Flour Power
This is on par with the kid suspended from school for drawing a gun… There was no threat on the paper, no blood, no violence of ANY kind, but he got 3 days for a ‘threatening drawing’ with Columbine-like connotations. All it takes is a moonbat, with a moonbat in power to back them out. I’m just glad that garbage like this wasn’t around when I was in school, or I would have been kicked out forever in the 3rd grade instead of being sent to a (not a school assigned, we didn’t have those) psychiatrist, who incidentally said it was normal for a 9 year old.
Anyhow, just think how this is representing our country to Germany. Makes us look a little less rational to a country that pictures us as a bunch of howling loons anyway…
What next, people to monitor us in the bathroom to accuse people of not washing their hands correctly as ‘bio terrorists’?Makes me want to put my hands to my head, turn around at high speed and scream like a banshee…
Bill2 thoughts
1) I remember when paranoia was a serious mental disease, not a survival technique.
2) Even with statement #1, what kind of fearful fools over react that badly and then charge a basically innocent citizen with a felony to cover their butts?!?! Anyone checking the chalk lines in baseball, football and tennis? You never know what those grounds keepers are up to.
Lets, for a moment, assume that there was a basis for concern, after all, no one in their right mind would simply pick up a suspicious powder and sniff it. The people who responded would have been paid anyway unless they are volunteers, so thats no an issue. The loss does need to be covered though, the REAL loss. make him buy em a box of dunkin dounuts and call it even.
Morons!! Your bus is leaving!!
That means YOU Jessica!Posted by Paul "No Fear" Weir
08/27/2007 at 06:04 PM
As a former Hash House Harrier, I can speak from experience about the process. It can best be described as fox hunting without the fox...or the dogs… or the horses. You have a few runners who lay out a trail with a variety of materials. People have used flags, spray paint, and other things, but flour is by far the most popular because it washes away at the first rain (no carbon footprint; eco-friendly). Then the rest of the club try to follow the trail to the end where there is beer. Great fun.
This event shows another example where the “official” answer is usually based on major ignorance when there is a simple answer available - if you know who to ask. (Think about the forged documents that CBS would have gotten away with if the hive mind weren’t so powerful). We really need to get the folks who are worried about us to start asking some simple questions that *somebody* has the answer to. Sheeesh!
Posted by Spike72AFA
08/27/2007 at 09:37 PM
The ‘scare’ factor of the white powder would seem reasonable except that:
what terrorist would spread it out in a line?
what terrorist would chose IKEA parking lot as a target?
and finally
would not the arrows and chalk marks indicate more than just a terrorist plot?
Stupidity, insanity, morons and paranoia extreme - and just one more smear against the lunatic ‘Americans’ who cry wolf over the stupid crap that happens every day but dismiss the real terrorist attack as an inside job to pad corporate America’s wallet.
These people don’t belong in education, the criminal justice system, politics, and most especially making policy.
Okay, so just what did these runners do and with what motivation?
In order to facilitate a fun running event (motive) they spread flour onto a parking lot (action).
Is there a law against holding or facilitating a fun running event? No. Or against spreading flour onto a parking lot? Maybe littering; maybe Ikea might want to have a few words with them.
The reaction of the O-fficials, while understandable, is on them. Period.
Next thing you know some mother coming out of a grocery store will drop a bag with baby powder in it, the powder will spill and the kids will end up visiting Mom in the Big House.
Could this whole thing have been avoided if the trail markers had asked IKEA’s permission, or even let them know ahead of time? I think so, and that puts the initial stupid on the other foot, so to speak.
Yes it was a major over reaction, but a bit of communication would have avoided the whole fiasco. OTOH, New Haven can now go to the state or the feds and say “Look how aware and responsive we are, so give us more anti-terrorism dollars next year.”
