I know everyone is really hinky in the US due to Bush & Company's reign of fear, but this whole thing with the advertising campaign in Boston is just ridiculous. These things left around various cities were nothing more than Lite Brite displays, which were not even close to bomb-looking or threatening in any way.
Jeff Mussal said it best here:
So what gives? Lite-brites giving the middle finger now cause entire cities to go into full-on terror response mode? If you haven't seen them, that's exactly what they look like-a square peg type lighted figure on a small pegboard, sort of smirking and giving the "bird." Not something one would typically expect to be an Al-Qaeda M.O.
Go read it. Jeff is right-on and I cannot word it any better than he does.
America needs to wake the hell up and realize they have been carefully manipulated into utter stupidity, and Boston is making it even worse by having arrested these young men who were paid to place the objects. The police <I>knew</I> after the first one exactly what these things were, and yet the panic continued.
Unreal.
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Comments: 23
That said.
I miss playing with lightbrite...
(sigh)
Ok so that's the best I could come up with. Woke up about 5 minutes ago. Brain numb.
The devices when found didn't look anything like the pictures we're shown. They were battered and dusty and since it wasn't dark, they didn't light up. They weren't that easy to recognize. Plus they were in places you would expect a bomb. (Beneath overpasses, for example.). It's not fair to fault the workers who aren't hip and plugged in for being worried by the devices. And their worry carried up the chain of command which is understandably on edge right now.
Of course the establishment has a notable lack of humor and imagination. But that's predictable, Wouldn't it have been wise of the corporations that did this "prank" to let somebody know? (Doesn't anybody suspect that their not at all unhappy with this publicity?)
Of course now the city is over reacting and I'm no supporter of that.
First thing in the morning I received a call from my dentist that my appointment had to be cancelled. When I ask why? He stated " Nobody, can get to work...there has been a bomb
scare at an MBTA station. I hung up and thought "another one?!" I continued to go about my day. Only, to meet a friend for dinner and it was THE talk of the town.
I have to say to you I agree the two young should not be arrested, they were only doing a job. Our Mayor stated that yesterday. I strongly feel that CNN & the PR. firm should be held accountable and be heavily fined. Both CNN & the PR. should had notify the city as to what they were planning to do. I also think on the move positive side...we Bostonians are prepared for any disaster -- including lite-brites!! It is also a very sad comment on the way our world is today -- a prank can set off such panic. Yet, I am happy our, Governor, Mayor and Police Commissioner did take what they felt was the appropriate actions. Sadly, we taxpayers will end up paying for it a silly PR. campaign that could had easily been prevented!!
That is definitely the "brite" side.
I'll be really upset if the two guys at the bottom who placed the devices wind up paying for this in any way. (Did you see the dreds on that guy?)
I do agree with Mozy that it is good the Boston PD and authorities took appropriate action when they felt a threat was present, I just feel maybe someone should have spoken up with a voice of reason before the issue escalated to the level it did.
Newton's third law in action.
http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474976900389
But no, unless it was given a new URL upon the edit. Aside from the quote next to the picture from Jeff's AC article, it is all me.