# Inside the Mind of a Pipe-Bomber **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 7, 2002, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-the-mind-of-a-pipe-bomber/107672 "2002-05-07T05:14:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![barton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@barton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barton)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2002, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-the-mind-of-a-pipe-bomber/107672/1 "2002-05-07T05:14:42Z")
Ok, what the hell’s going on in Mr. or Ms. Pipe-Bomber’s head? Here’s the note he’s leaving, courtesy of the FBI: “If the government controls what you want to do they control what you can do. … I’m obtaining your attention in the only way I can. More info is on its way. More `attention getters’ are on the way.” Obviously, a stern letter to the editor is out of the question. I’m also not sure how you’re supposed to read the note after you’ve been blown up. Recreational reading drops significantly in the wake of an explosion. ---
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2002, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-the-mind-of-a-pipe-bomber/107672/2 "2002-05-07T05:19:42Z")
Actually, that’s not the entire note. What he really says is that there is no such thing as death and that the government is controlling people by making them afraid of death. Oddly enough, most mainstream media sources that I’ve read have failed to mention this part of the note, thus making this person sound just like your average, run-of-the-mill anti-government extremist. Full text can be found here: [http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20020504/ap\_on\_re\_us/mailbox\_bombs\_note\_2](http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20020504/ap_on_re_us/mailbox_bombs_note_2) ---
**Author:** ![barton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@barton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barton)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2002, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-the-mind-of-a-pipe-bomber/107672/3 "2002-05-07T05:33:08Z")
Thanks for the heads-up. Funny thing, I got that abbreviated version off of Yahoo, also. Reading the full version is difficult. Definitely not quite Unabomber quality. I think the short version is actually more to the point. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2002, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-the-mind-of-a-pipe-bomber/107672/4 "2002-05-07T05:34:37Z")
I have no idea how to characterize that. I confess, it is a bit hard to take seriously, almost as if it were concoted to look mentally ill. Which is not to say the bomber is not, obviously he/she/they is/are, but I wonder if this is genuine. Genuine meaning an accurate expression of the thinking rather than a smokescreen. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2002, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-the-mind-of-a-pipe-bomber/107672/5 "2002-05-07T09:49:56Z")
Apparently the moron in question (MIQ) feels that if he convinces himself that there’s no such thing as a death then when the MIQ does kill someone, there’s no crime because the person killed didn’t die because there’s no such thing as death. Feel free to read “MIQ” as “scum with less brain than mud.” ---
**Author:** ![TwistofFate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@TwistofFate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwistofFate)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2002, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-the-mind-of-a-pipe-bomber/107672/6 "2002-05-07T12:21:33Z")
This shit attempt at philosophy by the MIQ reminds me of a philosophical idea that I once heard the the world does not exist except for what you can view or interact with. Am I making this up or has someone else heard this before. Cheers ---
**Author:** ![Martiju](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e8c25b/32.png) [@Martiju](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martiju)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2002, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-the-mind-of-a-pipe-bomber/107672/7 "2002-05-07T12:25:21Z")
I don’t want to be controversial (!) but surely by dismissing such people as being moronic fails to identify the underlying problems. Whatever people’s perceptions, however ‘off the wall’ they are, or might seem, they need examining. If you don’t even try to find out what is making things go wrong, just merely ignore them, or dismiss them out of hand, there can never be a solution. Just a thought. ---
**Author:** ![bizzwire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/958977/32.png) [@bizzwire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bizzwire)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2002, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-the-mind-of-a-pipe-bomber/107672/8 "2002-05-07T15:27:26Z")
Here’s a suggestion. Perhaps, this guy (or gal) originally wanted kill a specific person. In order to through authorities off the track he/she then targets a number of randomly(?) chosen people, including some uninspired anti-government screed. I bet the bomber is closely related to one of the original victims, just you wait and see. I remember something similar happening in Japan. A woman wanted to kill her husband for insurance money. She cooked up a big, tasty passel of poisoned curry which she brought to an event she and her husband attended. She killed her husband (and dozens of other people), but was eventually caught and, of course, confessed. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2002, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-the-mind-of-a-pipe-bomber/107672/9 "2002-05-07T15:31:06Z")
Gee, Mart. It’s certainly moronic to tell yourself that if you kill someone you didn’t kill that person. ESPECIALLY when you killed that person on purpose! ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2002, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-the-mind-of-a-pipe-bomber/107672/10 "2002-05-07T16:37:58Z")
FBI puts out an [APB](http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/05/07/mailbox.pipebombs/index.html) on the MIQ. ---
**Author:** ![FordPrefect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e99b99/32.png) [@FordPrefect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordPrefect)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2002, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-the-mind-of-a-pipe-bomber/107672/11 "2002-05-07T16:59:14Z")
quoted from article linked to in post above this one > [@](#): > > FBI profilers studied the notes over the weekend and concluded Monday the bomber appears to be an \*\*educated \*\*white man **whose native language is English.** If the crap spewed by the MIQ passes for educated, native use of English then it must be high time for me to begin obfuscating my grammar, lest I don’t pass off as, at least, somewhat educated. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![rsa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/839c29/32.png) [@rsa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rsa)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2002, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-the-mind-of-a-pipe-bomber/107672/12 "2002-05-07T17:14:42Z")
You can (maybe) see his picture here: [http://artists4.iuma.com/IUMA/Bands/Apathy\_MN/index-0.html](http://artists4.iuma.com/IUMA/Bands/Apathy_MN/index-0.html) If that’s not the same guy, I hope he’s got some police protection. From the comments section I’d be pretty worried if I was that guy. He does seem to fit the description. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![rsa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/839c29/32.png) [@rsa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rsa)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2002, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-the-mind-of-a-pipe-bomber/107672/13 "2002-05-08T01:29:38Z")
That was the guy! Anyway, he’s been caught. [http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/05/07/mailbox.pipebombs/index.html](http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/05/07/mailbox.pipebombs/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![Melan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Melan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melan)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2002, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-the-mind-of-a-pipe-bomber/107672/14 "2002-05-08T07:22:19Z")
Strange. This letter reminded me of TimeCube for some reason. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![bizzwire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/958977/32.png) [@bizzwire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bizzwire)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2002, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-the-mind-of-a-pipe-bomber/107672/15 "2002-05-08T21:26:14Z")
OK…so maybe I was wrong… (I feel so…stupid) ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2002, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-the-mind-of-a-pipe-bomber/107672/16 "2002-05-08T21:41:31Z")
Monty wrote: > [@](#): > > It’s certainly moronic to tell yourself that if you kill someone you didn’t kill that person. ESPECIALLY when you killed that person on purpose! The person who wrote the note believes that death does not exist. This implies that he believes in an **afterlife** of some sort. In that sense, he is no more (and no less) moronic than the billion or so Christians on the planet who believe that they will go to Heaven when they die. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2002, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-the-mind-of-a-pipe-bomber/107672/17 "2002-05-08T21:55:34Z")
Monty wrote: > [@](#): > > It’s certainly moronic to tell yourself that if you kill someone you didn’t kill that person. ESPECIALLY when you killed that person on purpose! The person who wrote the note believes that death does not exist. This implies that he believes in an **afterlife** of some sort. In that sense, he is no more (and no less) moronic than the billion or so Christians on the planet who believe that they will go to Heaven when they die. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2002, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-the-mind-of-a-pipe-bomber/107672/18 "2002-05-08T23:58:04Z")
You know, tracer. That’s bunk. Sorry, but bunk. Those who believe in an afterlife (such as Christians, Muslims, and others) don’t discount death per se, but believe that death is a portal of sorts to that afterlife. I don’t see where you read his implication in his screed. What I saw was willful delusion of the bomber telling the world “Hey, there’s just no death period. If some people end up dead, they’re not really dead. You just think they died.” Again, bunk. ---
**Author:** ![BlackKnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb8c5e/32.png) [@BlackKnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlackKnight)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2002, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-the-mind-of-a-pipe-bomber/107672/19 "2002-05-09T00:05:22Z")
The bomber also mentioned people he has “dispatched” from “this reality”. So he apparantly views death as a doorway to another life. I’m not going to say that anyone who believes in an afterlife is moronic (because I don’t believe that), but I see absolutely no difference between his (apparant) belief about death and the traditional mainstream Christian view of death. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2002, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-the-mind-of-a-pipe-bomber/107672/20 "2002-05-09T00:22:53Z")
BlackKnight: Well, except for the little part about the bomber’s fib about there being no death. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-the-mind-of-a-pipe-bomber/107672.md?page=2)