Damned straight; castration is the minimally acceptable punishment, because this weapons-grade stupid cannot be allowed to pollute the gene pool further.
-- Steve had no empathy with those overreacting to the Mooninite Lite-brites in Boston, but this (and other "performances" that deliberately mimic bomb threats) is beyond the pale.
There's "jumping at shadows", which I do agree happens far too much in our neighbours to the south, and then there's ignorant fuck-nuts deliberately working to start panics like son-of-busted-condom as pictured above. And alas they're not exclusively American idiots; an AIDS benefit in Toronto (about a two-hour drive from where I live) had to be cancelled a couple of years ago because an idiot put a box with wires and a note saying, "this is not a bomb," on it on the front steps of the venue.
This isn't funny, the same way that prank calls to 911 aren't funny. And it's no more "art" than an episode of "Punk'd" is.
-- Steve doesn't object to performance art, per se... just the dangerously stupid performances.
I guess that I'm biased, being an EOD operator... But until you confirm something as fake, your balls are in your throat. If you have no experience with explosives, then you probably have no frickin' idea what I'm talking about.
It's a really fun job. But as devices get more and more sophisticated, it gets more and more dangerous. Some responses run over 8 hours for a single SVBIED.
Have you ever read 'The English Patient'? It has a really neat account of the increasing sophistication of bomb fuses and the techniques the British developed to counter them.
I actually haven't, and had no idea that it would have such content.
If you're into history, 'The Other Side of the Mountain' is a book about the Soviet War in Afghanistan. It details the Muj tactics of the time, including ambushes and such. It's almost required reading for us, though often hard to find.
I find it hard to imagine a situation where a man who appears to be placing explosives on property -- causing the inevitable call to the bomb squad and wasting hundreds of hours of effort, not to mention tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars, and inviting terror on the part of the person who "finds" it -- being funny.
I find it easy to imagine a situation where a man can paralyze an entire city with an alarm clock, some carrots and some electrical tape to be complete and utter comedy gold. Particularly when _anyone willing to look at it twice without panicking_ will see that it's a bundle of carrots.
Without a pair of binoculars, it wouldn't be clear at all. And I can tell you that I, personally, wouldn't get close enough to make out whether it's carrots or dynamite.
I don't know about elsewhere, but my fire trucks have binoculars on them so that we can examine hazmat plates at a nice long distance. I'd be doing the same with a "bomb" as well.
Unless you're the guy trained to disarm it. Blow up the equivalent weight in explosives, then come back and tell me if you want to do the long walk on a suspicious object of that size and shape. At contact range and back, bones essentially liquefy.
If you're the guy trained to disarm it and you are not equipped with a high powered telescope and a remote controlled robot, I'd suggest you quit working for the boy scouts and switch to a professional outfit. If you're the guy trained to disarm it and you prefer to walk right up to it without using either a telescope or a robot I say you should be fired right on the spot.
Making hypochondriacs squirm has always been funny. Laughing at misfortune has always been cathartic. When people can't see the humor in a getting in a sweat over a bunch of carrots they've seriously lost their grip on reality.
Good point. But even then, is it worth the hysteria? This isn't Beirut and you are more likely to get run over by a bus than to happen to be near a bunch of carrots when they go off.
Please track me down in person, insult my extensive professional expertise, and we can politely discuss your choice of words.
I'm a professional EOD operator. You are not. I can tell this, because you're a fucking douchebag who finds it funny to put EOD operators in a stressful situation for no reason other than your personal amusement.
Frankly, I'd share details about where IED's and other explosives have been hidden before... but you're AT BEST a WOG - and therefore have two to three levels less of a security clearance than is necessary. Optics aren't perfect, and neither is the Vanguard or Theodore.
Suffice it to say: ANY SUSPICIOUS OBJECT IS CONSIDERED A REAL EXPLOSIVE DEVICE UNTIL PROVEN OTHERWISE.
Any questions? Or is work at the call centre overwhelming you?
Work is just fine, thanks. Meanwhile you are failing to convince me of your ability to remain level headed in a stressful situation. I am underwhelmed.
Heh. I'm not stressed in the least - but thanks for checking in on me. In my line of work, people get called on their bullshit.
I do apologize for my previous post, however. I always forget that I'm wasting my time when trying to discuss a specialized body of knowledge with the ignorant, uninformed, and otherwise ridiculous.
Kindly do the world a favour, and avoid breeding. If you have already somehow managed to figure out the dynamics of breeding, please put said child up for adoption. One of you in the world is quite enough.
Hysteria is fucking annoying. I despise hysteria. People suffering from hysteria should have their noses rubbed in their irrational fears while the rest of us point at them and laugh. Maybe then they will actually crunch the fucking numbers and get a clue as to how death from terrorists stacks up against death from motorcycles, death from smoking, death from lack of universal health care, death from swimming and such the like.
This was actually part of (iirc) an art exhibit in a Swedish museum. The museum ordered it. However, the exhibit was cancelled (and the carrots taken down) after police received multiple phone-calls about the suspicious person planting suspicious packages.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2009-07-14 06:24 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-07-14 07:58 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-07-14 10:48 am (UTC)They should also be sent a bill for all EOD/Law Enforcement resources used to investigate.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-07-14 02:35 pm (UTC)This!
(no subject)
Date: 2009-07-14 04:55 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-07-14 02:56 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-07-14 04:58 pm (UTC)-- Steve had no empathy with those overreacting to the Mooninite Lite-brites in Boston, but this (and other "performances" that deliberately mimic bomb threats) is beyond the pale.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-07-14 05:15 pm (UTC)Dear United States -
If you people could stop living in perpetual fear of cartoon villainy and jumping at shadows, that would be awesome.
Thanks,
- Everyone Else.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-07-14 05:25 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-07-15 12:44 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-07-15 01:26 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-07-14 06:06 pm (UTC)This isn't funny, the same way that prank calls to 911 aren't funny. And it's no more "art" than an episode of "Punk'd" is.
-- Steve doesn't object to performance art, per se... just the dangerously stupid performances.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-07-15 12:56 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-07-15 12:54 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-07-14 08:12 pm (UTC)That and a fine for causing a potential panic situation where people might have gotten hurt.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-07-16 01:50 am (UTC)Don't always agree with your politics, but man, you've got balls of fucking steel.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-07-16 09:31 pm (UTC)Thanks for the compliment, though.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-07-16 09:42 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-07-16 10:29 pm (UTC)If you're into history, 'The Other Side of the Mountain' is a book about the Soviet War in Afghanistan. It details the Muj tactics of the time, including ambushes and such. It's almost required reading for us, though often hard to find.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-07-16 10:45 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-07-14 12:54 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-07-14 02:57 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-07-14 03:07 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-07-14 05:20 pm (UTC)Home of the brave, indeed.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-07-14 05:24 pm (UTC)Ah, well. Whatever.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-07-16 05:49 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-07-15 12:37 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-07-15 01:05 am (UTC)Not fucking funny.
Training the pros
Date: 2009-07-15 01:23 pm (UTC)Making hypochondriacs squirm has always been funny. Laughing at misfortune has always been cathartic. When people can't see the humor in a getting in a sweat over a bunch of carrots they've seriously lost their grip on reality.
Re: Training the pros
Date: 2009-07-15 01:43 pm (UTC)Re: Training the pros
Date: 2009-07-15 02:12 pm (UTC)Re: Training the pros
Date: 2009-07-15 04:35 pm (UTC)I'm a professional EOD operator. You are not. I can tell this, because you're a fucking douchebag who finds it funny to put EOD operators in a stressful situation for no reason other than your personal amusement.
Frankly, I'd share details about where IED's and other explosives have been hidden before... but you're AT BEST a WOG - and therefore have two to three levels less of a security clearance than is necessary. Optics aren't perfect, and neither is the Vanguard or Theodore.
Suffice it to say: ANY SUSPICIOUS OBJECT IS CONSIDERED A REAL EXPLOSIVE DEVICE UNTIL PROVEN OTHERWISE.
Any questions? Or is work at the call centre overwhelming you?
Re: Training the pros
Date: 2009-07-16 02:44 pm (UTC)Re: Training the pros
Date: 2009-07-16 09:26 pm (UTC)I do apologize for my previous post, however. I always forget that I'm wasting my time when trying to discuss a specialized body of knowledge with the ignorant, uninformed, and otherwise ridiculous.
Kindly do the world a favour, and avoid breeding. If you have already somehow managed to figure out the dynamics of breeding, please put said child up for adoption. One of you in the world is quite enough.
Warmest regards,
Me
Re: Training the pros
Date: 2009-07-17 09:30 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-07-15 01:30 am (UTC)Hysteria
Date: 2009-07-15 01:08 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-07-15 02:01 am (UTC)The first time you're wrong with explosives, is usually the last.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-07-14 01:33 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-07-14 08:44 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-07-14 08:45 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-07-15 12:42 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-07-15 06:15 pm (UTC)