Letters to the Editor
KitchenGirl
Published Letters: 642 Editor's Choice: 39
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You do, in fact, have the right to remain silent
[Read the article: Is Star Simpson's "fake bomb" just an art jacket?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Now, did you exactly tell me what was in that catapult?
Of course not. Want to know why? *Because it's none of your damn business*. The posession of a trebuchet is not illegal. The objects in the basket are not illegal. The direction in which it is pointed is not illegal. Not one thing about the owenership and operation of said trebuchet is illegal, and none of the folks who built it or use it are required by any law to answer your questions about it.
Once again: your inability to understand me/objects in my possession/my style of clothing does not make me a terrorist, nor does it make me guilty of "terroristic threats". I would actually have to threaten to engage in terrorist activity for that to be the case.
The MIT student didn't. She simply stopped answering questions about the blinky star pinned to her sweatshirt.
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How about hiring some MIT electrical engineering grads?
[Read the article: Is Star Simpson's "fake bomb" just an art jacket?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]At the instant I saw the "bomb" I knew it wasn't one. A battery, a circuit board, some LED's and battery. Give me a break. I want to see the certification curriculum for the TSA. If these guys think that is bomb beyond the very first inspection, they are simply idiots. I can understand them reacting and pulling the weapons, but after 60 seconds they should have apologized. But of course, they would never do that. It is much safer to just book her. The irony here is that this young woman could easily design a bomb that none of TSA guys would find in 1 out of 1000 inspections. If this story tells us anything about the TSA's competence it says we are wasting a lot time and money.
I was thinking this same thing today. If they really are so concerned about explosive devices, why don't they hire someone who actually knows something about explosives, wiring, and electrical engineering? Can it possibly be that there is nobody staffed at Logan who could have been brought over quickly to determine what was on her jacket?
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Bad art is not a crime!
[Read the article: Is Star Simpson's "fake bomb" just an art jacket?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Hopefully not Star Simpson...that thing looks like it was built by a 12 year old. But I guess she hasn't graduated yet.
Well, yeah. With everyone (including me) talking about art and genius and all that, its kind of worth noting that her "art" was pretty juvenile and if I was a recruiter coming to career day I'd probably pass on that and go for the dude with the disco ball on his bike.
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Hiding in plain sight
[Read the article: Is Star Simpson's "fake bomb" just an art jacket?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]What does a bomb look like?
A sneaker, and a checked suitcase. The former is what Richard Reid had in his possession, the latter is what took down Pan Am 103. How many people carrying suitcases are being charged with possession of a "hoax device"?
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Actual danger doesn't make itself known, on purpose
[Read the article: Is Star Simpson's "fake bomb" just an art jacket?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]To those sneering that we should know what a bomb looks like,the Lockerbie bomb was plastic explosives hidden in a walkman. That didn't look like a bomb, and cell phones are used to set off bombs today.
That's exactly the point. Real bombs -- the ones that kill and injure people -- are made and operated using everyday materials, and are hidden in plain sight so as to maximize the damage done. They're not made out of 9-volt batteries attached to a set of LED lights in the shape of a star. Given that, why isn't every single person with a cellphone, briefcase, mp3 player, and secure suitcase being held down at gunpoint for carrying a "hoax device?"
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What is it they do again?
[Read the article: Is Star Simpson's "fake bomb" just an art jacket?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]That was a really stupid act on her part, especially if she was holding putty in her hands as well. She's totally socially inept.
Not illegal.
By the way, her boyfriend is 42- not relevant but a little age inappropriate and makes you wonder about this girl.
Not illegal.
The guards put a lot of people in danger, and this shows that no one really knows how to respond to this situation in crowds.
BIG problem, but it shouldn't be made *her* problem.
To those sneering that we should know what a bomb looks like,the Lockerbie bomb was plastic explosives hidden in a walkman. That didn't look like a bomb, and cell phones are used to set off bombs today.
You don't have to know, and I don't have to know but airport security should know. It's their ONLY JOB.
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Where are the experts?
[Read the article: Is Star Simpson's "fake bomb" just an art jacket?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]How is the customer service rep supposed to react, she's there to give info, not be an explosives expert, which everyone else here is.
The info desk clerk doesn't have to know what a bomb looks like, but AIRPORT SECURITY damn well should be able to tell modelling clay from C4, which is apparently very easy for anyone who has any experience with explosives, according to the lady who forwarded info from her military buddy below.
Isn't that the point of having trained staff on hand, to make rapid determinations about relative threats, and be able disable/disarm/defuse the person or situation as warranted? If this is really as much of a concern as MassPort (etc) wants us to belive, where are the experts? Do they have any on hand?
Am I reaching here? Do I watch too many movies? I was in Heathrow three days after Pan Am 103 and that place was crawling with SAS. You could tell that those guys knew their shit. The last time I was in Logan I the closest thing I had to "security" was a tiny woman who barely spoke English got all bent out of shape because the hairstyle on my passport photo (long and over the shoulders) didn't match the hairstyle that was on my head at the moment (tied up in a bun.) FSM forfend that someone get a haircut or change styles in the *eight years* since that photo was taken. Who are these people?