Posted on 02/01/2007 5:02:47 AM PST by Puppage
BOSTON -- Nine blinking electronic devices planted at bridges and other spots in Boston threw a scare into the city Wednesday in what turned out to be a marketing campaign for a late-night cable cartoon. At least one of the devices depicts a character giving the finger.
Highways, bridges and a section of the Charles River were shut down and bomb squads were sent in before authorities declared the devices were harmless.
"It's a hoax -- and it's not funny," said Gov. Deval Patrick.
Turner Broadcasting, parent company of Cartoon Network, said the devices were part of a promotion for the TV show "Aqua Teen Hunger Force."
"The packages in question are magnetic lights that pose no danger," Turner said in a statement. It said the devices have been in place for two to three weeks in 10 cities: Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Seattle, Portland, Ore., Austin, Texas, San Francisco and Philadelphia.
"We regret that they were mistakenly thought to pose any danger," the company said.
Police said only that they were investigating where the device came from. The Department of Homeland Security said there are no credible reports of other devices being found elsewhere in the country.
An angry Mayor Thomas Menino said a stiff penalty will be pursued against whoever was responsible for the devices.
"It's about keeping a city on edge. It's about public safety," he said.
Authorities said some of the objects looked like circuit boards or had wires hanging from them.
The first device was found at a subway and bus station underneath Interstate 93, forcing the shutdown of the station and the highway.
Later, police said four calls, all around 1 p.m., reported devices at the Boston University Bridge and the Longfellow Bridge, both of which span the Charles River, at a Boston street corner and at the Tufts-New England Medical Center.
The package near the Boston University bridge was found attached to a structure beneath the span, authorities said.
Subway service across the Longfellow Bridge between Boston and Cambridge was briefly suspended, and Storrow Drive was closed as well.
Wanda Higgins, a 47-year-old Weymouth resident and a nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital, heard about the threat as she watched television news coverage while preparing to leave work at 4 p.m.
"I saw the bomb squad guys carrying a paper bag with their bare hands," Higgins said. "I knew it couldn't be too serious."
Messages seeking additional comment from the Atlanta-based Cartoon Network were left with several publicists.
"Aqua Teen Hunger Force" is a cartoon with a cultish following that airs as part of the Adult Swim late-night block of programs for adults on the Cartoon Network. A feature length film based on the show is slated for release March 23.
The surreal series centers on a talking milkshake (Master Shake), fries (Frylock) and a meatball (Meatwad).
The cartoon also includes two trouble-making, 1980s-graphic-like characters called "mooninites," named Ignignokt and Err -- who were pictured on the suspicious devices. They are known for making the obscene hand gesture depicted on the devices.
Doesn't "hoax" imply an attempt at deception? This was a viral marketing campaign carried out with lite brite displays in the shape of a cartoon character, placed in obvious public areas. I've yet to see or read anything that would indicate an intent to "hoax" anyone by leading them to believe these ads were something else. The only "hoax" is in the mind of the public officials who overreacted and their enablers in the hysterical media.
I think the panic was caused by WHERE the devices were placed. They weren't in typical advertising type places. They were in the kinds of places a terrorist would have put bombs. This advertising crew deserves every punishment they receive.
sw
There's no end to that mentality.
And if the explosives were "some place else" what's the point of these out in the open signs being some big threat?
Be afraid of big burly dumb men with guns.
Amazing how some people have their heads firmly placed in their butts. Even more amazing is that the geniuses who came up with this asinine ad campaign didnt get some legal advice before implementing it. But then again we are dealing with Ted Turner and his ilk.
So, all the next terrorist has to do is paint a "cartoon character" on his device, and next time it won't be all fun and games for the victims. The only people who would have even realized those were cartoon characters were the two dozen or so people who actually watch the cartoons--which most of us have never heard of, by the way. If those are cartoon characters, this cartoon is in severe need of artists. My neighbors 3 year old can draw better than that.
"Boston Scare Caused by Official Overreaction and Lack of Common Sense"
That's more like it.
I wish somebody could do a new version of 'War of the Worlds' just to scare the crap out of all the paranoids.
One of the favorite Booby Traps used by the VC were Yogi Bear Dolls.
Use your brain.
If they had placed explosives elsewhere they didn't need some electronic sign in full view to detonate it.
Explosives big - electronic detonator small.
If they managed to hide the explosives they would have hidden the detonator with it. It kind of defeats the purpose to hide the bomb and put the detonator in plain view...
Paranoia will destroy ya.
The various emergency response teams all around the country have spent tons of money (ours) on equipment & toys. These incidents gives them a chance to bring all their stuff out and go into full response mode and play with their toys. Doing such justifies their expenditures and increases in future budgets.
Don't try to inject common sense into this. The authoritarian cheerleaders all got to change their depends over it. I saw the things on TV. they looked exactly like advertising signs/christmas decorations to me. Menino and the other halfwits who run Boston just showed how truly incompetent and stupid they really are. (But of course the majority of Bostonians elected them so what's taht say about the people who live in Boston)
Lame campaign for a lame show.
It is damning that NOBODY recognized the characters.
Of course now the bad guys know they can set "devices" in at least 38 spots.
Okay.
But your Yogi Bear doll won't take out a massive bridge.
It's aimed at individuals.
If that's your goal just put it in the trash can in the middle of the sidewalk...
Yep. Everyone profits from fostering a siege mentality among a frightened populace.
Yes, and I am surprised that so many on FR don't see this important point. Idiocy, apparently, is not limited to liberals--we have our share of it among conservatives, too. Perhaps more alarming is that it was so easy to places these (or any) devices where they did. I hope this wakes up some people.
"It's a hoax -- and it's not funny," said Gov. Deval Patrick.
Not a hoax, Deval. A hoax is an intent to decieve, to make something look like something else. These are small blinking signs intended to look like TV characters.
These blinking lights were in place for two weeks!
Because you will not back down, and admit that this was not a hoax, people are threatened with serious jail time.
He will never back down. He represents the State, and the State is never wrong.
instilling terror means never being certain of what is going to go off where. you are thinking logically and the objective of terror is to keep you off balance. i think it is perilous to dismiss this kind of thing, obviously you have a different opinion, but what i really want to slap you senseless for is the dang EARWORM! ; )
there is no making them see it, everyone is looking for them to use LOGIC in instilling terror. not smart.
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