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Six Pipe Bombs Found in Nebraska Mailboxes; Some Leads in Bombs That Hurt 6 in Iowa, Illinois
AP ^ | May 5, 2002 | Kevin O'hanlon

Posted on 05/05/2002 4:00:32 AM PDT by TomGuy

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To: Dog
Cindy noticed something in the letter..and Lion's Cub picked it up.. Good pickup on the The United States strives to provide freedom for their people, Cindy. I agree that this person is not a US citizen, or least doesn't consider himself one.

That was one of the first odd things I noticed in the letter , too, so Cindy might have a good point here. I didn't get any strong feelings one way or the other. It seems when I was younger I used that pronoun(?) "their" when I didn't know a better word to use. Had I written that garbage, I might have used "its people" or probably "her people" or "our people" which could point to either a noncitizen or a citizen.

The person definitely sounds alienated (and delusional) and could very well be a noncitizen. I can't get a particular sense of it one way or the other.

They seem to like interconnected rural roads, so if they keep to their mo and strike again, I would expect it to be in an area where there are more state and local roads which have been mapped rather than hitting way out in the boonies. They may be using roadmaps or an atlas. FWIW.

41 posted on 05/05/2002 2:17:19 PM PDT by Aliska
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To: Aliska
They are using I-80...that got them from Iowa to Nebraska...350 mile trip....now will they continue to use I-80?
42 posted on 05/05/2002 2:20:41 PM PDT by Dog
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To: Dog
They are using I-80...that got them from Iowa to Nebraska...350 mile trip....now will they continue to use I-80?

If they are going to the coast, yes. If they are following on the news, they may change their pattern or lay low for awhile. A lot depends on their finances and whether they have credit card backup. I'm guessing, if they (or whatever) are sleeping, it is probably in their car for now.

That was a good point the bombs in NE haven't gone off. Maybe someone else wired them . . . who knows about these things. Remember that one bomb in IA or IL was moved twice and didn't go off.

Somebody mentioned they are destroying the evidence by blowing them up in situ. I wondered about that, too. How can you handle all those materials without leaving fingerprints? There could still be fingerprints on the debris I suppose. I wish the authorities would leak some of what they know so the public can help. Who is missing from home, the treatment center, the neighborhood, do they have a cell phone on board, all kinds of things to wonder about.

43 posted on 05/05/2002 2:31:15 PM PDT by Aliska
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To: Boss_Jim_Gettys
"Well, some IDIOTS did it. I don't know if it is any stupider than being a homocide bomber."

True, but blowing himself up and taking as many people as possible with him doesn't seem to be what this guy has in mind.

44 posted on 05/05/2002 2:41:24 PM PDT by cake_crumb
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To: TomGuy
"I opened it up, my mail was there and there was a clear Ziploc bag in there. I could see it was a pipe and it had a 9-volt battery in there," he said.
FBI Gives Mailbox Bomber Profile

"That the bombs were planted overnight indicates they likely were not targeted at rural residents but rather at the mail carriers, Van Zandt said.

It's his believe we wouldn't go to the mailbox until the mailman got there," he said. "You know if he comes at noon every day, so there's no use in going out at 8 a.m. His target is either the post office itself or mail carriers as representatives of the government."


45 posted on 05/05/2002 2:55:06 PM PDT by Orion78
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To: Orion78
That makes sense. It looks like we're dealing with a couple possibilities:

a) The culprit is American, is building on the postal/anthrax paranoia, and has a non-descript agenda/beef with the government.

It doesn't make sense that someone would take their "best shot", probably after months of planning, and end up with an incoherent "middle finger" to the government as his/her calling card.

2) This is a foreigner -- possibly Muslim, possibly leftist or Neo-Nazi -- who cannot make his case in a concise manner except to express displeasure with the government by afflicting those in the "heartland".

Nothing should be taken at face value. Just because someone says, "I've lived here a while", doesn't mean they haven't lived here their whole life. Just because someone says the government takes care of "their" people, doesn't necessarily mean he isn't included in that group also.

What it boils down to is this: People who are evil are servants of the Prince of Deception. Any scenario is plausible -- homegrown or Islamic terrorism. My hope is that whoever is doing the forensic testing on the debris is checking for anthrax residue...

Let's see what happens over the next few days. I hope this isn't a diversion of some kind...

46 posted on 05/05/2002 3:35:48 PM PDT by Dirk McQuickly
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To: TomGuy
These are a couple of my postings yesterday as I sat down and read the bomber's letter:

  4 suspected Pipe Bombs found in Nebraska
Posted by Cindy to ATOMIC_PUNK
On News/Activism May 4 12:50 PM #74 of 163
re post #62:

Some of the phrases jumped out at me on the bomber's letter as posted here. So, I did some Google research on several phrases. I have come to a very tentative conclusion, that maybe, and I do mean maybe; the writer of this bomb letter might be someone who is interested in the subject of the assisted-suicide movement.


On News/Activism May 4 7:38 PM #153 of 163
Re: Post #62: Part of the bomber's note stated, "The United States strives to provide freedom for their people. Do we really have personal freedom? I've lived here for many years, and I see much limitation.

The bomber wrote, "The United States strives to provide freedom for THEIR PEOPLE." The phrase "their people" indicates a non-citizen making a statement. The bomber wrote, "I've lived here for many years, and I see MUCH LIMITATION." Speaking in this stilted manner indicates a bad translation job or an illegal/legal immigrant. Also, that sentence smacks of a propaganda statement.

The bomber's note on the whole reads like a propaganda piece and a person who is uncomfortable translating his thoughts into English. Here is an example of the bomber's note which seems to back up my opinion: "To "live" (avoid death) in this society you are forced to conform/slave away. I'm here to help you realize/ understand that you will live no matter what!"

I paid special attention to that term "forced to conform/slave away." That phrase reminded me of speeches by the open the borders now crowd. Anyway, another opinion on the 'net.

47 posted on 05/05/2002 4:07:09 PM PDT by Cindy
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To: wingnuts'nbolts
The messages being left with pipebombs in mailboxes in IL/IA/NE contain this phrase: "Mailboxes are exploding! Why, you ask?"

I think that has a South Slav "lilt" to it. Dan Ackroyd and Steve Martin used to do this one quite well - however, they called their characters "Two Czech Brothers". It didn't sound quite Czech, but more Serbo-Croatian.

48 posted on 05/05/2002 4:14:26 PM PDT by muawiyah
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To: SLB
I would have to say that the reference to World Government, and top 1% say's anti-Globalization/Anarchist crowd. The reference to not living in the country long could very well be Euro Trash that has recently planted itself and its ideas here. Pipe bombs are a staple of ALF/ELF so my guess is its a young 18-28 year old white male who has been involved in the Anti-Globalization /Anarchist/Enviro crowd. If it was even suspected this was a Right-wing group the press would have already jumped and labeled it but too much of the note says Radical Left-wing (youth) group.
49 posted on 05/05/2002 4:20:41 PM PDT by Marlin4570
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To: muawiyah
How interesting that you mentioned Czech. Once in awhile, I post to some of my sites wacko letters/hate mail I receive. A while back, I received a letter (via post) from this guy who signed his post as "Universe People" and appeared to be connected with the Czech people. His letter was nuttier than a bad fruitcake.

One of the observations I made then, was this guy might be really hateful or just had a bad translator. I'm not saying that the mail box bomber is related to the "Universe People" poster, but I am saying that there is a similar type style of translating words and phrases into stilted English.

Anyway you can read it in my Editor's notebook. Just click on the link to a post from "Universe People."

Editor's Notebook

50 posted on 05/05/2002 4:37:15 PM PDT by Cindy
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To: Mitchell
I'm sorry but I gotta stick to my guns on this one. I grew up in the Midwest (Illinois); nobody out there talked or wrote like that.

Of course all of us are just guessing. I hope the experts can come up with something. Whoever he is he's a turd.

51 posted on 05/05/2002 5:23:36 PM PDT by alpowolf
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To: cake_crumb
Just Bobby Kennedy and his wacko friends who claim hog farmers are as bad as Osama bin Laden.
52 posted on 05/05/2002 6:11:15 PM PDT by Conservativegreatgrandma
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Comment #53 Removed by Moderator

To: expatriot
re post#53: You're guess is as good as anyone's here; but I'll hazard another guess and say that you're probably wrong. LOL!
54 posted on 05/05/2002 7:16:07 PM PDT by Cindy
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To: TomGuy
BEtween the bombs and anthrax, I'd start investigating the mail handlers union. Maybe a scheme to get hazardous duty pay for postal employees.
55 posted on 05/05/2002 7:16:52 PM PDT by Archie Bunker on steroids
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To: Dirk McQuickly
What I wanna know is if, according to the FBI, the bomber is putting the bombs in the mailbox at night, in hopes of attacking postal workers, how come the man in this article says "my mail was there.."? How did the mail get put into the mailbox if the bomb was put in at night? Did the postal worker open the box, see the bomb and put in the mail anyway?
56 posted on 05/05/2002 8:09:10 PM PDT by Orion78
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Comment #57 Removed by Moderator

To: alpowolf
I'm sorry but I gotta stick to my guns on this one. I grew up in the Midwest (Illinois); nobody out there talked or wrote like that. Of course all of us are just guessing.

Well, I certainly don't think it's a typical Midwesterner! I was speculating along the following lines [this is just a wild guess]: that it could be an American with very serious emotional problems to begin with, perhaps driven more deeply into bitterness, despair, and insanity after extreme medical problems, maybe suffering from a terminal illness. Perhaps this person blames greedy corporations, rich people (doctors?), and corrupt government for the problems in his or her life. Never having gotten enough attention in life, maybe this person feels that he or she hasn't even been able to get the attention of doctors for adequate medical care (this could even be true, because the person is unpleasant to be around, or because psychiatric problems confound diagnosis of the medical problems).

But, of course, you could be right. As you say, we're all just guessing; there is very little evidence, and my profile is definitely a wild guess. In any case, I think being an American is at least consistent with the note.

I hope the experts can come up with something. Whoever he is he's a turd.

It wouldn't surprise me if the person were a woman. I know it's very unusual in cases like this, but still....

58 posted on 05/05/2002 10:05:26 PM PDT by Mitchell
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To: Orion78
Did the postal worker open the box, see the bomb and put in the mail anyway?

Didn't one of the mail carriers say that he saw it in the mailbox but thought it was some sort of farm equipment? [Sorry if this is a repeat -- I posted this in another thread too.]

59 posted on 05/05/2002 10:08:42 PM PDT by Mitchell
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To: Orion78
In post #56 you said, "What I wanna know is if, according to the FBI, the bomber is putting the bombs in the mailbox at night, in hopes of attacking postal workers, how come the man in this article says "my mail was there.."? How did the mail get put into the mailbox if the bomb was put in at night? Did the postal worker open the box, see the bomb and put in the mail anyway?"

That's a very astute observation.

60 posted on 05/05/2002 11:17:13 PM PDT by Cindy
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