Boston Scare Caused By Marketing Mistake

WNBC Television ^ | 02/01/07 | Puppage

[MizSterious]

Wrong on both counts? Do you mean someone actually noticed, and stopped the 9/11 terrorists? Darn, I didn't hear about that. Here all this time, I thought they succeeded.

[Ramius]

Being worried that "some how" free people put up electronic signs around an open city without being stopped isn't that frightening.

I'd agree with that. Certainly not something that could be or should be stopped, or worth worrying about.

But there's a fine line between vigilance and paranoia. Sometimes a vigilant public is going to report false alarms. They just will. But we have to be careful before we start discouraging people from reporting things that they see that "just don't look right". Of course it's a completely subjective standard, and different people will look at the same thing and have different instincts about it.

But its not paranoid, nor is it somehow giving victory to terror, for people to be able to decide that something looks out of place or suspicious... and to report it to those who can take a closer look. The overwhelming number of reports *will* be false alarms. That's just the game of numbers. Eventually, though, it will be the real deal. Then the person that was observant enough to react correctly will be called a hero. That's just the way of things.

[Constitution Day]

Number one in the hood, G.

[khnyny]

You're exactly right.

[TalonDJ]

Bombs can be put in trash cans, newspaper dispensers, cars, light polls, planters, briefcases, backpacks, you name it. Most of those you have no chance at detecting before it is too late.
You can't live that way.

There is a big difference between looking everywhere all the time for bombs, and responding seriously to calls about suspicious devices planted at multiple locations. Yeah, a trash can could be a bomb, and if someone drops a big ticking package in a trash can and then starts running I want it to be reported and taken seriously. Yeah you could pack a light pole with C4. If someone calls the cops to report some strange characters doing something really odd to a light pole in the middle of the night I would want those cops to look into it with all seriousness.

[maryz]

The city should have an ordinance against placing advertising on public spaces without a license.

I should have added in my previous answer that, in addition to the State Code, the City of Boston has numerous restrictions (size, height, etc.) that seem to vary by neighborhood, and -- frankly -- I got tired of looking.

[DB]

Better watch out for everything then.

That old tire laying in the ditch, that beer can... They could all be bombs - every one of them... Let's shut down a city every time someone isn't sure...

[OCCASparky]

I'm thinking Shake actually put Meatwad up to it.

[Boston Blackie]

The irony here is that Turner tought people knew this obscure cartoon. If anything, we should just simply ignore the show and the movie.

I'm sure Turner would think it would be hilarious if anti-Turner "marketing devices" were placed in selected movie theaters showing his movie.

[AD from SpringBay]

Nope - just the stuff that looks like tee vee bombs.

[TalonDJ]

It won't come anywhere near taking down a big bridge sitting on the side of it nor even a building.

Not entirely accurate. Besides, when the cops were called, how were they to know there was one on the bridge and not 4 or 8? A handful at strategic points could bring down a bridge.

[antiRepublicrat]

I read the best post about this:

"It used to be, if a terrorist wanted to bring a whole city to its knees it would take a group months of planning. ... Now days, all a terrorist has to do is leave some boxes lying around with some flashy lights, and suddenly the whole city is brought down. Terrorism has gotten so easy, people everywhere are doing it by accident."

[Conservomax]

What an overreaction. 9 other cities including New York have these things up and there is no incident. In Boston, of course, it becomes a logistical nightmare. They should arrest the nitwit who called 911.

We have 2-3 murders per week here and they buy some stupid gunshot locating system, when they find blinking lego sets they call in the SWAT team and make everyone's life miserable for 4 hours.

Then they say that people should take solace in the fact that they found such devices. Um, the things have been up for 2 weeks!

Who was the last bomb builder to make a bomb with a bunch of blinking lights and place it in the open for everyone to see?

Menino is a buffoon.

[Wormwood]

(Chorus 2x) Check it out y'all!
Check it, Check it out!

Don't be afraid when I turn the party out
cause I come from the moon and I carry all the clout.
I got a quad-laser, it will amaze ya.
My gizzat is phizzat, so won't you just step back

(chorus 2x)

We're the Mooninites and you know that we're back.
Everybody else in the house know that they wack.
Three in the morn, I'm looking for the porn.
Know that we free so get on your knees.

(Chorus 3x)

We don't give a damn yo this is who we be.
Just like the old school Rapper Schoolly D.
Mooninite one I'm a hard rap singer.
Mooninite two Yo, I'll flip you the finger

(Chorus 11x)

---

Mooninites Theme
Meatwad Sings the Mooninites Theme

[DB]

Don't get me wrong.

My beef is with the government's response, not whomever was concerned or reported it.

There's any number of reason why those putting up the signs illegally should be sought.

But it is a wholly different thing for professionals that are trained to recognize actual threats to shut down a city over this.

[RJS1950]

Oh yeah, the dummys who put these things out were stupid not to anticipate an overreaction by the nitwits who inhabit Boston.

I might think differently if the "ads" were not so blatently cheesy. Sure, if I wanted to plant bombs over a wide area I am going to make them stand out with blue lights and put them in plain sight so that they are easily identified.

Although I certainly enjoy seeing Ted Turner and his org squirming, it was not them who ran the advertising campaign. It was a small marketing agency without too many brains. The catch is that the marketing firm does not have deep pockets and Turner does. In addition, there are already plenty of people laughing at the overreaction of Boston to the immediate media hype and the village idiots up there want to look like adults again.

[DBrow]

http://www.gordon.army.mil/tsc/DEVICES/new%20devices/New%20Devices%20Browser/images/FGD-09-1862(B).jpg

If you see a soda can, look out! Soda cans have been used as IEDs in Iraq and in Afghanistan, and American casualties have resulted from their detonation. There is a wire on this one because it's command detonated, but a soda can IED could have a timer or radio trigger, or be set to explode when moved or kicked.

If you observe a soda can in an area where people pass by or congregate, or unattended in a food court, contact authorities immediately. Do not attempt to move or defuse the device yourself. Calmly advise everyone in the area to leave quietly until the bomb squad has cleared the device.

A soda can without an explosive or timer may be a hoax device intended to frighten you, so do not panic when you see a soda can. But it may not be a hoax- act responsibly!

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/intro/images/ied-iraq_soda-can.jpg

[Conservomax]

No, he's right, it was an overreaction.

The advertisers aren't the only ones who need to know better in a post 9-11 world.

My opinion might be different if i didn't have to sit in traffic for 3 hours yesterday.

[Ramius]

I have an idea for how to place a bunch of bombs around Boston and be pretty certain that the bomb squad won't come and disturb them...

It wasn't a very good idea before, but it sure is now...

:-)

[DB]

You directed that at me.

"people like you would have laughed them out of the room"

Not the 911 event.