# Aqua Teen "hoax" in Boston **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 31, 2007, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aqua-teen-hoax-in-boston/390326 "2007-01-31T21:29:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 16
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2007, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aqua-teen-hoax-in-boston/390326/301 "2007-02-02T01:45:40Z")
[QUOTE=tdn] And I share **Sal** ’s concern that this type of thing may become more common if TB gets away with this. But I’m having a hard time thinking of what law was broken. [/QUOTE] But they haven’t charged the guy yet who had PLANTED REAL PIPE BOMBS! :rolleyes: -Joe ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2007, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aqua-teen-hoax-in-boston/390326/302 "2007-02-02T01:46:08Z")
[QUOTE=spoke-] **tdn** , I think you got a couple of sentences out of order in that last post. Let me switch them for you: [/QUOTE] You thank. I order sometimes get words in the wrong . ---
**Author:** ![RogueRacer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7ab992/32.png) [@RogueRacer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RogueRacer)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2007, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aqua-teen-hoax-in-boston/390326/303 "2007-02-02T01:46:18Z")
[QUOTE=Sal Ammoniac] If you’re okay with the police and their procedures, I don’t see how you can fault what happened afterwards. If the proper procedures caused a subway line to be shut down, disrupting the entire system, then the city has a right to feel it’s been harmed, and has a vested interest in discouraging the kind of behavior that caused the problem in the first place. [/QUOTE] I’ve probably spent too many posts on this, but as someone just said a few posts ago, in for a penny, in for a pound. I would loosely compare the verbage coming from the mayor and some of the other officials to that of Nifong with the Duke rape case. They’re on a witch hunt. They’re not bothering with facts, just spouting sensationalism. Yes, I think it’s a fine idea that the police and their bomb unit handled this as a bomb threat to start. If their procedures dictated closing highways or whatever, then it should have been done. Their first concern has to be loss of life. That would be followed by loss of property. Somewhere along the line though things like the disruption of public transportation, time, and cost come into play. As I mentioned before, if I have any issues with the early stages, it might be that it seems that they took a long time deciding that these were Lite Brites. Maybe the reports we’ve heard aren’t telling the whole story. For all we know, their bomb team thought there was no threat, but just went through all the motions to be safe. I really don’t want to arm chair quarterback any of their decisions. Their bomb disposal people were the ones who’s lives could have been on the line, not mine. That’s about the end of what I think is ok though. With the current information that’s available, I don’t see any way that it could be proven that they were attempting a bomb scare or hoax. Trying to bring these guys up on charges for those things sounds ridiculous. It sounds like the mayor and some of the other officials are embarassed and they want a pound of flesh. I think they should have kept quiet other than condemning the ad compaign. They needed to suck it up and take whatever lumps they got for the Lite Brite scare. They had the high ground at that point. They were following procedure and looking out for the public. Now? Well I just saw a headline entitled “Laughingstocks.” ---
**Author:** ![RogueRacer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7ab992/32.png) [@RogueRacer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RogueRacer)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2007, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aqua-teen-hoax-in-boston/390326/304 "2007-02-02T01:50:28Z")
[QUOTE=tdn] Does anyone know if they’ve been released yet? [/QUOTE] I read that they were released on $2500 bail. That doesn’t seem like much (considering bail bonds), so maybe someone is taking this with the seriousness it deserves? ---
**Author:** ![Nicest\_of\_the\_Damned](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/8baadc/32.png) [@Nicest\_of\_the\_Damned](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nicest_of_the_Damned)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2007, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aqua-teen-hoax-in-boston/390326/305 "2007-02-02T01:51:22Z")
[QUOTE=tdn] Priceless! As I said, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to have hauled in the guys for questioning. Arrested them? Seems like a bit of overkill. Does anyone know if they’ve been released yet? Or what they were charged with? And I share **Sal** ’s concern that this type of thing may become more common if TB gets away with this. But I’m having a hard time thinking of what law was broken. [/QUOTE] > **[The Boston Globe | New England news, weather and sports](https://www.bostonglobe.com/)** > > New England’s largest news organization delivering trusted news, analysis, and insight for more than 150 years. Become a Globe subscriber today. > [@](#): > > Judge Paul K. Leary seemed skeptical of the state’s case, telling Grossman that the law requires that people must intend to create a panic to be charged with placing hoax devices. This case, the judge said, seemed to involve two men who relatives say were paid to place unorthodox advertisements throughout the city. > > The question of intent was a legal issue for another hearing, Grossman said. The two men were ordered held on $2,500 cash bail, which they posted early this afternoon. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2007, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aqua-teen-hoax-in-boston/390326/306 "2007-02-02T02:00:48Z")
[QUOTE=RogueRacer] Their first concern has to be loss of life. That would be followed by loss of property. [/QUOTE] But…but… What about loss of _face?!_ ---
**Author:** ![Nicest\_of\_the\_Damned](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/8baadc/32.png) [@Nicest\_of\_the\_Damned](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nicest_of_the_Damned)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2007, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aqua-teen-hoax-in-boston/390326/307 "2007-02-02T02:10:12Z")
[QUOTE=RogueRacer] Yes, I think it’s a fine idea that the police and their bomb unit handled this as a bomb threat to start. If their procedures dictated closing highways or whatever, then it should have been done. Their first concern has to be loss of life… …That’s about the end of what I think is ok though. With the current information that’s available, I don’t see any way that it could be proven that they were attempting a bomb scare or hoax. Trying to bring these guys up on charges for those things sounds ridiculous. [/QUOTE] This is what I don’t understand. You are saying that all of this expensive police action was an appropriate response. That costs the state (taxpayers) a lot of money along with the inconvenience, etc. This all happened because these men placed this sign someplace where, as I understand it, they had no legal right to put it. By putting up this sign, were they breaking a law? Even if the whole thing was an unintended consequence (which I think it was) of a lesser crime, don’t they still have some responsibility? I agree “planting a hoax device” may not be the best description. But I think it went beyond vandalism or littering, especially if they were aware of what was happening and didn’t try to contact the police. I have no idea what the law says though. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2007, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aqua-teen-hoax-in-boston/390326/308 "2007-02-02T02:29:20Z")
Funny, how everyone is blaming TBS, Boston PD and everyone else in sight, without naming the real culprit, our fearmonger-, er commander-in-chief, who has used fear as an electoral device for the last five years. ---
**Author:** ![Kokopilau](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Kokopilau](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kokopilau)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2007, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aqua-teen-hoax-in-boston/390326/309 "2007-02-02T02:30:11Z")
[QUOTE=Nicest of the Damned] This is what I don’t understand. You are saying that all of this expensive police action was an appropriate response. [/QUOTE] I don’t think all the expensive police action was an appropriate response in the least. NONE of the other cities where these things were planted had that reaction, after all. From a distance, perhaps they looked suspicious. But if someone called it in to the cops, as soon as a cop came to investigate, the fact that it was a flat board with a cartoon character on it should have been a tip-off that a million-dollar terrorist bomb alert did not need to be called. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2007, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aqua-teen-hoax-in-boston/390326/310 "2007-02-02T02:37:31Z")
[QUOTE=spoke-] But…but… What about loss of _face?!_ [/QUOTE] Well, if a lite brite fell off a bridge, the sharp plastic edge could slice off somebody’s face. Felony face slicing, that’s what they should be charged with, because, it coulda happened. ---
**Author:** ![Kokopilau](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Kokopilau](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kokopilau)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2007, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aqua-teen-hoax-in-boston/390326/311 "2007-02-02T03:05:27Z")
Just to show what Boston’s Finest were dealing with, [here’s a picture](http://www.outcastgaming.com/yuu/ATHF.jpg) of what one of these things looked like in situ on a structural member in Cambridge, MA, in the blazing daylight. Looks just like a terrorist explosive device, doesn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2007, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aqua-teen-hoax-in-boston/390326/312 "2007-02-02T03:08:25Z")
What does a terrorist explosive device look like, then? Ever seen one? Are they all alike? ---
**Author:** ![Kokopilau](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Kokopilau](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kokopilau)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2007, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aqua-teen-hoax-in-boston/390326/313 "2007-02-02T03:13:24Z")
[QUOTE=ElvisL1ves] What does a terrorist explosive device look like, then? Ever seen one? Are they all alike? [/QUOTE] They sure as hell don’t look like flat plastic boards with LEDs in the shape of a cartoon character flipping the bird. Unless there’s been a rash of Cartoon Network character-emblazoned clipboard bombs taking out our troops in Iraq, or strapped to Palestinian suicide bombers in Israel that you wish to tell us about. ---
**Author:** ![RogueRacer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7ab992/32.png) [@RogueRacer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RogueRacer)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2007, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aqua-teen-hoax-in-boston/390326/314 "2007-02-02T03:18:59Z")
[QUOTE=Nicest of the Damned] This is what I don’t understand. You are saying that all of this expensive police action was an appropriate response. That costs the state (taxpayers) a lot of money along with the inconvenience, etc. This all happened because these men placed this sign someplace where, as I understand it, they had no legal right to put it. By putting up this sign, were they breaking a law? [/QUOTE] I don’t really have the answer for that other than it might just be the cost of doing business while we are _at war with terror_ (band name?). As such, I guess the taxpayers end up getting stuck with the bill beyond what fines can be collected for placing advertising without a permit or whatever crime they actually committed. Considering that bridge picture a few posts ago, my estimate of how many guys I worked with that would have done more than pull it off the bridge was probably way high. ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2007, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aqua-teen-hoax-in-boston/390326/315 "2007-02-02T03:19:16Z")
[QUOTE=Nicest of the Damned] This is what I don’t understand. You are saying that all of this expensive police action was an appropriate response. That costs the state (taxpayers) a lot of money along with the inconvenience, etc. This all happened because these men placed this sign someplace where, as I understand it, they had no legal right to put it. By putting up this sign, were they breaking a law? [/QUOTE] Maybe they should be happy that they’ve gotten a good unplanned drill out of things? They may have littered. Oooh! call out the national guard! As many people seem to have said so far in this thread, Boston officials should stop screaming, write them some tickets, and get on with their damned lives. -Joe ---
**Author:** ![Randy\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ee7513/32.png) [@Randy\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randy_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2007, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aqua-teen-hoax-in-boston/390326/316 "2007-02-02T03:20:18Z")
Has anyone posted this yet? I hope everyone has seen the [interview](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zx2ytr2Oyv4) with the two “suspects.” It’s worth a look. ---
**Author:** ![Weirddave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Weirddave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirddave)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2007, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aqua-teen-hoax-in-boston/390326/317 "2007-02-02T03:26:08Z")
> [@](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > Originally Posted by Orbifold > > Here’s a video of Peter Berdovsky and Sean Stevens, the two guys arrested for putting up the lite-brites, responding to press questions with the level of respect and seriousness that this situation deserves > > [del]What a bunch of losers.[/del] Fuckin’ brilliant Fixed that for ya. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2007, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aqua-teen-hoax-in-boston/390326/318 "2007-02-02T03:29:07Z")
[QUOTE=spoke-] It’s nice to know that with all the sticks up the asses of Boston authorities, there were still enough sticks left over for Fox News and the members of the media at that press conference. [/QUOTE] That reporter who asked, “If you get sent to prison, are you afraid that you’ll have your hair cut off?” seemed to be getting into the spirit of things. ---
**Author:** ![waterj2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/858c86/32.png) [@waterj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waterj2)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2007, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aqua-teen-hoax-in-boston/390326/319 "2007-02-02T03:32:13Z")
[QUOTE=lowbrass] eBay is rocking already: [T-shirt](http://cgi.ebay.com/UP-YOURS-BOSTON-Aqua-Teen-Hunger-Force-Mooninites-XL_W0QQitemZ200075245887QQihZ010QQcategoryZ15687QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem) [Joke sign](http://cgi.ebay.com/aqua-teen-hunger-force-LED-memorial-bomb-scare-sign_W0QQitemZ290078897250QQihZ019QQcategoryZ20946QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem) I think the real ones are gonna get grabbed up pretty quick - looks like they’re going to be worth quite a bit: [Real sign](http://cgi.ebay.com/aqua-teen-hunger-force-mooninites-neon-not-a-bomb_W0QQitemZ190078492881QQihZ009QQcategoryZ363QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem) [/QUOTE] The guy selling the tshirts posted a Myspace bulletin quoting this hate mail he recieved: > [@](#): > > You are a disgrace to your country. I cant beleive you are trying to capitalize on an incident like this. Did you sell t-shirts of the planes crashing into the towers as well? It may have been a “joke” but it caused chaos, and resulted in many local schools to receive prank bomb threats; Im sure the people trapped in the traffic unaware what was going on, with sirens, squad trucks ect would love to see your tshirt sales, im sure it is hillarious to them. > > Loser ---
**Author:** ![Nicest\_of\_the\_Damned](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/8baadc/32.png) [@Nicest\_of\_the\_Damned](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nicest_of_the_Damned)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2007, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aqua-teen-hoax-in-boston/390326/320 "2007-02-02T03:32:29Z")
[QUOTE=RogueRacer] Considering that bridge picture a few posts ago, my estimate of how many guys I worked with that would have done more than pull it off the bridge was probably way high. [/QUOTE] As I understand it, that first device was found well overhead. I couldn’t tell from the brief video I saw exactly what they did (I got most of my news over the radio). Would they actually have gone up first to get a close look do you think or would they have just put on the big suit and sent a robot over to detonate it and examine the wreckage? The impression I get was that they started off being cautious with the first one and as reports of more of them started coming in, the whole thing snowballed. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aqua-teen-hoax-in-boston/390326.md?page=15) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aqua-teen-hoax-in-boston/390326.md?page=17)