THIS (these) are what folks are all worked up about?!

[Earth_First]

Mooninites are outer-space delinquents on the show "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" who greet visitors with a raised middle finger.

BOSTON, Massachusetts (CNN) -- Electronic light boards featuring an adult-cartoon character triggered bomb scares around Boston on Wednesday, spurring authorities to close two bridges and a stretch of the Charles River before determining the devices were harmless.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/01/31/boston.bombscare/index.html

[Taoschick]

1. A better picture...

Someone didn't put a lot of thought into this.

[Occulus]

2. I don't know how that could ever be mistaken for a bomb n/t

[Taoschick]

5. If it were

Placed under a bridge or overpass and the lights were flashing, I can see why people might have been a bit nervous about it. Personally, I wouldn't have recognized it for what it is as I don't watch cartoons.

[Redstone]

8. Agreed. What kind of fucking idiot places ANY electronic device in a public place,

with no explanation? Not these days, anyway.

Redstone

[WorseBeforeBetter]

3. Lite-Brite, is that you? (n/t)

[Taoschick]

7. That was my first though.

[Kingshakabobo]

6. You gotta be kidding!

I was expecting boxes with wires and timers.

[rodeodance]

10. they had been in place for 2-3 weeks says here:

Turner said the devices had been in place for two to three weeks in Boston; New York; Los Angeles, California; Chicago, Illinois; Atlanta, Georgia; Seattle, Washington; Portland, Oregon; Austin, Texas; San Francisco, California; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

A Turner Broadcasting source said the devices were a component of a third-party advertising campaign conducted by the New York advertising firm Interference Inc. That company had no comment on the incident.

The discovery of nine of the devices around metro Boston led state, local and federal authorities to close the Boston University and Longfellow Bridges, and block boat traffic from the Charles River to Boston Harbor.

In addition, the Pentagon said U.S. Northern Command was monitoring the situation from its headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colorado, but said none of its units were sent to assist.

Davis said police "are going to fully investigate this and get to the bottom of it."

[Betty]

12. which shows how easy it would be to put a real bomb

in all these places, undetected. And bush says that the war in Iraq is keeping us safer here. They did this in 10 cities and it's just now been noticed?

[Lone_Star_Dem]

14. 2-3 weeks and today they're noticed by one hysterical person?

I wonder if they'd been moved from their original locations and that was the cause. Not that it really matters, it was a mountain from a mole hill.

[orpupilofnature57]

4. How's Logan? safer than a month after 9/11?

[uppityperson]

9. Been in place 2-3 weeks!

From OP's article link:

Turner said the devices had been in place for two to three weeks in Boston; New York; Los Angeles, California; Chicago, Illinois; Atlanta, Georgia; Seattle, Washington; Portland, Oregon; Austin, Texas; San Francisco, California; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

[nosmokes]

11. hey- it's another terrorist attack foiled by our intrepid deciding preseedint.

fo real. he'll be taking credit for it in a speech coming your way soon.

[ProgressiveFool]

13. The War on Terror has just Jumped the Shark

edit: actually, it probably did way back when with the duct tape and plastic sheeting.

[devilgrrl]

15. Image the mayhem generated had these been around Boston...

[matt819]

16. You just gotta wonder

This is in the same city where the BPD has carried out thousands of random searches on public transport, found absolutely nothing, and says that, nonetheless, the people of Boston are safer because of their actions. Yeah. Right.