Men apologize for Boston Cartoon Stunt

AP via Yahoo News (hat tip to the indispensible Michelle Malkin) ^ | 5/11/07 | DENISE LAVOIE, Associated Press Writer

[gridlock]

So ends the saga of a couple of morons.

[Izzy Dunne]

Another botched joke from Boston.

[gridlock]

Attorney General Martha Coakley said it would have been difficult to prove to a jury that the men intended to create panic, and that she did not believe they realized the problems the ads would cause.

The AG wimps out.

Frankly, I am surprised. With the amount of chest-beating coming from the Mayor at the time, I thought this one would go to trial.

The Mayor deserves ridicule, today, for failing to deliver on his threats.

[FreedomPoster]

The morons were the authorities in Boston who overreacted, while several other cities did not.

[Izzy Dunne]

"I had no intention of upsetting or alarming anyone," he said.

The devices [... ] had lights that created images of a cartoon character making an obscene gesture.

Even putting aside the terrorism angle, why would anybody think that's a good idea?

[caseinpoint]

I was kind of hoping the punishment would include a haircut or two.

[Lolipop Jones]

Bingo. The weenies in Boston who panicked are the ones that "caused a bomb scare".

Just another indication that when government employees are made to look like the idiots they are, it's now a homeland security crime.

[TLI]

Reference ping...

[FreedomPoster]

Great point, on that last.

[gridlock]

The morons were the authorities in Boston who overreacted, while several other cities did not.

Well, I am not going to be drawn into that conversation again. Suffice it to say that we disagree on that one. Remember, sombody did call in a bomb threat. I, myself, want the police to respond to bomb threats.

Your milage may vary.

[PeteB570]

There is a difference to “respond” and “lock down the city”.

It is good to report suspicious things and a good thing that authorities respond but the local authorities overreacted in this case IMNSHO.

[Pete]

Berdovsky performed 80 hours of service and Stevens completed 60 hours at the Spaulding Rehabilitation Center in Boston...The men designed a cartoon mural that will be painted in a waiting area for children undergoing physical therapy

Geez. Why didn't they just have them take Cindy to the movies?

[gridlock]

As it turns out, the overreacted. There was no actual threat, so any reaction would be an overreaction.

Of course, that would mean that 99.9% of everything the police do is “overreaction”.

[gridlock]

Why didn't they just have them take Cindy to the movies?

The Eighth Amendment bars cruel and unusual punishment...

[knarf]

OH MY GOD !!!!!

We're being attacked by martians !!

Mulder! Scully ! Get in here !!!!

[Lolipop Jones]

"somebody did call in a bomb threat."

Can I ask if you are choosing the right words here?

To "call in a bomb threat" means to call the police (or anyone else) and say "There is a bomb set to go off in location XXXX" - by implication the caller is the bomber or an associate of the bomber.

However, when someone calls the police and says in effect "There is a thing within my field of vision that I don't recognize and I'm afraid it might be a bomb" this is not a "bomb threat" and rightly should be treated as a lower risk, unless we need to assume that everything any random citizen might not recognize is in fact a bomb.

I'm sure the latter phone call took place in Boston, not so sure about the former.

[GladesGuru]

So - the Prosecurors get their costs for persecuting cartoonists who planted flashing light equipped boxes which was part of some vage message about a putatively vaguely obscene gesture?

May G*d rot all lawyers.

Hmmn - on second thought, maybe He already has. Or at least their brains.

[gridlock]

I know, I know. The Police in Boston are tragically un-cool and unaware of the latest trends in children’s television programming. They should probably have a mandatory 40 hour annual refresher training course in marginal stoner culture, just so they don’t go out and make fools of themselves.

[Lolipop Jones]

Call the cops if you see one of these on your street, I think they're terrorist targeting markers.

[gridlock]

IIRC there was a simultaneous bomb threat, involving conventional pipe bombs. It was in responding to that threat that the unbelievably hip and trendily cool ATHF thingamajiggies got involved.