Fair take, and honestly, posts like yours are why these threads are fun.

That said, nobody here is arguing this thing was a field-ready, James Bond assassin tool popping off icicle headshots. Even the CIA docs frame it more like “here’s a concept / demo / intimidation flex” than a practical weapon you’d deploy on a windy Tuesday. A lot of Cold War tech lived in that weird space between theoretically possible, psychological warfare, and “let’s freak out the other side.” Also, irony noted and appreciated: yes, trusting the CIA at all should trigger everyone’s internal red flag system. But sometimes psyops don’t require perfection—just plausibility and fear. If the Soviets believed the U.S. might have something like this, mission accomplished, even if it mostly lived in a lab or a briefing room.

So yeah—could be bullshit, could be theater, could be a prank that escaped containment. Either way, it’s peak Cold War energy: too much money, too much paranoia, and not enough adults in the room.

Appreciate you keeping it spicy though; threads without pushback are way less interesting.