[Slade]

Cartoon promo causes terror scare in Boston
January 31st, 2007
BOSTON - More than 10 blinking electronic devices planted at bridges and other spots in Boston threw a scare into the city Wednesday in what turned out to be a publicity campaign for a late-night cable cartoon. Most if not all of the devices depict a character giving the finger.

Peter Berdovsky, 29, of Arlington, was arrested on one felony charge of placing a hoax device, and one charge of disorderly conduct, state Attorney General Martha Coakley said.

"We're not going to let this go without looking at the further roots of how this happened to cause the panic in this city," she said at a news conference Wednesday night.
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Highways, bridges and a section of the Charles River were shut down and bomb squads were sent in before authorities declared the devices were harmless.

"It's a hoax — and it's not funny," said Gov. Deval Patrick, who said he'll speak to the state's attorney general "about what recourse we may have."

Turner Broadcasting, a division of Time Warner Inc. and parent of Cartoon Network, said the devices were part of a promotion for the TV show "Aqua Teen Hunger Force," a surreal series about a talking milkshake, a box of fries and a meatball.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16902707/

Apparently, all it takes to put an entire city into panic is a cartoon character giving the city the finger with a blinking light these days. OMFG TERRORISM! Our government has officially won the masses.

I hope Emu, our resident Bostonian, is ok after this frightful event.

[J m HofMarN]

They apparently captured some guy in connection with this and want 500000 dollars out of him to pay for the intense mental damage this has done to city officials, or whatever. I think these people had to be pretty damaged in the first place. They didn't even notice the things for 2-3 weeks as the article says, so assuming these things were harmful they'd have had two weeks at the least to... I don't know... give... people... the finger.... in a terrifying manner?

At least this gives Bush something fresh for his next state of the union speach. For five years he's jabbered on about how he supposedly prevented terrorists from driving a plane into the library tower on the West coast (bullshit, by the way) but now he can really state some great achievements: Muslim men buying cell phones were arrested in the Northwest, and now in the Northeast a guy gets tossed in prison for putting up fiendish advertisements.

I feel safer. Do you?

This post has been edited by J m HofMarN: 01 February 2007 - 12:19 AM

[SimeSublime]

This is awesome! I assumed ATHF finished after "The Last One". How wrong I was, new episodes ahoy!

[Otal Nimrodi]

Apparently, all it takes to put an entire city into panic is a cartoon character giving the city the finger with a blinking light these days. OMFG TERRORISM! Our government has officially won the masses.

I hope Emu, our resident Bostonian, is ok after this frightful event.

I read about this in the globe. As a former Bostonian and current Boston-Suburbtonian (Lexingtonian, by the way) I was unable to contain my laughter at this event.

Coincidentally, they'd been there three weeks, AND they'd been in other cities, too. INCLUDING New York. So that means Boston takes the cake for "Most paranoid US city."

This post has been edited by Otal Nimrodi: 01 February 2007 - 08:58 AM

[Deepsycher]

I don't feel safe with paranoid authorities who try to convict others like that. If I was held up in a similar incident I would be frustrated too.

I would like to know how all of that mounted up to $500,000.
Does this include profit.

[civilian_number_two]

Awesome. If a group of people misinterprets something as dangerous, then there is no need to show malice in our "post 9/11 world;" the perpetrator is immediately declared a prankster and his actions a hoax. Never mind that sort of advertising is already quite common, nor the mitigationg details of 10 cities and three weeks. It seems we're back to the overly-reactionary Politically Correct world of the 90s, where simply saying "that may be offensive" was enough to start a witch hunt. For no good reason, this reminds me of David Howard. Apparently so long as the "victim" feels victimised, then harm was done, never mind the facts.

[Despondent]

"It's clear the intent was to get attention by causing fear and unrest that there was a bomb in that location," Assistant Attorney General John Grossman said at their arraignment.

The 1-foot tall signs, which were lit up at night, resembled a circuit board, with protruding wires and batteries.

Seems to me that they were "asking for it."

I can protest the seatbelt law by not wearing a seat belt, but if I get pulled over for not wearing a seatbelt, I have a baseless argument.

But I'm glad you guys got a laugh out of it. It's healthy to laugh.

[J m HofMarN]

Despondent, please tell me you're being sarcastic.

Let's examine the phrase you quoted just incase: The 1-foot tall signs, which were lit up at night, resembled a circuit board, with protruding wires and batteries.

First of all we have 1 foot tall signs. Now, no terrorist bomb is going to be one foot tall, light up, and have a picture on the front. That's an advertisement. Not a bomb. When you're planting a bomb you want it to be compact. It should be square, not flat, and it shouldn't draw attention to itself with, say, FUGGING BLINKING LIGHTS.

The last part describes the make up of the "bomb" wires, batteries, and circuit board. Who can tell me what else this describes? If you said bloody well anything electronic you're one hundred percent right. So next time you throw out that old VCR or, God forbid, your kid's Nightbrite toy, be prepared... TO UNLEASH TERROR LIKE BOSTON HAS NEVER KNOWN!

[Deepsycher]

In an airport at luggage checking, an electronic futuristic style toy gun of mine got confiscated and police checked. They refused to give it back. Yet on the plane itself I remember soldiers carrying long guns strapped to their shoulders on the way back. Compared to what I had, it was a small toy, battery operated toy that made stupid sounds without the blast hole at the end, compared to huge things with bullets inside where someone could easily take it from them.

"You can't carry a toy gun, people might think it is a real gun and get so frightened that it will cause national panic and it will be all your fault!"
"If you run away from the police they might think you are a terrorist holding a bomb trigger so we shoot to kill."

"If you plant fake bombs from a cartoon we will charge you a carton of penalties without the fake."

[barend]

ah... post 9/11 terrorgasms

[Deepsycher]

I have a phrase.
Bombers bomb bombardment.
They are thought of as terrorist as some people think that every plot will be foiled and that "I'll never get bombed" but they are still afraid hence the term terror in their rists.
Now Police Shoot to Skill.

This post has been edited by Deepsycher: 01 February 2007 - 07:14 PM

[Despondent]

They were alight at night? First I've heard of that. If I saw one of those lit up in the darkness of night, I'd have no problem getting a chuckle from it.

Or maybe I'm so post 9/11 "aware" that I think securing items intended to appear suspicious...

(during the daytime, anyway; what with wires and circuitry hanging out. Obviously these devices were well planned and didn't have to be crudely made)

...around bridges and other high profile areas is "asking for trouble". I wouldn't try it.

--I suppose the real point is that laws are changing. So the guys behind this are virtuous rebels. Sells the brand.

[J m HofMarN]

No, I think the real point behind it is that two men putting up advertisements got arrested and could face insane fines or jail time.

You know what I'd do if I thought someone put a bomb outside my house and it turned out to be an advertisement for a cartoon? I'd apologize to them and laugh. I wouldn't carry it further and send them a bill for a half a million dollars. I'd be pissed if I thought there was any chance at all of the city winning such an absurd case. But no, like all terrorism charges in the US so far it's going to be quietely dismissed after the cops fuck up the lives of two innocent people for, what, 3 months to a year of trials, media coverage and lawyers fees?

[Deepsycher]

I thought of one here:

To put up fake bombs for advertising: $500,000
Jaywalking: £720
Bomb the world Trade Centres: Priceless

Lawyers are like pigs.
They benefit the most.
If you can afford to win.
Then you can go and boast.

This post has been edited by Deepsycher: 01 February 2007 - 10:23 PM

[Despondent]

J m, how about the case of the runaway bride, who hoaxed her way to fame by being "kidnapped"?

You remember her. She had those wild OPEN eyes. Just like Nancy Pelosi? I happen to think that because of being compared to this "crazy" woman, Nancy Pelosi had plastic surgery to make her eyes appear LESS wide than the crazy Atlanta would-be bride. I could post before and after photos if you'd like.

They had bilboards with a reward and all, for locating the girl who was kidnapped before her wedding. Authorities searched. When she came forward and admitted it was all false, they billed her for the cost of looking for her.

Is that more fair, or less fair?