The race for ultimate military advantage accelerated during the second world war when each side conducted research and developed bigger and more destructive weapons.  The goal?  To accelerate the end to the conflict.  There was just one problem.  As evidenced by the carnage which accompanied the use of atomic weapons dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the aftereffects of thermonuclear warfare outweighed the advantages.  What good is victory if it requires massive time and treasure to rehabilitate the targets of these powerful armaments?

Enter Samuel T. Cohen, a scientist at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, who in 1958, came up with the concept of the neutron bomb, a low yield thermonuclear device which emits lethal neutron radiation in a limited area without the physical devastation associated with exiting atomic detonations.  The immediate concern was the buildup of Soviet tank forces along the NATO border.  In other words, immobilize the soldiers without obliterating the cities and infrastructure they guarded.  To date, such weapons have never been used in actual combat.

An interesting concept.  Eliminate the human element but retain the infrastructure so it can be used for future purposes.  At Deprogramming101, where counter-intuitive thinking is the order of the day, we often ask, “What if the opposite was true?”  In this case, what if you could eliminate the infrastructure and keep the people for a future purpose.  And what if by infrastructure, you mean not only the physical assets on the grounds but the institutions which make your enemies formidable opponents? Thus the title of today’s post, “The Neuron Bomb.”

Again, imagination is not needed.  It is already here.  And what may be more chilling is the development, testing and deployment of the neuron bomb may have been a collaborative effort between the United States and Russia.  First, let’s define what exactly is a neuron bomb.

A device or system which effects motor neurons which receive signals from the brain and spinal cord to control everything from muscle contractions to glandular output.

And what is the effect? Similar to the way an electrical surge can reverse polarity of a light switch (on becomes off and off on), the neuron bomb alters the natural direction of an individual’s thoughts and behavior.

The evidence of its existence?  A series of illogical shifts in attitudes and actions which are contrary to previously deep-rooted beliefs held by Republican members of Congress.  Examples include:

• Literal interpretation of the U.S. Constitution and adherence to a system of checks and balances between three co-equal branches of government.
• A balanced budget.
• An open marketplace is the best place to identify economic development and job opportunities, not industrial policy which picks winners and losers.
• Opposition to the public taking of private property.
• International alliances have been at the root of American economic growth for 70 years.
• The FBI and U.S. intelligence community are unequaled in terms of domestic safety and homeland security.
• NAZIS ARE BAD PEOPLE!!!

Samuel Cohen touted one advantage of his neutron bomb was the ability to deploy it tactically, affecting limited areas rather than wide swaths of geography.  This appears to be more true with the neuron variety.  Pick a target population and BOOM.  Farmers in the upper Mid-West have lost the ability to make a connection between a dramatic rise in small farm bankruptcies and foreign push back in response to market disrupting tariffs.  Working class households in middle America are puzzled why their 2018 tax bills barely changed when Amazon paid no federal taxes on $11 billion in profits.  Seems like someone is jamming their neurons.

One would think a national priority would be developing the equivalent of the Reagan-era strategic defense initiative (SDI or Star Wars) to counteract this new offensive weapon.  Think again.  Despite warnings from Donald Trump’s own Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats in August 2018, “We continue to see a pervasive messaging campaign by Russian to try to weaken and divide the United States,” the administration does nothing.  And in some cases, with the acquiescence of Republicans in Congress does less than nothing.  Consider the following story in USA Today from August 2018, “Republicans block $250 million to beef up election security.”

It is enough to make one’s brain cells hurt.  Or is that just a side-effect of the neuron bomb?

For what it’s worth.
Dr. ESP