# OMG, call 911 **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 15, 2010, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omg-call-911/525133 "2010-01-15T22:45:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2010, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omg-call-911/525133/81 "2010-01-17T01:48:52Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > One only can imagine what would happen if they saw someone in a yellow Rider truck drive by. That would be a concern as it’s spelled **Ryder.** Lousy terrorist misspelling. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2010, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omg-call-911/525133/82 "2010-01-17T04:18:28Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > That would be a concern as it’s spelled **Ryder.** > > Lousy terrorist misspelling. 😉 that’s what I thought but I typed “Rider” in Google to check it and it showed a list of Rider choices (which if clicked would have given me Ryder). ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2010, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omg-call-911/525133/83 "2010-01-17T04:53:13Z")
> [@ExTank](#): > > I merely pointed out the kind fo security such a facility might have, and some it obviously does have, and contrasted it to the threat posed by two people, in camo and hunting garb, with long-barreled shotguns, out duck hunting, in duck hunting season, in a rural area, which typically has more instances of hunting and hunting-related activities, in state that has year-round hunting. So basically, we shouldn’t screen airline passengers because you know, it’s always flying season and there’s nothing unusual about flying. Gotcha. ---
**Author:** ![flickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7bcc69/32.png) [@flickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flickster)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2010, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omg-call-911/525133/84 "2010-01-17T05:56:08Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > So basically, we shouldn’t screen airline passengers because you know, it’s always flying season and there’s nothing unusual about flying. Gotcha. To be an equivalent comparison, these guys would have to be at the facility gate trying to gain access. Until then, it’s just like a potential airline passenger using their shampoo at the hotel across the street from the airport ---
**Author:** ![Sophistry\_and\_Illusion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Sophistry\_and\_Illusion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sophistry_and_Illusion)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2010, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omg-call-911/525133/85 "2010-01-17T06:20:28Z")
My mother was from Panhandle, Texas (about 10 miles from the Pantex plant), and I spent a lot of time in that area growing up. Hell, I’ve probably hunted within 3 miles or so of the Pantex plant. [The link provided by **Ex-Tank**](http://www.pantex.com/index.htm) is actually instructive. See how flat and tree-less it is in the immediate vicinity of the Pantex plant? The whole Panhandle of Texas is like that. (Excluding the Palo Duro Canyon, which isn’t anywhere near Pantex.) The whole idea that the hunters could have been in cover or hiding or sneaking up on the plant is laughable. To put it in perspective, there is on the road to Amarillo a historical marker by [Thomas Cree’s Little Tree](http://www.traveltex.com/pg/Activity.aspx?id=def5c93f-9b6c-40b2-ad10-2b89e45d76ac), which is apparently the first tree planted in the entire Panhandle of Texas. This was in 1888. The tree was a Bois d’Arc, also known as an Osage Orange, [which wikipedia describes as a small tree or shrub](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osage-orange). Still, the land is so goddamned flat it apparently was able to serve as some kind of landmark for navigation (or so the story goes). So we can forget all the speculation about hunters hiding out in the woods or skulking in gullies or hiding behind hills or using the terrain for cover. It simply can’t be done around there. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2010, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omg-call-911/525133/86 "2010-01-17T07:02:52Z")
Hey, a hunting license is a bit like a driver’s license. You want to be a grownup and have one, you have to put on your big boy pants and accept, and play by the rules. You want to be a big boy hunter and then whine when someone actually enforces the rules and asks you what you’re doing then IMO you’re not a grownup yet and shouldn’t be hunting. Whining about it when you’re two miles from a nuclear weapons facility and one of the most closely guarded places on the planet is just bonus childishness. ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2010, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omg-call-911/525133/87 "2010-01-17T14:12:16Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > So basically, we shouldn’t screen airline passengers because you know, it’s always flying season and there’s nothing unusual about flying. Gotcha. > [@levdrakon](#): > > Hey, a hunting license is a bit like a driver’s license. You want to be a grownup and have one, you have to put on your big boy pants and accept, and play by the rules. You want to be a big boy hunter and then whine when someone actually enforces the rules and asks you what you’re doing then IMO you’re not a grownup yet and shouldn’t be hunting. Whining about it when you’re two miles from a nuclear weapons facility and one of the most closely guarded places on the planet is just bonus childishness. Would you care to address an argument that someone in this thread has actually made? ---
**Author:** ![Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4da419/32.png) [@Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gala_Matrix_Fire)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2010, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omg-call-911/525133/88 "2010-01-17T14:12:22Z")
Oh yes, he absolutely should be charged. The police might have spent a dollar or two on gasoline sending one squad car out there to do a routine check. Or maybe they first had to send the patrolment to special, expensive training, because they’ve never checked hunters’ ID and licenses before. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2010, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omg-call-911/525133/89 "2010-01-17T14:37:44Z")
> [@ExTank](#): > > Would you care to address an argument that someone in this thread has actually made? > [@ExTank](#): > > I once again refer you back to **Oakminster** when he said this: > > > [@](#): > > > > Only a yankee, a city boy, or an anti-gun wingnut would call something like this in to the cops. > > ETA: In other words, what **MeanOldLady** said! And what did MOL say? > [@](#): > > > [@MeanOldLady](#): > > > > Edit: In other words, what **ExTank** said. So, what is the argument you lovebirds are making? Try to make your argument without using the words “yankee, city boy” or “anti-gun” and maybe I’ll take you seriously. Maybe. ---
**Author:** ![bucketybuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@bucketybuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bucketybuck)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2010, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omg-call-911/525133/90 "2010-01-17T14:59:08Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Hey, a hunting license is a bit like a driver’s license. You want to be a grownup and have one, you have to put on your big boy pants and accept, and play by the rules. You want to be a big boy hunter and then whine when someone actually enforces the rules and asks you what you’re doing then IMO you’re not a grownup yet and shouldn’t be hunting. Whining about it when you’re two miles from a nuclear weapons facility and one of the most closely guarded places on the planet is just bonus childishness. What the fuck has this got to do with anything? ---
**Author:** ![flickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7bcc69/32.png) [@flickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flickster)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2010, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omg-call-911/525133/91 "2010-01-17T15:01:13Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Hey, a hunting license is a bit like a driver’s license. You want to be a grownup and have one, you have to put on your big boy pants and accept, and play by the rules. You want to be a big boy hunter and then whine when someone actually enforces the rules and asks you what you’re doing then IMO you’re not a grownup yet and shouldn’t be hunting. Whining about it when you’re two miles from a nuclear weapons facility and one of the most closely guarded places on the planet is just bonus childishness. Evidently, you never bothered to read the article. The hunters never whined or complained when asked what they were up to. In fact, the article says they were fully cooperative. This rant, which was originally posted in the BBQ Pit, was aimed at the pencil-neck that thought it necessary to call the authorities due to someone hunting 2 MILES from the plant. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2010, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omg-call-911/525133/92 "2010-01-17T15:54:35Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I recently read P. T. Deutermann’s book _The Moonpool_. He goes into a lot of detail how a Nuclear plant could be sabotaged. That’s great, but you do realize that the incident we’re talking about did not occur near a nuclear power plant? This is a _nuclear weapons_ storage facility. Not taking a position on whether it was an overreaction, since we know little about the particulars, but I do want to address the persistent misunderstanding that this was an electricity-generating facility. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2010, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omg-call-911/525133/93 "2010-01-17T16:03:41Z")
A point can be made regarding the supposedly heavy security at the DOE facilities – the hired security guards keep failing tests and losing exercises intended to determine if armed terrorist could get into the facilities. Here’s [one link](http://www.pogo.org/pogo-files/alerts/nuclear-security-safety/nss-y12-20041023.html), but there are plenty more stories like it. ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2010, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omg-call-911/525133/94 "2010-01-17T16:05:22Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > That’s great, but you do realize that the incident we’re talking about did not occur near a nuclear power plant? This is a _nuclear weapons_ storage facility. > > Not taking a position on whether it was an overreaction, since we know little about the particulars, but I do want to address the persistent misunderstanding that this was an electricity-generating facility. Good point, and I’ll add for emphasis that I at least (and by tone several others, too) am NOT criticizing the plant’s reaction/response since, as you point out, we don’t know the particulars of what security was told by the reporting person. I’m not criticizing the local LEOs either; they received a request from a Very Important Place in their jurisdiction to check something out. And they did. From context, they did it quickly and competently. I’m not criticizing the hunters, who by context of the article, were doing nothing wrong, illegal, unethical, etc. Everything was in order: hunting licenses, tags, permission from land owner, all that stuff. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2010, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omg-call-911/525133/95 "2010-01-17T18:29:18Z")
> [@flickster](#): > > This rant, which was originally posted in the BBQ Pit, was aimed at the pencil-neck that thought it necessary to call the authorities due to someone hunting 2 MILES from the plant. Reporting armed hunters in the vicinity of the nuclear weapons and storage facility you work at is entirely reasonable and rational, and calling them Yankees, city-boys, anti-gun nuts and pencil-necks just exposes your own prejudice, knee-jerk reactionism, and jingoistic mindset. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2010, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omg-call-911/525133/96 "2010-01-17T18:54:16Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > They weren’t “outside the plant”. They were a couple of miles away. They were “inside” the plant? That makes it worse. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2010, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omg-call-911/525133/97 "2010-01-17T19:05:34Z")
never mind ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2010, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omg-call-911/525133/98 "2010-01-17T19:40:07Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > Do you know what the chances are that someone is going to mix up a Pantene bomb and successfully set it off on a plane? About the same that two guys with shotguns might make their way to a nuclear weapons plant two miles away and start some shit. Yeah those rednecks are too fucking fat to walk two miles. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2010, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omg-call-911/525133/99 "2010-01-18T14:58:54Z")
Wow. I’m not a hunter, but I am a shooter. I have no problem with hunting. This situation again shows how little people know about hunters and guns in general. I really feel sorry for the LEOs that where asked to respond to this. What a waste of time. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2010, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omg-call-911/525133/100 "2010-01-18T15:12:46Z")
Can you imagine the pitting the ‘yankee’ would have got if he didn’t call the cops after seeing two armed men, if those armed men went on to attack the facility? Personally, I would have alerted the on-site security and left it at that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omg-call-911/525133.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omg-call-911/525133.md?page=6)