Terror Chowder: Stir in Boston
EmailIn court Thursday, prosecutors calmly outlined why two young marketers were charged under a terror statute when they only intended to promote a cable TV cartoon, not "flip the bird" at the city. "The broad intent was to draw attention to a new movie that was coming out. Guerrilla marketing, it is called," Assistant Attorney General John Grossman told the court. "While that may have been the broad intent, it’s clear that placing a bomblike device at that location would be to create fear, unrest, that there was a bomb located at that location," he continued. THE BLOTTER RECOMMENDS As Boston Reeled, Was Artist Asked to Keep Quiet? Blotter Boston Bomb Hoax Blamed on TV Stunt Click Here to See the Slideshows on the Brian Ross Homepage The courtroom calm was a far cry from the response to the ad campaign by Boston residents — fear, concern, traffic tie-ups — and the officials of Boston — outrage, anger and an intent to prosecute. Two questions were not asked in court yesterday but were the talk of many media observers, including our own. Click Here for Full Blotter Coverage. Where but Boston could one make a national chowder of guerrilla ads, police responses, the use of the word "hoax" and the immediacy of cable TV? And when but now could the world of Internet bloggers offer the early advice that the "suspicious" devices were part of a Cartoon Network ad campaign, even as the network’s sister media outlet CNN was declaiming the fear that the apparent bomb hoax was causing in Boston? Here is how events unfolded: A first "device" was spotted at a subway by a passerby during the morning rush. Transit police "disarmed" it, and then local and national news media reported it. In the words of Assistant Attorney General Grossman, "What happened was a passerby notified an MBTA inspector that they noticed a device…The MBTA inspector noticed the wires and the duct tape-wrapped package and did the right thing and notified MBTA police." Those cops decided the device looked like a bomb, and rather than take chances, they "disarmed" it with a controlled blast. "This device looked like a bomb…there was a circuit board, running to a possible explosive material, wrapped to duct tape, with the appearance of C4 or something wrapped in duct tape. The power source could have been one battery and explosive, or even a watch battery. It had the appearance of an explosive with a wire coming out of it. It was very possibly a bomb," Grossman said. But soon after, according to City of Boston police, bomb technicians knew they were dealing with a "prank," meaning a stunt of some kind, and not a "hoax," which to cops means a device intentionally made to look like a bomb. Still the media and then the governor of Massachusetts said it was "a hoax," and before one could say "Osama bin Laden," fear was in the air in the commonwealth. By 1:00 p.m., when callers alerted officials to four more "devices" on bridges, at a busy intersection and near a hospital, Boston officials were in high gear. State police bomb techs, FBI counterterrorism experts and political officials all were grappling with what they had. The judge and prosecutor calmly discussed this on Thursday: "The device in question is a box, 18-by-18 inches, several inches thick. On the top portion, made from a LiteBrite toy, is a light that emits light. There is a cartoon-like figure making an obscene gesture facing outward. Colloquially, he is flipping the bird, your honor," Grossman said. "That’s what the finger is?" Judge Paul K. Leary asked. "Exactly," Grossman answered. Does that sound like the work of bomb hoaxers? Members of the federal law enforcement community by mid-afternoon Wednesday had reached the conclusion that it didn’t and issued a bulletin stating the devices were possibly the work of "pranksters" or a publicity stunt to promote a movie. This was roughly the time when Turner Broadcasting decided to fess up, and early enough for officials perhaps to be a bit more careful with their words in a late afternoon press conference, where anger was the mood, and "pranksters" were not on the agenda. All in all, it was a frustrating day, law enforcement officials concede. Police and firefighters forced to respond as if the devices were real — they get no choice in these matters — wound up tying up traffic and feeding the media hype when television broadcast images of the cops and firefighters at work. Turner Broadcasting, for its part, did not come clean publicly until late in the day, which raised skeptical eyebrows given the commercial interests at stake. By that point, police were well on their way to charging two young marketers: the men who appeared today in court, where it was noted by the prosecution that the two "pranksters" were not the instigators of the campaign. "We’re not unaware of the fact that the defendants are not at the top of the hierarchy here," Massachusetts Assistant Attorney General John Grossman told the court. Arrested were Sean Stevens, 28, and Peter Berdovsky, 27, and charged with placing a hoax device and disorderly conduct. They were both released on a $2,500 bond each. Before their arrests, the men spent Wednesday evening helping police locate the rest of the devices. And, in a worlds-collide sequence, while one America was chasing potential bombs, the world of bloggers was already explaining the campaign to the Internet savvy. As to why other cities did not react, or overreact like Boston, well, it appears most did not know the devices were in their cities until after Turner fessed up, and federal officials from Boston circulated a list of locations through intelligence channels.
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What a joke- doesn’t say much for the Boston intellect. Look out- it’s …. a TRASH CAN!! Oh no!!! Call the Feds! Arrest the city! Call FoxNews! Fear, again, and again- with the media a willing accomplice. How tiresome.
Posted by: Michael Thompson | February 1, 2007, 3:59 pm 3:59 pm
You forgot about the idiot reactionary mayor threatening to sue Turner Broadcasting and having their FCC license pulled. What a spaz. IMHO, it was the Boston authorities who caused the hysteria, not the Lite Brite toy.
Posted by: nffcnnr | February 1, 2007, 4:32 pm 4:32 pm
Prior to this week, I had no idea what “Aqua Teen Hunger Force” was; NOW I DO. This is guerilla marketing and publicity taken to perfection. It epitomizes what American creative marketing is all about! Cartoon Network will enjoy a huge jump in website hits, and the show itself will be seen by multiples of its former viewing audience.
Back in the day, you’d get tickets and fines for postering a record label release or film all over the city, but it worked; now these guys have done the exact same thing, but with brite-lites!
WHO da man?!?!
Posted by: Jazz | February 1, 2007, 5:26 pm 5:26 pm
the only thing missing in Boston is a brain. The “government”has been watching too much tv. When a terror attack comes, they will not have a clue, singly or collectively.
Posted by: thomas fullman | February 1, 2007, 5:57 pm 5:57 pm
What happened to our sense of humor? Who’s the idiot that thought those things looked like BOMBS anyways? Wish someone would put those in my hometown to lighten my mood when I drive around town. I have the stickers of those little guys on my truck, cuz it made me giggle when I saw them.
ps. I love adult swim shows and have been a fan since I was 13.
Posted by: Ninja | February 1, 2007, 6:56 pm 6:56 pm
In regards to the promotional advertising devices that were recently placed in/around the Boston area. With the security dollars the state has / is receiving from the federal government, following 9/11, these devices should have not been able to be put in place, this is an outrage. If we can not detect suspicious activity around our cities, how are we supposed to detect terrorists entering our state / and or country? These people are not terrorist, they are not trained to be terrorists as far as we know, and they are common people. I am just confused – I hear so much on the news about how airports are are stepping up security and how officials are trained to detect such suspicious activities, but yet two men put suspicious devices throughout the city. How could this be?
Are we not safe in our own homes?!!!! I feel an investigation is in order – where has the money for the post 9/11 training gone?
David & Monique – Southbridge, MA
Posted by: David & Monique Manna | February 1, 2007, 7:24 pm 7:24 pm
So if I buy a pack of batteries in Boston, and carry them around without a bag, that could be construed as an act of terrorism?
I’ll just say something about this is very strange. CNN and Cartoon Network/Adult Swim are both owned by Turner, yet no one at CNN had any idea about something that’s on their sister network? An no one from Adult Swim could walk (probably) down the hall and notify someone at CNN??
Something just doesn’t add up.
Posted by: MiMatt | February 1, 2007, 7:33 pm 7:33 pm
Pathetic. I can see why the city of Boston and law enforcement officials are going after these guys.
They are trying to distract attention
away from the fact the police in Boston are a bunch of morons.
Anybody with half a brain could tell with one glance that this was a sign and not a bomb.
Just pathetic. Words cannot describe how ignorant Boston police look.
Posted by: Screaming Eagle | February 1, 2007, 7:48 pm 7:48 pm
A “bomb-like device???” Please.. Boston was just so EMBARASSED at their own STUPIDITY that they need someone to blame. Some people…
Posted by: Mitch | February 1, 2007, 7:49 pm 7:49 pm
The police and authorityies should be fired. These (devices) absolutely could not be a bomb. After the first one was taken down an idiot could tell it was not a bomb. Why did the police terrorize the city by making a terror plot out of a grade school technology toy?
Posted by: Dennis | February 1, 2007, 7:52 pm 7:52 pm
Well done Boston Police – you have helped the terrorists win… you are so clueless that you don’t investigate (or Google even), you just run around like headless chickens and shut-down the entire transport system.
I’m not exactly up on “street art”, but I just laughed when I saw the cop in a HAZMAT suit up a ladder investigating this ‘device’… Thanks Boston Police for that comedy moment at least.
If I were a citizen of Boston I would be asking some serious questions about my safety – how are these clowns going to cope with a real terrorist incident?
I hope they don’t hang those kids out of embarrasment at their own stupidity…
Posted by: Rob | February 1, 2007, 8:04 pm 8:04 pm
I don’t even live in Boston or the other cities, but no one over reacted. In today’s day in age jokes like this aren’t funny. I hope these two and everyone else at Turner Broadcasting gets fined heavily and thrown in jail for a very long time. If it was true marketing they would have asked for permission to put these up and probably would have had to pay an advertising fee. I hope they all are severely punished.
Posted by: LX | February 1, 2007, 8:05 pm 8:05 pm
Did anyone see the last big prank pulled on the city of Boston? I think it was called the Big Dig. Just like this one, it was metaphorically flipping the city the bird.
Seriously, this should have been a concern for exactly 30 seconds.
Long live Master Shake.
Posted by: VelcroMonkey | February 1, 2007, 8:11 pm 8:11 pm
It shouldn’t even be called a prank. They were just posting signs. It’s either the police of the moron who called them who is to blame. Why didn’t Philly or NYC or any of those other places melt down? What a bunch of idiots!
Posted by: Bob G | February 1, 2007, 8:20 pm 8:20 pm
Being a resident of Boston, I feel that Turner Broadcasting, the Public Relations Firm and the two “artists” should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of State and Federal laws. What they did to Boston residents was beyond a “joke”. Furthermore, those “artists” coming out of the court house today should have been ashamed and should have shown some sort remorse for what they put us through.
The “artists” should be fined heavily and do some jail time–that would take the smirks off their faces!
Posted by: Arnoi | February 1, 2007, 8:37 pm 8:37 pm
Why is it, that everybody nowadays is not only charged with the actual crime but also “disorderly conduct” too? Wouldn’t it stand to reason if you committed any crime you were probably being “disorderly”. It’s like a bonus charge. These kids will probably be acquitted of the serious charge and get probation for the DC. I thought Boston is where all the brains were?
Posted by: boomindan | February 1, 2007, 8:50 pm 8:50 pm
So let me get this straight… most major corporations, in their pursuit of profits, are considered “evil” by many of those in the counter culture. But in this case, the corporation that ignores the fact that the nation is on terror alert (I know, I know, it’s all fake, but hear me out) and designs a campaign to secretly put odd looking electronic boxes in the supports of bridges and major highways is DA MAN in their pursuit of profits. Do I have that right?
Posted by: Tracey | February 1, 2007, 8:58 pm 8:58 pm
I find this whole thing so comical. Many articles and news shows I have seen have been criticizing them for what seems like taking this as a joke. Well, this is a joke and an overreaction.
Posted by: Rach | February 1, 2007, 9:28 pm 9:28 pm
Dear Boston:
For future reference, neon signs are not bombs.
Signed,
The rest of the world
Posted by: Err | February 1, 2007, 11:40 pm 11:40 pm
Feminized Boston PD! How will the panic when a real threat is posed?
Posted by: Formerly from Boston | February 2, 2007, 12:23 am 12:23 am
Are you kidding me? They were placed in almost a dozen cities across the country and only boston freaks out. The only people to blame are the police and city officials that made a huge deal about it, including the silly mayor. They are the ones that shut everything down and caused $500,000 worth of so called damage. Any judge with common sense will dismiss this case.
Posted by: Matt | February 2, 2007, 12:48 am 12:48 am
Does anyone at ABC News have a dictionary?
A hoax requires some one to engage in misrepresentation.
Who provided the misrepresentation component during this event? Was it the media?
I don’t recall the alledged perpetrators ever representing the devices to anyone as anything they were not. The hoaxers in this case were merely opportunists, it seems to me, and they weren’t the artful fellows hired to install the high-tech advertising devices.
Main Entry: hoax
Pronunciation: \ˈhōks\
1 to trick into believing or accepting as genuine something false and often preposterous
— hoax·er noun
2 an act intended to trick or dupe : imposture
3 : something accepted or established by fraud or fabrication
Posted by: Mark | February 2, 2007, 12:58 am 12:58 am
How can the bad guys still want to do us in??? After all, the MADNESS displayed by government at times like these and those media elements whose “anchors” along woth hordes of self- proclaimed “experts” salivate at the chance to spread unwarrranted hysteria in their insane lust to babble about things “BOMB” make us the greatest show on earth. Who needs to perpetrate actual acts of terror when we are so good at terrorizing ourselves?
Posted by: In_Awe | February 2, 2007, 1:23 am 1:23 am
This entire situation is absurd. If we’re constantly living in fear and assigning evil attributes to light-hearted objects, the “terrorists” have already won. Thanks a lot, Boston PD. You’ve just done in one day what Al Qaeda has worked for years to accomplish – you’ve made us afraid to go outside and afraid to live our lives.
Watching the news coverage is even more fun. Tons of cops standing around chatting, trying to create a “presence”, as if that’s what we need. If we’re so afraid of death as a nation, maybe we should address the issues that are really killing Americans, like heart disease, automobiles, and blatant stupidity. But no; it’s far too easy for politicians and government officials to jump on the “terror” bandwagon to pretend like they really care about you.
The illusion of safety is a worthless crutch. Until we come to terms with our own mortality and stop hiding behind more intrusive laws and military-style police forces, this country will continue its quick descent into reactionary collectivism and authoritarianism.
Posted by: Sonic Infidel | February 2, 2007, 1:40 am 1:40 am
Only in our free society can a toy be a bomb. The war in iraq can’t be a good thing, because the president made it up. A litbrit toy is a bomb. No wonder the world looks down on us. Police now have two major jobs to prove we need them 1. give traffice tickets 2. look for toy bombs.
Posted by: Fred | February 2, 2007, 2:21 am 2:21 am
If justice is to be done and lessons learned, there has to be accountability for the persons responsible. That may be some punishment for the advertising agency and Turner, but ten fold punisment for the real propagators of fear, the Mayor and assistent attorney general. They just won’t seem to quite digging themselves a deeper hole.
Posted by: David | February 2, 2007, 5:40 am 5:40 am
Funny how none of the other cities had an idiot attack over this campaign. Careful, don’t let your kids take their Lite-Bright to grandma’s house. If you get pulled over on the way, they might think you’re a terrorist.I think they’re ticked because now they look like fools.
Hey Boston, your stupid is showing. “Disarm’ a Lite-Bright, good grief.
Posted by: amy | February 2, 2007, 7:45 am 7:45 am
Maybe something in the water induce Toonophobia, Photophobia, or Technophobia? Anyways, the proportion that this story has been blown to is ridiculous.
Posted by: Rick | February 2, 2007, 8:37 am 8:37 am
A lite brite run for your lives!!! Mr Potato Head is coming next, evacuate the city!!!
Posted by: Bob | February 2, 2007, 8:59 am 8:59 am
What I love this most is how *shocked* the media is about the two guys being so non-chalant about the whole deal.
“Can you believe he instisted on talking about his HAIR instead of admitting he caused a national security incident??”
While I admit to being a media junkie, it’s obvious that this was just another desperate attempt to instill fear in the hearts of the American people.
Try again, CNN. Next time, do a story on how the profits from Tickle Me Elmo support Al Qaida.
Posted by: Doug | February 2, 2007, 9:02 am 9:02 am
Can’t stand Adult Swim.
Turner Broadcasting is a joke.
But this, this is ridiculous. The city of Boston has no one to blame but themselves. Could we get a level headed politician to step up and tell the Mayor and Assistant Attorney General to settle down, accept the fact that the entire country thinks they have over-reacted, and apologize to us for wasting our time.
P.S. Turner Broadcasting should be writing a check, to the Mayor and AAG for making this a national story instead of just a local story in 10 markets.
Posted by: Afraid | February 2, 2007, 9:35 am 9:35 am
The overzealous cops should be fired. If they can’t tell the difference between a lighted sign and a bomb, heaven help us. The publicity stunt that the police pulled off, to prove their point, and to send a message of fear is no different than yelling fire in a building when there is no fire. Oh yeah, the pilot light was on , so there is a fire. Idiots!!!
Posted by: turtle | February 2, 2007, 9:55 am 9:55 am
The first device they found was affixed to a structural beam supporting part of the I-93 overpass (which is one of the main routes into Boston). Due to it’s exposure to the elements, the box was deteriorating so pieces of the devices ‘wiring’ were exposed. So, the MBTA passenger did the right thing by alerting the transit police who alerted the BPD. As this incident happened at 8am, the outline of the cartoon figure was not as evident. But again the device was falling apart with wires and batteries exposed. They never thought it was a sophisticated bomb, but if it was one it could still do damage, given the location under the overpass and next to a subway station. The police and fire departments did exactly what they are supposed to do in a situation like this. They suspected right away, that it was most likely nothing, but you can never take anything for granted. Then when reports were coming in that other devices were found around the city (on bridges and in main intersections) they still had to address them as possible bombs. The fact that the advertising company knew they it was their advertising campaign that was causing the problem (and knew it as early as 12p – possibly earlier) and did NOTHING to alert the police, but in fact told Peter Bedrovsky to keep quiet, is disgusting. To call our officials brainless is pathetic, because the one time they don’t take something seriously could be the one time it is.
Posted by: 9/11 relative | February 2, 2007, 10:25 am 10:25 am
Turtle -
You said it well. Perhaps Mr. Ted Turner should be sent to the same jail cell as these two idiots who call themselves ‘artists’. If I were a real artist I would be offended by them. What a joke they are!
Let’s give them 20 or 30 packages of which one is a real bomb and the rest are jokes just designed poorly that look like a bomb and then give them 5 minutes to figure out what is what before they blow themselves up.
Remember the story of the little boy who cried wolf! After too many attempts no one took him seriously anymore – same thing that’s going to happen if pranks like this aren’t punished so severely that no one dares to attempt them.
I for one don’t want to have to endure a tragedy because of two j.a.’s from Boston!
Posted by: edwardianlass | February 2, 2007, 1:03 pm 1:03 pm
So all you people who think this is funny..what would you prefer the authorities to do when a “device” is found, laugh it off and think “thats nothing just a prank” we’ll be fine. IMHO…we can no longer assume harmless..we must protect ourselves and those around us!!! Also..how can a major(well, cartoon network, I guess not that major)media executive approve an add campaign consisting of cartoon characters “flipping the bird” to those passing by…I don’t understand or agree with such nonsense!!!
Posted by: tjw | February 2, 2007, 1:15 pm 1:15 pm
since when is a Lite Brite a “bomb-like” device. This really makes me worry about our anti-terror reps: what will they do when they face a real bomb hidden in a normal looking suitcase?
Posted by: Nathan | February 2, 2007, 1:29 pm 1:29 pm
I’m surprised they had HAZMAT suits, let alone HAZMAT Qualified Paid Professionals to respond to the possible threat. What’s worse, Big Brother or Big Blunder?
IMHO, there are no right-or-wrong angles to look at this incident. If you ask yourself however, is our country prepared to handle being at war with “sleeper-cells”, analyze this event;
look back at poor evac planning attempts; look to our own personal emergency plans…
Is my family prepared in the event of disaster…
Should something terrible happen so close to home and I have to make life impacting decisions in a matter of moments…
What grade would you give your cities preparedness or your own personal preparedness?
And please no blogs about Flood insurance or survival kit offers!
Posted by: Moses | February 2, 2007, 2:04 pm 2:04 pm
OUR QUESTION IS HOW DID THEY PUT THESE UP WITHOUT SOMEONE SEEING THEM? THEY HAD TO HAVE USED LADDERS OR CLIMBED OVER THE OVERPASS OR THE BRIDGES, WHY WERN’T THEY SEEN?
Posted by: DIANE | February 2, 2007, 2:18 pm 2:18 pm
C’mon Boston, get a grip! You people take yourselves and your laughable law enforcement community way too seriously.
Is this not the same city that ruined dozens of small businesses, tied up traffic for years and wasted million on the infamous “Big-Dig” project?
After that debacle, the rest of us were more than sure that Boston – of all cities- could take a joke.
Posted by: Americanrm | February 2, 2007, 2:19 pm 2:19 pm
aye it was a harmless stunt,i wish i could see ignignot or err ,or any one from aqua-teen hunger force these kids are harmless they were having a little fun,these are the type of peple to party with.
Posted by: richard crainium | February 2, 2007, 3:38 pm 3:38 pm
To David & Monique in Southbridge:
No! You are not safe in your own homes. You never were and you never will be!
You greatly misunderstand what’s happening here (with terrorism). First & Foremost, it is a battle of perceptions. The government’s job to make you perceive that you are safe. Despite the simple fact that you are not now and they can never really guarantee your safety (short of locking you in a bomb-proof shelter with 24-hour guards).
They cannot win the “make you safe” battle. They can win the “make you perceive you are safe” battle.
The other side’s job is just the opposite, to make you perceive that you are NOT safe. It is quite a bit easier.
The simple fact-of-the-matter is that YOU, personally, are pretty darned safe. That is a matter of statistics and populations. Confiscating tweezers from Grannies at airports will not make you safe, but it will add to the perception that you are safe.
Posted by: Realist | February 2, 2007, 4:31 pm 4:31 pm
Either way you look at it, the marketing company should have been smart enough to think of contacting the police. It’s not people’s fault that were more paranoid nowadays. Just wait til the suicide bombers start hitting US cities in simultaneous attacks. It will then be a common thing, like it was in Israel for so long.
Al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups – like Hezbollah – are all targeting interior US. We already know they are coming from Mexico and Canada and then they slip in, mix in and “sleep” until the call goes out.
phizz
Posted by: phil | February 2, 2007, 4:32 pm 4:32 pm
this is insane. i saw one of these signs up close in a portland bar a week ago. i was like, “cool litebrite!” this thing looks as much like an explosive as a bowling ball with a candle wick!
Posted by: travis | February 2, 2007, 4:36 pm 4:36 pm
There were very few intelligent responses here. This is a situation where more than one person or side is to blame.
Maybe the Federal Govt should be training not only the Boston PD but national law enforcement agencies to learn what bombs look like. The Boston PD reacted the way they thought was “necessary”, however, it was excessive.
Which only displays how unprepared we are for real threats.
Good job America.
And maybe the media should be put in their place so as to not put so much hype on news stories that it sends a city & nation into a fit of hysterics. Which only shows how unprepared we could be for a real threat. Good job CNN.
Thirdly, Turner Broadcasting should be ashamed of themselves for even promoting this kind of event in the hopes of sparking interest & more profits.
Posted by: G1G | February 2, 2007, 5:42 pm 5:42 pm
PEOPLE WAKE UP A JOKE YOU SAY.DO YOU KNOW A BOMB CAN BE THE SIZE OF A HAMBURGER AND BLOW THAT HAZMAT PERSON UP AND HE OR SHE IS DOING THIER JOB TO SAVE US.ALL OF YOU WHO THINK THIS IS FUNNY NEXT TIME YOU TAKE THE THING DOWN NOT KNOWING IF YOU WILL LIVE OR DIE. I DON’T WANT THAT JOB, I LIKE TO COME HOME AND SEE MY FAMILY AT THE END OF MY DAY
Posted by: dug | February 2, 2007, 10:27 pm 10:27 pm
Not everyone with an odd sense of humor watches the cartoon, nor should the city of Boston have known what those goofie little devices represented. It is their duty to react and IF they actually would have been IED’s, it wouldn’t have been so funny. Everyone that had a hand in the “hoax” should be held responsible. Especially the hairy geeks that distributed them.
Posted by: 502dle | February 2, 2007, 11:52 pm 11:52 pm
What ever happened to the “reasonable person” standard? Do people really think that Turner Broadcasting actually suspected – or had any rational reason to suspect – that anyone would mistake these devices for bombs?
The only people who need to apologize for their conduct are the Boston officials who, after discovering that the clearly harmless devices were, in fact, harmless, nevertheless persecuted two innocent men in a feeble attempt to hold a fig leaf in front of their own gross incompetence.
Posted by: Jake Boone | February 3, 2007, 3:27 am 3:27 am
I’m tired of how the general American population has become blind, and afraid because of what the media reports.
If Steve the Newscaster said Bob the Builder was a front for a Terrorist Organization, I would bet at least 40% of this country would believe it.
Posted by: Kevin | February 4, 2007, 1:16 am 1:16 am
The Boston Herald reported the next day that simultaneously with the discovery of these devices, 2 simulated pipe bombs were found planted in locations in Boston – one at a hospital. [The police apparently have videotape of one being planted.] The police told the Boston Herald that because of this, they believed that while they know cartoon devices were not dangerous, they believed that the devices were decoys for a real attack.
Posted by: Jake | February 4, 2007, 9:55 am 9:55 am
OMG I just love all the “experts”. someone (expert) please tell me what a bomb looks like? This may have been a hoax but knowingly allowing it to continue after a concern was brought up is wrong. they should throw the book at them
Posted by: bigdog | February 8, 2007, 2:26 pm 2:26 pm
When we allow fear to prevent us from expressing ourselves through the obscene hand gestures of cartoon characters made from Lite Brite the terrorists have already won.
Posted by: bubby | February 9, 2007, 5:22 pm 5:22 pm
Weapons of Mass Marketing! Much more frightening than those threatening weapons not found in Iraq (Mission Accomplished Version4.1)
Damn, get a sense of humor – we have a lot more to worry about than Lite-Brite advertising. Surely someone else in the city of Beanery saw another one of these placed in a strategic location – like over a bar entrance, and could have alerted the media. And the rest of the 10 cities – guess they are just not “with” the Homeland Security deal. Good grief – if anyone would have noticed a bomb it would have been someone in New York or LA. Hey, why don’t we acquire hundreds of these and put them up in Iraq and Afghanistan – and scare the hell out of them! Cheaper than bombs!
No one dies!
Posted by: Margo | February 9, 2007, 11:38 pm 11:38 pm
OH MY GOD! I just read this story and realized that there are millions of these bombs all over my city. MY LITTLE SISTER IS PLAYING WITH ONE RIGHT NOW! theres enhanced versions of those glowing bombs on every second store in my neighborhood! I always thought they were just neon signs I guess I better call the cops.
Posted by: calen knauf | February 10, 2007, 6:40 am 6:40 am