Reply #5: Darwin award nominee [View All]

[Alcibiades]

Though a man at age 53 is likely to have already spread his genes, so we get no evolutionary benefit from this.

I'm guessing this is how he would have wanted to go. What higher honor can there be for a collector of civil war memorabilia than to be killed by an actual piece of civil war memorabilia?

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If you read the story, it says that: "White ran a Web site called Sam White Relics. The site contains photos of various relics for sale, such as Civil War artillery shells, cannonballs, bullets and other artifacts.

White said on the site he "will disarm, clean, and preserve your Civil War period and earlier military ordinance" for about $35 a piece.

"I've done approx. 500 artillery projectiles and still have all my fingers (I must be doing something right, knock on wood)!" the site states.

Neighbor Brian Dunkerly told the Richmond Times-Dispatch that a chunk of the ordnance flew into the air and smashed through the front-porch roof of his home about one-quarter-mile away. The piece of metal -- weighing close to 15 pounds -- then shattered his glass front door, hit the interior wood floor and bounced to the ceiling before coming to rest in the center of his living room."

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This guy was running a business disarming unexploded military ordinance from his home! As Mr. Spock would say, double-dumbass on him. I feel sympathy for his family, as I'm sure some of them must have had the sense to say to him "Sam, isn't defusing live bombs on your property just a crazy thing to do?" I'm glad that none of his neighbors were hurt by his extreme foolishness. I do wonder if he had any training or the proper facilities. I kinda doubt it. This sort of activity is heavily regulated--just look up the rules on to setting up your own black powder manufacturing operation and you'll see what I mean.