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Thread: 'Pressure Cookers, Backpacks, and Quinoa ..."

  1. #1
    Banned Melonie's Avatar
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    Default 'Pressure Cookers, Backpacks, and Quinoa ..."

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    (snip)I was at work when it happened. My husband called me as soon as it was over, almost laughing about it but I wasn’t joining in the laughter. His call left me shaken and anxious.

    What happened was this: At about 9:00 am, my husband, who happened to be home yesterday, was sitting in the living room with our two dogs when he heard a couple of cars pull up outside. He looked out the window and saw three black SUVs in front of our house; two at the curb in front and one pulled up behind my husband’s Jeep in the driveway, as if to block him from leaving.

    Six gentleman in casual clothes emerged from the vehicles and spread out as they walked toward the house, two toward the backyard on one side, two on the other side, two toward the front door.

    A million things went through my husband’s head. None of which were right. He walked outside and the men greeted him by flashing badges. He could see they all had guns holstered in their waistbands.

    “Are you [name redacted]?” one asked while glancing at a clipboard. He affirmed that was indeed him, and was asked if they could come in. Sure, he said.

    They asked if they could search the house, though it turned out to be just a cursory search. They walked around the living room, studied the books on the shelf (nope, no bomb making books, no Anarchist Cookbook), looked at all our pictures, glanced into our bedroom, pet our dogs. They asked if they could go in my son’s bedroom but when my husband said my son was sleeping in there, they let it be.

    Meanwhile, they were peppering my husband with questions. Where is he from? Where are his parents from? They asked about me, where was I, where do I work, where do my parents live. Do you have any bombs, they asked. Do you own a pressure cooker? My husband said no, but we have a rice cooker. Can you make a bomb with that? My husband said no, my wife uses it to make quinoa. What the hell is quinoa, they asked.

    They searched the backyard. They walked around the garage, as much as one could walk around a garage strewn with yardworking equipment and various junk. They went back in the house and asked more questions.

    Have you ever looked up how to make a pressure cooker bomb? My husband, ever the oppositional kind, asked them if they themselves weren’t curious as to how a pressure cooker bomb works, if they ever looked it up. Two of them admitted they did.

    By this point they had realized they were not dealing with terrorists. They asked my husband about his work, his visits to South Korea and China. The tone was conversational.

    They never asked to see the computers on which the searches were done. They never opened a drawer or a cabinet. They left two rooms unsearched. I guess we didn’t fit the exact profile they were looking for so they were just going through the motions.

    They mentioned that they do this about 100 times a week. And that 99 of those visits turn out to be nothing. I don’t know what happens on the other 1% of visits and I’m not sure I want to know what my neighbors are up to.

    45 minutes later, they shook my husband’s hand and left. That’s when he called me and relayed the story. That’s when I felt a sense of creeping dread take over. What else had I looked up? What kind of searches did I do that alone seemed innocent enough but put together could make someone suspicious? Were they judging me because my house was a mess (Oh my god, the joint terrorism task force was in my house and there were dirty dishes in my sink!). Mostly I felt a great sense of anxiety. This is where we are at. Where you have no expectation of privacy. Where trying to learn how to cook some lentils could possibly land you on a watch list. Where you have to watch every little thing you do because someone else is watching every little thing you do.

    All I know is if I’m going to buy a pressure cooker in the near future, I’m not doing it online.(snip)

  2. #2
    God/dess Selina M's Avatar
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    Default Re: 'Pressure Cookers, Backpacks, and Quinoa ..."

    Well, that's scary.
    "People jack off with the left hand and point with the right."

    "You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave."

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    God/dess arielbriel's Avatar
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    Default Re: 'Pressure Cookers, Backpacks, and Quinoa ..."

    Holy hell.

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    Default Re: 'Pressure Cookers, Backpacks, and Quinoa ..."

    Scary as hell, that's some shit right out of 1984. Did they have a search warrant? If they didn't have a search warrant, then your husband had the legal right to tell them they couldn't search-even if they didn't look in drawers or anything. Unless you or your husband have some kind of criminal history... that would suggest you'd make a bomb.... why the hell should the government have the right to invade your home like that? How many millions of people have looked strange stuff up online? Doesn't make them a criminal.
    When the power of love overcomes the love of power, we will know peace. Jimi Hendrix

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    Moderator Djoser's Avatar
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    Default Re: 'Pressure Cookers, Backpacks, and Quinoa ..."

    Blondie, it wasn't Melonie who nearly got arrested. She is quoting from an article.
    You must have chaos within you to give birth to a dancing star.
    Friedrich Nietzsche

    Free your mind, and your ass will follow.
    George Clinton

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    Default Re: 'Pressure Cookers, Backpacks, and Quinoa ..."

    Quote Originally Posted by Djoser View Post
    Blondie, it wasn't Melonie who nearly got arrested. She is quoting from an article.


    Oops.... I missed the link the first time LOL
    When the power of love overcomes the love of power, we will know peace. Jimi Hendrix

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    Default Re: 'Pressure Cookers, Backpacks, and Quinoa ..."

    Quote Originally Posted by Djoser View Post
    Blondie, it wasn't Melonie who nearly got arrested. She is quoting from an article.


    Oops.... I missed the link the first time LOL
    When the power of love overcomes the love of power, we will know peace. Jimi Hendrix

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    Moderator Djoser's Avatar
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    Default Re: 'Pressure Cookers, Backpacks, and Quinoa ..."

    No worries

    You must have chaos within you to give birth to a dancing star.
    Friedrich Nietzsche

    Free your mind, and your ass will follow.
    George Clinton

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    Default Re: 'Pressure Cookers, Backpacks, and Quinoa ..."

    Welcome to America post 9/11. Disgusting. Both Bush 2 and Obama are traitors for thinking this is a good thing. It is going to get worse.

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    Default Re: 'Pressure Cookers, Backpacks, and Quinoa ..."

    The article leaves out that the person whose house was searched was looking up this information on his work computer and his employer reported him to the police. It wasn't the government tracking his computer use.

    http://techcrunch.com/2013/08/01/emp...te-not-google/

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    Default Re: 'Pressure Cookers, Backpacks, and Quinoa ..."

    Quote Originally Posted by Kellydancer View Post
    Welcome to America post 9/11. Disgusting. Both Bush 2 and Obama are traitors for thinking this is a good thing. It is going to get worse.
    The federal government wasn't involved with this.
    Last edited by eagle2; 08-03-2013 at 01:14 AM.

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    Default Re: 'Pressure Cookers, Backpacks, and Quinoa ..."

    Yes all the politicians are involved in this. Both sides. Bush signed the Patriot Act and Obama signed NSA. Maybe not this specific incident but the government is spying on us.

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    Default Re: 'Pressure Cookers, Backpacks, and Quinoa ..."

    ^ The government has the right to search without warrant if they supect Terrorism (my hubbiet thinks it may be called the patriot act but Im not sure). We are Aussies and our federal police/special forces do not have the right to enter without a warrant. Come to Australia everybody!!!

    His employer pointed the finger based on some very flimsy evidence and the governement rushes right on in!

    However I also think that we can choose to live in fear (and 'Whatif' land) or we can shoose to live in awareness and realise we don't have control of the situation only how we choose to respond.
    Tiny tweaks----->BIG CHANGES

    Quote Originally Posted by Kirakonstantin View Post
    More fear-mongering? Really? Yes, this is not the 1990's anymore. Yes, things are changing. Either dance or don't. Freaking out and sowing fear isn't going to help anyone.




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    Default Re: 'Pressure Cookers, Backpacks, and Quinoa ..."

    waay back before 9/11 i had a buddy who had a clog in a patio drain and a rodent issue in the yard. he went online...1997 style...and bought a bunch of different chemicals to clear the drain

    apparently it was 2/3 the recipe for bombs or something, because mib showed up

    they told him 'be careful what you buy from now on.' wtf/

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    God/dess Flickdreams's Avatar
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    Default Re: 'Pressure Cookers, Backpacks, and Quinoa ..."

    ^ Wait till they get thought monitors- then we'll really be fucked!
    Tiny tweaks----->BIG CHANGES

    Quote Originally Posted by Kirakonstantin View Post
    More fear-mongering? Really? Yes, this is not the 1990's anymore. Yes, things are changing. Either dance or don't. Freaking out and sowing fear isn't going to help anyone.




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    Default Re: 'Pressure Cookers, Backpacks, and Quinoa ..."

    Quote Originally Posted by Flickdreams View Post
    ^ The government has the right to search without warrant if they supect Terrorism (my hubbiet thinks it may be called the patriot act but Im not sure). We are Aussies and our federal police/special forces do not have the right to enter without a warrant. Come to Australia everybody!!!

    His employer pointed the finger based on some very flimsy evidence and the governement rushes right on in!

    However I also think that we can choose to live in fear (and 'Whatif' land) or we can shoose to live in awareness and realise we don't have control of the situation only how we choose to respond.
    The thing is though they are using the terrorism thing as a reason to spy. They are now monitoring our calls and emails and it is disturbing. The United States is becoming a scary country because of it.

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    Featured Member HaydenBlue's Avatar
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    Default Re: 'Pressure Cookers, Backpacks, and Quinoa ..."

    Soooo I must be slow...what, she was just googling pressure cookers and some FBI popped up at her house? IDGI.







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    Default Re: 'Pressure Cookers, Backpacks, and Quinoa ..."

    Pretty much, she was googling at work and her boss reported her THEN the government showed up.... 1984 style
    Tiny tweaks----->BIG CHANGES

    Quote Originally Posted by Kirakonstantin View Post
    More fear-mongering? Really? Yes, this is not the 1990's anymore. Yes, things are changing. Either dance or don't. Freaking out and sowing fear isn't going to help anyone.




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    Default Re: 'Pressure Cookers, Backpacks, and Quinoa ..."

    Amazes me how some people gets so easily scared, and are so willing to give up basic liberties. I mean in regards to the government using terrorism as a reason to spy.
    When the power of love overcomes the love of power, we will know peace. Jimi Hendrix

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    Default Re: 'Pressure Cookers, Backpacks, and Quinoa ..."

    A government so powerful that it can actually prevent all terrorism is far more frightening than terrorism.
    Quote Originally Posted by _Avery_ View Post
    omg, why is it so huge?!! lol lol

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