Monday, February 06, 2006

Bombs and bomb-scares

Late last week, a prankster called in a bomb threat to the Jewish school my kids attend. Class was dismissed early, and the children and staff evacuated to a building up the street where we parents picked them up.

Today, it happened again.

I doubt there is a bomb, although two years ago, some idiot fire-bombed the library of a Jewish elementary school. (He's getting early parole.)

I don't even know what to call these people. They lie on a gradient from prankster to idiot to terrorist.

I had one child at the school today. Child One is on a school ski trip and Child Three is home with me after a night of throwing up. Elvi is in class today. Fortunately, I was able to find Child Two a lift.

Speaking of bombs, I watched "Grey's Anatomy" again last night. Many writers fawn over it, so I figured I'd give it a shot. It's not winning me over. It doesn't engage me the way "House" does. It's a personality thing... - oh, yeah. Bombs. More on personalities another time.

In last night's show, two WWII re-enactors build their own bazooka. It misfires and one takes it in the gut when he walks in front of the loaded tube. What a crock, in writing and plot.

First, writing.

The unharmed partner of the bazooka team meets one of the doctors and rattles off a textbook definition of bazooka: "a 60mm rocket-launched shaped charge that was the finest antitank weapon of World War II." (I paraphrase, but that's the gist.) Does anybody out there not know what a bazooka is, at least broadly? The character does not have to go into precise detail. The male intern would know what a bazooka is. All he, and any ignorant audience members, need to know is that it can explode. Why the minutiae then? I guess the writers wanted the re-enactor to be a foolish geek.

But all the re-enactors I've ever met have been dedicated historians, not foolish geeks. Furthermore, they know better than to walk in front of the muzzle of a misfired weapon. And they wouldn't dare manufacture their own homebrew bazooka rounds.

This was unnecessary character assassination at a "Monsters and Mazes" level. Why not have the guy hit with a bazooka round as a battlefield accident? Why make these guys fools?

Next is the issue of the Code Black. A bazooka round is about 3.5lb of explosive - roughly the same amount as three hand grenades - but shaped in such a way that the force of the explosion is directed primarily forward (toward the nose of the shell). Anybody in the same room would be in danger, and possibly adjoining rooms as well, but you wouldn't have to evacuate the entire wing of a hospital. Bah!

3 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

My name is Kyle Duncan and I reenact WWII on the German side. You are very right when you say we are very safety orientated. Every reenactment I have been too havent aloud any kind of projectile what so ever, no matter size or shape. I believe this show was totally bogus and very dramatized! These men were making a real weapon of some kind, and wouldnt be aloud within ten miles of a reenactment with it, as well as being rejeted by all of the people who actuually care about the hobby. Thanks for defending us! Take Care!

February 10, 2006 11:36 PM  
Blogger Ittay said...

war is bad. re-enacting war is silly. Grey's Anatomy is a great show!

August 21, 2006 12:32 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I reenact WWII with my father as well(thanks for the compliment on loving history). However, we have a slight problem. WE do british and American and the Germans have three items that devistate us:
1: A propane-firing MG-42
2: a Chezch 1943 half-trek
3: a mortar (uses a small blackpowder projectile and is filled with flower)
My unit and I have reciently come upon a replica M1A1 Bazooka, and we are rigging it to fire a low-volocity round using model rocket engins and flower as a marker. It is crono'd to approx. 224 ft/s (just under the real M1A1 and slower than most paintballs) If done responsibly a projectile can be used effectively and safely. We have done several test fires at items with no damage to them (manaquins and such)

February 2, 2007 11:53 PM  

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