KSL is reporting a short blurb about a "Man accused of setting off mall bomb". I thought this would have made bigger news, someone setting off a bomb at the Provo Towne Centre Mall. But, upon reading the article, it turns out to be a stupid choice of words and rather the over reaction by police. The moron filled a water bottle with liquid nitrogen (so they claim, probably more likely to be dry ice, where would he get liquid nitrogren? you actually can't just walk into the Chemistry department and buy it willy-nilly).
A water bottled filled with something cold. That's apparently considered an "explosive device", gimme a friggin' break. We did that kind of stuff all the time when I was a kid. We didn't use dry ice, but an expanding chemical reaction from food heaters found in MREs. Guess someone better retroactively charge me with several counts of making an explosive device. The main difference being that we popped them in our yard and not in a public location filled with people.
The kid is obviously a moron to pop a bottle like that in a public location, but he probably should have been charged with criminal mischief and/or disturbing the peace. But no, we'd rather make it sound like he's a "terrorist" trying to blow people up. Being charged with "making an explosive device" is the same kind of charge you get if you make pipe bombs in your basement. I would consider this to be a wholly lesser offense.
Now I have a question though. The article says the police and fire department responded because the device set off the fire alarms. Why would it set off a fire alarm? It's just a loud noise. Are the alarms sensitive to sudden pressure changes? or have the alarms actually be redesigned to include microphones that trigger for loud sudden blasts, much like gunfire would produce? Hmmm...
#411, in which the weary world rejoices
7 years ago
3 comments:
Guess your background check wasn't thorough enough. ;)
The water bottle exploded in a service hallway behind a mall business. Because there was so much dust on the floor there, it kicked up the settled dust and thus, set off the fire alarms. Yes, there is WAY over-reaction by police and emergency personnel. I have had a water bottle blow up in my hand while I was holding it with water and liquid nitrogen sealed in it. It hurt, but it did not harm anyone else around, and I still had complete use of my hand.
Umm when my neighbors do that the bottles end up on top of our roof...so they do something in addition to making a loud noise. Not to mention potential for causing panic. I have no sympathy for someone making dry ice bombs and setting them off in a retail establishment. Also, the next time you see him, ask my husband what happened when they set them off on some girl's front step.
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