NationStates Jolt Archive

http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/09/09/montana.evacuation.ap/index.html

The envelopes, rigged with matches set to ignite when opened, were sent to the governors of Montana, Idaho, Nebraska, Washington and Utah. There were no reports of injuries.

All the letters appeared to have come from a maximum-security prison in Nevada, where another letter also turned up at the office of the state corrections director.

wheeew, that was a close one!! several elected officials and/or their staffers, barely escaped a painful singeing in this dastardly terrorist plot!!

what will they come up with next, potatoes stuffed into the exhausts of government vehicles. pornographic magazine subscriptions fraudulently ordered in the speaker of the house's name and addressed to the attorney general's address.

What was so special about these five particular governors?

What was so special about these five particular governors?
Perhaps they were the easiest to get into. Notice how none of these Governors were as high-profile as Arnold or Jeb Bush?

How do you even do that?

Holy crap.

You can rig letters to do that?

AWESOME!




Seriously, I bet it's just someone fucking around. I mean, I'd do it. **coughs** not that I WILL. Uh. That's strange, a dark helicoptor shape flew past, but I didn't hear anything...

That's seriously a cool trick.

Sounds like it's just a silly prank to me, I mean, they're just matches, so the chances of anyone getting hurt are next to none. (Unless you're opening letters while covered in gasoline.) A nuisance, but nothing to make a big fuss about.
My main question is how the hell did they do that... I mean, that's a very fascinating trick.

I assume they used something to cover the inner layers of the envelope to hide anything suspicious inside. And then brake a match and glue/tape it to a certain part of the envelope flap and a frictional (lack of a better word) item that ignites the match. So that when you open the letter, the match strikes against the item creating a flame. Considering they dont use those things that open the top of an envelope. That would just kill it :D

What does that tell us about the American idea of maximum security?

What does that tell us about the American idea of maximum security?
That the death penalty should be enforced MORE? [/sarcasm]

The bit that gets me is this:

[url]blah blah blah

blah blah blah
The envelopes, rigged with matches set to ignite when opened, were sent to the governors of Montana, Idaho, Nebraska, Washington and Utah. There were no reports of injuries.
Its a freaking match, a burning bit of paper. Now, while it is possible to burn yourself with a match, I did it lighting birthday candles when I was 12, and again when I was 15 trying to light a match I was holding in my teeth (incidently, it wasn't the one in my teeth that burnt me, go figure), I would not class either of those as "injuries".

Montana, Idaho, Nebraska, Washington, Utah. Do we think that the governers of any of these states doesn't know how to handle a match, even a surprise match? No injuries. Thank god!

What would be ironic, I mean really ironic, is if one of them managed to avoid the dangerous incinderary device, but got a papercut opening the envelope. Now THAT I would find funny. :D

I assume they used something to cover the inner layers of the envelope to hide anything suspicious inside. And then brake a match and glue/tape it to a certain part of the envelope flap and a frictional (lack of a better word) item that ignites the match. So that when you open the letter, the match strikes against the item creating a flame. Considering they dont use those things that open the top of an envelope. That would just kill it :D
It was attached to a piece of paper inside the envelope, which lights up when you pull the paper out, not when you open the envelope.

wheeew, that was a close one!! several elected officials and/or their staffers, barely escaped a painful singeing in this dastardly terrorist plot!!

what will they come up with next, potatoes stuffed into the exhausts of government vehicles. pornographic magazine subscriptions fraudulently ordered in the speaker of the house's name and addressed to the attorney general's address.
Lol.

It was attached to a piece of paper inside the envelope, which lights up when you pull the paper out, not when you open the envelope.
ahh, that makes more sense. I was almost right!

hehehe, personally I find that kinda amusing :)

EDIT:

BTW, they would most likely be using the white phosphour based "strike anywhere" matches that are commonly found in prisons