>>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
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.......
You betcha.
The Keys bridges are scary for those of us that get nervous on bridges.
>>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
Miss Cleo, is that you?!?
Bridge could have been engineered perfectly but had faulty maintenance.
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.)
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.
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...
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!
Bridge was built in 1967
It's possible that it's due to structure failure .. if one part crumbles .. the rest will follow .. just like a deck of cards
now that’s a blast from the past LOL
Yea, seems qualified to comment. SARC
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
People seem oddly frustrated by horrible stuff that turns out not to be terrorism.
Now is this the bridge that right north of this pic has an exit to 4th?
Terrible!!
My prayers are with them...
Thanks guys!
Probably more qualified than you.
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."
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.
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.
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