I Wanna Go Stateside...

Most of the death and destruction suffered by American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan is/was from Improvised Explosive Devices (IED).  Well, guess what: we're going to get hammered stateside, too.

Read right here about a trio of hosers who were arrested while trying to make IEDs for use against Canuck infidels right up the road there in peaceful, harmless, tolerant, progressive Canada.

Who knew, eh?

Welcome to the war, America.

Let's get straight to the point: If you toss a burning recreational pyrotechnic device ~ commonly referred to as a firecracker ~ into a standard refrigerator, oven, washer, a/o dryer and close the door, the blast will probably pop that door open. If someone's going to put a bomb into one of those major appliances in order to kill people, then he or she will have to secure the door so it does not just pop open. Bad-guys design bombs so that the over-pressures created by the blast blow out the sides of the appliance, creating shrapnel, so they can kill people. 

If the door's not better secured than what the factory-installed latch can do ~ if there even is one ~ then the door might be welded to the frame in discreet spots so that the blast wave and shrapnel don't just blow out the front. A quick but less effective fix could be to install a hasp/padlock on the exterior of the appliance. By law in some states, doors on abandoned/about-to-be-trashed major household appliances must be removed. So, if the door isn't removed for whatever reason, the weld or lock can make it look legal and therefore innocent and harmless.

• What is the law in your state?
• Does the appliance you're looking at there on the curb have a door still affixed?
• Do you see welding seams or spot welds?
• Is there a hasp/lock affixed to the door/frame?
• Are you going to report your suspicions to the police later or now?

Look at it as an IED, not an icebox.

 

The blast bouncing off the brick wall will be added to the shock wave and shrapnel already moving out the side facing the curb, creating a much more deadly blast.

 
It's not junk left by your no-goodnik neighbor when he was evicted. It's an IED and it's gonna go BOOM! 

Trash cans need to have the lid secured to the can or the explosive pressure generated inside will just blow the lid off when the bad-guy lights it up. The desired effect of the bomb is for the sides to blow out and be split into deadly pieces ~ with added shrapnel such as nails, glass and screws wrapped around the explosive charge. You can find details on bomb dynamics here.

 
That's gonna leave a mark.

Lids don't always fit perfectly on the can and are often a bit askew because of the arrangement of trash and junk above the rim.  So, one with a lid perfectly situated atop the can may be suspicious especially if it also:

• Appears to be new
• Is not painted correctly with trash company name/logo
• Is locked or has welding burns/beads/spots visible on lid a/o can
• There is what might be an antenna wire extending from the can 

The IED needs to be carefully emplaced, not just thrown onto the sidewalk or dumped into a can because wiring connections necessary to the detonation might be broken. Ergo, if you see a vehicle stop at a curbside trash collection point and someone takes a bag or box or can from a vehicle and puts it caaaaarefully on the ground ~ or if somebody walks up to the stack with a bag/box/can ~ and then drives or walks away, that situation needs to be checked out ASAP.  Get descriptions to the cops right away.

Speaking of police officers, read here carefully.

If you observe something/someone suspicious, it might be a good idea to keep people away from the trash point, depending on certain additional factors such as:

• Number of people that normally stop a/o wait there
• Amount of time they stop a/o wait there
• Number of people there now 
• Availability of spots where a second bomb might be set up or ways one could be brought onto the first crime scene and then detonated

If people who appear to be legitimate trash handlers show up in a truck but that vehicle is not painted with an easily recognizable a/o professional quality governmental (e.g. DENVER TRASH) or commercial business logo, then call the cops and ask them if they can come and see just who is setting up that trash can and why? Get as much descriptive info as you can and call the cops right away on the 911 line. Don't wait til you get home and call the Admin line.

If there's a bomb, it will probably be remote detonated.  Look for a person ~ on foot or in a vehicle ~ with remote detonator, most likely a cell phone. Is there someone standing across the street or around the corner who seems to be waiting for... nothing? Does he or she seem very interested in the people in the area, within the kill radius of the bomb there in the can or refrigerator or oven or newspaper box or Hefty SteelSak?

 

Do the markings look authentic or like they were put on by amateurs?

Other red flags:

• A can where there has never been one
• Improperly marked can, as depicted above
• Marked when no others are
• Unmarked when all others are 
• Wires protruding from the can, box, bag, appliance
• Person placing it in the can is wearing gloves a/o face mask, like a surgical mask
• Person replacing/emplacing/emptying trash can is not uniformed properly

 

Trash usually consists of small containers, not large, bulky items. We normally just drop it into the hole, not gently set it in... as though it might explode. If you see someone putting a larger than normal container into a can like the one depicted above ~ and there are other indicators as mentioned above ~ it might be a bomb and you need to call 911 right away.
 
  
Truck bomb on the right... and the left.

Dodge truck bomb

Ford truck bomb

 
Chevy truck bomb

While it's unlikely that an IED would be set in a residential neighborhood because of lack of targets, it's not out of the realm of possibility. A neighborhood IED won't be something put there by the registered accountant who lives next door, it will be put there by a stranger, someone not from the area in which you live.

Most likely spot for an IED would be next to a bus stop, especially a school bus stop. Or a busy crosswalk where dozens of people stand and wait for the pedestrian light to let them cross. 

 
Pretend with me that the trash can on the right has a bomb in it. The lady in the circle on the left will survive the blast. Everyone else is going down.

 
Let's pretend the bomb in this photo is in a trash can behind the lady under the green arrow. The best place to be is depicted by the red arrow, on the far side of the pole. 

 
In this photo, there is nowhere tohide. People will die. Best place to be is at home, or at Famous Dave's watching a hockey game. 

I apologize, because I've had to put this together a bit more quickly than usual and I may have missed something along the way. I'll have my friend Tracer take a look and edit as required. As always, your thoughts are invited.

To wrap up on somewhat of a lighter note, here's an old song they used to play in the clubs in Korea back when I was... younger.

Comments

[Texas Mom]

Meanwhile, our government keeps piling the enemy in, as "refugees".

[Isabellathecrusader]

Thanks UD. This is something I never would have thought of. But I will prepared for tomorrow. Hugs!

[NextVoiceUHear]

The home grown terrorists, with their IEDs and big-bang vests, are coming to a street near all of us. 20 dead here, 30 dead there ... are probably not enough. 9-11 was not enough. Maybe a Beslan-like school massacre [see http://tinyurl.com/26ghcyx ] here in the USA will be enough, maybe not. Enough for WHAT ??? For the home grown payback to begin ...maybe.
NVUH

[Egghead]

You are TRULY a gift to humanity.

Thank you for your advice. I will pass your ideas to my friends and relatives, and I will be vigilant where I live and travel.