New FAA measures likely to fail as well

Tim May tcmay at got.net
Thu Sep 13 09:18:19 PDT 2001


[I am removing Politech from the dist. list. Cross-posting to mulitple 
lists is a terrible idea. Decide which list you want to talk on, then do 
it _there_.]

On Thursday, September 13, 2001, at 08:48 AM, jamesd at echeque.com wrote:

>     --
> On 12 Sep 2001, at 19:24, Steve Schear wrote:
>> The knife ban won't work against anyone with even a smidgen of
>> metal detector knowledge.  Anyone can purchase a razor sharp
>> ceramic knife like this one
>> http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:Rd6ExOvaDz8:www.smarthome.
>> com/9126.html+ceramic+knife&hl=en
>
> Better still, this lovely little ceramic knife
> http://www.argussupply.com/images/boker-2040.gif is street legal
> in California.  Get one now!

I've had that exact Boker ceramic knife for about 5-7 years now.

Of no use for bypassing metal scanners, as the case/handle is titanium. 
(Titanium is not ferromagnetic, but metal detectors work by inducing 
eddy currents, which is why aluminum is detected by metal scanners.)

Furthermore, the blade is alumina (aluminum oxide, Al2O3) and should 
show up clearly on x-ray scans. So should the titanium.

More interesting are the various plastic knives the CIA has used for 
many decades. Hard enough to cut flesh, but won't show up on either 
metal detectors or x-ray scans. (Sen. Feinswine: "We must put an end to 
the unauthorized use of plastic. We must enact a ban on discussion of 
these Undetectable Assault Knives. It's for the children!")

The next set of hijackers will carry quick-acting cyanide solutions in 
aerosol spray bottles: spraying a couple of stewardesses will be as 
effective in terrifying the rest as stabbing them was in this recent 
attack.

--Tim May





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