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Explosions reported near finish line at Boston Marathon [W:162, 896, 911]]

Re: Explosions reported near finish line at Boston Marathon [W:162]

It wasn't shrapnel, if they used ball bearings. However, if a metal case was used to house the explosive, there was shrapnel in the blast radius.

Not that it matters, but the original meaning, shrapnel was ball bearings. Look up Lt. Shrapnel. Fragmentation from the container is also called fragmentation but everyone calls it shrapnel now anyway.
 
Re: Explosions reported near finish line at Boston Marathon

I believe you, but frankly I don't even know what Patriot's day is, and I suspect 90% of Americans don't either. If Patriot's Day is the key, again, it looks domestic. I can't believe al Qaedatypes would find Patriots Day a big symbolic event.

No but it is a highly publicized, soft target event which would become symbolic after the attack. Jihadi and home growns would both find it a target of opportunity.
 
Re: Explosions reported near finish line at Boston Marathon

It will be interesting to see the times the dogs were deployed, the bombs could have been placed after their drill.
I have no idea of a bomb sniffer dogs effectiveness or whether they searched along the route where the bombs were placed.

I've also heard that more undetonated bombs were found? but at the moment news reports appear to contradict eachother concrete facts appear not to have been established.

Forensic analysis of the bombs will likely give answers should this be accurate information.

Did someone mention gunpowder on this thread earlier?

I dunno, but when I think of bomb-dogs, cadaver-dogs or drug-dogs, I tend to think that if certain substances are within a certain vicinity of their smelling ability, that they'll react in the manner they either know or have been trained to do. And dogs can smell things at incredible distances. Particularly if they've been trained to do so, and know what they're smelling for. When the dogs are out there with their handlers, they know they're working. I don't know the technical footage of their sniffers though, but it is impressive, to say the very least when you compare it to our standard of smelling.

Having said that, and having read the eyewitness report that there were bomb-dogs at both the start and finish, I am naturally curious about how this particular event unfolded in the first place. Because I imagine that a bomb-dog lead police to the bomb that they personally detonated. So why weren't the dogs alerted to the two bombs that went off? Were they out of range? Had the area not been swept in a while?

The "Press Conference" tonight was terse with information. It is not hard to tell the American public exactly what WE were doing at the time of the event, or had done or had NOT done prior to the event. They don't need a few days, weeks, months or years to come up with a story. This, "I cannot confirm or deny these allegations," type answers out of people with authority after events like this need to stop. WE SHOULD WANT TRANSPARENCY! Right? Seriously, man. Every time something like this happens, important questions are immediately blocked by some catch-all authoritative jargon, and we have to accept it. This is America. And I presume everyone that is reading this is an adult, but we should be treated like loyal American adults and given answers when asked, not unpatriotic foreign children that are denied everything they ask. When you're told, at age 21, 25, 30, 35, 40, 50, 60 and on up that you can't know something by someone in authority, how does that make you feel? Am I the only one less than happy about it?
 
Re: Explosions reported near finish line at Boston Marathon

I am fairly sure that inside the next day, or at most, week, we'll hear someone suggesting some new law or rule as a result of this.

I suspect they will add gunpowder to their ban wish list.
 
Re: Explosions reported near finish line at Boston Marathon

I believe you, but frankly I don't even know what Patriot's day is, and I suspect 90% of Americans don't either. If Patriot's Day is the key, again, it looks domestic. I can't believe al Qaedatypes would find Patriots Day a big symbolic event.

Boston was the place where Atta and company boarded flights on 9/11. Perhaps it is more about the place than the date. Who knows what goes through a sociopath's mind.
 
Re: Explosions reported near finish line at Boston Marathon

Yep. We never hear of those on the left using bombs. ;)

The only ones hurt by Weatherman bombs were the makers. What others were there again?
 
Re: Explosions reported near finish line at Boston Marathon

I suspect they will add gunpowder to their ban wish list.
And ball bearings.


:mrgreen:


Ok not so funny...
 
Re: Explosions reported near finish line at Boston Marathon

And ball bearings.


:mrgreen:


Ok not so funny...

I have actually been amazed that going after gunpowder to drive up the cost of ammo has not been part of the discussion yet. It will be now. They started keeping an eye on people buying large quantities of fertilizer after Oklahoma City and people like farmers who used to be able to get dynamite for stumps no longer can.
 
Re: Explosions reported near finish line at Boston Marathon

Joggers are moving targets - innocent people lining the streets are sitting ducks - terrorists love sitting ducks.

And crowds. Those bombs would not have damaged a building severely. People are much more fragile.
 
Re: Explosions reported near finish line at Boston Marathon

I dunno, but when I think of bomb-dogs, cadaver-dogs or drug-dogs, I tend to think that if certain substances are within a certain vicinity of their smelling ability, that they'll react in the manner they either know or have been trained to do. And dogs can smell things at incredible distances. Particularly if they've been trained to do so, and know what they're smelling for. When the dogs are out there with their handlers, they know they're working. I don't know the technical footage of their sniffers though, but it is impressive, to say the very least when you compare it to our standard of smelling.

Having said that, and having read the eyewitness report that there were bomb-dogs at both the start and finish, I am naturally curious about how this particular event unfolded in the first place. Because I imagine that a bomb-dog lead police to the bomb that they personally detonated. So why weren't the dogs alerted to the two bombs that went off? Were they out of range? Had the area not been swept in a while?

The "Press Conference" tonight was terse with information. It is not hard to tell the American public exactly what WE were doing at the time of the event, or had done or had NOT done prior to the event. They don't need a few days, weeks, months or years to come up with a story. This, "I cannot confirm or deny these allegations," type answers out of people with authority after events like this need to stop. WE SHOULD WANT TRANSPARENCY! Right? Seriously, man. Every time something like this happens, important questions are immediately blocked by some catch-all authoritative jargon, and we have to accept it. This is America. And I presume everyone that is reading this is an adult, but we should be treated like loyal American adults and given answers when asked, not unpatriotic foreign children that are denied everything they ask. When you're told, at age 21, 25, 30, 35, 40, 50, 60 and on up that you can't know something by someone in authority, how does that make you feel? Am I the only one less than happy about it?

The dogs do not work that way. They are not infallible and there are explosives that they cannot find and others they would have a hard time finding even minus the excitement and the crowds. Until they get the bomb lab analysis and more evidence, it is pointless pontificating and getting spun up.
 
Re: Explosions reported near finish line at Boston Marathon

I suspect they will add gunpowder to their ban wish list.

There are things far worse the "gun powder" though it would make for good political showmanship...
 
Re: Explosions reported near finish line at Boston Marathon

There are things far worse the "gun powder" though it would make for good political showmanship...

Sure there are but it is hard to fire a black powder rifle without the powder.
 
Re: Explosions reported near finish line at Boston Marathon

The only ones hurt by Weatherman bombs were the makers. What others were there again?

Several animal rights and save the earth groups have printed and distributed information on using incendiaries and explosives. What do you suppose they went through all that effort for? Perhaps bombings and arson? Also, google Sterling Hall. That guy did not deserve to die.
 
Re: Explosions reported near finish line at Boston Marathon

Sure there are but it is hard to fire a black powder rifle without the powder.

Would render my Sharps 45-90 "Quigley" rather pointless but it is hard enough as it is to buy real black powder. Regardless, I don't think it will happen. There are literally tons of explosives that go missing or lost every year. McVeigh stole much of the explosives he used for that bomb.
 
Re: Explosions reported near finish line at Boston Marathon

I dunno, but when I think of bomb-dogs, cadaver-dogs or drug-dogs, I tend to think that if certain substances are within a certain vicinity of their smelling ability, that they'll react in the manner they either know or have been trained to do. And dogs can smell things at incredible distances. Particularly if they've been trained to do so, and know what they're smelling for. When the dogs are out there with their handlers, they know they're working. I don't know the technical footage of their sniffers though, but it is impressive, to say the very least when you compare it to our standard of smelling.



I'm no expert on this, but my understanding is that scent dogs do not work continuously. Instead, they sniff out for short periods when ordered to do so. However, because these dogs tend to be highly motivated, I could see the possibility of one of them alerting on a smell in order to get a reward. But on the other hand, these dogs, being highly trained, have been strongly conditioned to expect rewards *only* when they are following commands. When training a dog, particularly at that level, it is very important that the dog perform a behavior only when it's commanded to do so. Otherwise, you get what's called "default behaviors", where the dog performs it's "favorite" behavior over and over in the hope of getting a reward.
 
Re: Explosions reported near finish line at Boston Marathon

I am fairly sure that inside the next day, or at most, week, we'll hear someone suggesting some new law or rule as a result of this.

A guy that I was in the navy with lives in RI. He said the state has already said they will be randomly stopping people on the streets with backpacks to do searches. So much for that 4th amendment thing. :roll:
 
Re: Explosions reported near finish line at Boston Marathon

Several animal rights and save the earth groups have printed and distributed information on using incendiaries and explosives. What do you suppose they went through all that effort for? Perhaps bombings and arson? Also, google Sterling Hall. That guy did not deserve to die.

Ok. I'll give you one death and that was during the horror of 65,000 dead Americans in Vietnam. Anti-war was not only a leftist movement.
So it's 1 vs ? How many dead from right wing extremist groups again? 168 dead at Oklahoma City alone. Then there's Waco....
Righties are the king of violent nutcases I'm afraid. 99% just spew violence but that 1% are DOERS.
And things sure have heated up since King Bush was abducted. All hail the shrubbery.
 
Re: Explosions reported near finish line at Boston Marathon

Why anyone would devote an ounce of their time to that network is beyond me.

On that note there are reports coming out of this terrorist attack that Bomb sniffing dogs were on site and they were FULLY prepared for this event, all the way down to the hospitals.

What that tells me is that they might have received threats prior to the race AND OR there was intelligence that there was a threat.

Now if it comes out that there were credible threats and this STILL occurred ?

Nope it was standard protocol for a high profile event with lots of people. Happens every year.

That said we may or may not find someone wasn't doing their job or got sloppy.
 
Re: Explosions reported near finish line at Boston Marathon

Ok. I'll give you one death and that was during the horror of 65,000 dead Americans in Vietnam. Anti-war was not only a leftist movement.
So it's 1 vs ? How many dead from right wing extremist groups again? 168 dead at Oklahoma City alone. Then there's Waco....
Righties are the king of violent nutcases I'm afraid. 99% just spew violence but that 1% are DOERS.
And things sure have heated up since King Bush was abducted. All hail the shrubbery.

Never mind bud.....believe what you want. Anyone who questions your conspiracy must be part of it right? All the carnage and you are just clapping your hands in glee over the possibility it will justify your odd ball views. Grow up.
 
Re: Explosions reported near finish line at Boston Marathon

I'm no expert on this, but my understanding is that scent dogs do not work continuously. Instead, they sniff out for short periods when ordered to do so. However, because these dogs tend to be highly motivated, I could see the possibility of one of them alerting on a smell in order to get a reward. But on the other hand, these dogs, being highly trained, have been strongly conditioned to expect rewards *only* when they are following commands. When training a dog, particularly at that level, it is very important that the dog perform a behavior only when it's commanded to do so. Otherwise, you get what's called "default behaviors", where the dog performs it's "favorite" behavior over and over in the hope of getting a reward.

Boston Marathon bombs: How strong were the bombs? - Slate Magazine
 
Re: Explosions reported near finish line at Boston Marathon

I saw a report on CNN that the police have been there all day at one apartment in Revere,MA. Hopefully it isn't a false lead.

If they were able to find the bomber's apt this fast it would be tremendous.
True. I would wonder how they traced that fast in the chaos if it's factual and they've get the right person, I would think it would take months to identify chemical compositions, make cross map of purchases, etc. but if they got the guy it would be fantastic, either stop everything cold or if it's a coordinated attack connect him to accomplices and bust them.
 
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