Total overreaction. 

Frank (the arbiter of prior law enforcement experience and expertise, LOL, he should check out the pictures of these things) and Broiler need to step back a bit.  If the Boston PD bomb squad had looked at one of these things closely (and without superiors breathing down their necks) I’m quite certain that the highly trained experts among them would have quickly pointed out they were no threat, and the city didn’t actually need to be ‘protected’.

Instead, from the PD to the Governor, the state is now a laughing stock, mainly because none of them are willing to admit to not recognizing Lite-Brites for what they were. 

Oooooo batteries!  Batteries are everywhere, not just in explosive devices.  As Bruce Schneier wrote—“Haven’t these people been in a Radio Shack?”

That Turner paid $2 million to settle is significant only because they’d be up against the AG of Mass, with all of the state’s resources.  They did it to save money more than face, I believe.

Boston can’t save face unless it admits its culpability in the hysteria it caused...but that would mean officials accepting responsibility, not a popular decision.  Still, when 9 other cities undergo the exact same treatment and take it in stride, it doesn’t speak well of Boston at all.

Orson Wells? He caused a little asinine havoc in his day. You would be singing a different tune if the little gizmos were not lite-brights but cameras. Then it would be boo-hoo you’re invading my privacy at the bus stop. Would you want to be the cop who checks out the first gizmo without ever having seen the cartoon? Even if you recognize the character from television, does that mean it’s not a cover for something less benign? Even if 9/11 were staged there are actual nutcases among us. Hell yeah I want the friggin’ bomb squad called!

Look, I’m as anti-fascist as anyone but you have to blend that with common sense. Even prior to 9/11 leaving non-descript electronic devices in public areas should have been cause for concern. This is far from tacking up a garage sale sign on a telephone pole or bumper sticker for a bar band on a construction site wall. How ‘bout a little freakin’ balance?

How ‘bout applying for a friggin’ permit? They couldn’t do that, the cities would have said no. The reason, allow one of these advertisements and every public place would be strewn with electronic gizmos. Times Square is covered in electronic ads, they’re all paid for! They’re all on private property. They all have to meet code for safety. Some nut job hangs their gizmo from a lamppost and it falls and injures someone. Now what? Another nut job decides his ad will be brown paper bags of vile smelling crap. Good advertising, “artistic stimulation”, it got your attention. Now what? Oh, maybe there should be limits to how artistic you can get! How ‘bout a little freakin’ balance?

The truth is the Cartoon Network got $10 million in advertising for what, $2 million? I think I just crapped my NASA approved diaper!

An “overreaction” is based in fear and ignorance - qualities one expects to find in children, not adult “authorities.”

When the “spring of state” is wound too tight, something is bound to go “boingggg!” Seems to me far too many in charge of our national security have lost their emotional balance.

Let’s see… one “terrorist” gets through and sets off a bomb killing 50 people and causing a million dollars worth of damage ...vs… and entire population of 300+ million being subjected to “lockdown” to protect themselves.

Get a grip folks. My guess suggests that more than 50 people die of the FLU each day in the USA. I’m not making light of the deaths of any 50 people… but we don’t quarantine EVERYONE just because the flu presents a lethal threat to a few. Sane adults “deal with” events on a rational, logical, BALANCED basis.

LIGHTEN UP, Americans, before you have a collective stroke!

Boston is no more stupid than any other city or town in America. That’s why I’m so afraid!

Why, if I ever see one of those light devices I’m going to run!

The devices were abviously designed to attract your attention in the hopes of getting you to get closer so they could detonate in your face!

A Boston Official early in the investigation of these scary devices said, “This is no time to panic.” Right, they had already passed that time.
What about the Vermont Teddy Bear Bandit being advertised for Valentines day gifts. How do we know they’re not bombs?!!!

Oh my god! My...my cat is look...looking at me funny! I...I hope he’s not going to go off on me!!

I want to assure everyone that in my estimation, if terrorists ever set off bombs in our country, which is a real possibility, due to the fact our Governmental agencies are running around looking at millions of things instead of using their time looking at the real possibilities. The real bombs won’t be made of light boards or anything that would draw you’re attention to them.

This is the most pathetic example of a Government gone mad I hope I ever see.

Sure, it’s an overreaction—but screw these corporate giants invading every public space with advertising. If an individual left such things all over the place, they’d at least get slammed with a littering fine.

If Orson Wells had put on War of the Worlds today, he and the entire network management would be put in GITMO!  Tragically, we seem to have become a nation that cannot tolerate, much less appreciate, artistic stimulation.  We are not even allowed to laugh at Boston’s equivalent of the keystone cops running around like clueless idiots.  I doubt that people are really that serious, but we seem to be so fearful that we react perversely by avoiding any discussion of serious issues.  Instead, we find refuge in superficial issues like astronauts in diapers and Playboy bimbos.  I Imagine this is exactly what the fascist Bush administration wants, that everyone escape into their own little fantasy worlds in search of the prohibited humor and sensual stimulation.  Wouldn’t it be much better for our society if we gave the head of the Cartoon Network an award for upsetting authorities too stupid or meanspirited to recognize a joke?

First, the city of Boston did not overreact. Secondly, if you have achieved a managerial position of this stature you must be responsible for poor oversight and judgement. That’s why he gets the “big bucks”. The authorities of the other municipalities should be held responsible for poor attention to details in those cities.

Stop whining!

Move on to real topics.

Concerning the head of the cartoon network stepping down from his position for the hoax scare in Boston…
He is being punished for falling into a web of paranoia while just having some good old fashioned boyish fun.
Let’s face it, had there been no 911 this would not have been an issue.
So shouldn’t we free his friend and himself and just go bomb something?
Add 5,000 or so more troops to risk there lives and take charge?
As you all know I am no protester. Actually, I am really more of a “protester protester.”
I have only just started reading the news or watching it on here due to perpetual boredom, but I’ve got to say, I am pretty disappointed and reminded as to why I never did in the first place.
I suppose I just think that by punishing these guys for trying to market something, even though they may have forgotten due to the mans mind always looking to be boyish out of nature that it was a bad idea, we are in fact feeding into the actual situation.
More lives taken away, even if just professionally, is taking things a bit too far.
Give me a break.  The guys were trying to promote a cartoon character that has light bulbs on it, chose the wrong setting to do so, and as understandable and respected the reasoning to get all pissed off, at the end of the day they should have been slapped on the wrist and let go.
We should be pissed off at the guys that forced us all to be in such cahoots, not the young men who forgot for a minute that perhaps they can no longer follow through on all their dreams.
It is just wrong.  Its like sentencing the all of the lighters in the world to life without parole to put a stop to crack smoking.
Plain old stupid.
I look forward to seeing these boys rise to the top someday.
What has this world really come to?
I think I will go back to living in Chrissy land full time because frankly, from what I have seen over the last few weeks, America is quite pathetic.
Pathetic and still playing right into the hands of the freaks that started this problem. 
If these guys go to jail for what they did, the terrorists continue to win.

Who is the nitwit that posted this article, and on what prior law enforcement or public safety experience is the poster basing this assessment of “overreaction” on?

The reality is, if these had been explosive devices, Boston would have been the only city that may have averted a disaster due to it’s police department taking public reports seriously and acting quickly to protect the public. 

I suppose the article poster thinks that if the London subway bombers had put blinking light pictures on their bombs, any police who noticed them would have been silly to ‘overreact’ and try to evacuate people from the areas around the devices? Pure genius, this poster.

This execution of this “guerilla” marketing scheme was just plain stupid and irresponsible, and whoever was the top person at the network to approve it should absolutely be fired.

Had the local police been given prior notice along with photos or descriptions of these devices prior to their placement in public places, this whole expensive mess could have been avoided. But stupidity prevailed, chaos resulted, and those responsible have been aptly punished.

But I digress. What I really want to know is who approves these half-wit anonymous articles for publication, anyway?  I suppose the same “first amendment supporter” that will delete my critical comments rather than post them.  We’ll see.

This has got to be the most ridiculous, asinine thing I have heard in a long time. For these idiots to validate the stupidity and hysteria of the people and police of Boston is simply unreal. Until people start standing up this moronic justification of endless paranoia in the name of “security”, it is only going to get worse.

Yes, let’s continue to send the message that Americans need to live in fear, looking over our shoulders, suspicious of the slightest unfamiliar thing. Don’t think, don’t be rational, just call the police and be a good consumer-citizen.

No, really, the “terrorists” haven’t already won.

What a bunch of wusses, they’ll be reporting themselves to the law soon when they look in the mirror.

Hey guys, don’t make any more scares. Bush/Cheney already create enough for all of us.