From: ingria@bbn.com (Bob Ingria)
Subject: Re: A Message for you Mr. President: How do you know what happened?
Organization: BBN, Cambridge MA
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Reply-To: ingria@BBN.COM
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In-reply-to: goykhman@apollo.hp.com's message of 20 Apr 93 14:11:06 GMT

In article <C5sCqI.4By@apollo.hp.com> goykhman@apollo.hp.com (Red Herring) writes:
   In article <bskendigC5rCBG.Azp@netcom.com> bskendig@netcom.com (Brian Kendig) writes:

   >They used a tank to knock a hole in the wall, and they released
   >non-toxic, non-flammable tear gas into the building.

       Non-toxic tear gas?!?  Do you know what tear gas is?

       I do: once upon a time I happened to be in a room when someone threw 
       a tear-gas grenade in (that was supposed to be a joke:).  The sensation 
       was incredible: I felt my eyes and nostrils were being torn apart.
       I remember us - a bunch of young men in our early 20's - running out
       like a herd of wild animals, knocking down the door and jumping
       out of the windows (thank G-d we were on the first floor).

       I can't imagine this kind of stuff being used against children.

For them, the worst effect might not be the physical effects so much
as the psychological effect of being incapacitated without fully
understanding the cause.  Many years ago, I was accidentally exposed
to a tiny dose of tear gas.  (It was in Athens, on the street leading
to the American Embassy; there'd been a march that had been broken up
with tear-gas; I must have stumbled into a remaining patch of gas the
next day.)  Aside from the tears, feeling sick to my stomach, etc.,
the really horrible psychological effect was that of suddenly falling
to pieces and not knowing why it had happened---I was horrified and
wondered what disease or other health problem I had.  (I didn't find
out about the march and the tear-gas till hours later.)  I can imagine
how horribly disorienting this might be to very young children:
suddenly crying uncontrollably and feeling sick, weak, and out of
control of your body---and not knowing the cause.

``This gives us a chance to try the Gas of Peace.''  Yeah, right.

--
-30-
Bob Ingria

