I first read about aluminum foil being used for making improvised explosives back in the 1970s/ early 80's; it had been around a long time before I came across it.
Rarely do I find merit in the claims of conservatives about 'playing the race card'. Most of the accusations of racism are well deserved.
This one was not. The Huff Po recently posted an opinion piece by Jesse Lava, "Would a White Girl Be Prosecuted for a Botched Science Experiment?", where he opines that there is racism behind the prosecution of a black honor student in Florida for making an improvised explosive device. Yes, that's right - an IED.
This was not a legitimate 'science project', in that it had absolutely NOTHING whatsoever to do with her science class, according to her teacher, nor was this an 'experiment' that had the usual controls and measurements documenting every stage and evaluating the outcome. This young woman snuck off to a wooden bridge over a creek some distance from the main school buildings and away from adult supervision, to try exploding a bottle bomb, using a water bottle, aluminum foil and toilet bowl cleaner.
There are plenty of these dangerous devices made by teens on the internet; youtube has dozens of them, and there are plenty of web sites providing directions on how to do them. If you go to responsible web sites, you can also find out how genuinely dangerous these are, and if you check out news sources, you can find out how frequently these exercises in dangerous stupidity lead to arrests, regardless of gender or race / ethnicity. Either plastic OR glass bottles can be used; the following excerpt from one such website refers to glass containers:
The resulting explosion, which can be quite powerful, also creates shrapnel from the pieces of glass which are forcibly thrown through the air. The liquid which is also expelled during the explosion is highly caustic and super heated. Injuries which can occur if exposed to an exploding bottle bomb include severe lacerations with embedded shrapnel, amputations, blindness,and chemical burns.
As with all bombs, bottle bombs are illegal, especially when used to injure someone or cause property damage. Some jurisdictions consider bottle bombs to be incendiary devices due to the caustic properties of the bombs ingredients. In one case in Utah, a man was charged with six different felonies related to the manufacture and detonation of bottle bombs, and in Michigan, a 15 year old student was also arrested in conjunction with the manufacture and detonation of a bottle bomb. Bottle bombs have caused numerous injuries and costly property damage, even to cement surfaces. In one case, over $10,000 in damage to a driveway was caused by the detonation of a bottle bomb.
Bottle bombs have been found in mail boxes, gardens, gutters, on lawns, sidewalks and driveways. If you find a bottle, either glass or plastic, which appears to contain a frothy substance and possible pieces of foil, do not attempt to move it or pick it up. The chemical reaction needed to cause an explosion can occur in less than a minute. Notify your local law enforcement agency and tell them you suspect you may have found a bottle bomb. They will have the proper equipment and training to dispose of it.And roughly around the same time period as the Florida girl was getting arrested and thrown out of school, a bunch of boys were reported in similar trouble in the Baltimore Sun:
Bel Air teens charged with setting off 'soda bottle bombs' at Harford Day School
BY BRYNA ZUMER, [email protected]
4:20 p.m. EDT, April 22, 2013
Three Bel Air teenagers have been charged with setting off "soda bottle bombs" on the property of Harford Day School in Bel Air over the weekend.
No injuries or property damage was reported from the incident, which occurred at about 5 p.m. Saturday, according to the State Fire Marshal's Office.
Deputy State Fire Marshals charged two 13-year-old boys and one 12-year-old boy with making and detonating six of the devices on the school's campus in the 700 block of Moores Mill Road.
All the boys confessed to taking part in the incident and said they had learned of the devices on the Internet, according to a press release from the State Fire Marshal's Office.
The boys were charged with six counts of manufacture, possession and use of a destructive device and six counts of reckless endangerment. They were released to the custody of their parents.
The case has been referred to the Harford County Department of Juvenile Services, the release said.
Soda bottle bombs are considered improvised explosive devices and carry a penalty of up to 25 years in jail as well as $250,000 per device.
Deputy State Fire Marshal Bruce Bouch noted the bombs contain "the works," namely, "100 percent toilet-bowl cleaner" that can cause serious harm.
"The construction of these devices is often misrepresented as fun. However, the serious and potential destructive nature of these devices can cause: loss of vision, respiratory distress, loss of use of extremities and possibly death," State Fire Marshal William E. Barnard said in the release.Fun. Mischief. Kicks. Maybe a little mayhem or vandalism. But it is not engaging in a science project. Shame on the Huff Po writer for failing to do ALL of the necessary research. While it may not have been his intent to make an unjustified accusation of racism, he should have done his homework before accepting so blindly and trustingly the claim that this was a science project. I have to wonder if he remembers anything he was taught in school about what defines science as science. This is no more science than it is valid to claim this is house keeping just because toilet cleaner or aluminum foil was involved.
