Along the lines of witnessing, I was watching the news in my room earlier and I noticed that some idiot (they are currently saying it looks like a middle aged white male) attempted to blow up a car bomb in Time Square. :eek: It seems that the detonator failed (fortunately) and a sharp eyed street vendor and an on the ball cop were able to avert what could have caused dozens of deaths.
Details are still sketchy (according to the news program I was watching), but based on the ‘white male’ part I’m guessing this could be one of our domestic kooks, instead of another attack by some other countries lunatic fringe, though since things are still sketchy that could change as they get more data (the news show implied that some Muslim group had already claimed credit and were crowing about the loss of life, but they seemed skeptical that it was real, and mentioned that it might be simply a diversion).
Anyway, I’m glad the disaster was averted and hope it was the lone act of some crazed domestic asshole trying to prove…well, gods know what.
They’ve got a VIN and two separate stolen license plates to triangulate on, a picture, and I certainly wouldn’t expect him to have managed to wipe down all his fingerprints. This guy will be in jail by this time tomorrow.
Because someone will turn it into a debate about either Islamic or American terrorists being the real threat.
Personally, I’d argue that American Nationalists/Animal Rights/Pro-life terrorists are, simply because the Atlantic Ocean gives a lot protection and Islamic terrorists seem to be generally satisfied blowing up Europe.
The bomb seems pretty half-assed. Its like someone threw all the components that they knew were supposed to be in a bomb in, and hoped it would do something. I’m thinking its some nut-jobs cry for help rather then some organized terrorist outfit.
That said, the Pakistani Taliban supposedly claimed responsibility, through the US officials quoted in the bit I read seemed pretty skeptical of that claim.
Couldn’t he have just posted it somewhere besides Great Debates and declared that he didn’t want it to be a debate and then it would have been against the rules to start debating?
I’m guessing it’s a mentally ill, unafilliated, delusional nutbar. It looks like he just piled together everything he thought would blow up - firecrackers, gas, propane tanks, fertilizer, and packed it into the vehicle. The fertilizer might be ammonium nitrate soaked with diesel fuel, but it could just as well be Scott’s Miracle Grow. The clock he used as a timer looks like it was stolen from a little girl’s bedroom.
As to what his motivations were, that’s anyones guess.
Sure, I could have posted this elsewhere, but A) It wasn’t appropriate in GQ or The Game Room, and generally those are the 3 forums I post to, and B) it’s an event that could have some pretty heavy duty implications whether it was an external Muslim group or some internal group of nutbars (or even just a lone nutter), and C) I felt I must.
If it makes you guys feel more comfortable though, the ‘debate’ could be ‘do you think this was an internal US group, an external foreign group, or the work of a lone nutter, and what implications do you see for each of those positions?’. For a bonus, how long do you think it will be before the guy is caught? Based on what I’ve seen they have already gathered, I’m guessing tomorrow evening, tops.
If nothing else, there appears to be a debate as to whether the thread should be in this forum.
It is probably going to be headed to another venue in a short while, but I’m going to let it percolate for a bit to decide which other forum would best suit it. (Cafe Society because the information is being broadcast? Games because the guy couldn’t have been serious?)
I’m sure Tom has his magic mod switcheroo gizmo out and poised to move this there soon, so relax and enjoy the moment…
(ETA: And I don’t understand why ‘witnessing’ has to be about religious proselytizing…seems rather unfair, since that would mean I’m not allowed to do it, being an agnatheist and all)
