FSTDT Forums
Community => Society and History => Topic started by: Jack Mann on April 30, 2013, 12:54:13 am
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UK Businessman James McCormick Convicted of Selling Golf Ball Finders as Bomb Detectors to Iraq (http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57581148/u.k-businessman-james-mccormick-convicted-of-selling-golf-ball-finders-as-bomb-detectors-to-iraq/)
For those of you who don't remember this dipshit, he's the asshole who was selling fake bomb detectors to Iraq and other countries. Hundreds of people have died because security checkpoints were relying on his bullshit to find explosives. They were basically dowsing rods. He was finally arrested a while back, and he was just convicted on three counts of fraud.
Personally, I think he should be convicted of voluntary manslaughter at the very least. Life in prison, no possibility of parole. He knew his products didn't work. The original ones were just rebranded novelty golf ball detectors. And he still sold them anyway. Man's a murderer. He should be treated as such.
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String him up by his (golf) balls >:(
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I dunno. I vote he serve his entire prison term in Iraq. Only fair the Iraqis get a piece of him for the shit he pulled.
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The lowest of the low. Absolute filth.
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Whoever approved the purchase should be right the fuck along with him. Seriously, dowsing rods? No mechanical, chemical or electrical parts? Unless you're hoping magic steps in you quite obviously aren't doing a lot of research on this.
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They should have let an Iraqi military court convict him. I imagine they would take a rather dim view of aiding and abetting the enemy even if it was only through depraved indifference.
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Yeah, I think the Iraqis would definitely like to have a word with this
asshat piece of filth.
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Whoever approved the purchase should be right the fuck along with him. Seriously, dowsing rods? No mechanical, chemical or electrical parts? Unless you're hoping magic steps in you quite obviously aren't doing a lot of research on this.
I think the OP was saying they were about as effective as dowsing rods, not that they were actually dowsing rods.
Considering they're based off of Golf Ball Finders, I'm guessing they do have mechanical parts, they just don't work.
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Pretty much. They were plastic casing with some electronics kind of soldered in there.
Now, they should've tested them instead of just taking some businessman's word for it. But they at least were made to look like they could do something.
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Ah, that's slightly better. I've seen them called that so many times I think I just assumed.
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I say we stick a dowsing rod up his urethra.
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I say we stick a dowsing rod up his urethra.
Preferably made from poison oak
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Ah, that's slightly better. I've seen them called that so many times I think I just assumed.
No, they are dowsing rods, and McCormick as good as said so: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ADE_651
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The highlights of the wiki for those not reading it:
The laboratory found that the card contained only a standard radio frequency security tag of the type used in stores to prevent shoplifting.
The card could not be programmed, had no memory, no microprocessor and no form of information could be stored on it.
Despite the high cost of the devices, the cards were worth only about two to three pence (3–5¢) each.
The "card reader" was found to be an empty plastic box.
There are few times where 'Dowsing rod' is a step up. This may be one of those times.
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This is what it looks like, in case the dowsing rod comparison is confusing:
(http://digitaljournal.com/img/2/4/8/3/0/3/i/6/2/1/o/ade651.jpg)
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This is what it looks like, in case the dowsing rod comparison is confusing:
(http://digitaljournal.com/img/2/4/8/3/0/3/i/6/2/1/o/ade651.jpg)
That fraudulent device would look pretty convincing to a lot of LEO's even here, except for the silly performance claims, so
I say give a pass to the buyers' over-trusting error. It's also a cultural thing - fraud on the level of this, which
sabotages innocent civilians' safety, would be unthinkable to most government/military buying agents in the nations
affected. For the sake of simple justice, all these quack devices need to be replaced gratis ASAP with certified bomb and
contraband sniffer dogs, plus free handler training. Yeah, skin McCormick (alive) of every last penny to start the fund drive
for it. He ripped off people who desperately need accurate bomb and contraband detection, and it's just gonna be murder
waiting to happen if they aren't properly equipped immediately. This is a perfect billionaire project, right Zuck? No? Okay,
Bill will probably kick start it.
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Take every penny he has, sell off his assets, then work him until either he pays off the debt, or he dies.
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This is what it looks like, in case the dowsing rod comparison is confusing:
(http://digitaljournal.com/img/2/4/8/3/0/3/i/6/2/1/o/ade651.jpg)
That fraudulent device would look pretty convincing to a lot of LEO's even here, except for the silly performance claims, so
I say give a pass to the buyers' over-trusting error.
It's supposed to be powered by static electricity and it recognises substances by absorbing their "vapours". I should think entrusting human lives to (and paying tens of thousands of dollars for) something as obviously fake as this crosses the line between "over-trusting buyer" and "complete idiot".
Or, come to think of it, "corrupt politician". The wiki article quotes Iraqi government officials giving it very enthusiastic and not-too-plausible reviews ("It has detected thousands of bombs! Despite running on magic dust and unicorn piss!"). The blatant lies could be an attempt to save face after realising they were thoroughly scammed, but they also fit with a simple scheme of "You buy my useless junk with the government's money and you get a juicy x% of the profits".
ETA: Especially when considering that these Iraqi officials were paying three times the standard price for the magic wands.
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>:( James McCormick = SLIME. >:(