Network Claims Responsibility for Suspicious Devices

[LoZoccolo]

Shirley Powell, of Turner Broadcasting, released a statement saying the "packages" in question that were found around Boston on Wednesday and suspected to be bombs are instead magnetic lights that pose no danger. They are part of an outdoor marketing campaign in ten cities in support of Adult Swim's animated television show "Aqua Teen Hunger Force."

http://www.myfoxboston.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=2233130&version=41&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1

[NYCGirl]

1. How fucking stupid was that? NT

[LoZoccolo]

4. I saw one in Chicago a few days ago.

I thought it was kind-of clever. But then I knew who Ignignokt was! I'd also seen a much larger one on the side of another building that was an obvious advertisement.

They weren't made to look like bombs or anything like that; they are simply little signs with LED lights on them.

[tridim]

5. I think it's brilliant.

Probably a bit stupid too, but nonetheless brilliant.

[NYCGirl]

9. I hope they get socked with an enormous bill from the city. NT

[aquart]

24. I think it's terrorism and I want them in jail.

Or are we waiting till one of these geniuses gets someone killed?

There's also the possibility that people will become so used to these campaigns that they don't report a real unattended package that IS a bomb.

So, how brilliant is that, again?

[LoZoccolo]

29. Overreacting is not brilliant.

[Ian David]

30. Exploding Dennis Miller Pinatas? Is that what you're suggesting? n/t

[tanyev]

72. Now that would be brilliant!

:rofl:

[aquart]

33. I live in lower Manhattan.

If someone spots an unattended package, I WANT the cops to come.

And anyone who wastes their time with stupid crap I want punished.

I lived in a dead silent city. I cried when I first heard traffic again. I have NO sense of humor about cute stunts.

[LoZoccolo]

35. I live in Chicago.

No one built anything that was intended to look like a bomb. This is about as bad as grafitti, except they used LEDs and easily-removable signs. Oh no! Someone wrote some chalk on the sidewalk! It might be anthrax!

I saw one of these devices down the street from me on Sunday evening, and did not for a second think it was any sort of malfeasance.

[aquart]

36. Chicago didn't lose two planes. Boston did.

[LoZoccolo]

37. Here is the device for which you think people should be locked up for terrorism.

Looks rather like Lite Brites.

Maybe they were trying to set the record for worlds flattest and most colorful bomb.

[lse7581011]

46. Absofrigginlutely! These people deserve jail time!

They tied up the resources of a major US city for the majority of a day. At the very least they deserve to receive the bill for the resources involved!

[ShortnFiery]

49. The Authorities and folks from Homeland Security stand to lose their

jobs. NOT anyone from Cartoon Network. This character has been all over.

Can we say incompetence on the part of Our Government? :thumbsdown:

OTHERWISE, we're gonna torture all your cartoon characters until they confess to terrorism? :P

Don't any of these geniuses have kids or teenagers who could have "set them straight" in say, a heartbeat. :shrug:

[lse7581011]

51. So You Are Suggesting....

that if a true terrorist packages a bomb as a popular object then that's okay it should just be ignored?

[ShortnFiery]

56. No, but I don't think the authorities should have ruled out an advertising campaign.

In fact, something of that nature should have come to the forefront of their mind.

"Hey Joe, all these boards have an outline of some sort on them. Why don't we send these to the Media networks to check out if there's any connection?"

DAMN, wasn't the forgoing easy? Plus the fact that these circuit board "characters" are spewed all over in major cities for 2-3 weeks ... well, perhaps that too should have provided them a hint?

Unless you wish to live in a police state where everything we do has to be approved by The Fatherland security department, then I'd suggest that we ENCOURAGE our lauded police, et. al. to accomplish more than a cursory investigation before, say, shutting down an entire city. :P

[sendero]

85. What I'M suggesting..

... is that if someone wants to deploy a bomb, it will blend into the background and NOBODY will see it until it goes off.

The people who were afraid of this are like the people who were afraid of Saddam Hussein, they should hide and quiver under their mommy's skirt.

[lse7581011]

53. I Have No Problem

with them posting them on the billboards of comic stores but on bridges? in hospitals? Come on! These idiots new full well what they were instigating!

[ShortnFiery]

57. No they did not. But if we over-react, I'd bet Homeland Security

has more recommendations on what we can do with our duct tape. :shrug:

[lse7581011]

58. Then Why?

post their "advertisements" in such obscure places? They just announced that one arrest has been made. I hope they prosecute to the fullest extent!

[ShortnFiery]

71. They weren't all obscure.

Paranoia strikes deep. The Europeans are laughing their asses off at our cowardice.

Who's the surrender monkey now?

No, it's not the French.

It's the average American Citizen who's all too willing to stand-behind the incompetence of their beloved "protectors" even when they do an unsatisfactory initial assessment and spin an entire city into PANIC.

No, let's blame the promoters because no one is supposed to sneeze in fraidy-cat America.

Yes, we are now the Terrorized Nation and only our incompetent authorities can protect us? Bullshit!

[w4rma]

82. That isn't even a "package". It's just a flat black board with lights. (nt)

[tridim]

31. Do you think highway bloggers are terrorists?

What about people who put Bush flags in piles of dog poop or even anti-war protesters? All of these are forms of marketing that some (ie BushCo) might consider terrorism.

I agree it was a stupid move, but not something that warrants an arrest.

[aquart]

34. Has a highway ever been closed because of a highway blogger?

Has a transit system been shut down because of a clearly identifiable flag in obvious poop?

You posed a completely false analogy. And I still want these assholes in jail.

[ShortnFiery]

43. Why don't you threaten some Characters on Cartoon Network's site?

That may help work out some of your inappropriate frustrations against a fictional COMIC FIGURE! :rofl:

http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/

These Officers obviously did not make a half way decent effort to CONSIDER advertisement. All they had to do was ask your average American pre-schooler. :crazy: :rofl:

[Debi]

2. OMG!! I home Turner Broadcasting gets one hell of a bill for this!!! n/t

[puffthemagicdragon]

3. The Mooninites will kill us ALL!!

Oh my I am laughing soooo hard. I just saw on the news what the "suspiscious packages" were!! The mooninites from Aqua Teen Hungerforce - perhaps the best show on Adult Swim. The mooninites would be proud!!!!! still laughing

[villager]

20. which of the 5,000 dimensions did the package come from?

n/t

[WindRavenX]

44. LAWL!

:rofl:

oh, this is rich.

[ShortnFiery]

47. You're on notice Space Ghost!

:rofl:

[aquart]

26. Really? Funny?

Training people to ignore unattended packages because they're probably just stupid ad campaigns?

Yeah, that's real funny. They should try it in London.

[Redstone]

6. Fucking idiots. And someone got PAID to think it up?

Redstone

[Fridays Child]

10. Another victory over the terrorists that Chimpy can crow about.

Look for it, in a B*sh speech, near you.

[Redstone]

12. You betcha. Just like he did in the SOTU speech!

Redstone

[ShortnFiery]

63. All you have to do is have a teenager to Identify the Character ...

The outline of which is *all over the Internet.*



But our strack INTELLIGENCE discounts doing a google search.

Yeah, let's blame the Cartoon Network's Aqua Teens because the authorities FAILED to do an half-assed initial investigation. Better yet, let's pass more laws to take away our civil liberties and keep us afraid?

Some of you would seemingly give up all your freedoms and trash a CARTOON CHARACTER from Aqua Teen, just to feel a little safer.

Is this absurdity lost on me?

[LoZoccolo]

7. This one has a picture of the Mooninite device.

http://www.bostonist.com/archives/2007/01/31/new_aqua_teen_hunger_force_wreaks_havoc_in_boston.php

[Ian David]

25. Who's to say that terrorists wouldn't make a bomb disguised as a mooninite?

Or perhaps even Paddington Bear?

[anotherdrew]

62. or as a mailbox or lightpole or anything! let's panic and overreact! that'll help!

please people, these people who are supposed to "protect" us can't even be bothered to figure out what the things are, they can't help us at all like this. we need thinking people doing these jobs.

[roamer65]

8. Breaking news: Cartoon Network may be under Iranian influence.

:sarcasm:

Just kidding.:silly:

[Barrett808]

50. "Meatwad make the money, see? Meatwad get the honeys, G."

My name is...
Shake-Zula.
The mic-rula,
The old schoolah,
Ya wanna trip? I'll bring it to ya.
Frylock and I'm on top, Rock you like a cop
Meatwad you up next with your knock-knock.
Meatwad make the money, see.
Meatwad get the honeys, G.
Drivin in my car, livin' like a star.
Ice on my fingers and my toes and I'm a Taurus

Check it.
Check it, check it.

'Cuz we are the aqua teens,
make the homies say ho! and the girlies wanna scream
'Cuz we are the aqua teens,
make the homies say ho! and the girlies wanna scream

Aqua Teen Hunger Force.
Number 1 in the Hood, G

[mikelgb]

11. idiots

and I don't mean the promoters

[aquart]

27. Oh, I do.

And I want their smug terrorist asses in jail.

[lse7581011]

61. Agree! n/t

[LTR]

13. I thought it was kind of scary when my food started talking to me...

Think this will raise the threat levels?

[MindPilot]

14. Could be worse...

at least the screens didn't display this:

http://www.thecleverest.com/countdown.swf

[lvx35]

15. These things we see are the TIP of the iceberg!

as far as misappropriated time and money in the name of homeland security....I guarantee it!

[KansDem]

16. Now is the time to investigate the "suspicious devices" that sit behind the anchor desks of Networks

Start with Katie Couric's claim over a year ago that Democrats took money from Abramoff.

Media Matters

[kestrel91316]

17. That sounds just as stupid as the marketing campaign in LA

recently where the LA Times or some advertiser put these red box things up inside the newspaper vending boxes and they scared a bunch of people who called the cops and it was a HUGE broohaha.........

Somebody needs to have a word with the marketing geeks about presentation techniques...............

[meegbear]

18. To quote Eddie Murphy ...

ha ha, very funny MOTHERFUCKER!

DOUCHE-BAGS! Both Turner and the fucktards who put 'em up.

[StClone]

19. Boston is supposed to be the Hub of Intellectualism

More PhD than anywhere else in the U.S. That may be why they had considered the whole spectrum of threats from these things rather than the obvious.

[Demeter]

21. Boston Is Still Reeling From 9-11 Two Planes From Their Airport

Under that brash exterior, the Bostonians are really rather sensitive to their public image. And they've not had it easy--gangs, IRA, mafia, and so forth. They don't want anything to blow up in their faces, if they can help it.

[Ian David]

22. I can almost hear Orson Welles chuckling in his grave!

Meatwad gets the honeys, see..

[ShortnFiery]

23. Wow, we have The Keystone Kops protecting us.

:rofl:

Fear! Fear! Fear! OH, Nevermind. :puke:

Dumb Asses! :P

[aquart]

28. We have policemen doing their jobs in a city that lost TWO PLANES.

Their expensive time was wasted because of some smug, overpaid assholes who thought that driving a city into a frenzy was a profitable idea.

I want those assholes fined and jailed. Make this trash too costly to ever cross any idiot's mind again.

[ShortnFiery]

39. The cops over reacted, there's blame on both sides.

Hey, I'm close to (Reagan National) so kindly cease with the hyperbole, it's not working.

I think more "fact checking" was in order as well as errors on Cartoon Network's promotion side.

But hell, we report homeless Muslims in Miami wishing for bad things as "terrorists" so perhaps we live in one hyped up culture. :shrug:

On edit: they showed the device vertical and my first thought was the form a white (instead of the Network's yellow color) outline of "Sponge Bob Square Pants." :eyes:

[blues90]

32. I think it was an insane thing to do

All it does is waste time and money and save them on advertizing .

If they can't see how this just adds to the fear many people already have combined with traffic back ups and all other assorted problems they are insane and should be fined for all costs and have a bit of a prison term to clear their fool heads . Idiots .

[killbotfactory]

38. how could anyone think they were bombs?

wtf?

[LoZoccolo]

40. Aquart? You want to field this one? n/t

[ShortnFiery]

41. I don't get it either ...

you'd think that one of these authorities has kids and could recognize the outline of a f**king Cartoon Character.

click here for frightening CARTOON NETWORK image recognized by most THREE YEAR OLDS :sarcasm: http://www.myfoxboston.com/myfox/MyFox/pages/sidebar_video.jsp?contentId=2234928&version=1&locale=EN-US

The authorities scared the be-jesus out of a lot of people because they didn't fully investigate.

Or would you rather have a police state?

Let's hang Sponge Bob for retribution?!?

[DerBeppo]

42. Hanging up all over the country for at least a week

and it's Boston that shows us how much of a joke this has all become. Wicked good jahb, big guys.

[lse7581011]

48. If it was this easy for them to post these?

And have them remain there for what is now being reported as two to three weeks-how easy would it be for real terrorists to post the real thing?

[ShortnFiery]

52. Well, there's no need in getting wrapped around the axel about such things

otherwise we live in a prison in our own mind of paranoia. And I sure as hell don't want the Cartoon Network promoters punished for the authorities lack of investigative work, i.e., they could have asked any teen who tunes into adult swim?

Live Free ... until we die. :shrug:

[lse7581011]

54. Obviously?

you think this was appropriate?

[ShortnFiery]

59. I think the absolute LACK of a full initial investigation, to include

the outline of the lighted character, is the FAULT of our authorities.

No, and may I suggest, no, I plead with you - to LIVE FREE, NOT FEARFUL. Please do not let your fears to permit paranoia to strike so deep that we blame others when the *true blame* lies with the incompetency of the authorities?

[lse7581011]

60. I Understand!

no suspicious packages should be reported to authorities. Sorry, now I get it. Just walk around oblivious to your surroundings and think anything shaped like Sponge Bob is harmless! (:sarcasm:)

[anotherdrew]

64. suspicious packages, when reported to authorities, must be investigated

BEFORE the freak-out phase.

[Marrah_G]

87. The Media freaked out

The authorities did not. They shut down the area around the devices and then dealt with them as they are paid too. If they were actual explosives would this be an over-reaction from city?

No one here was panicing.... hell my boyfriend had no clue anything was going on until I talked to him later that night.

[ShortnFiery]

68. You're just hopeless.

Newsflash, the people in Europe have lived with terroristic threats for decades.

They don't live paranoid over there and would not pay attention to such bunk. WE in the USA, are NOW becoming cowards - especially if we are going to try to cast the blame on others instead of the incompetence of our government. :(

Just hopeless - enjoy your perpetual state of fear.

[Marrah_G]

86. Excuse me?

Officials aren't sure what the damn thing with unlit lights, electrical tape, a battery and wire stuck to important infrustructure in a VERY VERY densely populated city is and YOUR brilliant fucking idea is for them to call up their children and ask them to come down and see if they recognize the character?

You don't live here, you don't pay our taxes. The Boston/Mass folks on this board are all very happy that the police took this seriously and want to protect our city.

I would bet most of you who are bitching about the city reaction are the same ones who would scream bloody god-damn murder if the things had been bombs and some cops blew it off as nothing.

How about putting the blame on the people who broke the law instead of the men and women who did exactly what we pay them to do.

Things like this make me question if I really should even be on this site.

[KamaAina]

45. Why was I thinking it was gonna be Faux?

:shrug:

[0rganism]

55. Reason #102927 why "Homeland Security" will never work

Mooninites unite!
Lock in!
No one can defeat the quad-laser!
It is over now!
The bullet is enormous, there is no escaping!
Jumping...is useless!

[Eugene]

65. They should have known better. This isn't the first time an electronic promo caused a terror scare.

If only stupidity were a crime...

The state should send them the bill after it fines them for disorderly conduct.

[JerseygirlCT]

66. They ought to be asked to pay for all the expenses of their

stupidity.

Why didn't the cops know about this beforehand?

[ShortnFiery]

67. Why can't the cops do a simple google search.

This is so bullshit! Blame the promotion of a cartoon character instead of the incompetent government officials. :eyes:

[lse7581011]

69. Yes!

google everything before they investigate! Here here! What a useful expenditure of their time! :sarcasm: By the way-are you a shareholder of The Turner network?

[ShortnFiery]

70. An investigation, including a picture FAX of the outline to the media

could have prevented this freak out within 30 minutes. But no, they FREAKED OUT before that, didn't they?

[JerseygirlCT]

76. The marketing wizards who came up with this idea

should have alerted the authorities BEFORE placing their little presents all over the city.

Would that have been SO hard to do?

[ShortnFiery]

78. Even harder to do would be check "the image" with the media or tap the shoulder

of just about any teenage and ask, "do you recognize this character?" ;)

[JerseygirlCT]

74. Definitely

In case of threatened terror attack, first head to Google.

Now, I find myself turning there for a dizzying array of information, but...

yeah, no.

[ShortnFiery]

77. I guess you have not been introduced to mobile broadband.

A true pity. :shrug:

[JerseygirlCT]

84. So the *real* problem is just that the cops aren't

cool enough?

Wired enough?

[Towelie]

73. What the hell has happened to our country?

This is a classic example of the disgusting post-9/11 hysteria and paranoia that has befallen this country. It's almost shocking to me that an entire 5 years after 9/11 the government and news media can cause such a shit-storm over a bunch of fucking Lite-Brites! And the mayor of Boston thinks the network should pay? Fuck him! The city should pay for everything, including the cost of replacing the devices that were destroyed. You know, if they had the potential to harbor bombs, I could understand the response, but after looking at a picture of it, I can safely say that whoever decided to escalate this probably isn't playing with a full deck.

Does anyone who saw a picture of these things understand how someone might think they were dangerous? Because I fail to see it.

[ShortnFiery]

75. Far too many people have been converted to an "I Love Big Brother" mindset.

As you see from numerous posts above, I've tried to reason with them.
Good luck. Maybe you can reach them where I have failed. :-) :hi:

[lse7581011]

79. The Logic of Your Reasoning

leaves a lot to be desired, IMO, of course!

[sofa king]

80. "No one can defeat the quad laser."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5rM39AhHDE



"I hope he can see this because I'm doing it as hard as I can."

[puffthemagicdragon]

81. Boston cops make arrest in devices ploy

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070201/ap_on_re_us/suspicious_devices

[Chico Man]

83. Even if they were bombs we would never know

This cartoon explanation would be a perfect cover up of what would have been a panic inducing frenzy.

Also, emergency broadcast systems were tested during American Idol tonight here in RI, 45 mins south of Boston.