The explosives are the bomb Kevin. Otherwise it's no different from a laptop or a CD player. In fact you can hide a bomb in a laptop, but an exposed circuit board shows clearly it is not a bomb. It's clearly less of a threat (and by less of, I mean not). Heck I'm sure some people still have those see-through music players - should they be arrested because the guards want to not see the insides?

-Rudey

Explosives typically need some other thing (e.g., a blasting cap) to make them work.

I'm not 100% sold on any conclusion here. For now, I'm simply saying that I'm content with the determination of whoever has handled the initial charges.

I'm certain that there'll be further investigation, and if merited, a dismissal.

That said, if she did intend to tweak security, that is probably enough to make what she did a crime.

I see where you're coming from -- that the security personnel abused their discretion by even detaining her for this, but the situation just doesn't seem to be as clear cut as you seem to want to make it out to be.

If having a bomb is a bad thing and it is...and the point trying to be driven home is that you need a bomb, then what was with security tightening up last year that only allowed people to bring only so much liquid into an airport to get on a plane.

Because a BOMB doesn't have to look obvious enough to be....a bomb.


bomb (bm) KEY

NOUN:


An explosive weapon detonated by impact, proximity to an object, a timing mechanism, or other means.
An atomic or nuclear bomb. Used with the.
Any of various weapons detonated to release destructive material, such as smoke or gas.

A container capable of withstanding high internal pressure.
A vessel for storing compressed gas.
A portable, manually operated container that ejects a spray, foam, or gas under pressure.


http://education.yahoo.com/reference...ary/entry/bomb

Sometimes it is that clear.

The bomb is the explosives, not the circuit board, and there was nothing resembling an explosive. There was no gun powder, dynamite, very large liquid container attached to it, plastique, etc.
Circuit boards are in all devices like laptops which are legal.

-Rudey

She had two handfuls of playdough. I'm assuming to simulate plastique.

There were wires coming out of the laptop.

It's a federal crime (a misdemeanor) to even joke to airline personnel about having a bomb. The possession of a device made to appear to be a bomb? That can possibly be a felony.

Now you tell me -- was what she constructed -- a circuit board with wires coming out of it going into two fistfuls of playdough made to resemble a circuit board or a bomb? Consider the venue.

Did the cops overreact? It's hard to say. In a post-9/11 world, I'm not certain overreaction is possible. If the device was constructed to give the appearance of a bomb, that's a crime. Maybe just a misdemeanor, but it's a crime.

Here's the law I think she's charged under:

-- the act prohibited of course has to do with bomb making/possession, etc.

A 19 year old female M.I.T. student was arrested at gunpoint after entering Boston's Logan International Airport with what authorities claim was "a fake bomb" strapped to her chest, according to wire reports. The device is said to have been some kind of computer circuit board with Play-Doh and wires attached, strapped over her black hoodie. Link to AP report on her arrest.

The young woman is identified as Star Simpson, shown in the image above left, and she is a sophomore from Hawaii.



http://www.boingboing.net/2007/09/21...-arrested.html


and then you have to take this in exception also:

same place:

The city was the focus of a major security scare Jan. 31 when dozens of battery-powered devices were discovered in various locations. Bomb squads were deployed and some transportation links were closed temporarily. They turned out to be a promotion for the Cartoon Network.

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/...b_N.htm?csp=34


want the smoking gun?

watch the video for the cops' side of the story:

http://usatoday.feedroom.com/index.j...terstitialskip

nice lil part where they asked her to stop and she kept on going....hmmmm

She had clay like substance that was obviously used to stimulate plastique. Then she attached wires to it and ran it to the circuit board, laptop, etc.

Glad you read the article. Dumbass.

http://multimedia.heraldinteractive....921device3.jpg

That's the sweatshirt.

You see that and the first thing you think is bomb? Where are the explosives?

Also, let's pretend it was a bomb. Why would someone walk around with something exposed like that? Don't they keep them wrapped up? She wore this all over Boston, in the streets, in the airport (prior to her asking a question at the help desk) and wasn't a danger and then, bam, all of a sudden she is.

she also didn't pass through any security zones and someone with a sub machine gun accosted her; I'm not sure if you've ever fired a rapid automatic to understand how it lacks precision, but I can vouch that it would be bad news in an airport full of crowds. Plus, it's also really weird that they have silencers on those sub machine guns - because you know, when you're spraying bullets into a crowd you don't want them to hear what's coming.

I'm adding something I saw someone else write on another board:

-Rudey

Rudey, explosives are not always visible to the eye. In fact, they're often not.

Even though they're sometimes hidden, other times people don't care about hiding the bombs strapped to their bodies because all they care about are blowing some people up when they get around a crowd.

The police reacting to this chick at the airport didn't know she was a MIT nerd. Or that this improvised electronics device on her sweatshirt was her form of artistic expression. What they DID know was that it was ODD, and ODD does not "fly" at the airport.

Sorry, you can't be seen as strange at the airport anymore. You're going to be seen as suspicious or worth detaining. And that's fine with me, because that's actually one of the better ways to catch terrorists if you ask me.

So they didn't see explosives on her or any other person there that day?

And she was fine and accepted and didn't even attempt to fly (she was picking someone up). It wasn't until after she went to a help desk to ask a question and then left the airport, and was outside on one of the islands that they approached her. Clearly she wasn't a concern this entire time or in the airport and then magically, she became a concern.

But I'm glad they stopped her too. I don't want any borg terrorists running around. I've seen Star Trek and know what they're capable of.

-Rudey

No, a bomb is an explosive AND some kind of device to detonate it.

Like some kind of electronic device maybe.

Which might include a circuit board with wires running to the explosive.

Plastique isn't particularly dangerous without a detonator.

It appears, at least, that this fake device looked like it had both.

Look at the picture and tell me where that explosive is. I can't seem to find it but your eyes are probably better than mine. The mountain air and all that.

Again, she wasn't a danger all over Boston or even in the airport but somehow magically she became one outside the airport so they sent someone with a high power automatic weapon after her (with a silencer I might add). And of course, Boston seems to have a history of incidences similar to this.

I've seen Terminator. The thought of robots with explosives freaks me out. They should have shot her.

-Rudey

Nope, I can't see it either. However I'm not one of the airport employees or police officers who were on the scene. They might have seen something that isn't visible in a one dimensional picture.

It's also probably good to remember where part of the 9/11 hijacked aircraft attack originated. Logan Airport as I recall. They might be a little more touchy about security than some other places.

It probably speaks to the professionalism of the State Police that someone didn't react more strongly.

The woman is lucky. Dumb, but lucky.

You can use shoes and liquids and ipods to blow up a plane so it's hardly beyond imagination that this chick from MIT could find some way to do something equally as dumb.

Actually if you ask me, the police are lucky. They're lucky that they made a stupid mistake and get to have the media on their side. They're lucky they didn't kill her or anyone around her walking around with those big silenced guns. And when they add another incident just like this to their list, I'm sure they'll be lucky again.

-Rudey