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Human Flea Warhead for ICBMs

A Non-Lethal Weapon
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Instead of any type of explosive, fill the warheads with Human Fleas (Pulex irritans). Any of the combatants that you REALLY want to capture or incapacitate could then be harvested at their local drug store while they're buying anti-itch cream.
Grogster, Aug 21 2010

The Lowly Flea http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flea
Blood sucking annoying little bastards (...Note To Self: You refer to lawyers the same way. For lawyers, add the word "dirty" to provide some distinction between the two...) [Grogster, Aug 21 2010]

The Human Flea?? Sounds Like A Science Fiction B Movie http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_flea
[Grogster, Aug 21 2010]

Unit 731 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unit_731
Lovely people ... [8th of 7, Aug 21 2010]

Shirō Ishii http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiro_Ishii
Not a very nice person. [8th of 7, Aug 21 2010]

Operation Paperclip http://en.wikipedia...Operation_Paperclip
Get your Germans here ... [8th of 7, Aug 21 2010]

Basil the Rat http://tviv.org/Faw...owers/Basil_the_Rat
"Filigree Siberian Hamster ...." [8th of 7, Aug 21 2010, last modified Mar 21 2020]

for a dual attack... Weasel_20Gun
[FlyingToaster, Aug 21 2010]


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Annotation:







       Pioneered by the Japanese during WWII.   

       Work continued by the US via a Far Eastern version of Operation Paperclip.   

       <link>
8th of 7, Aug 21 2010
  

       //A Non-Lethal Weapon//
So, you've not heard of bubonic plague?
What [8th] said, so really baked, and fairly widely known to exist (though not sure if Unit 731's wooden crate's would've survived re-entry) [-]
AbsintheWithoutLeave, Aug 21 2010
  

       Ugh. [8th of 7]'s first link just led me to a wiki walk discussing Japanese human experimentation, American human experimentation, and North Korean human experimentation. I feel sick.
DrWorm, Aug 21 2010
  

       Good.
8th of 7, Aug 21 2010
  

       YIKES! My intention was to have non-diseased fleas in the warheads, rather than those fleas carrying all manner of nasty. These would be the kind of clean, well behaved fleas that girl fleas could take home and introduce to their parents.
Grogster, Aug 21 2010
  

       "Have you ever heard of the bubonic plague, Manuel? It was very popular at one time. A lot of pedigreed hamsters came over on ships from Siberia."   

       <link>
8th of 7, Aug 21 2010
  

       As an aside, I toyed with a couple of other utterly irritating warhead fillers, and rejected both cockroaches and sushi.
Grogster, Aug 21 2010
  

       Jehova's Witnesses ?
8th of 7, Aug 21 2010
  

       //Jehova's Witnesses //
Cruel _and_ unusual.
I like.
AbsintheWithoutLeave, Aug 21 2010
  

       unit 731 was a real horror show
Voice, Aug 21 2010
  

       //a real horror show// Yes indeed, little Alex would have loved it.
mouseposture, Aug 22 2010
  

       It's certainly the sort of place that would serve Milk Plus ...
8th of 7, Aug 22 2010
  

       I'm fairly sure that human fleas don't cause much itching (compared with other flea species), as their juices have evolved to be compatible with our immune system. Anopheles mosquitoes, another human specialist, likewise don't cause itching.
spidermother, Aug 26 2010
  

       Not even the "Pingfan, twin town Porton Down" one ?
8th of 7, Aug 27 2010
  

       Re unit 731 - don't start browsing around about that over lunch. It put me off my feed.
bungston, Aug 27 2010
  

       Anything's better than nukes. [+]
wagster, Aug 27 2010
  

       My original intention with this idea was NOT to kill anybody, but rather, to annoy the daylights out of them. NO Plague!   

       Oh, and [spidermother]:   

       //evolved to be compatible with our immune system// [Marked-For-Tagline]   

       I find that odd. Could it be that the lowly flea may some day be the answer for immune-compromised people? hehe I like that a lot...
Grogster, Aug 27 2010
  

       It does seem odd, but if you think about it, itching is beneficial to the human, not the flea - it alerts you to the presence of the parasite, and suggests an appropriate response, namely to scratch. A flea that can bite without getting scratched at has an evolutionary advantage.   

       And yes, there is evidence that the relatively mild immune response elicited by some human parasites (intestinal worms in particular) can be beneficial, but more for overly active immune responses (auto-immune diseases) than for those who are immune-compromised.   

       There are plenty of other examples where an itching or burning sensation is advantageous to the parasite - guinea worms and threadworms, for instance.
spidermother, Jul 07 2011
  

       Completely illegal. Introducing pestilent macroorganisms into a warzone or the territory of an enemy is considered biological warfare. Non-lethal, maybe, but sure to provoke international outcry and extreme censure against any nation employing such tactics.
Alterother, Jul 08 2011
  


 

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