So What Counts As A Wmd ?

[vidcc]

North Carolina:
A 17-year-old man was arrested when six pipe bombs were discovered in the car he was driving and more than a dozen bombs and explosive-making chemicals were found in his home, police said.

The discovery of the alleged caches prompted the evacuation of a day care and dentist's office, and later several houses around suspect Jarrett William Brown's home. Brown was scheduled to appear in court Tuesday.

Police said they discovered the explosives while investigating a hit-and-run accident Monday afternoon in front of a shopping center. No one was hurt and a witness described the suspect vehicle.

A police officer recognized a vehicle matching a description less than 10 minutes later and pulled it over in the dentist's parking lot. The officer said he noticed the devices in the back seat, each less than 6 inches long.

The pipe bombs allegedly found in Brown's convertible prompted the evacuation of the day care and dentist's office for about three hours. A library across the street was locked down, with no one allowed to enter or exit.

Brown allegedly later led investigators to the additional bombs and chemicals in his home. Residents in nine homes left their houses and were able to return shortly after midnight.

Brown was charged with 24 counts of possession of weapons of mass destruction, according to Cary police Sgt. R.C. Barker. Brown also was charged with hit and run, Barker said.

Police knew of no motive and said Brown, a senior this year at Apex High School, had not appeared to be troubled. "He's very smart, he's very bright," interim police chief Jerry Phillips said. "From what I understand he likes science."

source.. cnn


So what counts as a WMD? and is it set too low for convenience?

[BigBank_Hank]

Man I’m scared to think of what might have happened had they not caught the guy.

The WMD this is mighty peculiar though.

The guy was a high school senior with a convertible what the hell was he doing build pipe bombs? With a chick magnet like that you would have thought that he would be more interested in blowing his own pipe than anything else

[Rat Faced]

I think we had this "debate" about 18 month ago.

I maintained that the correct phrase was NBC, and that WMD could mean anything.. seems i was right.

In some places/Times, an Automatic Rifle will/would be a WMD.


Conversly, people have been pissing upriver of the opposing army since before the Celts/Saxons... so where does "Biological Weapons" start being WMD?

[vidcc]

I think we had this "debate" about 18 month ago.

i wasn't born to the fst back in those days

It does seem to be such a vague term when used in this case. If this was found in Iraq i doubt even the supporters in the WMD issue would count it. (well i know one on this board would)
To me it would be nuclear missiles etc. and not pipe bombs, even though they could do a lot of harm.

[Busyman]

Weapons of mass distraction is more like it.

Pipe bombs weren't called this until Iraq.

[hobbes]

I think weapons needs to be viewed as either civilian/terrorist or Military.

He possessed something that no civilian has the right to have without specific legal authorization and registration (akin to dynamite or nitroglycerin) and it therefore stands out as a possession offense that exceeds and is distinct from an illegal firearm.

6 pipe bombs can kill hundreds of people if properly timed and placed and puts the potential scale of killing beyond anything one could do with any conventional firearm. An example might simply be to blow up a piece of railroad track near a bridge and watch it derail.

People with "pipe bombs" probably need to be treated a bit more harshly than someone with a sawed off shot gun. That is why they were labeled as WMD.

He is a civilian carrying terrorist or military level weapons.



In a Military sense, he had a conventional weapon. It is to be assumed that when used by the military it will be in a time of war and to attack other military targets.

In the military sense, when we think WMD, it boils down to weapons that not only can kill in large numbers due to direct effects from detonation, but which will also kill many more from delayed effects, either due immediate exposure or ingestion of food items contaminated.

And we worry about small items, like cyanide, which when placed in a city water supply can kill hundreds of thousands.

Or biologic agents which can have a tremendous multiplier effect as a tiny source is spread person to person, or simply disseminated through the air to contaminate an entire city.


Obviously the latter examples of Military WMD as equal to pipe bombs make for a laughable comparison.



I think his bombs should be called "weapons of potential terrorism" as distinct from an illegal firearm or true WMD. Perhaps the legal nomenclature for stratifying weapons possessions is a bit imprecise because this issue has only recently become a public/national issue.

[Biggles]

I thought this catchy little ditty by Faithless summed it up nicely.

Whether long range weapon or suicide bomber
Wicked mind is a weapon of mass destruction
Whether you're a soaraway Sun or BBC 1
Misinformation is a weapon of mass destruction
You could be a Caucasian or Arab or Asian
Racism is a weapon of mass destruction
Whether inflation or globalization
Fear is a weapon of mass destruction

My dad came into my room holding his hat
I knew he was leaving,
he sat on my bed told me some facts, son.
I have a duty, calling on me
You and your sister be brave my little soldier
And don't forget all I told ya
Your the mister of the house now remember this
And when you wake up in the morning give ya momma a kiss
Then I had to say goodbye

In the morning woke momma with a kiss on each eyelid,
Even though I'm only a kid
Certain things can't be hid
Momma grabbed me
Held me like I was made of gold
But left her inner stories untold
I said, momma it will be alright
When daddy comes home, tonight

Whether long range weapon or suicide bomber
Wicked mind is a weapon of mass destruction
Whether you're a soaraway Sun or BBC 1
Misinformation is a weapon of mass destruction
You could a Caucasian or Arab or Asian
Racism is a weapon of mass destruction
Whether inflation or globalisation
Fear is a weapon of mass destruction

Whether Halliburton, Enron or anyone
Greed is a weapon of mass destruction

We need to find courage, overcome
Inaction is a weapon of mass destruction
Inaction is a weapon of mass destruction
Inaction is a weapon of mass destruction

My story stops here, lets be clear
This scenario is happening everywhere
And you ain't going to nirvana or farvana
You're coming right back here to live out your karma
With even more drama than previously
Seriously...
Just how many centuries have we been
waiting for someone else to make us free
And we refuse to see
That people overseas suffer just like we
Bad leadership and ego's unfettered and free
Who feed on the people they're supposed to lead
I don't need good people to pray and wait
For the lord to make it all straight
There's only now, do it right.
Cos I don't want your daddy, leaving home tonight

Whether long range weapon or suicide bomber
Wicked mind is a weapon of mass destruction
Whether you're a soaraway Sun or BBC 1
Misinformation is a weapon of mass destruction
You could be a Caucasian or Arab or Asian
Racism is a weapon of mass destruction
Whether inflation or globalization
Fear is a weapon of mass destruction

Whether Halliburton, Enron or anyone
Greed is a weapon of mass destruction

We need to find courage, overcome
Inaction is a weapon of mass destruction
Inaction is a weapon of mass destruction
Inaction is a weapon of mass destruction

[hobbes]

I think bad rhymes may also be a WMD.

My story stops here, lets be clear
This scenario is happening everywhere
And you ain't going to nirvana or farvana
You're coming right back here to live out your karma
With even more drama

farvana?

Get me a bucket, I'm going to hurl!

[Biggles]

Originally posted by hobbes@10 August 2004 - 22:01
I think bad rhymes may also be a WMD.

My story stops here, lets be clear
This scenario is happening everywhere
And you ain't going to nirvana or farvana
You're coming right back here to live out your karma
With even more drama

farvana?

Get me a bucket, I'm going to hurl!

It is sung with a certain reggae style that gives one a degree of latitude in such matters. I believe the gentleman concerned is a Buddhist so I can't comment on the farvana (a little Buddhist joke, I think).

Booty is not mentioned once either you will note. Depending on one's stance this may be good or bad.

Strange band Faithless, I believe they are responsible for the "God is a DJ*" song, Dido (whose brother is still in the band) and, of course, the Reggae Buddhist Maxi Jazz. Well respected over here, but not well known over in the States I suspect. Can be quite political.

Edit: *not the Pink Song

[spinningfreemanny]

I was actually wondering who sang that, thanks.

gonna download it B)