Bombs & IEDs

Good Training Class Today

Today I had a class put on by the Department of Homeland Security, Office of Bombing Prevention.  Very odd name, but a good class, nonetheless.  It was geared toward getting the police to increase awareness of bomb precursors among retailers, and suspicious activity from local businesses such as motels and rental storage places.

I know that many in the prepper community have very tight tin foil hats and might think that I've just put myself on a watchlist that Janet Napolitano checks like Santa Clause.  They also believe that DHS is completely avoiding the topic of Islamist radicals and casting all suspicions on libertarians, veterans, gun owners, etc...  Honestly, I have a touch of tin foiledness myself, and it bothers me a great deal that some police officers believe that crap.  But, this class presented good, factual information and made no bones about the fact that the vast majority of US bombing incidents in the past 30 years have been done by Islamist radicals... some native born, some naturalized or on visas, and some illegal.

They gave us some literature and break room posters to use when working with local merchants.  The posters dealt with suspicious household chemical combinations and information about how some common household chemicals and products might be suspicious if bought in quantity or combinations.  Now, not being a cop anymore, I don't have any merchants, but I am going to share this information with the science teachers in my school district.  It won't do much in the war on terror, but it could keep a student from losing a hand or an eye.


It's Hot

Much of the country is experiencing a scorcher of a heat wave (although it is in the 50s-70s at our land in Wyoming and my cousin's in Northern Idaho - just another reason we want to go West).  It was 101 when I left the city to come home this evening.  You know what to do during times like this... drink plenty of water (if your urine is yellow or darker, you need to drink more), limit outside activity, dress in light colored and loose fabrics.  Be alert to the symptoms of heat illness in yourself and others.