Explosion at the Boston Marathon

[MarchHare]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

I still think the terminology is bizarre. That would mean that every bomb (including ones used in legitimate warfare) are WMDs, but you never hear it put that way. It seems in the past that it was reserved for nuclear weapons. If this is the definition, then almost every civilian has WMD materials in their kitchen.

I also thought the WMD terminology was reserved for nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons, not conventional explosives. A more accurate description for the pressure cooker bombs used in Boston is an IED -- improvised explosive device.

According to wikipedia (consider the source), the term is used differently by the military than it is by civilian law enforcement agencies.

US Military definition of WMD:

For the general purposes of national defense, US Code defines a weapon of mass destruction as: any weapon or device that is intended, or has the capability, to cause death or serious bodily injury to a significant number of people through the release, dissemination, or impact of:
- toxic or poisonous chemicals or their precursors
- a disease organism
- radiation or radioactivity

US criminal code definition of WMD:

For the purposes of US criminal law concerning terrorism, weapons of mass destruction are defined as:
- any "destructive device" defined as any explosive, incendiary, or poison gas - bomb, grenade, rocket having a propellant charge of more than four ounces, missile having an explosive or incendiary charge of more than one-quarter ounce, mine, or device similar to any of the devices described in the preceding clauses
- any weapon that is designed or intended to cause death or serious bodily injury through the release, dissemination, or impact of toxic or poisonous chemicals, or their precursors
- any weapon involving a biological agent, toxin, or vector
- any weapon that is designed to release radiation or radioactivity at a level dangerous to human life

Emphasis added.

So I guess a home-made conventional explosive device counts as a WMD from the perspective of US law enforcement, but that does seem odd to me.

[Temporary_User]

It is the same thing they are doing with guns at the moment. Anything is an "assault weapon" and any rifle is an "assault rifle".

It's a way to create fear and implement larger penalties on the guilty.

[valo403]

Originally Posted by Temporary_User

It is the same thing they are doing with guns at the moment. Anything is an "assault weapon" and any rifle is an "assault rifle".

It's a way to create fear and implement larger penalties on the guilty.

[Thor]

Uggh, why did I bother getting into an FB argument over this Boston conspiracy theory...

Why can't skepticd and snopes hurry up and debunk more of this nonsense...

[Montana Moe]

Originally Posted by Thor

Uggh, why did I bother getting into an FB argument over this Boston conspiracy theory...

Why can't skepticd and snopes hurry up and debunk more of this nonsense...

Heh, I've used Snopes quite a bit to refute claims like this. I was then informed that Snopes is in the tank for the liberals.

You just can't win with some people.

[trackercowe]

Originally Posted by valo403

What? The Bruins games have been getting an absolute ton of attention, even on ESPN where hockey rarely makes an appearance.

Not from what I've seen. They got attention when the fans sang the anthem during the game last week, but no attention from the game on the weekend. It doesn't really matter a whole lot, but I always though that Boston was more of a hockeytown, instead of baseball.

[valo403]

Originally Posted by trackercowe

Not from what I've seen. They got attention when the fans sang the anthem during the game last week, but no attention from the game on the weekend. It doesn't really matter a whole lot, but I always though that Boston was more of a hockeytown, instead of baseball.

Well Boston is definitely a Red Sox town above anything, always has been. There's also the fact that it was the first Sox game since the bombings, so it got inflated attention just like the first Bruins game did.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Somehow I don't see mama and papa ever being allowed in the US, what with him threatening to exact justice last week. Goddamn are they crazy

The mother of the Boston bombing suspects said today that her sons were only guilty of being Muslims.

Zubeidat Tsarnaeva left her house accompanied by her brother-in-law and tried to evade the crowd of television cameras that followed her. She ignored questions from reporters, but when ABC News asked her "What did your son do?" Tsarnaeva turned and shouted "My son just was Muslim. My son was Muslim, that's it."

The parents plan to travel to the United States to collect Tamerlan's body, the lawyer said.

"The father wants to go to the United States to find justice," he said.

In a phone interview with ABC News on Monday, Tsarnaeva said she had encouraged Tamerlan to embrace Islam about five years ago. Tamerlan traveled to this restive region in southern Russia, home to an Islamic insurgency, last year for about six months. Investigators are exploring whether he became radicalized during that trip or met any militants here. Family members insist Tamerlan's views of Islam were formed in the United States.

http://gma.yahoo.com/bomb-suspects-m...opstories.html

[Flabbibulin]

Originally Posted by spiteface

it is nonetheless interesting... you may or may not agree with it. to add to it, here is further clarification:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmMlkVrrbh0

It never ceases to amaze me how conspiracy nuts like Alex Jones will list off all of the intricate details and planning that went into these supposed "false-flag" attacks by the government, only to mistakenly out themselves in the most idiotic manner.

"oops I'm a secret government agent, but I guess I shouldn't have been holding the detonator in plain sight where thousands of people are undoubtedly taking pictures"

or

"oops, I guess we shouldn't have all coordinated the exact same god damn outfits if we are supposed to be secret government agents"...

Not related to this case, but the one that takes the cake is the story of how Larry Silverstein, one of the supposed masterminds of 9/11, supposedly outed the truth of the controlled implosion of the WTC by oops, accidentally admitting on national television that he said "pull it" right before they pulled the switch on the controlled demolition. "Oops, I guess I shouldn't have spent hundreds of millions of dollars over the course of many years secretly planning the biggest scheme in the history of the world, and then accidentally admit to it on national bloody television..."

Seriously people, if a secret government organization had the intention, or capabilities, of pulling off something like this, it wouldn't resemble an episode of Archer.

[Cheerio]

AP twitter account hacked? Saying 2 explosions at the white house and Barrack Obama is injured

EDIT: now saying they were hacked

[afc wimbledon]

In the end vast government conspiracies are tremendously comforting to nutters, far more comforting than the true random and uncontrollable nature of the world, it's a sort of religious faith for the morally lazy, you get to believe in a higher power but don't actually have to do anything or give up Internet porn.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Flabbibulin

It never ceases to amaze me how conspiracy nuts like Alex Jones will list off all of the intricate details and planning that went into these supposed "false-flag" attacks by the government, only to mistakenly out themselves in the most idiotic manner.

"oops I'm a secret government agent, but I guess I shouldn't have been holding the detonator in plain sight where thousands of people are undoubtedly taking pictures"

or

"oops, I guess we shouldn't have all coordinated the exact same god damn outfits if we are supposed to be secret government agents"...

Not related to this case, but the one that takes the cake is the story of how Larry Silverstein, one of the supposed masterminds of 9/11, supposedly outed the truth of the controlled implosion of the WTC by oops, accidentally admitting on national television that he said "pull it" right before they pulled the switch on the controlled demolition. "Oops, I guess I shouldn't have spent hundreds of millions of dollars over the course of many years secretly planning the biggest scheme in the history of the world, and then accidentally admit to it on national bloody television..."

Seriously people, if a secret government organization had the intention, or capabilities, of pulling off something like this, it wouldn't resemble an episode of Archer.

It sounds weird but the one that got me laughing in that layout of photo ones was the guy wearing the cap with the Skull on it that supposedly symbolizes Seal Team 5.

These guys,the Seals are some of the best insertive combat operators on the planet, they plan their operations down to the instant, second, nanosecond step count everything, and your telling me that they're going to wear an identifying hat?

I just laughed really hard at that.

"Hey Bob, I'm gonna totally wear my seal team hat when we bomb the marathon"

"Yeah Jim, lets totally mess with the conspiracy theory ######s"

[Mean Mr. Mustard]

The worst part is that you can sense how giddy Alex Jones is at the fact that there was a terror attack because he can put out a video of random conclusions based upon blurry pictures and ridiculous conjecture. The guy likely has a mental condition like schizophrenia because he has all of the classic trademarks... paranoid, delusional (including delusions of grandeur), disorganized thinking is apparent from his videos. More than anything it is a sad state of affairs that he has a soapbox to spout off his nonsense from and that people listen.

[Cowperson]

Originally Posted by Mean Mr. Mustard

The worst part is that you can sense how giddy Alex Jones is at the fact that there was a terror attack because he can put out a video of random conclusions based upon blurry pictures and ridiculous conjecture. The guy likely has a mental condition like schizophrenia because he has all of the classic trademarks... paranoid, delusional (including delusions of grandeur), disorganized thinking is apparent from his videos. More than anything it is a sad state of affairs that he has a soapbox to spout off his nonsense from and that people listen.

I'd say he's more of a lucid money-making machine with a lot of suckers jiggling on the line.

Its quite awesome actually. I love free enterprise!!!

Cowperson

[puckluck2]

Alex Jones is pathetic.

I watched one of his YouTube videos just to get a sense of who he was and 3 minutes in I was just embarrassed another human can be that stupid, and then an advertisement started playing in the middle of his rant LOL.

He must be like Eklund where he makes up stuff for the hits and the money he makes off the advertisements. He probably doesn't believe a word he says, but knows there are gullible people who do.

[Flabbibulin]

His reporter at the news conference tells you all you need to know when he uses phrases like "was youse guys" and "why was people being told"

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Cowperson

I'd say he's more of a lucid money-making machine with a lot of suckers jiggling on the line.

Its quite awesome actually. I love free enterprise!!!

Cowperson

This. Guys like Alex Jones and other celebrity conspiracy nuts are money making machines, and this is bingo night for him. Wonder how much a 10 second advertising spot on his radio show is this week.

Celebrity conspiracy theorist are this generations PT Barnum

[valo403]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

This. Guys like Alex Jones and other celebrity conspiracy nuts are money making machines, and this is bingo night for him. Wonder how much a 10 second advertising spot on his radio show is this week.

Celebrity conspiracy theorist are this generations PT Barnum

I wonder who advertises on his show. Gun makers? Companies that install panic rooms or make bunkers? I assume Truck Nutz takes up a fairly large portion.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Ugh, hate to kind of defend Alex Jones, but most of his content is available for free, so its not a money grab per se. I think the guy is literally bat####. Glenn Beck making $85 million last year, now there's a cash grab.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by puckluck2

Alex Jones is pathetic.

I watched one of his YouTube videos just to get a sense of who he was and 3 minutes in I was just embarrassed another human can be that stupid, and then an advertisement started playing in the middle of his rant LOL.

He must be like Eklund where he makes up stuff for the hits and the money he makes off the advertisements. He probably doesn't believe a word he says, but knows there are gullible people who do.

I actually think the guy is seriously ill.

The thing that gets me about conspiracy theorists is how every goddamn thing to them is a conspiracy. It's not just one event being an isolated cover-up, or an occasional cover-up or conspiracy, but every single high profile event.