"Minigun"

A "Minigun" (machine gun) in an SUV.

Apart from wondering how the f**k you can build a thing which can fire up to 100 rounds per second, I can only think: these are evil inventions. They are clearly not meant to mow down soldiers: soldiers don't stand around in large crowds waiting to be mowed down. They are meant to mow down civilians, and wars like Vietnam has shown us that that is what they are used for, for getting those civilians that the napalm did not get. Evil inventions.

Alex chimes in:

Interesting movie clip.

You'll notice that the vehicle used was a GMC, probably a Yukon, a sibling to the suburban, which is commonly used by enforcement agencies such as the FBI and CIA (drive around DC). You will also see that the car was equipped with a 911 lighting package, blue lights behind the radiator. Again suggesting this be used for a law enforcement application.

I can see how early machine guns were used for high repeat rate of fire, which obviated the need for accuracy, and in trench warfare, urban and guerrilla warfare, it makes sense (not that war makes sense). However, seeing machine guns mounted on jeeps as used by the militia world wide, it is obvious that the intended target is not an invading army, but civil unrest, the general populace.

This weapon of war has no right trying to present itself as an enforcement vehicle. It would not have helped on 9/11, it would not have helped Lockerbie, Manchester, Warrington, Atlanta or any of the other towns where terrorist have struck.

Back to me:
No kidding. Here in UK, even in peaceful little Bolton, the police have sometimes made a point of walking a couple of guys through town in riot gear and machine guns... My question is: even if there is a bank robbery or whatever... you're going to "keep peace" with machine guns?

TTL elaborates:

The best answer I know of as to why arms get manufactured in the U.S. and why America is obsessed with war is put forward by Eugene Jarecki in his film Why We Fight (2006).

The film re-introduces the concept "Military-Industrial Complex" of which President Dwight Eisenhower warned about.

Jarecki is very intelligent in his arguments and the film is excellently directed -- possibly the best documentary on this subject.

"The message here is that while there may be some who sincerely believe that America's various military engagements (in Iraq, Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, and elsewhere) since World War II are the product of our God-given duty to spread freedom and halt the influence of evil ideologies around the world, the real reason we fight is that war is good business."

Alex added:
I just remembered an old SciFi movie where they introduced an anti-terrorist helicopter gunship to the police force.

The film is "Blue Thunder" and it was set in LA just before the Olympic games were to be held there. The film looked at invasion of privacy, police state and the use of military grade weaponry in the policing arena.

Of course, everyone (TV Producers, TV Audience) thought the helicopter was cool, and there was a follow series where the hero did lots of daring deeds and rescued people, but the film ended with the pilot deciding it was a bad thing and he trashed the 'copter.

Meandering onto the American love of guns and weaponry, look at Lego's "Dino Attack" series of a few years ago, the heroes had "stun "weapons to disable the dinos, they looked like guns and missiles on the toys. Now look at every other countries Lego catalogues, you'lll see "Dino 2010", where the same trucks and helicopters came with lassos, cages and grabber claws, but not a single gun.

Sad statement about the country I chose to raise kids in.