The bombing in NYC reminded me of a photo I've posted before of a pressure cooker bomb. A very simple device, motorcycle battery, some kind of timing device, and a large (in this case, the one in NYC is believed to be much smaller) pressure cooker filled with an explosive. Cheap but can be very effective.
The pressure cooker bomb pictured was found on the Kabul airport and is now in the Afghan Munitions Museum, the fellow standing is the Museum Curator. The one kneeling was our base manager.
Always remember the purpose of terrorism isn't the death and destruction but to make people do dumb things, to make people over react and self destruct. After 9/11 it worked like a charm.
Nice to have someone providing a bit of background info, and calm reassurance. It would be great if the TV news cycle made room for more of the same.
ReplyDeleteThanks Paul,
ReplyDeleteWe lost our compass 15 years ago and still have not recovered.
ken
True, the world has changed since 9/11 and not all for the best. Sadly, Fear mongering is alive and well.
ReplyDeleteI lost a few friends over in Afghanistan to IEDs, at one of my Sqn member funeral, i was shocked to hear how many IEDs he had disarmed in a the few months he was over. The one that got him was a secondary explosives under the main big one which he got safe. That was in a school for girls....
RIP brother.
Bob, having sobering thoughts
Bob,
ReplyDeleteWhen were you in Afghanistan? I was there, IIRC, the winter of '05. At that time it wasn't too bad as far as safety went. You could walk the streets and eat at the local cafes. BTW, I still crave the naan and fat tail sheep kabobs. My friends that are still doing tours never leave the compound other than to work.
What was a beautiful country is now a mass of ordnance with, I would guess, close to 10 to 20% of the population of Kabul missing limbs.
ken
Just one more thought: Folks in the US piss in their pants if a "other" says "boo". We as a nation need to see the world and maybe realize we are all the same, all with the same wants and needs. Once we internalize there is no "other" terrorism will lose its power to make us do dumb things.
ReplyDeleteHaving said all that, war zones can be dangerous places, the streets of Tucson or even NYC not so much.