What do you think about the recent "boston security scare"?

I think there was enough stupidity to go around on this one. Clearly the type of items they were placing were going to cause a problem sooner or later. Turner broadcasting better have proof that they informed officials ahead of time or heads will indeed roll.

On the other hand, one can investigate a freaking box with lights and a cartoon character giving you the finger without closing down a city.

The cluemeter reading is 0 for all sides involved. I do think arresting the two guys who were paid to place the devices was overkill.

Oh well, send in the clowns.

-Dio

It's is such a sad yet typical reaction in my opinion of the Boston Powers that be. I live in Boston proper and when the word first came out that 38 unidentified, possibly dangerous devices were found around the city I was skeptical. Not more than an hour later, we saw images of the items and new at a perepherial glance that it was just art installation / campaign for "Aqua teen."

I am outraged that the mayors office has seen fit to arrest an artist for his involvement and that they have no sense of what art can be. I am also very disapointed they are calling it a "hoax." When in fact, it was not meant to be a hoax in any means - it was an advertising campaign. And anyone between then ages of 16-30 pretty much knows that the images depicted were clearly cartoons. Moreover, they knew sooner than the public did of the orgins of the campaign, as they were contacted by Turner 3 hours before they alerted the public the devices were inert. They purposefully kept fear and ignorance at a high in order to greatly deepen a case against the campaign, the artist, and Turner.

I am sad that this city continues to live in ignorance and fear.

Boston is a great town in many ways, however Mumbles Menino can suck it in my opinion because this is not the first time he has denounced alternative public art and been blind and deaf to the needs of the Boston public under 40 - those that do NOT support his police state efforts. Thankfully the only saving grace of this whole incident is that the artist will become a cult favorite in the city, and his art will surely go up 5 fold because of the arrest.

You have to treat every event as if it were real.

One of the things is that terrorist almost always conduct a 'dry run' beforehand in order to determine what the security response is going to be.

They look for things where the security response is weak and then figure out a way to take advantage of the vulnerability. Well defended places with aggressive security responses are avoided by terrorists.

What Boston did was send the message that they are a 'hard target.' As a result - terrorists are less likely to consider attacking Boston and will look for a city whose security services are less efficient.

On one hand - I can understand freaking out over a box with flashing lights on it but on the other hand ... I really don't see the logic behind basically shutting down an entire city because of what turned out to be an advertising campaign. I mean - really - mass hysteria over what turned out to be nothing?? Anybody between 15 and 35 could more than likely figure out from LOOKING at what they were taking down was a cartoon character. Really, now. An investigation would probably have been reasonable. Anyway ...

It does seem like an over reaction to a stupid promotional gimick. Unfortunately I can see where it would have to be investigated and if nothing else it was a good drill for the police and homeland security.

I guess this is the day and age we live in now - America is no longer the innocent child. We all get to play hardball the way Britain and other countries have been for years now.

And the terrorists get a point w/o even trying.

Just over reaction by the powers in cahrge in Boston. I can't beleive they arrested the marketing people for putting those up.

Them Bostonians are such crazy peeplez

much ado about nothing