Comments on: MIT Student With Fake Bomb Nabbed At Logan

19-Year-Old Arrested At Boston Airport Had Computer Circuit Board, Battery On Chest

[radiob-2009]

And for her next performance a remake of "Jailhouse Rock".

[iceman_1960]

Just ordinary common sense, that''s all.

In fact they have the "Darwin Awards" to celebrate those individuals as lacking in it as this woman is. Ms. Simpson would be a Star at those awards.

In winter I sometimes wear a full ski mask when I''m outdoors on windy subzero days. But if I forgot to take it off before walking into a bank, I would deserve eveything I got.

[iceman_1960]

"She wore the white circuit board on her chest over a black hooded sweat shirt, Pare said at a news conference. The battery-powered rectangular device had nine flashing lights, and Simpson had Play-Doh in her hands, he said."

Like an actor in the old Monte Python contest sketch "Spot the Looney."

"Next we''ll show you a typical airport scene. Can you Spot the Looney ?"

(That Play-Doh didn''t help her cause much. It''s hard to tell the difference between that and something else, at a distance. ...And Ms. Simpson, lose that wig, ok?)

[iceman_1960]

"Regarded as a brilliant professor, Paul Wolfowitz was laughed at behind his back in the Bush administration for his personal ineptitude -- as a guy who couldn''t figure out how to organize his desk."

Source: Bob Woodward''s book "State of Denial"

[iceman_1960]

RE: "Seriously, she must have a lot of "book smarts" but little common sense. The absent-minded professor syndrome. There are a lot of people like that in the Groves of Academe. I''ve met many of them. A lot of them were involved in planning the Iraq war."

Prime example: Paul Wolfowitz.

Regarded as a brilliant professor, he was laughed at behind his back in the Bush administration for his personal ineptitude -- as a guy who couldn''t figure out how to organize his desk.

His subsequent misadventures at the World Bank did nothing to enhance his reputation for "savoir faire."



Posted by Iceman_1960 at 08:34 AM : Sep 22, 2007

[iceman_1960]

"Well, someone''s been watching lots of TV, good for you. But actual bombs are not circuit boards, and don''t have blinking lights. What would the blinking lights be for? You''''d have to solder the lights into the bomb, and program them to blink, why would you do that? What would be the purpose of blinking lights? Do they help the bomb explode through magic powers?"
- Posted by SharnCedar at 08:16 AM : Sep 22, 2007

You''re not thinking this through.

The terrorists could outsmart you by deliberately giving their explosives a fake look.

In Clint Eastwoods'' film "Escape from Alcatraz" he outsmarts a stupid prison guard by pretending to be real dumb about going through a metal detector. As a result he gets his prohibited weapon past the guard.

Very similar concept.

[Krazcarl]

SharCenter. I let the TV go years ago and play on the computer when theres time if your interested. I''m 50 not an expert on bomb making or there constuction. Were not talking a high school art class were talking a MIT student. Yes I see you have an agenda a ax to grind so you jump on this and blame everyone except the culprit. I most admit your knowledge of bomb construction is worring But I know folks like you that think your smarter than everone else that''s why you contribute to this blog you had to take a break from conducting world affairs.

[iceman_1960]

"How did anyone this stupid ever get into MIT?"
- Posted by scottyusa at 07:39 AM : Sep 22, 2007

The same way Dubya got into Yale and Harvard ?

Just kidding.

Seriously, she must have a lot of "book smarts" but little common sense.

The absent-minded professor syndrome.

There are a lot of people like that in the Groves of Academe. I''ve met many of them. A lot of them were involved in planning the Iraq war.

[sharncedar]

in a hooded sweatshirt and a circut board blinking on there chest I would be concerned you''''d be a total idiot not to.

Posted by crzmeat at 07:35 AM : Sep 22, 2007

Well, someone''s been watching lots of TV, good for you. But actual bombs are not circuit boards, and don''t have blinking lights. What would the blinking lights be for? You''d have to solder the lights into the bomb, and program them to blink, why would you do that? What would be the purpose of blinking lights? Do they help the bomb explode through magic powers?

You are clearly really really stupid, like most people. Which is why we are losing the war on terror. We are fighting the blinking lights. We are fighting our "war" through crazy talk like Ismamofascist or attacking the wrong country or trying to prevent 9/11 after it already happened. We have no actual strategy. We haven;t asked the obvious questions. We aren''t protecting the obvious points of attack, while over-protecting things that make no sense.

America lives in a TV fantasyland. It permeates even our government. We are all fighting the bad guy from a movie, maybe the "crazy terrorist" from Die Hard,rahter than fighting the reality.

Just as a clue, there are no people on earth anything like the "crazy terrorist" character prevalent in TV and movies, every person considers themselves good, most everyone acts from personal motivations not grand ideas. Just as most bombs don''t have blinking lights on them.

[panhandlpete]

What a sad, sad state of affairs!!! If she was smart enough to get into MIT for study, then why did she do this act? I hope her motive was to "get arrested" to make us take a look at HOW MUCH of our freedoms we have lost under the guises of SECURITY. But, what she does not realize, is that her name will now be in a database as a potential terrorist.

The whole country reacted to 9/ll with insane behavior. We bought into lies of fear, went to war with a country that had nothing to do with it, and Congress signed away the constitution with the Patriot Act. Sure three thousand people were killed that day, but now we are approaching 4,000 soldiers and many dead Iraqis.

The city of New York has over a million illegals that they want to issue driver licenses to.........will that make them safer?

[scottyusa]

How did anyone this stupid ever get into MIT?

[Krazcarl]

It''s troubling all this talk of over reaction from the police. If I was sitting in a coffee shop and someone came in with hands full of clay in a hooded sweatshirt and a circut board blinking on there chest I would be concerned you''d be a total idiot not to. There had to have been a fools bet here. But yes MIT is not the proud institution I always thought it to be.

[iceman_1960]

"She was immediately told to stop, to raise her hands and not to make any movement, so we could observe all her movements to see if she was trying to trip any type of device," Pare said. "Had she not followed the protocol, we might have used deadly force."

She should have responded with that classic plea, "Don''t Tase Me, Bro'' !!"

It has a very calming effect on police officers.

[iceman_1960]

You have to be very careful in airports and planes these days.

I was once aboard an international flight when a woman passenger complained of dry chapped lips.

Hearing this, a male passenger pulled a ChapStick out of his pocket and said, "Everybody stay calm. I have a balm."

He was immediately tackled by three air marshalls and arrested.

The poor guy was sentenced to 30 years in prison.

[magoo2u1]

I really have a hard time deciding who was dumber, the girl or the reaction. It was an electronic "bread board" used to test a circuit design before producing an actual circuit board. Often used exactly as she employed it, to create simple circuits that flash a couple of lights.
I wouldn''t go near an airport with that but I''m a little older and very well aware of how stupid people can be and how Barney Fife and the keystone cops yearn for glory.

[iceman_1960]

She''s no relation to Bart Simpson, is she ?

There''s something about the name Simpson that seems to drag one''s IQ down.

Except for Jessica, I can''t think of a brilliant Simpson.

[iceman_1960]

That black sweatshirt and fake-looking wig should have calmed the police down...

http://news.yahoo.com/photo/070921/480/ec09892f8a8b4ce58e59b10863a4a4da

[iceman_1960]

"MIT has been coeducational since Ellen Swallow Richards, who majored in sanitary chemistry in 1870."

- Wikipedia

There''s probably a good joke there, but we don''t want to go there this morning...

[iceman_1960]

"What terrorist has flashing 9 LEDs on their bomb?"
- Posted by fnkaiser at 02:59 AM : Sep 22, 2007

You''re giving the terrorists ideas now.

"I think I''ll go to the airport with a real fake-looking bomb in plain view on my chest. No one will suspect me."

Nah...

[iceman_1960]

"...with what police feared was a fake bomb attached to her chest..."

Does Pamela Anderson ever use this airport ?

I was just wondering...