So It's Okay To Strap Electronics Onto City Bridges?

[KittyWampus]

And it's double plus good if the electronics are put there by a corporation trying to market their product?

Anyone should be allowed to strap electronic stuff onto public infrastructure for any reason and at any time.

That's free speech and corporations have as much right as any individual to express themselves.

[Atmashine]

1. That is not a hair question.

[MoonRiver]

93. "hair question"??

Was that a typo or am I missing a good pun? :shrug:

[Atmashine]

96. Nope

At a news conference after the hearing, Stevens and Berdovsky stepped to the microphones and said they were taking questions only about 1970s hairstyles.

When a reporter accused them of not taking the situation seriously, Stevens responded, "We're taking it very seriously." Asked another question about the case, Stevens reiterated they were answering questions only about hair and accused the reporter of not taking him and Berdovsky seriously.

Reporters did not relent and as they continued, Berdovsky disregarded their queries, saying, "That's not a hair question. I'm sorry."

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/02/01/boston.bombscare/index.html

[MoonRiver]

101. Gotcha. Weird times we're living through.

[populistdriven]

2. only if the electronic device is a furby

[democracyindanger]

3. Sofa King.

We Todd Ed.

[peace13]

4. Isn't it a mind boggle that so many don't see anything wrong

with that? I wish the brave folks that love this 'joke' would have to go out on future potential bomb cases and see how funny it is. My eyes have been opened by DUers today! Peace on earth, Kim

[etherealtruth]

77. That was my reaction

This was an asinine stunt.

[Richard Steele]

5. Maybe you should just hide under your bed until George B*sh says it's safe.

Hysterical much?

[KittyWampus]

7. that you can't answer a very simple question indicates you know, on some level, how

indefensible your attitude really is.

[Richard Steele]

25. The only thing "indefensible" is the laughably silly straw man argument in your OP.

[KittyWampus]

You don't know what a straw man is apparently. My question is very basic to the incident.

is it appropriate for a corporation or individual to strap electronics onto city infrastructure whenever they want to and for whatever reason.

Why can't you answer that question?

[Richard Steele]

59. Your "question" is tangential, at best.

[tridim]

8. But that's where the Boogey Man lives

Or so I'm told.

[KittyWampus]

15. once again, why don't you answer the question? Is it okay for anyone to strap electronics

onto public infrastructure anytime they please? And is especially okay for corporations to do so?

You can't answer because if you did you'd demonstrate how inappropriate your attitude really is.

[americanstranger]

14. Amen.

I used to have my doubts that conditioning Americans into a constant state of fear was working.

Seems to have worked better than I thought.

- as

[soothsayer]

6. terra! terra! terra! the 9-11 conspirators have won.

[uppityperson]

9. Seattle police thought so, as did police in another 10 cities.

[HoneyBee]

10. It's OK to invoke fear and panic throughout a whole city??

THAT is the real question.

The kids/marketing firm did something stupid. Big fucking hairy deal - we expect that of kids and stupid companies.

The "officials" reacted soooo poorly that they invoked fear and terror and made some of us afraid of the boogie men and how "anything can be a bomb!!"... fuck that. THOSE people should know better. Those people ought to handle it with more decorum and responsibility.

[uppityperson]

13. the officials and the media invoked fear and panic.

They should have handled it better. They were the problem.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

11. So it's OK...

to use phony scare tactics for political purposes?

[KittyWampus]

20. Red herring. Again, 1 more Du'er demonstrates their inability to answer the question

and needs to change the subject.

The question I asked is, which you can't seem to answer, can anyone strap electronics onto city infrastructure anytime for any reason?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

23. It's a stupid question.

Maybe that's why nobody's falling for it.

[KittyWampus]

44. LOL! Actually, I have demonstrated how fucked up so many DU'ers attutitude is

regarding Turner's role in this whole thing.

You know it is inappropriate for anyone to have strapped electronics onto city infrastructure and yet you can't admit it.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

50. Well...

I'll agree that you demonstrated how fucked up one DUer's attitude is.

"You know it is inappropriate for anyone to have strapped electronics onto city infrastructure and yet you can't admit it."

I think it's inappropriate to claim these kids did anything wrong. It's a witch hunt.

[Marrah_G]

97. We don't hunt witches here anymore

We embrace them :) You can even be a gay married witch here!

[uppityperson]

61. You missed "for any reason" here.

As far as your OP, that part makes the answer to that question into a no. Strapping it on for "SOME" reasons is ok.

[uppityperson]

40. to answer that question, obviously no.

There is no "yes" answer to a question of "anyone anytime for any reason".

[KittyWampus]

48. So you think there IS an appropriate reason to allow a corporation to strap electronics

onto city bridges?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

53. Would it be appropriate...

for a small business to do it, instead of a big evil corporation?

[uppityperson]

63. Yes. Of course there could be a reason.

[Greyhound]

12. Oh yes, be afraid, be very afraid of everything and everyone.

Don't worry, your government will keep you safe.:eyes:

[stillcool]

16. these effing aholes...

must be high. I have never seen such a prime example of media distortion and it's effect on the masses. Who would have thunk that so many robots were on DU?

The ordeal began around 8 a.m. when an MBTA worker spotted one of the devices affixed to an Interstate 93 ramp near Sullivan Square in Charlestown, forcing the shutdown of the northbound side of the Interstate and tying up traffic for hours. The State Police bomb squad blew the object apart with a water cannon at about 10 a.m. Then, in quick sequence just after noon, reports of similarly suspicious devices flooded police lines, sending anti terrorism forces to over a dozen locations in Boston, Cambridge, and Somerville.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2007/02/01/froth_fear_and_fury/?rss_id=Boston+Globe+--+City%2FRegion+News

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

18. Usually, it's stoners that are paranoid.

This time it was the other way around.


"To us, they're so obviously not suspicious," said King County sheriff's spokesman John Urquhart. "They're not suspicious devices or packages. We don't consider them dangerous."

[KittyWampus]

26. And yet you won't answer a basic question of whether it's appropriate for a corporation

or anyone for that matter, to be strapping electronics onto city infrastruture.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

31. Here's my answer.

Those two kids didn't do anything wrong. Maybe they littered, at worst.

The people who should be ashamed are the ones fear-mongering. Present company included.

[smoogatz]

35. They do it all the time. It's called advertising. You know--signs.

These guys just didn't get a permit. They'll get fined for that, no doubt, and reasonably so. But that's the extent of their "crime."

[stillcool]

34. Paranoid?..

who's paranoid? Who's hyping this shit? Wouldn't be CNN/Time-Warner/Turner Broadcasting...would it?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

36. The "OHMYGODITSABOMB!" nuts.

They're the ones that are paranoid.

[stillcool]

46. and who are those nuts?

they were not in evidence north of Boston at any time yesterday. I did of course, see the terrorism expert on CNN, who argued your points.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

51. Wait a minute, maybe we're talking past each other...

who are the "effing assholes" you were talking about originally? The two kids, or the media/city officials?

[stillcool]

78. the people here on DU..

that 'assume' there was some sort of huge panic because of this. Rather than understand it for what it was. When citizens report crimes or suspicions our police respond. Unfamiliar packages are dealt with by something we call the 'bomb squad'. When there are various calls coming from various communities within a short time frame, sometimes other agency's need to help out...to check everything out. Our police actually get paid to check things out. Who placed these things where they were found, who called and reported them to be where they were found, and who inflated and distorted this very simple story are the aholes...and those that feed into it.

[HoneyBee]

19. Project much?

[stillcool]

29. No you?...

what's your angle in this? You're not from here, are you? You just like to jump on any band wagon that rolls through town?

[HoneyBee]

32. See... you're very paranoid in general.

Aren't cha?




BOOOO!!!

[stillcool]

39. only when I get high...

and it's been a while.

[HoneyBee]

42. You're overdue.

You seriously need to chill.

The personal attacks are getting old. We have different opinions - you can be an adult about it.

[stillcool]

49. It's not a different opinion

it's a different set of facts. As far as chilling...I'm cool.

[HoneyBee]

71. Look. You're a grown-up, right?

They are opinions. I think the good people of Boston were done a disservice in the way that this was handled - you think they were dead-on with their handling.

Because I don't agree with you, and see some real humor in this, you've accused me of:
* Not reading
* Getting all my facts from the 'teevee'
* Implied that I am 'not from around here'
* Accuse me of "jumping on bandwagons"
* And... you've lumped me in with others as an 'asshole' becasue I don't agree with you

Enough posturing already.

[stillcool]

79. Correct!

[HoneyBee]

81. Since you're unclear, I'll take that as I'm correct that you're posturing

and are stopping.

Thanks.

[stillcool]

82. you never did tell me which dog

was yours in this race?

[HoneyBee]

83. Read your own signature...

"No matter how paranoid you are, what the government is actually doing is worse than you imagine."

The government handled it poorly. Look, we agree on one thing... the media blew it out of proportion. But, they wouldn't have had the opportunity had the officials not done so first.

I have no "dog" - your paranoia is misplaced.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

43. Could a fooled me.

I was sure you were smoking something.

[uppityperson]

28. Meanwhile, Seattle police called to tell them that they had them also, what they were.

Media here didn't run amok "OMG!" so there was no flood of calls here. The whole thing was handled poorly, esp by officials and media.

[RexDart]

92. We need a timeline for this story.

The ordeal began around 8 a.m. when an MBTA worker spotted one of the devices affixed to an Interstate 93 ramp near Sullivan Square in Charlestown, forcing the shutdown of the northbound side of the Interstate and tying up traffic for hours. The State Police bomb squad blew the object apart with a water cannon at about 10 a.m. Then, in quick sequence just after noon, reports of similarly suspicious devices flooded police lines, sending anti terrorism forces to over a dozen locations in Boston, Cambridge, and Somerville.

So, the police and maybe the media knew about the nature of the signs for 2 to 3 hours before the afternoon panic? I'll give them the large response for the first one. That's just playing it safe. Once they knew what they were dealing with, anything else was just piling on. It almost seems like the police and the media wanted to give people the Fear.

This story does it too. Check this out. "reports of similarly suspicious devices flooded police lines, sending anti terrorism forces to over a dozen locations". In my day, the phrase "anti terrorism forces" would read "police officer", hopefully one with some training and a little common sense.

[smoogatz]

17. They were lite-brites, basically.

Little pictures of a cartoon character giving the finger. Yeah, that says terrorism to me, all right.

[americanstranger]

24. Butbutbut - ANYTHING can be a bomb!!!1!!!!!1!one!!1

I'm series!

- as

[gatorboy]

45. Not to mention all the water underneath the bridge?

You know what that means?


MASSIVE LIQUID BOMB!

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

56. I happen to drive...

a non-descript cargo van across a bridge on a semi-regular basis.

ZOMG!

[uppityperson]

67. well, I find you scary.

sometimes.

[americanstranger]

58. HAHAHAHA!! Good one, GB.

I'm sorry.

I can't believe the hysteria that these dopey-ass signs have generated.

The media did this. The suits at Boston City Hall did this.

Why didn't Philly or LA or Seattle freak out over these things? Why did it take Boston nearly 3 goddamn WEEKS to freak out over them?

Everybody always talks about how gullible the media is. Well the media sure seems to have taken everybody for a ride on this one.

What surprises me is people are venting their rage on two dumbasses who put up the signs and not the media who hyped everyone into sheer heart attack.

- as

[gatorboy]

69. I don't get it either.

Especially here of all places. We talk all the time about the media whores. How they want to manipulate us with fear. And yesterday they really did shnooker quite a few folks.

I can remember threads yesterday where they reported finding actual bomb pieces.



Hell, they thought it was Spongebob!

[uppityperson]

74. Exactly. Damn the fear mongering "fear sells ad time" media.

[Nutmegger]

21. TERRA! TERRA! TERRRRA!

:scared:

[trumad]

22. Boo

Wow--- you guys are really outnumbered in this debate... Keep clapping louder though and ya just might swing a few more on your side.

[BuyingThyme]

27. These guys did a huge favor for Boston.

Bostonians now have an opportunity to dump the morons who run the place, and they will be much safer than before.

[uppityperson]

30. Indeed. Maybe they will take a look at the whole thing and make some changes.

Changes in communication between officials and officials/media.

[BuyingThyme]

38. It seems that the biggest communications problem was

between the regulars on the ground and the guys at city hall (or whatever they call it).

It seems that everybody knew it was nothing... except the people downtown.

[Quantess]

64. How hard would it have been

for someone...anyone at Turner Broadcasting to call the city officials and say "Those are ours, and they are harmless. Sorry for the misunderstanding".

Why did it take the corporate folks at Turner so long to contact the city? How many hours does one need to say "it was a joke"?

[tridim]

70. They contacted the authorities right after they saw it on TV n/t

[BuyingThyme]

80. As I understand it, somebody called Boston early on,

but they were too stupid to act appropriately.

[tridim]

33. I put electronics up into the sky 3 or 4 times a week

in the form of radio controlled model airplanes. Is that okay in this age of faux terra? Or am I one misstep away from a permanent vacation at Gitmo for participating in a hobby that happens to involve electronics? The flight batteries I use could easily be mistaken for a small explosive.

Agent Mike, this is a Lithium Polymer Battery, not a bomb.

[BuyingThyme]

41. Hey, be careful.

We attacked Iraq for something like that.

[gatorboy]

37. Wow. The terrorists really did win.

Don't you think terrorists would try to make their bombs a litle more....Hidden?

It's sad. We talk all the time here about how the MSM tries to manipulate us. And it looks like they did a better job than normal. Bravo MSM!

[walldude]

66. Agreed, The White House wants "victory" well it's a little

too late isn't it. The terrorists won. The populace is terrified beyond all reason. Reminds me of Superman 2:

Perry White: Kent, I need you to get on this story, terrorists have captured the Eiffel Tower.

Clark Kent: Mr White that's terrible!

PW: That's why they call them terrorists Kent :eyes:

[Deep13]

68. Yes, they won.

I guess I didn't think that was still an open question. :shrug:

[Deep13]

47. Sure, I just duct-taped my old stereo to the Federal building.

:evilgrin:

[Old and In the Way]

52. There should be laws against using unregulated public space for advertising.

But I don't think we prosecute these type of guerilla marketing displays as acts of terror. Do you?

Maybe if Boston adds another 10,000 police and security agents they can stop all acts of random advertising.

[hedgehog]

54. First of all, these were magnetic panels. no straps involved.

There was no damage to the points selected as mounting plates. All in all, if it hadn't been for the police over-reaction, it would have been kind of funny. So yeah, a certain amount of this is ok. Part of the charm of living in a big city is trying to figure out the odd bit of graffiti or asking yourself just why there are sneakers hanging from the phone wire. I'm not saying it couldn't be overdone and I wouldn't want anything that would obscure traffic signals, but all in all I'm OK with this.

[Deja Q]

Yup.

Wait until it happens in India. Given all the bombings they're getting, that'll freak 'em out somethin' awful...

But sarcasm aside, since corporations are treated as people, therefore anyone must be allowed to do this.

Dumb.

[killbotfactory]

55. Well, if it's in the form of a cartoon character flipping the bird...

it's probably not some insidious bomb.

[DaveJ]

72. Thank you for stating the obvious that nobody else is mentioning.

Another obvious problem with this situation is that people would not have over-reacted had this sign been made out of cardboard and ink. Says something of peoples' fear of simple technology.

[ContraBass Black]

94. There's another obvious thing:

These signs had been in place for weeks, and were in 9 other cities as well. If there ought to have been a bomb scare, it should have been nation-wide and two weeks ago.

[sniffa]

57. it is if god put them there

or an inteLigent designer.

[Verde]

60. Should civilians be allowed to carry laptops?

Or cell phones? Or knapsacks?

[americanstranger]

62. No, no and no.

Might be BOMBS in 'em!

- as

[Old and In the Way]

65. Good point.....hey, everything could be a potential bomb.

We should install x-ray machines on every street corner...just in case.

[KittyWampus]

73. what does that have to do with strapping electronics onto city infrastructure and leaving it

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

76. Laptops could be bombs.

Better safe then sorry, right?

Especially if it's a corporate laptop.

[sniffa]

91. ...

:rofl:

why won't you answer the question!?

[uppityperson]

88. I didn't see any strapping, I saw placement of placard things.

Did you watch the video of the interview, or the interview itself? They show, off to the right, these guys hanging these placards up. They use a long stick to get them up high. No strapping.

[Bluebear]

75. So the fact that a corporation did it upsets you? nt

[demrabble]

84. Of Course It Is

It is a matter of free speech.

[Redstone]

87. NO, Goddammit, advertising is NOT "free speech!" Why is that so hard to understand?

Redstone

[Redstone]

85. Well, according to an AWFUL lot of DUers, not only is it OK, but if you say it isn't,

you're fair game for personal attacks because you said so.

I appreciate your courage in saying what you said, because youre going to be taking an awful lot of shit for having said it.

Redstone

[Squatch]

86. If they're not bombs, then why the hell do you care?

[Dukkha]

89. if instead of the Moonites the signs read "Stop The War"

then all the whining and phony outrage would be substituted with praise and lauded and a great and innovative stunt. Activists have routinely shut down bridges, blockaded buildings, and closed businesses for their cause. If it a very effective and proven tactic. But I guess "guerrilla tactics" do nothing but embolden the enemy to some.

and NO ONE has EVER advertized in such a manner
OMG!!! LOOK AT ALL THIOSE BOMBS!!! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!!


babies.

[uppityperson]

102. Thank you. Embarrassment isn't criminal.

[LeftCoast]

90. If it looked like the ATHF 'devices', then yes.

I must say, I can't quite figure out whether you're more upset that it was a *gasp* corporation that put these things up, or that a couple of Boston cops thought they looked like bombs.

[Matariki]

95. You could more fairly ask - "is it okay to tape toys to city bridges?"

Because that is OBVIOUSLY what they were - it's only the police & media that didn't bother reporting THAT important detail that caused all the panic.

Personally, I am very fond of guerrilla art (i know, i know, this was marketing, not art - although i'd argue that Adult Swim is just about the most creative thing on television). Banksy is one of my favorite artists. I've participated in some very cool guerrilla art with friends in http://www.usatoday.com/news/ndstue06.htm">Seattle. What's so cool about guerrilla art is the surprise factor of seeing the unexpected in an ordinary place - some place you pass by everyday and WOW what's that? I would hate to see a precedent set of sending people to jail for something so playful - yes playful - it's the police and media that overreacted. And what a surprise THAT is. Oh wait - there are precedents - this one happened on the same day the Seattle police tried and failed to get funding for a $100k bomb sniffing robot. Coincidence that they found a 'bomb' situation that very afternoon?

edited for dumb spelling

[goodhue]

98. They used magnetic panels, no straps were involved

[SmokingJacket]

99. They should have received a ticket for something like

creating a disturbance and fined, but not arrested.

Certainly not given all the attention they got.

[piedmont]

100. Should I not be allowed to *carry* my electronics over those same bridges and overpasses?

Does electronics now mean "bombs and fake bombs?"

[Leopolds Ghost]

103. So it's okay to strap neon signs onto buildings?

I could easily make a bomb look like a neon sign to someone
ignorant of basic electromechanical engineering,

the kind that you should have learned in physics or shop class.