Posthuman Blues

A correspondent has posed a logical question to my proposed conspiracy scenario (see post below): Why conduct the weather modification experiment when it could actually hinder the war effort? Why not conduct a mock-up in, say, Arizona (my correspondent's home state)?

Here's my slick, imminently paranoid retort:

"Operation Iraqi Freedom" (man, I hate that name . . .) involved an enormous number of ground vehicles. If the object of the hypothetical experiment was to test the effects of dangerous weather during wartime conditions, then a "mock-up" based in the U.S. would simply be too big to hide. People would notice the huge build-up of vehicles in the American southwest and wonder what was up. And if given a vague dismissal from the military brass, the ensuing artificial storm would be certain to get their attention. Better that the experiment be conducted overseas, where sandstorms are known to occur anyway.

It can also be argued that conditions in Arizona or Nevada (home of Area 51) are simply too unlike conditions in the Mideast, precluding a meaningful study. The Bush regime's foreign policy indicates that the United States intends on maintaining a presence in the Mideast for some time to come, in which case only an "on location" test would suffice.

(Note to self: Good story idea.)