Originally Posted by
RadioGirl
If you endorse the current liquid restrictions, what you are actually saying is that you'd rather not be flying with people bringing unknown liquids in a 16 ounce container onto the plane, but you're
perfectly comfortable flying with people who bring 6 or 8 containers of 3 ounces each, full of unknown liquids onto a plane.
And you're comfortable with the fact that airside in the airport or on board, people could combine the content of those small containers in an empty container to have up to 24 ounces of unknown liquid. Each. And that multiple passengers could combine their 24 ounces of unknown liquids to have, well, as much unknown liquid as they want.
I know you're okay with that, because that's what the current rules allow. And you're impressed with the creativity of terrorists, so you know they've probably figured out how to pour liquid from a little bottle into a big bottle.
You're also okay with standing in stupidly long lines at the checkpoint in close proximity to a plastic garbage can in which the large containers of "unknown liquids" are dumped, where they could be mixing together to create poisonous fumes or explode on impact or who knows what. You're comfortable with that, because that's the result of the current confiscation of large liquids.
Wow.
I usually agree with you, but this time you are underestimating the insidious nature of the "bad guys." (Quoted from up thread, not a phrase I would use otherwise.)
You see, they have developed a new explosive that remains safe as long as it is contained in little bottles. We have been told 100 ml but it is larger than that but SSI, so we are told 100 ml to keep it easy. Also in TSA world, 100ml=3 oz, so technical precision is not a big part of this process. I suspect that it has something to do with the number of molecules that are allowed to commingle and touch each other. Let's suppose for a moment that there are beaucoup molecules in 100 ml (3 oz in the US). In a liter (a few fewer in a quart, see technical precision, lack of) there would be beaucoup times ten molecules. This allows them to build a greater network with which to make good connections, sort of like LinkedIn. But, just like every other molecule, when they are finally mixed together they look at each other and say "Who are you and do I know you?" just like LinkedIn. Since they do not know each other, or have no way to make good money off of knowing each other, they do not build connections. It is actually quite brilliant. Keep the molecules separated though the CP, bombard them with some Xrays, and they will never build a connection.
Here is the problem. Well, its a problem for the "bad guys." (Same reference as above, I would never, ever call them that. I like the phrase "Foreign People of Nefarious Intent," but that is too darn hard to type.) Oh, the problem. They were almost successful creating an explosive that does not depend on "connections" so the LinkedIn model does not come into play. These molecules were encouraged to like each other, like FaceBook. They were happy to like molecules they did not even know and would not really like if they finally actually met them. They just wanted to build a huge group of "likes," like 100ml's x 10 worth of likes. Or a quart if you insist.
And therein lies the problem.
The molecules thought they liked all of the molecules they had never met, but when they finally met them, it happens they were actually quite repulsed by them. Sort of like when people meet people that "liked" them on FaceBook just because it seemed like a good idea at the time. When they mix the small bottles together, the molecules go to opposite side of the bottle because the other molecules are just not their type. They never mix, therefore never creating the combinations that are explosive in nature.
We were very fortunate. It was close. The "bad guys" (yeah, see reference) were very close to developing explosive molecules based on a My Space model, but they each wanted their own space and as such never combined, they just looked across the gap at each other being the narcissistic like molecular snots that they were (remember, it is MY SPACE) staying in their own space.
There was also the eHarmony molecule that would combine in consecutive pairs, most of which did not generate a spark, much less an explosion, and how much of a boom can two molecules make? A few rare cases were quite volatile but is was not the norm, and it was a self contained volatility. It is two molecules. Just two. Get over it. Nobody but you two molecules cares. Well, you may think it is a big deal, but for those of us observing there is a lot of pffft and not much boom.
Pffft does not bring down big planes.
Now you know. Glad I could help.