"Ah, yeah but they were on bridges and highway overpasses."
Yes, they were.
If MA or Boston regulations prohibit it, advertising on a bridge or overpass constitutes a civil violation and might be worthy of a fine, not a city-wide panic and jail time.
It's a glowing sign clearly depicting a cartoon figure - one which is popular enough to have multiple DVD sets sold in electronics stores nation-wide. Ya know, I thought we (conservatives) were the people in favor of common sense. No, I *know* we're the people in favor of common sense. Common sense indicates that a few dumb glowing signs do not constitute a national emergency, and vigilance about terrorist threats does not mean behaving like a ninny.
Yes, the signs are dumb. The show is dumb. The kids who put these things up are dumb - I didn't expect that Boston's brain trust would go out in the winter to put up ads as a side job.
But the people who are paid to *not* be dumb were also dumb, which is why this is a big issue today.
"Ya know, I thought we (conservatives) were the people in favor of common sense."
Ah yeah, and we're also the party of National Security and strong defense. Maybe you didn't see the close up on the local affiliate. The bottom of these "signs" were covered in black electrical tape with wires hanging out of them. Some of them were not easily reached or visible. I think the local authorities didn't overreact. They erred on the side of caution as they had to. Nobody in Boston is laughing at these two nitwits.