James McCormick Convicted

[Jack Mann]

UK 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.

[mellenORL]

String him up by his (golf) balls

[Stormwarden]

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.

[Lt. Fred]

The lowest of the low. Absolute filth.

[Distind]

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.

[Canadian Mojo]

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.

[ThunderWulf]

Yeah, I think the Iraqis would definitely like to have a word with this asshat piece of filth.

[Witchyjoshy]

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.

[Jack Mann]

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.

[Distind]

Ah, that's slightly better. I've seen them called that so many times I think I just assumed.

[Meshakhad]

I say we stick a dowsing rod up his urethra.

[Witchyjoshy]

I say we stick a dowsing rod up his urethra.

Preferably made from poison oak

[Dan]

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

[Distind]

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.

[Sigmaleph]

This is what it looks like, in case the dowsing rod comparison is confusing: