I want to thank Gangster Octopus for a very sensible description of how a sensible government official would deal with the aftermath of this situation.
I would not fault the Boston PD for, once there were sightings of an apparent pipe bomb, deciding they should take no chances with any other unknown object sightings during that shift.
I DO fault the authorities for then demanding blood over it, and making accusations not supported by the evidence. The part where the guy who DID cause the pipebomb scare is not charged, but the guys who caused the LiteBrite scare were charged, and what the DA is trying to charge them with, shows people not being levelheaded about things. It’s like they’re madder about the slackers making them look bad than about any real harm potential.
And I’m sorry, but I expect mayors, governors, police chiefs, prosecutors, etc. to keep their heads together and NOT just vent out that they want to burn someone in the public square because he wasted their time and resources (because that was the extent of it: traffic was tied up and PD resources used and risked. People did not get killed or injured). We pay them to keep order and that starts with them NOT falling prey to their own adrenaline to begin with.
Mercedes Actros chosen at random as an older-model truck that can carry a ton of explosives (presuming classic oil/nitrate bomb) and go unnoticed.
I’m not sure what your point is, but let’s step back a minute and look at the size of these Boston devices. Even if the cops knew the Mooninite signs were bombs and had a credible threat with demands, they barely rate a “Brian Wells” on the payload scale, let alone a “Murrah.”
Attorney General Coakley noted in the press conference that authorities are in negotiation with the attorneys for the two peons who put the things up and expect to resolve their cases soon. Best bet: apologies and community service.
You can go here for a more detailed story, with links on the right to PDF’s of the settlement information and Turner’s full statement.
As an aside: Those two guys currently live in Charlestown, an insular neighborhood of Boston which houses an at times uneasy mixture of blue-collar townies and yuppie newcomers. Townies don’t much care for dreadlocked weirdos* who cause so much trouble, then react when they’re bagged for it with the sort of smirking smartassery they showed (click link at right: “Suspects discuss 70s hair”). I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that their business at local stores is being refused, that they’re getting hostile comments on the street, probably some threats. Is it right? Of course not. Is it going to happen? I don’t doubt it. Personally, if I were dreadlock guy, I’d shave off the facial foliage, cut my hair short, and move somewhere else.
*Townie generic attitude toward people like that.
[QUOTE=EddyTeddyFreddy]
Attorney General Coakley noted in the press conference that authorities are in negotiation with the attorneys for the two peons who put the things up and expect to resolve their cases soon. QUOTE]I just don’t get it. It demonstrably was not a hoax. Not only that, but only Boston reacted so stupidly. I can see Turner offering to settle from a publicity standpoint, but I hate that the stupid Boston response is being validated.
Wasn’t just Boston, it was also Somerville and Cambridge, also the Massachusetts Port Authority, and the Coast Guard, and some other federal authorities.
If I were them, I would demand to go to trial, or dismiss all charges without any terms. If the state accepts the money from Turner, they can’t prove a hoax, unless they also intend to charge Turner. AG hasn’t got a leg to stand on.
Yeah but, how many other cities did not react at all? I cannot imagine getting a close look at one of those things and thinking it is a bomb. It seems to me to have been a kind of mass hysteria (get it?)
I did not intend to give all the blame to Boston. Thanks for correcting me.
Yes, in hindsight it’s overreaction. However, I recall watching the police chief for Chicago in a press conference pointing out that, while his city had no troubles from them, there could have been a similar scare (at least in the first few hours) over the devices in his city with all the out-of-towners swarming in for the Bears’ playoff game, which could have led to some rather serious consequences. He didn’t look at all amused.
COMMUNITY SERVICE??? For what? What law did they break? Littering? This is just unmitigated bullshit.
Yes, we should fear and harass those who look different than us. :rolleyes: I thought their reaction was great. I’m not a fan of smartass young “rebel” punks either, but in this case, arresting them was such an over-the-top act of sheer idiocy, and the reaction of the media was so misplaced and ridiculous, that the way those kids responded was absolutely right! I mean, how else should one respond to a completely ridiculous, surreal situation?
By the way, the Mayor of Boston is a big fat piece of shit:
Yeah, I’ll second-guess you, bitch. You fucked up big time, then you picked a couple of innocent scapegoats. And you STILL won’t admit you were wrong. Fuck you, Thomas Menino.
