I found this enlightening (the scary kind) and thought I would share it with those interested.
Chemical Warfare: Secrets Almost Forgotten
by
James S. Ketchum, MD
With a foreword by
Alexander Shulgin, PhD
***
PROLOGUE
Hot Night in Halifa
It is 4 A.M. – close to the end of another hot night in the desert. American troops are moving into position on the outskirts of the city, preparing to carry out an unprecedented tactical plan. Actionable intelligence, validated by three sources, has established that several hundred Islamic terrorists are in a particular part of the city, some no doubt asleep while others plan attacks with IEDs (improvised explosive devices). A few may be preparing to strap on suicide bombs. Most of the opposition consists of leftover loyalists; some are members of Al Qaeda and a few are foreign extremists, drawn by religious fanaticism and eagerness to die for Islam.
During these dark early morning hours, some of the coalition soldiers are understandably nervous. Their charge is to carry out a plan they have never attempted, except in simulated exercises. Each platoon has gone through drills with gas masks for several days, sometimes also wearing the hated, stifling suits that make it so difficult to function. Uncharacteristically, several dozen vehicles, modified to serve as ambulances, have pulled up behind the ring of coalition troops, tactically placed to make undetected exit from the city impossible. Further away, on improvised pads, crews have modified more than a hundred helicopters and are examining them once again to be sure they have done everything right. They chat and periodically glance at their
watches.
Inside each helicopter is a bank of unfamiliar munitions, brought in by armored, remotely operated tanks. They are specially designed smoke generators, each loaded with 100 kilos of sufentanil. According to what medics previously explained to the commanders, this synthetic chemical is so potent that less than half a milligram can quickly produce profoundly incapacitating central nervous system effects. This amount, one of them noted, is about same as the quantity of LSD that they would need to cause a comparable degree of military ineffectiveness. And the mode of action of this drug is quite different from LSD.
...
Chemical Warfare: Secrets Almost Forgotten
by
James S. Ketchum, MD
With a foreword by
Alexander Shulgin, PhD
***
PROLOGUE
Hot Night in Halifa
It is 4 A.M. – close to the end of another hot night in the desert. American troops are moving into position on the outskirts of the city, preparing to carry out an unprecedented tactical plan. Actionable intelligence, validated by three sources, has established that several hundred Islamic terrorists are in a particular part of the city, some no doubt asleep while others plan attacks with IEDs (improvised explosive devices). A few may be preparing to strap on suicide bombs. Most of the opposition consists of leftover loyalists; some are members of Al Qaeda and a few are foreign extremists, drawn by religious fanaticism and eagerness to die for Islam.
During these dark early morning hours, some of the coalition soldiers are understandably nervous. Their charge is to carry out a plan they have never attempted, except in simulated exercises. Each platoon has gone through drills with gas masks for several days, sometimes also wearing the hated, stifling suits that make it so difficult to function. Uncharacteristically, several dozen vehicles, modified to serve as ambulances, have pulled up behind the ring of coalition troops, tactically placed to make undetected exit from the city impossible. Further away, on improvised pads, crews have modified more than a hundred helicopters and are examining them once again to be sure they have done everything right. They chat and periodically glance at their
watches.
Inside each helicopter is a bank of unfamiliar munitions, brought in by armored, remotely operated tanks. They are specially designed smoke generators, each loaded with 100 kilos of sufentanil. According to what medics previously explained to the commanders, this synthetic chemical is so potent that less than half a milligram can quickly produce profoundly incapacitating central nervous system effects. This amount, one of them noted, is about same as the quantity of LSD that they would need to cause a comparable degree of military ineffectiveness. And the mode of action of this drug is quite different from LSD.
...
Read a review of this in the ER and finding Amazon want 35 English pounds for the paperback spent a fruitless half hour looking for a pdf only to find it was here all along8)
