House Passes Ammonium Nitrate Bill...and Another Database

By Jeralyn, Section Legislation
Posted on Tue Oct 23, 2007 at 06:13:02 PM EST
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The House of Representatives passed a bill today restricting the sale of ammonium nitrate.

H.R. 1680, the “Secure Handling of Ammonium Nitrate Act of 2007”. The bill, sponsored by Congressman Thompson, creates a nationwide standard for regulating the sale of ammonium nitrate based fertilizers nationwide that could be used in terrorist acts, without unduly burdening the agricultural sector’s access to ammonium nitrate fertilizer for farming and other legitimate agricultural purposes.

I'm not impressed. It's another feel good bill. Ammonium nitrate is not a bomb. It's fertilizer. And do we really need another database?

The bill creates a national registry to monitor the purchase and sale of ammonium nitrate and matches the names of applying farmers against the terrorist screening database.

House chair Bernie Thompson says:

“As shown in Oklahoma City and incidents around the world, the threat from Ammonium Nitrate is real, and could be not ignored any longer. This is a common sense solution that strikes the right balance between ensuring access to ammonium nitrate for farmers and making it difficult for terrorists to attain.”

Couldn't be ignored any longer? OKC was in 1995, 12 1/2 years ago. I'm not aware of any repeats.

Here's a ten second music clip I found on an old album to play as you consider the legislation. Can any of you recognize the source?

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House Passes Ammonium Nitrate Bill...and Another Database | 14 comments (14 topical)

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jeralyn, i couldn't hear it. (5.00 / 2) (#1)
by cpinva on Wed Oct 24, 2007 at 03:08:47 AM EST

this would make much more sense if:

they'd done it 12 years ago., and
they made it the "amonium nitrate & #2 diesel fuel oil purchase act", since it was that combination which proved so devastating in OKC.

yeah, we need another data base like we need a hole in the head, they've all done such a phenomonal job with the ones they have already.

Did you click the play arrow? (none / 0) (#9)
by Jeralyn on Wed Oct 24, 2007 at 02:35:59 PM EST

I hear it when I click the play arrow. Can anyone else? Please take a second and let me know because I worked really hard on creating the clip and then converting it and coding it, thinking it would be a good template for future clips. If it does work, the next step is to figure out how to embed it into a graphic so when you click on the graphic the music or sound starts.

Thanks.


It plays just fine. (none / 0) (#10)
by sarcastic unnamed one on Wed Oct 24, 2007 at 02:39:25 PM EST

You Tube has several complete videos of the song...


: Thanks (none / 0) (#12)
by Jeralyn on Wed Oct 24, 2007 at 02:53:31 PM EST

The hard part was isolating that ten seconds into a separate clip. I needed editing software, etc.
The song is "Over the Moon" from the original theater soundtrack of "Rent."

I heard it fine... (none / 0) (#11)
by kdog on Wed Oct 24, 2007 at 02:41:19 PM EST

but couldn't name the tune. Who is it?


okayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy (none / 0) (#14)
by cpinva on Thu Oct 25, 2007 at 01:12:39 AM EST

my apologies. it turns out that if you have your speakers muted, you can't actually hear anything.

who knew? :)


It's just crowd control... (5.00 / 2) (#2)
by editor u on Wed Oct 24, 2007 at 10:17:13 AM EST

...and a big show (like the war on you-know-what).

If they are going to restrict purchases of just ONE potential bomb component, why not the fuel oil instead of the fertilizer?

Perhaps to do so would cause great inconvenience to certain terribly important people or industries?

Please..... (5.00 / 2) (#3)
by kdog on Wed Oct 24, 2007 at 12:28:30 PM EST

the funniest part of all is the legislative wizards who came up with this nonsense probably think they accomplished something.

They Know (5.00 / 1) (#4)
by squeaky on Wed Oct 24, 2007 at 12:52:01 PM EST

What they accomplished: Pandering to their base of bedwetters.


Pandering to their base (5.00 / 1) (#5)
by Edger on Wed Oct 24, 2007 at 12:57:19 PM EST

With bullsh*t, as usual. Knowing that the suckers would buy it, too. They do every time. Especially when it's bullsh*t.


You really think they buy it? (5.00 / 1) (#6)
by kdog on Wed Oct 24, 2007 at 01:09:01 PM EST

Maybe I'm dreraming, but I would think even the "9/11 changed everything" crowd would realize this is a crock of sh*t, and makes none of us any safer. It just makes farmers jump through bueracratic hoops to buy fertilizer.

Are any of the right-wing knuckleheads praising this bill?


Good point, kdog. (none / 0) (#7)
by Edger on Wed Oct 24, 2007 at 01:18:33 PM EST

Some buy it. Only the really challenged ones though. We see them here. Most try to sell it though. They know it's like lottery tickets. The only way to profit from them is to sell them. Not buy them.


: I Dunno (5.00 / 1) (#8)
by squeaky on Wed Oct 24, 2007 at 02:30:35 PM EST

Fear always sells. Threaten them that their comfort level and security will change and most Americans seem to fall for BS promises from politicians about keeping them safe. They do not seem to be able to put it together that the same politicians are the ones scaring them.
Even smart sane people bow to fear based policy when it comes to their children.
Think of the Craig affair.

It's pretty simple if you think about it. (1.00 / 0) (#13)
by jimakaPPJ on Wed Oct 24, 2007 at 10:31:45 PM EST

AM is purchased by a fairly limited amount of people. Purchasers of large amounts are even fewer in number. If a stranger walked into the Co-op in Waycross, Ga and purchased 2000 pounds of it eyebrows would be raised.

Diesel fuel purchasers are much more numerous, and almost any big rig could purchase 80 gallons or more without standing out. So a database would be almost useless.

Also, I think that all you need to torch off AM is a fairly rapid sustained heat producer. There are a lot of things besides diesel/kerosene that can do that.