"Islam is rabidly anti-science, and what a good thing that is, because it seems to have meant that even an engineering student bungled his mass murder for Allah." That's what the world needs now: hardcore Muslim terrorists so stupid that they'll end up destroying themselves in their bumbling attempts to kill anybody who isn't like them. Seems to me that kind of stupidity is our only hope (only half-kidding here). I want the new year to be chock full of failed terrorists winning Darwin Awards! :-)

Definition of Irony - Ads selected for me while viewing this page include muslima.com, the international Muslim matrimonial site.

The option to browse photos now is likely a waste of time - Dark black burqa, light black burqa, off-black burqa...

"I want the new year to be chock full of failed terrorists winning Darwin Awards!"

For 2009, I nominate Abdullah Hassan Taleh Al Asiri. This intrepid jihadi set out to evade security & assassinate the Saudi Deputy Interior Minister by hiding his bomb in his rectum. He failed to consider that the location of his bomb would direct the force of the blast away from his intended target, so his victim just ended up terrified & splattered with suicide bomber shit:

http://www.jihadwatch.org/2009/08/pull-my-finger-jihadist-who-blew-himself-up-on-saudi-princes-private-jet-hid-explosives-in-his-anus.html

It's not that funny when you think about the implications for airport security, though. Sharp objects, liquids, and now electronics have been banned. Eventually, every prospective passenger will be strip-searched & forced to fly naked & handcuffed to their seat.

From the descriptions of the device (sounds like the same ones you heard) it sounds like a thermite device, but could be something else. Thermite would burn a hole through the side of the plane and be devastating at altitude.

Thermite would burn a hole through the side of the plane and be devastating at altitude -suki

No it wouldnt, you'd have a loss of cabin presure and have to use the oxegyn masks.

I dont think most people undertand how large of a hole you would have to create inorder to achieve explosive decompression.

And quite frankly liquds are not going to do it for you unless you have gallons of it.

Thermite is cool and burns at thousands of degrees but it only goes down - its great for trashing a guys engine block but it isnt going to down an airplane unless you use it to cut off a wing and that'd be quite a feat at 30000 ft and 500mph

Remember, moderate Islam is Islam not practiced correctely -- not practiced according to the Quran, which is meant to be taken literally, and which orders Muslims to convert or kill the infidel (anybody who doesn't believe as Muslims do). Also, murderous pedophile Mohammed's actions are "sunnah" -- to be emulated -- from marrying a child of 6 and having sex with her at 9, to mass murder for his own gain. In other words, Abdulmutallab was just following his religion's orders.

And yes, take it from this atheist, who is no fan of the evidence-free belief in god, but who understands that one form of it is truly dangerous to our western freedoms and our lives. Think about it, as this Muslim terrorist was trying to mass-murder a plane of people, Christians were probably in church or soon on their way to church to hear pastors preach about peace, love, and goodwill toward men; about turning the other cheek; about giving to the poor. -Amy Alkon

You know, I may bash christian over the head with the stupid incongruites of their religions(over 3000 recognised forms of Jebus out there)

But at least most of them are upfront about the fact that they have to ignore most of their gods commandments to feel good about themselves and their religion

lujlp,

Thermite would burn a hole through the side of the plane and be devastating at altitude -suki

No it wouldnt, you'd have a loss of cabin presure (sic) and have to use the oxegyn (sic) masks.

Just that little tiny pen bomb that violated the skin of a passenger jet in the 1980s and ended up ripping the whole side of a section out? It was a flight from Italy to someplace.

No, violating the container will cause a violent decompression.

I dont think most people undertand (sic) how large of a hole you would have to create inorder to achieve explosive decompression.

And some ignore history.

And quite frankly liquds are not going to do it for you unless you have gallons of it.

And, quite frankly, you don't know the first thing about chemistry. Why don't you try looking this up before spouting? Thermite isn't a liquid, it is iron oxide and usually aluminium. Ever hear of The Wiki? Go take a look. Maybe do a word search for glycerin on the page to so you don't miss the correct paragraph about what the liquid is for.

Thermite is cool and burns at thousands of degrees but it only goes down - its great for trashing a guys engine block but it isnt going to down an airplane unless you use it to cut off a wing and that'd be quite a feat at 30000 ft and 500mph

The belly of the plane would be down. Are you directionally challenged too?

Maybe it wouldn't work, it didn't this time thank God, but you are seriously full of incorrect assumptions in your "argument."

Islam is rabidly anti-science, and what a good thing that is, because it seems to have meant that even an engineering student bungled his mass murder for Allah.

The Gang (ROP) really screwed the pooch on this one, thank God.

Luj - You'd need quite a lot of thermite to make a hole sufficient to compromise the fuselage.

A bullet won't do it, but a reasonable explosion next to the outer wall could.

The operating theory here is that this punk had a binary explosive. If the demo I saw linked elsewhere (mypetjawa?) is any indication, a very small amount could at least kill some people.

Suki, stick around, we need a chemist in here. Especially one who's full of piss and vinegar.

Also, Hitchens warned us in 2001 that the Nigerians were going to be a problem.

Suki, i mentioned liquids due to the TSA stupid polices - I tend to jump tracks within a subject.

Thermite is not iron oxide and usually aluminum

It is a mixture of a powdered reactive metal mixed with a oxidized metal. Dozens of various combiniations

Aluminium and magneseum are the most often used and depending on the intened function of the thermite reaction any sort of powdered rusted metal will do.

Most people cooking up their own will use magnesium as most sporting goods stores sell blocks of them as a fire starter.

The burning magnesuim, or aluminum, will chemical strip the oxegen away from the rusted metal base while at the same time produceing a sufficantly hot reaction to melt the oxidized metal.

The hole created would not be large enough to cause an explosive decompresion and unless the molten metal hit a fuel line or the oxegen line, quite frankly the biggest threat posed by a thermite device would be some idiot pouring water on it

lujp,

Thermite is not iron oxide and usually aluminum

It is a mixture of a powdered reactive metal mixed with a oxidized metal. Dozens of various combiniations

If you don't know, just from reading the words, that Iron Oxide is an oxidized metal and you are still unaware that Aluminium is the most common metal paired with it when making thermite then I am done with your stupidity. Sounds like you thought I was describing chunks rather than powder too. Whatever.

ABC news radio reports that the terrorist had PETN and it was enough to blow a hole in the airplane. They report it was sewn into his underwear. The LA Times says is was just below his torso in a condom.

What I want to know is how the fuck did he get PETN through any explosives detection system? Or do they not detect PETN?

Fuck, when I flew out of Sweden a few years back, they swabbed my laptop looking for explosives residue.

No, they're just fastidiously tidy.

One of these things happened a few years ago. Worth looking up? OK.

Here.

That was a pretty good blog comment, if I do say so myself! Unfortunately I stole most of it from somebody else, I forget who... Including the theme that goes Terrorism crises don't bring out the best in people, but speak to their workaday fear of unfamiliar things.

And chemistry is one of those things. The question has never been satisfactorily answered: Is a movie-style binary chemical weapon on a plane a workable/probable threat, or isn't it?

See also the last line of that blog post... I stole that sentiment from other people, too: "When shit goes down, it's *passengers* who make the difference."