It's silly or dishonest to refuse to label this incident a terrorist attack or a likely terrorist attack.

It's unnecessary and unhelpful to reach (as the psychologists say) premature cognitive closure.

Apparently some people cannot tolerate dissent or ambiguity, so great is their fear of being controlled by someone else who disagrees with them. (In the lexicon of this particular paranoiac manifestation, the uncooperative other is labeled a "bedwetter," since insults apparently keep the panic at bay.)

A crude car bomb of propane, gasoline and fireworks was discovered in a smoking Nissan Pathfinder in the heart of Times Square on Saturday evening, prompting the evacuation of thousands of tourists and theatergoers on a warm and busy night. Although the device had apparently started to detonate, there was no explosion, and early on Sunday the authorities were still seeking a suspect and motive.

SNIP

Inside, they discovered three canisters of propane like those used for barbecue grills, two five-gallon cans of gasoline, consumer-grade fireworks -- the apparent source of the "pops" -- and two clocks with batteries, the mayor said. He said the device "looked amateurish."

Mr. Browne said: "It appeared it was in the process of detonating, but it malfunctioned."

Bomb squad officers also discovered a two-by-two-by-four-foot metal box -- described as a "gun locker" -- in the S.U.V. that was taken to the Police Department's firing range at Rodman's Neck in the Bronx to be destroyed, Mr. Kelly said. It was not immediately known what, if anything, was inside it.