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Half Ton of Bomb Material Stored a Few Miles from the White House (By ABC news team)
ABC News Blogs ^ | September 08, 2006 | Brian Ross and Rhonda Schwartz

Posted on 09/08/2006 5:28:21 PM PDT by indcons

With virtually no questions asked, an undercover ABC News team was able to purchase a half ton of one of the world's most dangerous bomb-making materials and move it into a storage shed only a few miles from the White House and the U.S. Capitol.

Despite its use in the bombing of the Oklahoma City Federal Building, there are still no federal laws restricting the purchase of ammonium nitrate, a chemical fertilizer, widely sold at farm supply stores.

The ABC News undercover team made the purchases, in cash, at farm supply stores in North Carolina and Virginia and were never once asked for any valid ID.

Legislation requiring buyers of ammonium nitrate to be registered by the federal government have been blocked by the agricultural industry, according to the Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, Congressman Pete King (R-NY).

The results of the ABC News investigation are "a wake-up call that the American people and the Congress needs," King said. A law requiring sellers to record purchases has passed King's committee and is awaiting a vote by the full House.

Brian Ross' full investigative report will air Monday on World News with Charles Gibson and as part of an ABC News Special Report on the fifth anniversary of 9/11. (10pm EST/9pm Central)


TOPICS: Breaking News; News/Current Events; US: District of Columbia; US: North Carolina; US: Virginia; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: 109th; abcdisney; abcnews; antiamericanism; drivebymedia; enemedia; explosives; makingitup; newsmanufacturing; pathto911; proterrorist; sensationalism; sweepsweek; waltdisney; waltsrotatingcorpse; waronterror; waronterrorism; wot; yellowjournalism; zogbyism
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To: alfa6
And as fertilizer it has been prilled which would make it very dificult to use, as is, in an explosive device.

Correct. Prilled (pelletized) and coated to retard water (and fuel oil) absorption. And, as a fertilizer, it probably is diluted (cut) with phosphates, etc. What is now sold as "fertilizer grade" ammonium nitrate is far inferior to "explosive grade" ammonium nitrate -- at least for explosive purposes.

IOW, this article is hysterical bunk!

101 posted on 09/08/2006 7:02:21 PM PDT by TXnMA ("Allah": Satan's current alias...)
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To: TimesDomain

Yep, but don't forget, it's "The most dangerous". Journalists really are the biggest idiots araound.


102 posted on 09/08/2006 7:02:40 PM PDT by Hawk1976 (Borders. Language. Culture. AAA-0. Free Travis Mcgee.)
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To: indcons

If you threw togethwr 20 of their reporters you would have half a ton of shat as well the problem with washington is they store to many damn reporters now all in the hip pocket of Democrats !


103 posted on 09/08/2006 7:05:19 PM PDT by ATOMIC_PUNK (In everyday life there is more than meets the eye to reach the depths of truth we must DRAGTHEWATERS)
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To: indcons
A couple of miles from the White House? Let's say they made a bomb with this 1/2 ton of ammonium nitrate and then detonated it - I don't think it's going to do much damage to the White House a couple of miles away.

But, on a more serious note, I do agree that this is problematic. We should be suspicious of journalists. Journalists should not be permitted to buy anything that could be made into a bomb. Yes, I am advocating profiling.

104 posted on 09/08/2006 7:06:45 PM PDT by Axhandle
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To: DBrow

"Do you realize that that stuff has a pH much higher than concentrated sulfuric acid?"

True.

That said, isn't the PH considere to be chemically neutral even if the pH is either higher than any acid or lower than any alkali?


105 posted on 09/08/2006 7:07:34 PM PDT by indcons (FReepmail "indcons" to get on/off the Military History ping list)
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To: Axhandle

"...We should be suspicious of journalists. Journalists should not be permitted to buy anything that could be made into a bomb. Yes, I am advocating profiling."

Excellent...LMAO.


106 posted on 09/08/2006 7:10:06 PM PDT by indcons (FReepmail "indcons" to get on/off the Military History ping list)
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To: DBrow

Correction -

That said, isn't the pH of water considered to be chemically neutral even if its pH is either higher than any acid or lower than any alkali?


107 posted on 09/08/2006 7:11:23 PM PDT by indcons (FReepmail "indcons" to get on/off the Military History ping list)
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To: indcons

ABC is going to deeply regret this supposed "fertilizer bomb" report. Especially, by airing such contrived crap, on the anniversary of 9-11.


108 posted on 09/08/2006 7:11:38 PM PDT by Treader (Human convenience is always on the edge of a breakthrough, or a sellout)
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To: hellbender
What they don't mention is that ammonium nitrate is usually combined with fuel oil to make explosives.

And you don't just mix it in your bathtub. You have to do the mixing just right. And then there is the part about requiring a lot of real high-explosives placed in the right way to get it to detonate. And then there is the part that you have to get within about 100ft of the white house to do real dama - and not a few miles - which could be in Virginia or Maryland or Anacostia.

But these are just details and I don't want to rain on their parade.

109 posted on 09/08/2006 7:13:26 PM PDT by AndyJackson
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To: indcons

No, the pH of water is 7 (if pure). The pH of even dilute H2SO4 is 1 to 2- 7 is higher than 1, the pH of water is much higher than that of sulfuric acid.

The pH of something like household ammonia is on the order of 10-11 or more, higher than that of water.

pH is the negative log of the H+ concentration, and it works out that the equalibrium concentration of pure water is 1x10^-7, and the negative log of that is 7.


110 posted on 09/08/2006 7:15:09 PM PDT by DBrow
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To: AndyJackson

Hey...they just need to get MacGyver...can't he blow up a building with a candy bar or something?


111 posted on 09/08/2006 7:16:01 PM PDT by TampaDude (If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the PROBLEM!!!)
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To: DBrow
Addendum- we do consider water to be neutral because the -oh concentration is also 1E-7 for pure water (since it's at equilibrium).

When someone mentions DHMO, it sure sounds scarier to say the pH is much higher than concentrated acid!

Do you know that you can't remove DHMO contamination from fruit by washing it?
112 posted on 09/08/2006 7:19:55 PM PDT by DBrow
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To: indcons

Legislation requiring buyers of ammonium nitrate to be registered by the federal government have been blocked by the agricultural industry

special interest politics at work. Another sad story on the workings of government of, by and for the people.


113 posted on 09/08/2006 7:25:27 PM PDT by Joan Kerrey
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To: stuck_in_new_orleans
Who cares if it ABC or CNN or FOX? The POINT OF THE STORY is that if a news crew can do this then so can a group of rag heads with a death wish

One man can manually load ten 100 pound bags of ANYTHING into the back of a truck in 5-10 minutes. Now, if it was a thousand 100 pound bags, I might sit up and take notice (5 tons).

114 posted on 09/08/2006 7:26:07 PM PDT by an amused spectator (Hezbollah: Habitat for Humanity with an attitude)
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To: indcons

As a teen, I used to make ammonium nitrate at a fertilizer shed for area farmers.

Being licensed to buy it would harass many people, but it might be wise. Still, one can buy all the gasoline they want. Do we need licensing for that?


115 posted on 09/08/2006 7:26:24 PM PDT by ConservativeMind
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To: indcons

Time to ship Brian and Rhonda overses for a little of the CIA's old "alternative set of interrogation procedures."


116 posted on 09/08/2006 7:42:53 PM PDT by sanchmo (If we wish to learn what was going on in Europe in 1938, just look around - V.D. Hanson)
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To: marktwain
To call ammonium nitrate "one of the world's most dangerous bomb-making materials" is yellow journalism

As you pointed out, ammonium nitrate is not the most energetic explosive around. They would also need boosters and primers to set it off. I don't think that a thousand pounds of ANFO would be much of a threat to any building in Washington with todays security. All just a bunch of journalistic hype. Still, I wouldn't mind if BATF took a closer look at ABC News. I have suspected them of being a terrorist organization for some time. ;-)

117 posted on 09/08/2006 7:43:56 PM PDT by Colorado Doug
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To: indcons

They are idiots. Besides possibly endangering the President, they ignore the fact when large purchases are made, the feds look into it, AFAIK.


118 posted on 09/08/2006 7:52:55 PM PDT by PghBaldy (CNN on Castro - Intestinal Crisis 2006: A People Mourn.)
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To: DBrow
Do you know that you can't remove DHMO contamination from fruit by washing it?

That's why I only eat fruit after either air drying for a few months. All that crappy DHMO.... BEGONE!

119 posted on 09/08/2006 7:56:27 PM PDT by C210N (Bush SPYED, Terrorists DIED!)
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To: Interesting Times

A ship load would do the trick.

Remember the Grand Camp freighter which blew Texas City away in 1947.

If anyone sees a ship, steaming up near the White House, look out!


120 posted on 09/08/2006 7:57:21 PM PDT by i_dont_chat (I have the right to offend. You can take offense or not.)
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