Defense Tech: Clowns Sabotage Nuke Missile — Geez. Can I use the word “boneheads” once more!
On Tuesday morning, a retired Catholic priest and two veterans put on clown suits, busted into a nuclear missile launch facility, and began beating the silo cover with hammers, in an attempt to take the Minuteman III missile off-line. Seriously.
silo-E8-gate.jpgThe trio — members of the Luck, Wisconsin group Nukewatch — said the break-in was part of “a call for national repentance” for the Hiroshima and Nagaski A-bombings in 1945.
The activists used bolt-cutters to get into the E-9 Minuteman II facility,
But, did they do anything dangerous with magic markers?
Clearly…the Department of Homeland Security has it’s priorities straight. Terriorist definitely would not dress up as clowns…
Why are they “boneheads”? They were effective
in getting their message across, and they used
a time-proven street-theater methodology. You
may not agree with them (heck, I have questions),
but just what are people supposed to do if they
have qualms about these missiles? Wring their
hands on a blog?
Here is what you are missing ……..
The activists used bolt-cutters to get into the E-9 Minuteman II facility,
They used bolt cutters to get to a missle!!!!!’
WTF ?
Where is dept of homeland security……
another reason why President Bush sucks
“The activists used bolt-cutters to get into the E-9 Minuteman II facility,
They used bolt cutters to get to a missle!!!!!’”
They didn’t get to the missle with bolt cutters, they got past a chain link fence that surrounds the silo area. The missles are covered with several ton blast doors that protect the missles against near misses from the other side. There is no way they would have been able to penetrate the underground facility without their own nuke.
They are also lucky they didn’t get shot and killed. Those areas are marked “use of deadly force authorized” and the guards would have been within their rights to take them out, clowns or not.
Oh and President Bush has nothing to do with the story at all. Figured I add that in for Mr Fusion 😉
“They are also lucky they didn’t get shot and killed. Those areas are marked “use of deadly force authorized” and the guards would have been within their rights to take them out, clowns or not”
*shrug*, EVERY protest incorporates an assumption of risk.
Since the beginning of the last century, union organizers have been
shot or hung, civil rights protesters have had dogs and fire
hoses turned on them, antiwar protesters have had to take
demeaning jobs as stockbrokers, etc. I just object to the
scornful “bonehead” epithet. It’s good to see daring and
humor back in fashion, I think. More gutsy and funny than
throwing trash cans through Starbucks windows, I guess.
bush has everything to do with this story. He is the person in charge. He said he would make homeland security to protect us from evil. He cant protect us from clowns. Another failed attempt from the white house to make us “think” we are safe from this horrible threat. nothing is being done to truely protect us.
and i have know what goes on near those areas. Which brings me to the next point. Why is this not about 3 dead clowns?
the place was ether poorly guarded or not guarded correctly.
but of course our commander in chief has nothing to do with a miltary missle silo.
not at all.
Every base does have his photo in buildings where they show the chain of command. His is the top.
Do the buck stops where?
Here is the whole article which i dont think you read.
The activists used bolt-cutters to get into the E-9 Minuteman II facility, located just northwest of the White Shield, North Dakota. “Using a sledgehammer and household hammers, they disabled the lock on the personnel entry hatch that provides access to the warhead and they hammered on the silo lid that covers the 300 kiloton nuclear warhead,” the group said in a statement. “The activists painted ‘It’s a sin to build a nuclear weapon’ on the face of the 110-ton hardened silo cover and the peace activists poured their blood on the missile lid.”
household hammers, they disabled the lock on the personnel entry hatch that provides access to the warhead and they hammered on the silo lid that covers the 300 kiloton nuclear warhead
yeah they just got past a fence.
but make your jokes and feel your safe.
enjoy bliss gquaglia
I have a special chuckle over the whole Minuteman series — and it’s because of those blast doors that gc thinks are so terrific. If you were able to inspect those blast doors close-up, you’d find there are a pair or more of matching u-bolts welded in place on either side of the seam where the doors close together.
You can slip a decent-sized over-the-counter crowbar through those u-bolts and effectively immobilize the doors. You ain’t gonna get them open until and unless the crowbar or whatever sinister device is removed.
Terrific piece of military design!
No, I don’t think I will tell you how I know about this.
They pounded on a nuclear missile silo, which is designed to withstand close proximity nuclear explosions, with a hammer. Oooohhhhh… the horror… the horror… it could have been a nuclear disaster!
And even funnier is to see people in this blog claiming that there was a security breach because they cut through a chain link fence. That’s like claiming that your house was was taken over by terrorists because they undid the latch on your picket fence and knocked on the door.
Should they be arrested for traspassing. Yes, they should. And their mug shots should be taken with their ‘terrorist disguisses’ on, so we can better learn to identify terrorists by their appearance.
“You can slip a decent-sized over-the-counter crowbar through those u-bolts and effectively immobilize the doors. You ain’t gonna get them open until and unless the crowbar or whatever sinister device is removed.”
Riiiiigghhhttt
“The massive, hexagonal door over the silo (made of three and 1/2 foot thick reinforced concrete) weighs in at more than 80 tons”
I like to see 3 clowns with a crow bar(LOL) trying to open this with a crow bar. I don’t care what you think you know Eideard, its not possible
This has all the makings of a comedy central spoof-u-mentary.
I love all these comments, they would have to be in the spoof too. Nothing like the game of telephone, a crowbar can block the doors from opening, not pry them opening. But that is classic comedy of errors.
Can you imagine the phone call, “Sir a few clowns cut through the fence… No Sir, Clowns, in MakeUp Sir…No Sir I don’t mean Black-Out or Camo Sir, Clown Sir, They were in Clown Makup Sir, and Costumes… Yes Sir Clown Costumes…”
Just the look on a few Generals Faces or GW.
I’ll try again, gc. Read what I said. You can immobilize those doors. That means keep them from being able to open — with a crowbar.
That’s a function of the motors and gearing on the inside — and the stupid gits who put the u-bars on the outside.
Believe me. It’s been done.
I find it ironic that in the next story the pacifist nation of Japan commented on but in this story I am soposed to repent for making them pacifist.
Actually the doors to the missile silos open via explosives during a real launch, they do not move back via motors. The whole ‘crowbar’ story is nothing but urban myth. During an actual launch, the doors slide open so violently that they break up into pieces… it’s not like you are going to need them after the missile is gone! They are opened with a motor during maintenance, but that is very different from an actual launch scenario. Remember, these are doors that are designed to open after a near nuclear hit. They blow them open with explosives.
Sorry, Awake. Guess I go too far back. The initial generations of Minutemen missiles had doors that hinged open. I knew about the original u-bolt problem because I had kin who inspected those facilities.
I wonder how long it took to change the door design?
gc — I apologize.
In fact, the more I reflect, I was probably remembering the Nike and Nike-Zeus series.
8 Using a sledgehammer and household hammers, they disabled the lock on the personnel entry hatch that provides access to the warhead…
I must side with gquaglia on this one… [will wonders never cease?]
“Disabling” a lock with hammers is much different than “opening” a lock with hammers…
What kind of lock was it??
Electronic? did they smash the keypad?
Keyed? did they dent the key-slot so a key can’t be inserted?
Heck, at least the guys in 1985 used a jackhammer!
http://tinyurl.com/pohuh
I know that the title was paraphrased from the original article, but the fear-mongering author needs to get bitch-slapped by a good editor for misstating the facts to evoke a response (apparently it worked).
The clowns did not sabotage a missle. The clowns didn’t effect any change on the missle or its ready status. They beat on the outside of a missle silo door, and painted some graffitti. But then, there’s not much of a story there, is there?
I know that the homeland security boys didn’t do much here, but I also can’t imagine the legal fallout that would occur if the guards smoked these idiots like a three pack of cheap cigars, especially when there was no risk of real damage to the site. Personally, I like the thought of that! I hope that it would make the people that think destructive protests are acceptible stop and consider the potential for personal harm.
At the least, these clowns should do time and pay every dime that it costs to repair the door, clean off the paint, and cover the government’s costs for the arrests and processing.
If you believe in your cause strongly enough, be prepared to pay the cost. The founding fathers did it when they signed their names.
Oh and President Bush has nothing to do with the story at all. Figured I add that in for Mr Fusion
Comment by gquaglia — 6/27/2006 @ 4:21 pm
Thanks, gq. I was ahead of you with the bolt cutters on the doors, but the use of deadly force got me. I agree, but I wouldn’t use such a mild word as bone head. I would have called them neo-idiots
Mr Fusion’s advice for radicals.
1)Don’t tug on Superman’s cape,
2)Don’t spit into the wind
3)Don’t pull the mask off the old Lone Ranger,
4)Don’t mess around with Minuteman silos.
Guess what song was just on the radio.