You can synthesize it from castor beans using only common household items. Not that I’ve tried, but I read extensively about it during the anthrax mail scare.
Of course, if you screw up your home-based ricin processing you kill yourself. This probably helps to keep the number of amateur ricin makers low.
Well, at least repeat amateur ricin makers.
AIUI, there’s ricin and there’s ricin. It’s lethal if it’s weaponized. But a first batch, like you could make out of a backyard bean crop, is apparently low-grade stuff, and that’s what they found on the letters.
If you want to stretch the amount you produce and make it a little more flavorful, you could make ricin-a-roni.
That’s stuff’s no good for you. What you need is some good ol’ ricin beans.
I don’t know why they call it ricin-helper. It does just fine by itself, huh?
One more of those and I’m gonna send a letter to this thread.
Pondering the logic of why a nutter should get a pass. Sure, it’s not cool to mock the mentally ill, but I’d say in general the less capable someone is of at least pretending to play in the same reality as everyone else, the greater the duty of the general public to help him understand the error of his ways. Berating non-Dopers in the BBQ Pit is functionally useless, hell it barely has any effect on actual Dopers. But that attitude, the one that says in effect, “Aw, he’s just nuts, leave him alone–you can’t hold him to the same standard as everyone else,” ignores the potential harm he can get up to while you just leave him alone, and it robs him of the opportunity to realize he needs treatment. I wish someone would have gotten in my face 30 or so years ago and forced me into treatment. Would have vastly improved the lives of at least a dozen people including myself, and spared a bunch of people here a smidgen of bullshit as well.
Fuckin-a, dude. Call crazy people out on their crazy! After they get over hating you for it they might just be grateful. That said, mental healthcare in the US sucks if you haven’t got personal support and a lot of money–probably both of which are in short supply for Mr. Curtis.
Just a Nitpick. The gentleman was Bipolar not Schizophrenic. Not really a big deal, but a correction still none the less to fight some ignorance.
Good news, everybody! Paul Kevin Curtis was being set up by a karate instructor who hated him. This story has moved from “viscerally offensive” to “just plain sad” to “bizzare and kinda funny.”
I wonder what the scores of investigators and reporters are feeling like as their investigation devolves into untangling the web of nonsense between these guys.
I love that the guy bought castor beans off of eBay and paid with Paypal. Not the sharpest tool in the shed.
I “know” a guy who sells cannabis in small aliquots. He has had people attempt payment with plastic.
B..but…but… MENSA!
Shh! Don’t say anything about his MENSA cred, or there may be a letter sent with your name on it!
That’s all right. By the blue moon of Kentucky, I’m sure there’ll be some good rocking tonight on a mystery train whether or not you love him tender, because he’s all shook up. He’s clearly playing for keeps with the President and Sen. Wicker. I beg of you, doncha’ think it’s time for him to get a good luck charm?
I wonder if they found him in the ghetto when they went to arrest him.
You know, since the Elvis guy has been exonerated, perhaps he should be dropped from the discussion.
IOW, a little less conversation, please.
The guy who is the current suspect is, however, and I swear I’m not making this up, a Wayne Newton impersonator. I’d make some clever Wayne Newton related pun, but that would involve knowing Wayne Newton songs, and I’m not about to admit to that.
I feel a bad-taste Band Name coming on . . .
Wayne Newton’s Ricin!