Dry Ice and IED
 

Here's the question: If you put dry ice in a sealed water bottle and it burst, is it considered to be an IED? Why?

My opinion is this: No, an IED is designed to cause bodily harm and damage in miliary context (There's no other context of IED). So, if I continue to blow air into balloon until it burst, is the balloon an IED? No, it's the same effect as filling a bottle with carbon dioxide until it burst.

Discuss.

*SIGH*

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a13...rompsin3-1.jpg

Context is everything.

We like the term "IED" because it feels military and official. It wouldn't look good in press conferences for big generals to admit that our boys and girls are laying down their lives because of pipe bombs full of nails. Nosir, these aren't bombs. They're Explosive Devices! Improvised ones!

Is your dry ice bomb intended to go pop and make you laugh? Or to damage property? Are you taking sufficient safety precautions? Any way you slice it, it might still be criminal, but the severity of the crime can vary widely.

I used the word IED because someone had mentioned that putting dry ice in a seal bottle and waiting for it to burst is considered to be an IED, so I'm curious as to why it's considered to be an IED.

If it's "improvised" and it's "explosive" and it's a "device" then I suppose literally it can be considered an IED.

But the common usage is the military meaning we've learned in Iraq ...I don't recall hearing it priot to this war.

Agreed, calling dry ice in a bottle an IED, while maybe technically correct, seems silly.

Also, even though some IEDs are of the pipe bomb type, not all are:

i believe the guy in the first video has his terminology precisely right.

I wouldn't consider it an IED, but such a debate is sure to be rather pointless if the cops catch you making a dry ice bomb.

Before this thread I had never even heard of the term IED. And I watched that first video about 10 times, it is hard to believe that stuff like that can happen, living over here in suburbia, seems like another world.

I love this thread.

i like to get plastic bags, make an air bubble, and twist it til it goes pop. is that an IED?

I like to hold my farts and wait until a cute girl comes by... and unleash them with the fury of a jihadin' Iraqi.

...

I spent a year in the desert on my hand and knees playing with the real deal.

when the bottle explodes, is there another word for glass shards besides "shrapnel?"

i think crompsin got it right in post #2...

I have a feeling that Crompsin has been saving that photo of himself for just such an occasion, actually.

I don't know who in their right mind would consider a water bottle an explosive device of any sort. Unless, y'know, you filled it with explosives. Then it might qualify.

Maybe the Boston police department. They think LEDs are bombs, too.

If the shoe fits...

'Sides, I got like a thousand more. Poised to attack silly questions.

That first video should be played on all the National Networks at 8:00pm on every Thursday for a month. There may be some who do agree with the President's stance on this war but if they cannot support our troops after watching that video then they should not call themselves Americans.

/steps off soapbox

Holy shit!! Did you see that first video?!?!

I'm glad you think that TeeVee (aka the idiot box) will somehow enlighten ignorant Americans to what actually happens over there.

Too bad they can't tell the difference between CNN and The Unit anymore.