So if terorists plant bombs with big blinking lights, the cops will find them in 2 weeks!

[LeftCoast]

I just can't believe after all the faux terror alerts that some on DU are mad at the marketing company for the PD overreaction. I'm sorry that people here might have been inconvenienced, but address your anger at the terror squad in the White House - not these two ad guys. I mean, come on, at what point do we stop going down this slippery slope? Yesterday it was blinking signs, tomorrow will it be brown-skinned men carrying backpacks?

[Ian David]

1. Oh, no! Someone set up us the Moononites!

[Wilber_Stool]

2. Just be thankful they

didn't torture anyone.

[brentblack]

7. Not yet...

...but they are filing serious charges against the guys that put the campaign together.

This is ridiculous....c'mon Boston. Several other cities found them and reacted normally.

This is an over-reaction at the least....incompetence and fear mongering at worst.


Anyway....Meatwad is my personal hero. Master Shake is also pretty cool.

[Ian David]

3. ANYTHING can be a bomb...

Therefore, be afraid of EVERYTHING.

[LeftCoast]

9. Exactly! 6 years of fake Bush terror alerts seems to have taken its toll

So much for "The home of the brave". I guess they'll have to change the song now. :(

[hedgehog]

13. LOL - I was pulled over at Frankfurt airport because I had a garden gnome

in my carry-on luggage. It was too heavy to put in my checked luggage. They swabbed it down to determine if it contained explosives, and I had a worried few minutes remembering I'd bought it at a garden center with nitrogen based fertilizers all around! For what it's worth, the security guys at Heathrow just opened up my bag to see what that shadow on the X-ray was and broke out laughing!

[Der Blaue Engel]

66. You were traveling with theTravelocity gnome?

I thought that was just another scary ad gimmick. :D

[hedgehog]

67. It was a british gnome I bought for my garden. He was in the carry on

because my duffle was filled up with a German garden statue!

[Der Blaue Engel]

69. Nah, I think it's the Travelocity gnome

and he gets around by planting fake memories of gnome-buying in the minds of unsuspecting travelers like yourself. :rofl:

(I so want a garden gnome. I don't know what it is about them. They're just funny.) :)

[kenny blankenship]

29. Truly, we shall never be safe until we give up 4ever the idea that we will ever be safe again

at anytime or anyplace.
The only thing we have to fear is a childish lapse into a lack of fear. A moment of weakness brought on by the irrational impulse to simply live our lives. Just fear lack of fear. Be on guard against that forever...that...and everything else in the visible world.

[DaveJ]

62. Right...

The threat of nuclear annihilation is nothing new. We learned to live with it as an intellectual caveat over 50 years ago, just like knowing that death is inevitable. But living in fear is another thing altogether. Nobody ever thought we'd have an administration that wants us to live in fear.

[redqueen]

37. Yes... terra terra terra! n/t

[Warren DeMontague]

50. That's right. Anything can be a bomb.

Some bombs are bigger than others, of course.

[yardwork]

4. This is a very good point

It took them two weeks to discover that the devices were placed by a commercial firm, who made no attempt to hide.

How long would it take them to find somebody who was actually up to no good and trying to hide?

Answer: See anthrax case.

[stillcool]

8. No. It did not take two weeks.

It took several phone calls regarding 'suspicious packages' and a couple of hours.

[RaleighNCDUer]

21. That was in Boston. They'd been distributed in several other

cities over the last 3 weeks, but only Boston panicked.

[stillcool]

30. Wrong. Only the Boston Police Dept. ...

received several phone calls, within a short period of time, from people reporting seeing suspicious packages all over the city.

[Homer Wells]

56. I wonder if those phone calls had a 202 Area Code

and perhaps a White House number??

:sarcasm:

[The_Casual_Observer]

5. There are whole legions of bomb squad people fully equipped

and at the ready with absolutely nothing to do. They ought to be grateful that that this happened in order to break up the monotony.

[LeftCoast]

14. Good way to spend those homeland security grants

:)

[itsmesgd]

6. rec...I agree completely

[TechBear_Seattle]

10. A very good point

And a point that mainstream media will do everything it can to NOT bring up.

[KittyWampus]

11. Did you ever stop to think it was the MARKETING ASSHOLES who called the police?

That stupid garbage ad campaign was around for 3 weeks and NOONE IN THE MEDIA NOTICED.

It was a failure.

I hadn't heard about that cartoon or its ad yesterday. And I live in NY.

[hedgehog]

17. Now THAT would be criminal!

There is no excuse for a false alarm, ever!

[LeftCoast]

18. Is that what the police are claiming?

[KittyWampus]

20. No, but that's what I am wondering. Or maybe marketing people wouldn't stoop that low

to get a reaction to a campaign that bascially failed.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

27. ...

You've got no evidence that the marketing people called the police, or ever intended for it to be a hoax. In fact, that they were up in ten different cities for weeks is evidence for the opposite. Making false allegations is a bit, well, it's a bit like phoning in a bomb hoax.

[KittyWampus]

35. So this piece of shit marketing campaign was around for weeks and noone cared.

It was a failed campaign. It got NO MEDIA ATTENTION.

There is no reason not to wonder if the marketing people are involved.

Further, since these things had been around for weeks in other cities and noone in the Media cared, how would the Boston crowd (police or populace) know what they were?

I live in NY and haven't seen or heard of one.

I have never heard of the cartoon or its characters.

What does that say about the ad campaign BEFORE yesterday?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

42. What do you mean nobody cared?

Thousands of people saw the signs. They did exactly what signs are supposed to do.

"Further, since these things had been around for weeks in other cities and noone in the Media cared, how would the Boston crowd (police or populace) know what they were?"

Why would the media do a story on a sign? How would the Boston crowd know what they were? Common sense. Again, thousands of people saw the signs, and knew what they were.

[sniffa]

44. sadLy

many peopLe don't have common sense.

common sense wouLd not point to the 2 kids for phoning it in.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

47. Many people do have common sense.

That's basically the definition of common sense. The people that didn't have common sense were the people who phoned it in.

"common sense wouLd not point to the 2 kids for phoning it in."

Are you saying the two kids who put the signs up were the ones that phoned it in? Link?

[sniffa]

57. not at aLL

i'm saying, who wouLd jump to the concLusion that the kids phoned in the scare? maybe the same kind of person who wouLd think it's a bomb?

no common sense.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

58. Ah, gotcha.

I've noticed that of two people who want to throw the book at those two kids...

One's a creationist, and the other ran out of the movie Happy Feet because she thought the penguins were scary and racist.

:shrug:

[redqueen]

45. Ok... if you're right about this, then yeah, that's messed up.

Otherwise, this whole thing is laughable.

[stillcool]

41. this is just ridiculous...

why do you think the Boston Police Department would go out and search five different locations, in various parts of the city for suspicious packages? Why? Ever hear of cause and effect?

[stillcool]

68. a little clarity perhaps...

The ordeal began around 8 a.m. when an MBTA worker spotted one of the devices affixed to an Interstate 93 ramp near Sullivan Square in Charlestown, forcing the shutdown of the northbound side of the Interstate and tying up traffic for hours. The State Police bomb squad blew the object apart with a water cannon at about 10 a.m. Then, in quick sequence just after noon, reports of similarly suspicious devices flooded police lines, sending anti terrorism forces to over a dozen locations in Boston, Cambridge, and Somerville.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2007/02/01/froth_fear_and_fury/?rss_id=Boston+Globe+--+City%2FRegion+News

[LeftCoast]

55. You've built an awfully shaky foundation on which to charge these guys

Personally, I prefer to reside in the reality based community.

[KittyWampus]

71. and sadly you and many other DU'ers live in a reality where you're happy to allow corporations

to run any kind of ad campaign they want regardless of any other considerations.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

73. Again with the "corporations" nonsense.

You dodged the question. Would you feel any different if a small business did this?

[RaleighNCDUer]

26. I was wondering that myself.

What if you had a media campaign and nobody noticed?

Time to dust off the resume.

[AndyA]

12. LeftCoast, we're fighting them over there so we don't have to fight them over here.

So, you see, most of the resources are tied up over there, where they *EXPECT* to find bombs. Who could have anticipated such a thing would happen over here?

You should find it comforting to know that your government is hard at work spending your tax dollars protecting you, and that in less than three weeks, all of these potentially deadly bombs have been located and safely removed. You were never in any harm...

:sarcasm: :rofl:

[aquart]

15. The ad guys don't know the climate in this country?

What? They weren't here five years ago? They were on Mars, maybe? Still in the womb, perhaps? I damn well do blame them.

"After all the faux terror alerts," they deliberately feed the panic machine?

Or did you think the purpose of the campaign was for those strategically-placed objects to be ignored?

If the purpose was to get attention, and that IS the purpose of advertising, what kind of attention does an unknown item on a BRIDGE get?

Throw the book at them.

[LeftCoast]

28. You might as well argue that

brown-skinned men shouldn't wear backpacks because of the 'climate in this country'.

When you give in to irrational fear you've let not only the terrorists win, but the criminals in the WH who have spent the last six years (or so) hyping the fear to increase their own power.

[redqueen]

49. Exactly...

Those spreading the culture of fear have apparently been wildly successful in Boston.

[stillcool]

16. The police department over-reacted....

because they responded to several phone calls from various parts of the city...all within a short amount of time.. about suspicious packages?

[KittyWampus]

22. hmm, and the phone calls all happened within a short amount of time? If this is true

then it sure seems like a concerted intentional effort to raise alarms.

[stillcool]

34. That is how the police knew

the various, and incidental areas to look. On the news, in the afternoon, the exact locations were being revealed..what was being closed etc. At no time, did I hear the local news report this as anything but a hoax. Only CNN did that.

[stillcool]

65. just to add a little clarity..

The ordeal began around 8 a.m. when an MBTA worker spotted one of the devices affixed to an Interstate 93 ramp near Sullivan Square in Charlestown, forcing the shutdown of the northbound side of the Interstate and tying up traffic for hours. The State Police bomb squad blew the object apart with a water cannon at about 10 a.m. Then, in quick sequence just after noon, reports of similarly suspicious devices flooded police lines, sending anti terrorism forces to over a dozen locations in Boston, Cambridge, and Somerville.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2007/02/01/froth_fear_and_fury/?rss_id=Boston+Globe+--+City%2FRegion+News

[Texaroo]

19. Sounds like McCarthyism...

People here should get it.

What happened in Boston yesterday is Red Scare manipulation. The police, supposedly highly trained on how to respond to terroristic threats apparently missed the lesson on how to spot the difference between a children's toy and plastic explosives. They overreacted, and engaged in a circle-jerk with the media, which escalated until they could only disguise their embarassment with faux outrage. What's next - hearings to blacklist the Cartoon Network and Comedy Central?

The message should be, "we take all threats seriously, but we first determine if they are a threat." A 1' X 1' circuit board with LED's flashing and Duracell batteries? Puh-LEASE.

I think we should start systematically shutting down Radio Shack, for aiding and abetting. Then go get Duracell. This is first amendment stuff, people - we can't let fear override common sense. Under THOSE circumstances, the terrorists win.

[KittyWampus]

25. Actually, I can't believe DU'ers support Corporate Marketing gone amok.

I guess corporations really are individuals and should be allowed to do or say anything anytime anyplace anywhere.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

31. Corporate marketing gone amok?

So everything would be different if it were some small business that did this?

[ShortnFiery]

40. Look at the two poor slobs who were arrested? - and told to "be themselves"

Sure, Turner Co. will pay big bucks - but all this needless hysteria will make them much more in the end. I bet a consultant from this large Time-Warner agency ADVISED them to talk about anything BUT the case itself. They love it!

I'd have sympathy for the city officials IF the Mayor had one small shred of humility.

NO! It's not all *their* fault - your first reporting officials did not conduct a sound assessment.

Such a humongous clusterf*ck does not occur in a vacuum, so it's beyond time the Mayor stop with the "we are perfect" self-righteous indignation.

[KittyWampus]

72. know any small businesses that could afford #1. Marketing team to come up with such an idea

#2. Money to pull it off in several cities across the country.

[Texaroo]

33. First amendment applies to EVERYONE...

..including corporate mongrels and hippy artists. That's the point - I guess you never read your Voltaire: "I disagree with what you say, but I will fight to the death for your right to say it."

I am surprised with the extent of DU hypocrisy sometimes...

[redqueen]

51. This should be an OP.

Very well said. Those who alerted the media before they even knew what they were dealing with are to blame... not marketers or those paid to carry out marketing stunts.

[frylock]

70. they could only disguise their embarassment with faux outrage..

I'm no psychologist, but I think you're seeing a lot of that around here as well.

[WilliamPitt]

23. Please read

one personal account of yesterday in Boston, mine:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=98726&mesg_id=98726

...before deciding who to judge. I specifically address the fake terror thing, which is true...but doesn't jibe well with the oft-repeated claim that our Iraq adventure is manufacturing terrorism.

Those new terrorists aren't going to the beach, so...

Anyway, read that and pretend you were here yesterday.

[LeftCoast]

38. I don't blame you

I'm sorry if you took that message from my OP.

I blame the overreaction by the PD and media. My issue is with DUers who are still calling for the heads of the marketers after seeing how absolutely ridiculous the whole thing was.

I hope you're feeling a lot less stressed today.

[WilliamPitt]

43. I'm a lot less stressed

and I'm calling for their heads. Don't put stuff, even cute stuff, on critical infrastructure. Just don't. Read my last bit in that link about how invisible ads are...and how a clever person could fashion bombs into ads, which would be ignored until...

The ones in Philly and NYC weren't on bridges, overpasses and rail lines. One was on a hospital here, a few blocks from my home.

Fuck them.

[LeftCoast]

52. I don't understand why you're mad at them and not media for overreacting

If you look at the 'devices' all they are is a circuit board and some batteries. Where's the room for any sort of explosive? I would be more sympathetic to the idea if they were even remotely box-shaped, but they're not. We'll probably just have to agree to disagree on this one.

[WilliamPitt]

59. I'm mad at both

Not a big leap.

[Texaroo]

39. An understandable reaction..

It's easy to dismiss the threat after the fact. But the police and media acted somewhat irresponsibly here, which unnecessarily manipulated and blew the situation out of proportion.

I don't think the prosecution of a couple of artists resolves this - I think you need a review of police procedures, especially as it pertains to releasing information to the media.

[WilliamPitt]

46. This was of the media, by the media, and for the media.

Ad guys for a TV show who made news. Like Tinkers to Evans to Chance.

No doubt. The fact that they didn't show us these things until much later, thus depriving us of the chance to see them as being the silly things they are, was inexcusable.

But I am getting a little honked at those here who, seeing them today, are making fun. WE DIDN'T SEE THEM for hours. Only heard about "wires" and "electronics" strapped to bridges and hospitals. One was a few blocks from my home. It wasn't funny, and still isn't, and hindsight is easy.

[LeftCoast]

53. But now that you have seen them, why are you still mad at the marketers?

It's not their fault the media and the PD blew this all out of proportion...

[WilliamPitt]

60. Read this

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/city_region/breaking_news/2007/02/artists_perform.html

...and then imagine you went through this yesterday.

[LeftCoast]

61. Probably not the best PR move on their behalf, but again

I don't think they need to be contrite for something that's not their fault and for which they are being made scapegoats.

:shrug:

[redqueen]

54. No comment on post #3?

If terrorists were going to attack something, would they put the device in plain sight, even?

[IADEMO2004]

24. I wish I had one for E Bay

[Ian David]

36. They ARE selling them on Ebay: Boston Mooninite Fetching $5k on eBay

Boston Mooninite Fetching $5k on eBay
Gizmodo.com, Hungary - 3 hours ago
... you want one of those LED Aqua Teen Hunger Force Mooninites up in your room, you can get one via eBay for a cool $5001 (as of the time of this writing). ...
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/gadgets/boston-mooninite-fetching-5k-on-ebay-233161.php

[ShortnFiery]

32. Yeah, the blinking lights means the device is ON? Wait! Don't look!

:rofl:

[Lone_Star_Dem]

48. For me this is a sad reflection on our state of mind

No disrespect to any who had to live through having their lives disrupted yesterday.

We need to ask ourselves a serious question. Have the terrorist won? With the extensive help of our government and media Americans are officially living in a perpetual state of terror. We've given up, or had yanked from our hands, many of our freedoms that we once held so dear. All because we were afraid enough to let it happen.

In many ways we are our own worst enemy and the best tool any terrorist could have on US soil.

[RaleighNCDUer]

63. I still have to wonder --

doesn't it seem likely that five minutes after the bomb squad arrived at the scene a digital photo was forwarded to DHS? Wouldn't DHS have files on bombs found, so they can compare types and methods of defusing ("Yeah, I've seen that before - there will be a mercury switch in the back, but be careful, it's motion sensitive.")

Since these things have been out there for the past 3 weeks, isn't it likely that DHS was already aware of them?

Doesn't that suggest that DHS sat on this for hours, letting the hysteria build to fuel Terra Terra?

[tigereye]

64. it's really sad that we as a society are so fearful in general,

but, anyone placing a device that could be perceived as a bomb near roads and bridges, has had a serious lapse of judgment.

[Norrin Radd]

74. I agree. People are obsessively paying attention to the media.

I hadn't heard about all this until today. Taking a break from the fear-mongering broadcasts and online news every now and again could be healthy.