Frisk Me Again !!!

[ClaireTalon]

That's what I meant when I snarked off about TSA suddenly learning that liquid explosives could bring down aircraft. I mean, I'm glad to see the bomb plot thwarted but liquid explosives are nothing new and I fail to understand why they weren't taken seriously before now.

Still, I strongly bet that all the terrorists have to do is try again in a few months or years when our heightened vigilance subsides and we're back to business as usual (zzzzzzzz). I don't know if anyone else has noticed but the security searchers at U.S. airport terminals are already reverting back to the low-bidder private contractors that were in vogue prior to 9/11.

In any case, I'm glad to see any policy that reduces the ridiculous amount of carry-on baggage most passengers tote with them. :smile:

SpeedoGuy, that is because a lot of liquid explosives give bombers a great chance to blow themselves up while still on the ground; most of them are highly reactive chemicals that explode through shocks, UV light or when stored too warm: Such as TATP. In fact, TATP is so sensitive it has never found a practical use, and is nothing but the byproduct of the synthesis of some other nasty stuff. Raw nitroglycerine is about 5 times less sensitive to shocks than TATP, which would have to be stored submerged in water to make it safe to handle.

But I agree, the security checks are crazy sometimes, I wonder if those in charge of the guidelines or the guards themselves ever switch on their brains. More than once I've seen passengers bringing two or three bottles of something with them through the checks, and only one bottle was checked through the swig test. Once could laugh at that.

Orcabomber, another nice explosion might be if you expose Cesium to air. Hydrochloric might be difficult to get on board.

 

[dreamer20]

...Why not just do away with the rules altogether and let the guards do with each of us as they wish in public or in private?

Hmmm. This reminds me of an incident that occured a couple of years ago when I was in Miami International Airport. After clearing the usual security screening a male airport security agent asked me to come to him for an additional search of my duffle bag. Once that was completed he asked me a strange question after glancing at my groin. "May I pad down there?" he asked.
I was livid and gave him such a look that he was put off the idea entirely. He's the only SA that I have known to be interested in my bulge. Would any of you complied with this request?

 

[DaveyR]

Hmmm. This reminds me of an incident that occured a couple of years ago when I was in Miami International Airport. After clearing the usual security screening a male airport security agent asked me to come to him for an additional search of my duffle bag. Once that was completed he asked me a strange question after glancing at my groin. "May I pad down there?" he asked.
I was livid and gave him such a look that he was put off the idea entirely. He's the only SA that I have known to be interested in my bulge. Would any of you complied with this request?

It would depend on what the guard was like.

 

[D_alex8]

Let's frisk again, like we did last summer.
Let's frisk again, like we did last year. :singer:

You are now returned to your regularly scheduled serious debate.

 

[DC_DEEP]

Water can be turned into an explosive. Crank some current through it, dissolve it into oxygenium and hydrogenium, and all you need is a little spark and then you have it, the big bang. Maybe someone found this out, and decided to ban all liquids, water included, from airplane cabins.

My dearest Claire, please tell me that this is an exquisitely crafted sarcasm. Please, oh please.... because knowing your level of intelligence, and a couple of the words you use, that would make sense... It would also make sense that someone who walked past a chemistry class in high school could hear something like that and believe it...

 

[ClaireTalon]

My dearest Claire, please tell me that this is an exquisitely crafted sarcasm. Please, oh please.... because knowing your level of intelligence, and a couple of the words you use, that would make sense... It would also make sense that someone who walked past a chemistry class in high school could hear something like that and believe it...

It is partly sarcasm, and as Orcabomber has already said, it takes a slow, peculair process to make it work (electrolysis), but it IS basically possible, and not a joke. And detonating gas reactions always set free a lot of energy, so the confined space of a lavatory would increase the effects.

Of course, a plot for such a bomb has some kinks. It would require a vertically arranged apparatus to collect hydrogenium and oxygenium, a battery strong enough to crank out a current of several Ampères, and an igniting spark, too. So, consider it as less probable, but a possibility.

 

[dreamer20]

"May I pad down there?" he asked.
... Would any of you complied with this request?

It would depend on what the guard was like.

He didn't look that bad, but I think this sort of thing would have been much better:

http://www.alanevideo.com/catalog6/images/listings_adult/AirportSecurity-alt4.jpg

William Higgins' Airport Security was simply delicious :naughty:

http://www.alanevideo.com/catalog6/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=668

 

[davidjh7]

Actually, I am grateful for one thing about it all--that most terrorists are inherently very stupid. Some of their leaders arewell educated, and have alot of dangerous knowledge, but alot of it doesn;t trckle down to the terrorist masses. Being an engineer, and having knowledge of a broad class of systems and methodologies, I am glad that there hasn;t been a rash of engineer terrorists. I was able to think of about 15 different ways of taking this country down with less than 100 people, and considerably less than $10 thousand. THe goverenment knows of most of these vulnerabilities, but it would irritate the profit mongers to actually do anything about it, because it would require them to divert from giving themselves 10 million dollar bonuses and investing in their own infrastructure. Given the present corporate climate,this is very unlikely to happen in the near future, so we remain vulnerable, and mostly just have new personal trials placed on the individual in the name of "security" which doesn;t do much of any real security,just frustrates people enough to make them more complacent, and forgetful of the REAL attrocities being propogated. But enough of that for now. I still love this country, but I am very ashamed of all of its citizens for letting what has happend to it, happen. Enough ranting for now.

 

[D_Humper E Bogart]

Let's not talk about sewage workers, electricians, computer programmers, hospital workers and government agents....