over it and continued rioting.
That would be because you're supposed to spray it on the rioters legs not make a wall.
with any luck our rag tag band of jedi will run into some nihilists
Sooo going to watch this movie when it comes out, though. Goat death was fantastic.
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So. How does one go about volunteering for something like this?
And one of my favorite CIA moments. Acoustic Kitty. It's one of the few times the project name actually describes the project pretty well.
Ahaha, I can just imagine the look on the scientists faces as the cat got hit.
edit: fuck, beat
that's why we call it the struggle, you're supposed to sweat
it is a shaggy dog story
except with a cat