Terrorist threatens to blow up comic book store!

March 25, 2002 4:16 AM

Terrorist threatens to blow up comic book store! Stolen comic books were the cause of the incident. According to a cop: "He said he wanted to blow up the place or burn it down...If he couldn’t have his comic books, nobody could."
posted by Keen (10 comments total)

Is that a troll?

The headline reads:
“Reno man threatens to blow up comics store”

No mention of terrorism.
posted by jpburns at 5:16 AM on March 25, 2002

Threatening to blow a place up to get what you want sounds to me like a form of terrorism: the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce.

(Though I don't know how terrified I'd be of a 47-year-old comic-book collector with a bomb made mainly of fire crackers.)
posted by pracowity at 7:19 AM on March 25, 2002

I'd be terrified. Mylar snugs do not protect comic books from fire.
posted by rcade at 7:27 AM on March 25, 2002

You'd think the presence of all those superheros would've discouraged the guy. And what did the superheros do during this crisis? They just sat in the racks in their mylar covers. Bastards, can't depend on 'em for anything.
posted by jonmc at 7:28 AM on March 25, 2002

> Mylar snugs

What are mylar snugs? They sound like diapers? Waterproof underwear?
posted by pracowity at 7:34 AM on March 25, 2002

Sounds like a job for the Green Lantern, Thundra, or possibly...Ghost Rider.
posted by piskycritters at 8:18 AM on March 25, 2002

Mylar snugs are the Rolls Royce of comic book bags. I have a couple of them from the days when I thought the first appearance of Wolverine would pay my way through college.
posted by rcade at 8:49 AM on March 25, 2002

terrorism
n : the systematic use of violence as a means to intimidate or coerce societies or governments

Source: WordNet (r) 1.6

One threat of a violent act isn't systematic. I also don't think the comic book store qualifies as a society or a government. Mere violence or threats to violence isn't terrorism.

The word "terrorism" was being used (IMHO) in this case just to make the post more incendiary or perhaps more relevant, and this was the point I was making.
posted by jpburns at 11:33 AM on March 25, 2002

If we don't develop better mylar snugs, the terrorists will have won.
posted by pardonyou? at 1:41 PM on March 25, 2002

The whacko was a terrorist, he went into this place with a bomb threatning people. He had a cause, he wanted his comic books, and if he couldn't have them, nobody could!

From Dictionary.com 3 definitions of the word terrorism:

The unlawful use or threatened use of force or violence by a person or an organized group against people or property with the intention of intimidating or coercing societies or governments, often for ideological or political reasons.

The act of terrorizing, or state of being terrorized; a mode of government by terror or intimidation. --Jefferson.

The systematic use of violence as a means to intimidate or coerce societies or governments
posted by Keen at 3:03 PM on March 25, 2002