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mapsedgeSo, now we've banned lighters from airplanes...
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&e=2&u=/ap/20050414/ap_on_re_us/air_travelers_lighters&sid=84439559
The driver behind all this is Richard Reid, the guy who tried to light his shoes on fire. What gets me, and what I feel constrained to comment on, is an old chestnut that goes something like, "closing the barn door after the horse is out." If a terrorist is hell-bent on killing someone, no ban, no law, no enforcement is going to stop that from happening. Do you hear that Congress? NOTHING can prevent a dedicated villain from practicing his craft. The only way Richard Reid could have been stopped was to identify him beforehand and not let him on the plane.
There's a sign on the door of the local library: "No weapons allowed." Everytime I see it, I silently ask it "And if someone was carrying a weapon, how many of the out of shape retirement-age females in this building could a bad guy mow down before one of the aforementioned librarians would succeed in calling 911, let alone confiscating the disallowed weapon?" The thought is actually much shorter, but a lot less accurate, so there you are.
So, now we have this law. No lighters. You can carry up to four matchbooks, but no lighters. The reasoning? According to Ron Wyden, "A lighter might have worked."
You are One Stupid Fucker™, Wyden.
The problem wasn't the flame, it was the target material. Not enough oxidizable material, maybe, or an errant breeze that kept the material from igniting. Ever try to set fire to a tennis shoe? Ever heard of fire-resistance possessed by just about every material that goes into a shoe?
How can the American people not hang their heads in despair, and why do we keep electing the same people to office? (Never, EVER vote for an incumbent, folks!) It wasn't a lighter that brought down the Twin Towers...it was...
Hey! Wait... I've got a terrific idea! Why didn't Congress think of this one?
We need to ban airplanes.
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&e=2&u=/ap/20050414/ap_on_re_us/air_travelers_lighters&sid=84439559
The driver behind all this is Richard Reid, the guy who tried to light his shoes on fire. What gets me, and what I feel constrained to comment on, is an old chestnut that goes something like, "closing the barn door after the horse is out." If a terrorist is hell-bent on killing someone, no ban, no law, no enforcement is going to stop that from happening. Do you hear that Congress? NOTHING can prevent a dedicated villain from practicing his craft. The only way Richard Reid could have been stopped was to identify him beforehand and not let him on the plane.
There's a sign on the door of the local library: "No weapons allowed." Everytime I see it, I silently ask it "And if someone was carrying a weapon, how many of the out of shape retirement-age females in this building could a bad guy mow down before one of the aforementioned librarians would succeed in calling 911, let alone confiscating the disallowed weapon?" The thought is actually much shorter, but a lot less accurate, so there you are.
So, now we have this law. No lighters. You can carry up to four matchbooks, but no lighters. The reasoning? According to Ron Wyden, "A lighter might have worked."
You are One Stupid Fucker™, Wyden.
The problem wasn't the flame, it was the target material. Not enough oxidizable material, maybe, or an errant breeze that kept the material from igniting. Ever try to set fire to a tennis shoe? Ever heard of fire-resistance possessed by just about every material that goes into a shoe?
How can the American people not hang their heads in despair, and why do we keep electing the same people to office? (Never, EVER vote for an incumbent, folks!) It wasn't a lighter that brought down the Twin Towers...it was...
Hey! Wait... I've got a terrific idea! Why didn't Congress think of this one?
We need to ban airplanes.