# Some asshole just bombed a bank near me **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 13, 2008, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-asshole-just-bombed-a-bank-near-me/477030 "2008-12-13T18:20:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2008, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-asshole-just-bombed-a-bank-near-me/477030/1 "2008-12-13T18:20:17Z")
Title says it all. [Link.](http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20081213/NEWS/812130339) I’ve got a suspicion that it’s going to turn out to be related to some idiot that is losing a house to foreclosure, but who knows? Whatever the goal, you just killed two cops. Asshole. I just can’t comprehend what thought process makes this seem like a good idea. And this happened just blocks from the credit union I work for. It jut leaves me feeling vulnerable, you know? I feel like I can defend me and mine from motives that I understand. Someone wants to rob me? They can have the money. Someone wants to steal my car? It’s insured. Someone wants to blow up my place of business? …what the hell am I supposed to do about that? ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2008, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-asshole-just-bombed-a-bank-near-me/477030/2 "2008-12-13T18:47:18Z")
Yikes. Why would they attempt to move it and inspect it themselves?! Where the hell was the Bomb Squad? You just don’t fuck around with that shit. ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2008, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-asshole-just-bombed-a-bank-near-me/477030/3 "2008-12-13T19:09:49Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > Yikes. > > Why would they attempt to move it and inspect it themselves?! Where the hell was the Bomb Squad? You just don’t fuck around with that shit. That WAS the bomb squad. One of the guys that died was a “certified hazardous device technician”. I have to believe they had a good reason for doing so. Although it seems like a bad idea at first glance. Maybe to get it inside the vault and minimize outside exposure to civilians? ---
**Author:** ![Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heffalump_and_roo/32/7691_2.png) [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heffalump_and_Roo)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2008, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-asshole-just-bombed-a-bank-near-me/477030/4 "2008-12-13T19:16:06Z")
> [@JSexton](#): > > Someone wants to blow up my place of business? …what the hell am I supposed to do about that? While the incident was indeed horrible, it was at least good to know that the people in the bank took the threat seriously and evacuated everyone out of the area. It is, however, a reminder that we can’t insulate ourselves from all destructive acts of others. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2008, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-asshole-just-bombed-a-bank-near-me/477030/5 "2008-12-13T21:22:59Z")
> [@JSexton](#): > > I’ve got a suspicion that it’s going to turn out to be related to some idiot that is losing a house to foreclosure Jesus fucking christ I will be pissed if this turns out to be the case. We’re so fucking materialistic that a bunch of fucking sticks nailed together with a roof over them is worth 2 lives? I’d rather sleep in the woods. Fuck. Mother fucker. Selfish mother fucker, who can’t take responsibility for his own choices that got him where he is. Look at me getting all worked up over something that might not even be true. ---
**Author:** ![Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heffalump_and_roo/32/7691_2.png) [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heffalump_and_Roo)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2008, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-asshole-just-bombed-a-bank-near-me/477030/6 "2008-12-13T21:26:09Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > Look at me getting all worked up over something that might not even be true. At least you’re taking responsibility for your choice to do so. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-asshole-just-bombed-a-bank-near-me/477030/7 "2008-12-14T04:56:01Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > Jesus fucking christ I will be pissed if this turns out to be the case. We’re so fucking materialistic that a bunch of fucking sticks nailed together with a roof over them is worth 2 lives? I’d rather sleep in the woods. Fuck. Mother fucker. Selfish mother fucker, who can’t take responsibility for his own choices that got him where he is. Look at me getting all worked up over something that might not even be true. Look on the bright side: at least this terrorist is killing people over something that actually exists. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-asshole-just-bombed-a-bank-near-me/477030/8 "2008-12-14T07:17:43Z")
I have a sneaking suspicion this is related to the Irish kid that was killed by the Woodburn cop a while back. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-asshole-just-bombed-a-bank-near-me/477030/9 "2008-12-14T12:28:11Z")
Anybody got a link to a text story on this? ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-asshole-just-bombed-a-bank-near-me/477030/10 "2008-12-14T22:24:03Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > Anybody got a link to a text story on this? [Link](http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/12/police_identify_colleagues_kil.html); > [@](#): > > At question is exactly what happened in the moments before the blast and, more specifically, what caused the bomb technician and the officers with decades of experience to move a suspicious item from a bush outside the building to the inside. Authorities declined to comment on such details until the investigation reaches some findings. Not wishing to berate the dead, but why move a device? Standard practise would have been I thought (from oh so many years of being rushed from bomb scares) you clear the area of anyone not supposed to be there and send in a robot. ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-asshole-just-bombed-a-bank-near-me/477030/11 "2008-12-15T16:03:25Z")
Update: A “person of interest” [has been arrested](http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008507290_apbankbombing.html); no further useful details, unfortunately. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-asshole-just-bombed-a-bank-near-me/477030/12 "2008-12-15T19:55:19Z")
> [@Pushkin](#): > > Not wishing to berate the dead, but why move a device? Standard practise would have been I thought (from oh so many years of being rushed from bomb scares) you clear the area of anyone not supposed to be there and send in a robot. I’d like to know that myself. It doesn’t make much sense. It may be that the officer thought it was too close to a roadway or something, and that they couldn’t guarrantee safety. Whatever happened, its friggin’ _terrible_. ---
**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-asshole-just-bombed-a-bank-near-me/477030/13 "2008-12-15T23:51:04Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > Jesus fucking christ I will be pissed if this turns out to be the case. We’re so fucking materialistic that a bunch of fucking sticks nailed together with a roof over them is worth 2 lives? I’d rather sleep in the woods. Fuck. Mother fucker. Selfish mother fucker, who can’t take responsibility for his own choices that got him where he is. Look at me getting all worked up over something that might not even be true. Well, as much as I despise the idea of killing innocents over any cause, it is not as if white collar criminals have their hands any less bloodied. Just as you say two lives for boards and nails, that guy can say a little bang over his own flesh and bones thrown to the harshness of the elements for a pencil pusher getting a new car. Is the bomber a fuckup, yes he is. Did this nonsense make sense in his mind, you bet it did. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-asshole-just-bombed-a-bank-near-me/477030/14 "2008-12-16T00:19:20Z")
I’ve had several bombings prevented in my neighborhood, and then they “locked down” the neighborhood. There was also a murder across the street from my apartment, and the cops went door-to-door to ask for info. “They were Armenians,” he said. Well, duh, most of us are. I’d actually been at the House of Pies at the time, and had nothing to say. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-asshole-just-bombed-a-bank-near-me/477030/15 "2008-12-16T01:12:33Z")
> [@smiling\_bandit](#): > > I’d like to know that myself. It doesn’t make much sense. It may be that the officer thought it was too close to a roadway or something, and that they couldn’t guarrantee safety. Word is, apparently, it was set off by cell phone. Maybe they were trying to get it in the vault to kill the signal? ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-asshole-just-bombed-a-bank-near-me/477030/16 "2008-12-16T02:08:42Z")
> [@E-Sabbath](#): > > Word is, apparently, it was set off by cell phone. Maybe they were trying to get it in the vault to kill the signal? Unlikely. Bank vaults don’t generally kill cell phone reception, though it degrades. We actually keep a cell phone in our vault in case someone gets locked in. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-asshole-just-bombed-a-bank-near-me/477030/17 "2008-12-16T23:26:07Z")
> [@Pushkin](#): > > Not wishing to berate the dead, but why move a device? Standard practise would have been I thought (from oh so many years of being rushed from bomb scares) you clear the area of anyone not supposed to be there and send in a robot. To expand on this: How common are bomb disposal robots in municipal, or regional, law enforcement tool chests? ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2008, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-asshole-just-bombed-a-bank-near-me/477030/18 "2008-12-17T01:00:00Z")
> [@smiling\_bandit](#): > > I’d like to know that myself. It doesn’t make much sense. It may be that the officer thought it was too close to a roadway or something, and that they couldn’t guarrantee safety. > > Whatever happened, its friggin’ _terrible_. From the link Pushkin provided, they had x-rayed the package and declared that it was a hoax package. They were opening it to look for other evidence. ---
**Author:** ![Rack-a-Bones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rack-a-Bones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rack-a-Bones)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2008, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-asshole-just-bombed-a-bank-near-me/477030/19 "2008-12-17T01:11:39Z")
> [@E-Sabbath](#): > > Word is, apparently, it was set off by cell phone. Maybe they were trying to get it in the vault to kill the signal? I hadn’t heard the cell phone angle. Was this reported somewhere or just ‘word on the street?’ > [@OtakuLoki](#): > > To expand on this: How common are bomb disposal robots in municipal, or regional, law enforcement tool chests? I am curious to know this as well. I thought they just used a robot to drop the package into a big iron tub then they take it out to a field somewhere and blow it up. The story in the paper sounded very odd to me. Leaving some employees in the bank then taking the package inside does not sound like SOP to me. I guess we have to wait for the investigation to conclude. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2008, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-asshole-just-bombed-a-bank-near-me/477030/20 "2008-12-17T04:33:34Z")
Reported briefly on the radio on the way into work the other day. Dunno if it’s true or not. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-asshole-just-bombed-a-bank-near-me/477030.md?page=2)