Man Makes Improvised Shotgun; Crossbow; & Mace w/Items Available After TSA Checkpoint
Nov 25, 2013, 1:33 pm
#1
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Man Makes Improvised Shotgun; Crossbow; & Mace w/Items Available After TSA Checkpoint
The same guy who posted on youtube his axe-deoderant body spray frag grenade made with items available after the TSA Security checkpoint showcases 3 new weapons. And gets an unannounced visit from the FBI. Is he a Patriot or a Villian?
Link:
But without the government, who will build the roads?
Link:
But without the government, who will build the roads?
Nov 25, 2013, 6:40 pm
#2
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He's neither patriot nor villain: He's an idiot.
His original intent was to prove that all the security is next to useless because clever people can improvise weapons from permitted objects and materials found inside the sterile area.
Now he's just having fun saying, "Look what I can make! I'm better than McGuyver!"
His original intent was to prove that all the security is next to useless because clever people can improvise weapons from permitted objects and materials found inside the sterile area.
Now he's just having fun saying, "Look what I can make! I'm better than McGuyver!"
Nov 26, 2013, 6:11 pm
#3
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He's just a guy giving an entertaining talk.
His self-imposed restrictions remove his scenarios from reality. Limiting his supplies to things that can be bought air-side make the problem artificially constrained.
His self-imposed restrictions remove his scenarios from reality. Limiting his supplies to things that can be bought air-side make the problem artificially constrained.
Nov 26, 2013, 11:58 pm
#4
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He's neither patriot nor villain: He's an idiot.
His original intent was to prove that all the security is next to useless because clever people can improvise weapons from permitted objects and materials found inside the sterile area.
Now he's just having fun saying, "Look what I can make! I'm better than McGuyver!"
His original intent was to prove that all the security is next to useless because clever people can improvise weapons from permitted objects and materials found inside the sterile area.
Now he's just having fun saying, "Look what I can make! I'm better than McGuyver!"
Nov 27, 2013, 9:41 am
#5
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He's taken a legitimate message - that current screening methodologies have limited usefullness because weapons can be improvised anywhere, anytime, by almost anyone - and turned it into a childish game.
He's taking his examples to a ridiculous extreme that dilutes the effectiveness of the message.
And he's virtually ignored some of the more serious weapons that can be improvised - or simply found - amongst items that travelers commonly carry through security, such as laptop bludgeons, pen/pencil shivs, various types of cordage garrotes. Likewise, he's stuck strictly to items that can be purchased or picked up for free, while ignoring how ridiculously easy it would be to steal caustic and poisonous chemicals from the janitorial supplies, and sharp (or sharpenable) metal tableware from airside restaurants.
He's made a joke out of a rather serious issue, and is treating the entire thing more like a game than a serious discussion of potential security dangers.
And that's why he's an idiot.
He's taking his examples to a ridiculous extreme that dilutes the effectiveness of the message.
And he's virtually ignored some of the more serious weapons that can be improvised - or simply found - amongst items that travelers commonly carry through security, such as laptop bludgeons, pen/pencil shivs, various types of cordage garrotes. Likewise, he's stuck strictly to items that can be purchased or picked up for free, while ignoring how ridiculously easy it would be to steal caustic and poisonous chemicals from the janitorial supplies, and sharp (or sharpenable) metal tableware from airside restaurants.
He's made a joke out of a rather serious issue, and is treating the entire thing more like a game than a serious discussion of potential security dangers.
And that's why he's an idiot.
Nov 27, 2013, 8:42 pm
#6
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He's taken a legitimate message - that current screening methodologies have limited usefullness because weapons can be improvised anywhere, anytime, by almost anyone - and turned it into a childish game. He's taking his examples to a ridiculous extreme that dilutes the effectiveness of the message. And he's virtually ignored some of the more serious weapons that can be improvised - or simply found - amongst items that travelers commonly carry through security, such as laptop bludgeons, pen/pencil shivs, various types of cordage garrotes. Likewise, he's stuck strictly to items that can be purchased or picked up for free, while ignoring how ridiculously easy it would be to steal caustic and poisonous chemicals from the janitorial supplies, and sharp (or sharpenable) metal tableware from airside restaurants. He's made a joke out of a rather serious issue, and is treating the entire thing more like a game than a serious discussion of potential security dangers. And that's why he's an idiot.
Nov 28, 2013, 7:36 am
#7
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He's neither patriot nor villain: He's an idiot.
His original intent was to prove that all the security is next to useless because clever people can improvise weapons from permitted objects and materials found inside the sterile area.
Now he's just having fun saying, "Look what I can make! I'm better than McGuyver!"
His original intent was to prove that all the security is next to useless because clever people can improvise weapons from permitted objects and materials found inside the sterile area.
Now he's just having fun saying, "Look what I can make! I'm better than McGuyver!"
Nov 28, 2013, 11:20 am
#8
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I also think that, at this point, he's lost sight of the message himself, and is not merely indulging his own whimsical penchant for creating Rube Goldberg machinery and egotistically showing it off on the internet.
That's why he's an idiot.
Nov 28, 2013, 7:38 pm
#9
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Actually, I consider him an idiot because I agree completely with the message he's sending, but I think he's sending it in a manner which is guaranteed to never be taken seriously, change any minds, or provoke rational, serious thought; instead, it is guaranteed to provoke jokes, contempt for the message, scorn of the detractors, and maybe even anger from the stupids who think he's "showing The Bad Guys how to beat our security!" He's abandoned the substance of his message in favor of the wow-factor, and the message itself has been completely lost.
I also think that, at this point, he's lost sight of the message himself, and is not merely indulging his own whimsical penchant for creating Rube Goldberg machinery and egotistically showing it off on the internet.
That's why he's an idiot.
I also think that, at this point, he's lost sight of the message himself, and is not merely indulging his own whimsical penchant for creating Rube Goldberg machinery and egotistically showing it off on the internet.
That's why he's an idiot.
Part of the reason that TSA has so little respect among the public is because of the notoriety they get when they screw up and those screw-ups get widespread coverage. When Leno and Letterman use you as a target for abuse, you don't think that registers? Of course it does. You don't like his showmanship, fine, but I think it's very effective. If for no other reason, it makes it easy for me to beat up on my friends in DHS, who will all be getting copies of the clips tomorrow morning.
Nov 30, 2013, 9:50 am
#10
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He's neither patriot nor villain: He's an idiot.
His original intent was to prove that all the security is next to useless because clever people can improvise weapons from permitted objects and materials found inside the sterile area.
Now he's just having fun saying, "Look what I can make! I'm better than McGuyver!"
His original intent was to prove that all the security is next to useless because clever people can improvise weapons from permitted objects and materials found inside the sterile area.
Now he's just having fun saying, "Look what I can make! I'm better than McGuyver!"
Nov 30, 2013, 10:51 am
#11
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However, what this guy is doing is not ridiculing TSA or DHS, it's simply a narcissistic attempt to show people how clever he is. "Look at me! Look at me! I can make a bazooka out of a magazine and a Pringles can! I can make a hand grenade out of a can of body spray! I can make a nuclear weapon out of the tritium hands of thousands of glow in the dark watches! Aren't I just the CLEVEREST!"
He is performing exactly the same stupidity as TSA does - focusing on threats that are 1 in 7 billion, while ignoring the threats that are more like 1 in a million.
You don't need Axe body spray or Pringles cans or duct tape to improvise a weapon airside - all you need is a steak knife from the Green Turtle and to watch the local police; with that steak knife, you can obtain a firearm, a baton, pepper spray, and handcuffs, and probably a knife or multitool, in a minute or two. The hard part is timing and positioning so that the scene of your acquisition is not discovered until you're aboard your flight.
Or, get a job at Sbarro or McDonalds and bring in whatever you want.
But instead, this guy is touting Axe grenades and magazine shotguns as if they're a legitimate threat.
Hence, my original assessment: He's an idiot.
Dec 2, 2013, 8:13 am
#13
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It looks like the "official" voices of flyertalk are commenting on this issue as well. See:
http://www.flyertalk.com/the-hub/mak...o-havana.html/
The Phrase "brave men and women" is used 3 times in 3 sentences when referring to the TSA. The author also goes out of his way to credit the TSA and it's felling people up for stopping the hijackings to Cuba that occurred in the 1960s and '70s. Naturally, critical responses to his essay are "moderated" i.e. not allowed.
http://www.flyertalk.com/the-hub/mak...o-havana.html/
The Phrase "brave men and women" is used 3 times in 3 sentences when referring to the TSA. The author also goes out of his way to credit the TSA and it's felling people up for stopping the hijackings to Cuba that occurred in the 1960s and '70s. Naturally, critical responses to his essay are "moderated" i.e. not allowed.
Dec 2, 2013, 8:39 am
#14
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The Phrase "brave men and women" is used 3 times in 3 sentences when referring to the TSA. The author also goes out of his way to credit the TSA and it's felling people up for stopping the hijackings to Cuba that occurred in the 1960s and '70s. Naturally, critical responses to his essay are "moderated" i.e. not allowed.