Well? What Was In The Trunk?

All I want to know, in the case of the two University of South Florida students being held on federal explosives charges, is what was in the trunk. Everybody else is just talk.

The authorities have described it as "pipe bombs" and a box of bullets. Well, that sounds awfully bad. Especially since they were arrested near a South Carolina naval base. If we're talking about a casing capable of throwing shrapnel, an explosive with some punch to it, that sort of thing, well, then we're in business.

But we still have too general a description. Authorities can overreact. Remember that a couple of other USF students also were arrested on a charge involving "detonating an explosive device'' back in April. Holy cow, an explosive device on a university campus! But -- their "explosive device" was dry ice and water in plastic soda bottles that they were blowing up for fun. So I want to know if we're talking about firecrackers or dynamite.

For exactly the same reason, seems to me we are in no position to conclude whether, as the defense lawyer said in the paper this morning, this is "clearly" a case of "racial profiling" and that an "Irish-American kid" would never have been arrested.

Tell me what was in the trunk, and I will think about whether I agree. In the meantime, the young men are entitled to be presumed innocent and entitled to the rights of all accused persons under the U.S. Constitution.

Comments

[David Mathews]

This story comes across as an overreaction by the authorities.

I am more concerned about this little bit of insanity from the political "leadership" of Hernando county:

"4,800 acres to sprout homes

"Commissioners will vote on a master plan and three subdivisions."
( http://www.sptimes.com/2007/09/10/Hernando/4_800_acres_to_sprout.shtml )

Just what Florida needs: Another subdivision! 5000 more homes!

Has anyone in Hernando county heard of the housing bubble, the impending stock market crash, Peak Oil (gasoline $2.70 a gallon after Labor Day ... hello!), and the major hurricanes which have become so very common in the Atlantic basin over the last five years?

No, no, no. The politicians serve the developers, and the developers serve their own short-term bottom line.

Is it any wonder that the United States of America is poised to suffer an economic and political collapse of historic proportions ... of Biblical proportions!

Ideally, the newspaper would serve to warn the public about the catastrophes which are approaching. But the newspapers receive too much of their income from the housing, auto and retail industries. If you people discouraged the public from "living like Americans (in the worst possible way)" you would lose your advertisements and lose your jobs.

America is not a healthy nation. Americans are not healthy. Just as our population has become obese and is afflicted by an insatiable appetite, our nation is obese and afflicted with an insatiable appetite.

At some point the world is going to cease funding our excess and the world's consumer goods and natural resources will stop flowing into America's morbidly obese belly.

The newspaper ought to spend a little time warning the public that America is a dying nation. America is dying from its addictions.

well, if ya give inherentlyfascist goons the authority to do pretty much whatever they want and to say pretty much whatever they want about pretty much anyone they want to "arrest", then ya gotta expect this sort of thing.

of course, these guys may well have been armed to the teeth and determined to do grave harm...

than again, the coppers may just have been a couple of good ol' boys out to hassle some 'furriners' since they probably cant get away with it on any other group in society.

the bottomline is:

SINCE WE HAVE BEEN LIED TO AND LIED TO AND LIED TO BY THIS ADMINISTRATION AND ITS LACKIES, WE NO LONGER HAVE CONFIDENCE IN ONE SINGLE WORD THEY SAY!!

[Larry]

You're right on again, Howard. It seems like the police/authorities can pretty much do as they please in the name of national security these days. And everything has to be kept in secret. Why can't they tell us exactly what was found in the trunk? Why aren't they allow to see their families or talk to anyone. It's hard to believe this is America, land that we were once proud of. Osama can take credit for the undoing of America. It's really sad.

You mean Osama Been Forgotten? It's amazing how we can track down some freak sitting in the woods in Lutz, in a singlewide, and downloading child porn… but for some reason we can’t track down Been Forgotten.

Then again, we can drop a Tonka toy on Mars to run around for a year and take pictures… but we cant make a car that gets 100 mpg.

[Excelsior]

Howards right, let us see what is in the trunk. However, like most criminal investigations, the public will have to wait.
And try to keep your stereotypes to yourself poster from 1236p "inherentlyfascist goons" and "a couple of good ol' boys out to hassle some 'furriners'" does nothing to advance any debate. It just reflects the light of ignorance upon yourself. You reinforced that idea with the ending diatribe, of course.

Isn’t the “diatribe” that colony of pigmies found in the rain forest of South America, that only eats whole grain bread and works out daily?

Just kidding... :-)

[Larry]

Howard, topic for your chat tomorrow. I read with interest the articles in the SPT Business Section on Sunday concerning risk and insurance and hurricanes. The gentleman who was interviewed seemed knowledgeable. Like all insurance executives though, he also says the insurance industry in Florida should be market driven and that Floridians (in this case, or any coastal regions affected by hurricanes)should be paying higher rates for insurance. In my own case, my homeowners premium, before I surrendered and went with Citizens) went up from $782 (2003) annually, to $1,350 (2004) annually, to $2,100 (2005) annually to $3,300 (2006) annually and finally (the straw that broke the camel's back) up to $6,600 (2007) at last renewal. I would like to know, if premiums were left to the market, what would be the annual premium be? Would the $6,600 I was billed be the correct level for the risk, or would it be even higher than that? Do the insurance companies just continue to raise the premium to whatever the traffic will bear? Have you heard anything about what the "free-market" premium for homeowners (including windstorm) insurance should be? Just curious.

Keep in mind that the majority of damage caused by Andrew was not along the coastal areas... it was inland.

[HCB]

If there was something important in the trunk, there would have been pictures of solemn faced agents standing in front of a tarp full of stuff. this is the same kind of nonsense as the seven (now six) miami losers who plotted to blow up the Sears tower. I'm gonna blow it up - if I had a bomb, if I knew how to plant a bomb, if I had a bus ticket to chicago, if ....

I know - just can't be too carefujl.