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Breaking: Bridge Collapse in Minneapolis
KSTP TV 5/ME | 8/1/07 | Me

Posted on 08/01/2007 4:28:27 PM PDT by ButThreeLeftsDo

Just turned on the news. 35W bridge collapsed in the Mississippi River. Cars, trucks, semis.....

Fires burning, tanker trucks, at least one school bus, more than ten cars......

Just now breaking.......


TOPICS: Breaking News; News/Current Events; US: Minnesota
KEYWORDS: 35w; breaking; bridge; bridgecollapse; bridges; btld; collapse; corrosion; engineering; infrastructure; jihad; minneapolis; mosques; mothman; prayerforminnesotans; rust; slownewsday; terroristattack; transportation; twincitiescell
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To: CharacterCounts

You betcha.


1,181 posted on 08/01/2007 7:00:30 PM PDT by mplsconservative
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To: RasterMaster

The Keys bridges are scary for those of us that get nervous on bridges.


1,182 posted on 08/01/2007 7:00:41 PM PDT by Ingtar (The LDS problem that Romney is facing is not his religion, but his Lacking Decisive Stands.)
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To: JFC; SergeiRachmaninov
I see LAWYERS swarming .....

>>I heard that John Edwards is on the way. Said he didn’t want to cause any distraction by campaigning, but he would like to pass out a few business cards just in case this White House gig doesn’t pan out


1,183 posted on 08/01/2007 7:01:09 PM PDT by weegee (NO THIRD TERM. America does not need another unconstitutional Clinton co-presidency.)
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To: aft_lizard

Miss Cleo, is that you?!?


1,184 posted on 08/01/2007 7:01:27 PM PDT by pillut48 (CJ in TX --Soccer Mom, Bible Thumper and Proud to be an American! RUN, FRED, RUN!!!)
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To: CharacterCounts
Even so, faulty engineering shows up well before 40 years.

Bridge could have been engineered perfectly but had faulty maintenance.

1,185 posted on 08/01/2007 7:01:49 PM PDT by Strategerist
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To: WashingtonSource; Alberta's Child; advance_copy

FNC: Department of Homeland Security says this does not appear to be an act of terrorism.
[...]
And how would they know? I hate these premature assurances.
Odder yet is the way they say it will be months before they know the cause -- yet, it only takes minutes to rule out ONE possible cause -- a cause that we have been repeatedly warned to be on the lookout for. (They have specifically warned us that the SOBs have bridges as a potential target.)

Also in the "odder yet" department is the nonchalant "not that big a cause for concern" flavored statement that they are only "monitoring" via the locals -- even though they (HS) are on the scene (multiple vehicles spotted, apparently ONLY reported on local news). The national media seem disinterested in reporting HS's presence at the scene.

And apart from all that, is the sheer scope of the "incident" -- along with the "explanation" being spoon-fed by "the authorities", i.e., they were "working" on the bridge. Oh, please -- touching up the pavement causes a massive destruction over what appears to be a half-mile or so of bridge and roadway leading up to the bridge?

I may have been born at night, but it wasn't last night.

I recall that shortly after 9/11, there was a powwow called for the purpose of working out protocols for how to manage the news in the aftermath of future attacks. The meeting was attended by high-ranking government officials and the leaders of the national news media.

Rule One seems to be to "avoid panic at all costs. Right now, S. Hannity is re-ranting his histrionic delivery of the bridges age. Oh, the vapors! It's forty years old!

How it's managed to last forty years is amazing, I suppose. Gee, forty years old, what a dinoaaur!

Of course, the Brooklyn Bridge is just a tad older -- construction began 138 years ago -- and it's still standing. And, there was a bit of a scandal during its construction -- substandard steel was used (corruption in government contracts being nothing new). So, the Brooklyn Bridge, built with defective 1860's steel is still in service today. As are countless other bridges.

Frankly, if asphalt work on a bridge could cause massive catastrophic destruction, of the type normally associated with placement of multiple shaped charges (gee, hmm, work on the bridge... what excellent "cover" for goons scurrying around planting things), then I'm shocked that this sort of thing hasn't been happening regularly every year or so.

The instantaneous "we have no idea of the cause, but don't worry, there is no sign of terrorism" mantra has become so predictable that people inevitably crack jokes about it. "How many minutes until they assure us it wasn't terrorism?" "Have they given the 'no terrorism' statement yet?"

The more they play that tune, the more I come to consider it a bit of an IQ test -- something along the lines of, "How stupid do they think we are?" -- and the answer appears to be "Pretty darn stupid!"

Now, I'm not saying that it IS terrorism. I'm merely saying that while I don't know -- and, they don't know -- it seems to me that statistically, "terrorism" would be right by the top of the list of potential causes. Yet, it's the ONE cause that is categorically ruled out, months (by their own accounting) before an actual cause can be determined.

Paging Occam...

1,186 posted on 08/01/2007 7:01:51 PM PDT by Don Joe (We've traded the Rule of Law for the Law of Rule.)
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To: I_Publius
I_Plublius and others:

Here in Minnesota, the temperature can drop down to -40F in the winter and over +100F in the summer. This temperature change does place a horrible strain upon the structures in the State. Having a highway suddenly buckle and thrust upward almost six inches, has happened rather frequently in the summer.

This was an old bridge, and the temperature changes finally caused something in it's basic structure to fail.

But what the heck, we have a new choo-choo train!

1,187 posted on 08/01/2007 7:02:00 PM PDT by Hunble (Islam is God's punishment!)
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To: CharacterCounts

Bridge was built in 1967


1,188 posted on 08/01/2007 7:02:08 PM PDT by finnman69 (cum puella incedit minore medio corpore sub quo manifestu s globus, inflammare animos)
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To: rwfromkansas
How does a whole bridge collapse?

It's possible that it's due to structure failure .. if one part crumbles .. the rest will follow .. just like a deck of cards

1,189 posted on 08/01/2007 7:02:19 PM PDT by Mo1 ( http://www.gohunter08.com)
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To: pillut48

now that’s a blast from the past LOL


1,190 posted on 08/01/2007 7:02:22 PM PDT by RDTF (Republicans believe every day is July 4th, but Democrats believe every day is April 15th. - Reagan)
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To: Guenevere

Yea, seems qualified to comment. SARC


1,191 posted on 08/01/2007 7:02:24 PM PDT by maineman (BC Eagle fan)
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To: All

Another link. This time to the MN Dept of Transportation’s page for:

Fracture Critical & Non-Fracture Critical Bridge Inspection
2003 Inspection Schedule

Yes, it’s from 2003, but I’m betting someone can come up with a more recent report.

http://www.dot.state.mn.us/metro/maintenance/2003FCIn.pdf


1,192 posted on 08/01/2007 7:02:51 PM PDT by I_Publius
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To: Don Joe
The instantaneous "we have no idea of the cause, but don't worry, there is no sign of terrorism" mantra has become so predictable that people inevitably crack jokes about it. "How many minutes until they assure us it wasn't terrorism?" "Have they given the 'no terrorism' statement yet?"

People seem oddly frustrated by horrible stuff that turns out not to be terrorism.

1,193 posted on 08/01/2007 7:03:24 PM PDT by Strategerist
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To: ConservativeofColor

Now is this the bridge that right north of this pic has an exit to 4th?


1,194 posted on 08/01/2007 7:03:42 PM PDT by Terriergal ("I am ashamed that women are so simple To offer war where they should kneel for peace," Shakespeare)
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To: All

Terrible!!

My prayers are with them...


1,195 posted on 08/01/2007 7:03:42 PM PDT by aimee5291
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To: yorkie; trussell

Thanks guys!


1,196 posted on 08/01/2007 7:03:48 PM PDT by oldvike
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To: maineman

Probably more qualified than you.


1,197 posted on 08/01/2007 7:03:59 PM PDT by Guenevere (Duncan Hunter for President 2008!!!)
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To: Don Joe
Yet, it's the ONE cause that is categorically ruled out

Produce a quote where an official has "ruled out" terrorism in this collapse.

Not that the words "there are no indications of" have a different meaning than "ruled out."

1,198 posted on 08/01/2007 7:04:29 PM PDT by Strategerist
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To: yorkie

I pray the casualties are low. I pray for comfort for those who have lost a loved one and for those who are worried about unheard from loved ones.


1,199 posted on 08/01/2007 7:04:41 PM PDT by trussell (Prayer is good for the soul)
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To: Don Joe
. . . it only takes minutes to rule out ONE possible cause.

To say an event does not "appear to be" terrorism is NOT to rule it out. HS is making a qualified statment, not a positive one.

1,200 posted on 08/01/2007 7:04:42 PM PDT by Fester Chugabrew
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