"Kids call in bomb threats at schools and disrupt classes, They are held criminally responsible."
Did someone call in a bomb threat? From what I've read they were silly toys and didn't resemble a bomb in the slightest. Well ok maybe from a 1000 yds away with the sun on your eyes.
It was a stupid stunt and the yokels in Boston over reacted. The only thing they haven't done is blamed Bush, yet.
I don't think a reasonable person would have responded in such a manner and my bet the jury won't think so either.
" From what I've read they were silly toys and didn't resemble a bomb in the slightest. "
Beg pardon. Toys don't usually get left magnetically stuck under bridge abuttments with battery tubes and wires sticking out from them. It would be a stupid place for a toy, but an excellent place for a bomb.
Also, people who spend their time watching late-night cartoons for grownups may have recognized the character with its middle finger raised under a dark bridge, but the rest of us should be forgiven for finding it potentially menacing.
Have you forgotten that we live now in a world where there really are people who want to blow up our bridges and tunnels and shopping malls and elementary schools? 9/11 actually happened. It wasn't a dream. I lost a schoolmate on the second plane. He's still dead. As a consequence, we all have to be much more cautious about seemingly innocuous things. Hopefully, they will all be false alarms. But to think that attaching these things to public infrastructure shouldn't raise an eyebrow is naive. And to fail to think through the potential consequences of an action like this is negligent and highly irresponsible. It reflects a narcissistic self-indulgence that I'm afraid we can no longer afford.
I hate living in a state where I'm surrounded by liberals, but we're not yokels, and the authorities were reasonable and prudent in their response. The company responsible should pay all of the response costs, and the decision makers should pay very, very heavy fines.
Over reacted? Gee, I wonder if the police ignored the calls from the concerned citizens who saw these things and then one of those "silly toys" actually turned out to be a bomb and blew up killing hundreds...would you be saying that the police should have investigated the calls coming in about them and be calling for investigations into why they did nothing?
The police did their job and they did it well. Thank GOD they take the threat of terrorism seriously even when it turns out to be an assanine publicity promotion dreamed up by some head-in-the-sand morons at TBS. Better safe than sorry.
I don't think a reasonable person would have responded in such a manner and my bet the jury won't think so either.
This was a 9/10 guerrilla marketing stunt attempted in a post-9/11 environment. The paradigm has changed. Apparently they were unaware of it.
Apparently you are, too.
CA....