Words fail me: it is so easy to make a WMD from source chemicals in most stores…
Yes, ‘inconvenient’ people have been charged (in the US) for possession of bomb-making material simply for having both bleach and ammonia in their homes, both legal and legitimate cleaning agents.
However, this one ‘takes the cake’:
How do I get off this planet?!?!?
Xanthippa's Chamberpot 
July 22, 2016 at 11:52
Xanthippa:
Oh please.
A nuclear bomb is a weapon of mass destruction.
A bowl of ammonia and bleach is just a hazardous toy.
The hyperbole has escalated from the ridiculous to the sublime.
Simple crimes are called acts of terrorism.
Ordinary thugs who kill more than once are called “serial killers.”
If they kill more than one person at a time they’re called “mass murderers.”
This is a concerted effort to frighten people and convince them that danger lurks everywhere.
The intent is to get people to clamour for more police, more surveillance, and less freedom.
When in fact, the crime rate is lower than it has ever been.
July 22, 2016 at 21:15
CodeSlinger,
I do agree with you.
Yet, the US government has charged more than one ‘inconvenient’ person with ‘possessing the means of producing weapons of mass destruction’ simply because they had both ammonia and bleach – as cleaning products – in their house.
This is, obviously, a farce and a subversion of the judiciary.
However, once the government takes that stance, many people come to believe it. Truly believe it.
And, in this particular case, it appears clear that the individual who constructed this ‘device’ inside Wallmart truly and honestly believed he was constructing a weapon of mass destruction, in order to create terror in the populace.
He believed that is what he was doing – so it is reasonable to accept his word as to his intent.
Terrorism is not a simple ‘crime’ – it is an act of war. Treating it as just another ‘crime’ will do more harm than good to society.
In this case, the only positive side to this is that the perp was so stupid…but incompetence does not excuse intent!
July 23, 2016 at 12:45
Xanthippa:
This guy is no terrorist.
He’s a just petty criminal, and a rather poor one at that.
We have no idea what his motive was, but we do know that any improvised chemical device he could have assembled from components inside a Walmart would be far too small to present a significant danger, except possibly to one or two people standing right next to it.
The idea that we should be afraid of such a pathetic bungler is downright insulting.
The only alarming aspect is watching Americans destroy America by allowing themselves to be herded into an increasingly draconian police state.
Out of fear of a two-bit gangbanger.
The real terrorists must be pissing themselves laughing.
July 24, 2016 at 19:29
CodeSlinger:
Just because he is stupid does not mean he is not a jihadist-wanna-be.
And this story is important not because of what had actually taken place, but because of how it is being classifies by the ‘authorities’.
Like I had pointed out before, there are several cases over the past few years where Americans that the ‘system’ considered a nuisance had had their home raided and, once common cleaning products were found – like bleach and ammonia based cleaners – the person was jailed on terrorism charges for possessing materials to create a weapon of mass destruction.
This should give us pause.
It is obvious that the authorities are abusing this.
But, it has been repeated often enough that a stupid jihadi-wanna-be believed them and tried to re-create this ‘weapon of mass destruction’ inside a Wallmart.
And – of course we live in a police state, as do Americans and all Europeans. Most are just not aware of it yet.
July 25, 2016 at 11:55
Xanthippa:
It seems the only mismatch between our perspectives on this incident is that I have seen no evidence to indicate that that Martin Reyes is a wannabe jihadi.