I came across this article on digg: http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/ne...00/7454594.stm

It is about those devices that deliver a high pitched squeak to scare of teenagers. Personally I detest the very idea. Not simply because at 27, I can still hear it.

But, I wanted to talk about devices like these in general, we've all seen videos of futuristic weapons on youtube. A gun that emits sound waves that make your tummy hurt, foam guns, tazers, rubber bullets, etc.

I do not like the thought of these weapons being in the hands of the law (/private guards). The threshold for using them is much lower than real weapons so a "zap them to be sure" mentally could occur more easily. The law is there to balance crime, not eliminate it. A society with no crime is not a free one. When the law intervenes I'd like it to require real effort and a hard decision from those executing it. I can imagine cops thinking these things are great as they partly relieve them of the burden of deciding over another's life, I for one would like them to keep that burden, to keep them using their own conscience.

Would the Tiananmen massacre have made any impact if all those victims where simply 'zapped' and went home with a headache? Most people I imagine would think it was pointless and not try again. And self censorship enters your life, you are whipped.