Originally Posted by
Superguy
Ron, do you know how to read?
Bojinka was liquid TNT stabilized with cotton ball-like materials. It became a solid explosive at that point.
SG, I don’t know what to say. I posted some of the specifics on the device, and you completely failed to understand. Here, I’ll try again.
“The "Mark II" "microbombs" had Casio digital watches as the timers, stabilizers that looked like cotton wool balls, and an undetectable nitroglycerin as the explosive. Other ingredients included glycerin, nitrate, sulfuric acid, and minute concentrations of nitrobenzene, silver azide (silver trinitride), and liquid acetone.”
Not a solid dude, but liquid. Putting a liquid into cotton balls does not make that liquid a solid.
TSA's policy in place, which has it in a contact lens solution bottle, would have passed it thru. X-rays wouldn't have detected it, neither would the shoe carnival.
Not quite SG. Close, but no cigar. TSA’s policy in place requires testing for any medically necessary liquid in a container greater than 3.4 ounces in size.
Only thing that would have detected it is the ETP and puffers.
Actually, there are several things that could have detected it. Technology is always advancing.
And I really don't see what Reid has to do with the point at hand when we're talking about liquid explosives. You also talked about one nut case wasn't successful and the all out assault on shoes. Yet you ignore Pan Am 103, which used a cargo bomb, and TSA has done very little to counteract that claim.
The point was that there is always a “first”. The reason they call it “first” is because there is usually a “second” and a “third”, and so on.
As for the cargo aspect, the bomb on PanAm 103 was not cargo but checked luggage. A Samsonite suitcase to be specific.
I ask you again, what was so special about Richard Reid, who was unsuccessful, vs. a cargo bomb on Pan Am 103 that WAS successful? The fact that it happened in the cabin where pax can see vs. under the belly where pax wouldn't? Kinda shows that TSA focuses more on show than security.
Both were lessons learned. After PanAm 103 it was made more difficult to ship luggage without being a passenger. Reid caused shoes to be removed. 9/11 caused (in part) locked doors and no sharp objects of any kind. Lessons learned. Its how we humans learn, by experience. As long as someone pays attention to these lessons action is taken and the human condition is improved. Not something that happens here at FT/TSS very often to be sure, but then again there are always these little backwashes in reality in just about even human endeavor.