# I don't care about the child aduction **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 14, 2003, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-about-the-child-aduction/188493 "2003-07-14T22:13:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Major\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Major\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Major_Kong)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-about-the-child-aduction/188493/41 "2003-07-15T04:23:47Z")
> [@](#): > > Well, let’s figure an 8 year old child is abducted, who would die without the amber alert but otherwise live 70 more years or so. That’s 70 \* 365 \* 24 \* 60 = 36.8 million minutes. If we further equate 10 minutes of Judge Judy with one minute of a child’s life, then we get a potential lifespan of 368 million JEMs (Judge Judy Equivalent Minutes.) If 1 in 50 amber alerts is “successful”, that puts the opportunity cost of each amber alert at 736,000 JEMs. Therefore, If the amber alert takes more than 7.4 minutes per 100,000 annoyed TV viewers, it’s in the interest of the common good to just let the kid die. > > I don’t know what kind of TV ratings Judge Judy is drawing these days but it looks like we should not so cavalierly dismiss Major Kong’s argument. Actually it interupts every channel, not just Judge Judy. Why should this only be for kids? Why only kidnappings? How about every crime? Surely stopping all crime in America is more important than TV. ---
**Author:** ![aaslatten](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f14d63/32.png) [@aaslatten](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aaslatten)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-about-the-child-aduction/188493/42 "2003-07-15T04:28:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Major Kong \* > \*\*Surely stopping all crime in America is more important than TV. \*\* Now, now, let’s not go crazy! ---
**Author:** ![Ferrous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Ferrous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferrous)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-about-the-child-aduction/188493/43 "2003-07-15T04:28:58Z")
Okay, **neuroman** , that’s actually pretty fucking funny. 😉 However, your figures are off. If you check my cites, the success rate is well over 1 in 50. Various claims range from 20% to 100%. ---
**Author:** ![Ferrous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Ferrous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferrous)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-about-the-child-aduction/188493/44 "2003-07-15T04:39:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Major Kong \* > \*\*Actually it interupts every channel, not just Judge Judy. \*\* Dude, you really are pretty fucking dense. He was _joking_, you moron. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-about-the-child-aduction/188493/45 "2003-07-15T04:52:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dooku \* > \*\*Maybe they can just flash a picture of a baby’s head up in the corner, like with a tornado watch? :rolleyes: \*\* I’m trying to figure out why you tagged this with a rolleyes, because you’ve stumbled onto a damn fine idea. One thing that hasn’t been mentioned in this thread is the problems with the Emergency Broadcast System. It’s outdated. As soon as most people see that introductory “STAND BY” they change the channel to one of the cable stations, which are not part of the EBS (as they aren’t broadcast - obviously). EBS can no longer count on a captive audience, and many of us have seen that damn test pattern so often that changing the channel is almost reflexive upon hearing those initials beeps. A crawl at the bottom of the screen accompanied by a picture is probably more effective at reaching your average short attention spanned TV watcher, and is the way most local stations relay other types of important information. All the local station around here also tag those crawls (be they weather warnings, updates on the war, whatever) with loud beeps so that they will capture your attention if you’re in another room. A crawl is the way it _should_ be done, simply because it would be more effective than the EBS. ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-about-the-child-aduction/188493/46 "2003-07-15T05:10:50Z")
Does the EBS not break into your cable? They do on our system. We get the obnoxious tone and then “Please tune to cable channel 5 for information”. ---
**Author:** ![lezlers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/258eb7/32.png) [@lezlers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lezlers)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-about-the-child-aduction/188493/47 "2003-07-15T05:31:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Major Kong \* > \*\*Surely stopping all crime in America is more important than TV. \*\* Oh, man **Major Kong** , this is freakin’ hysterical! Can I adopt it for my sig? ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-about-the-child-aduction/188493/48 "2003-07-15T05:57:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by GMRyujin \* > \*\*Does the EBS not break into your cable? They do on our system. We get the obnoxious tone and then “Please tune to cable channel 5 for information”. \*\* Nope, not on mine. You piqued my curiousity, so I did some basic googling and I found[this:](http://www.callingbargains.com/emergency-communication.htm) > [@](#): > > All broadcast stations and cable systems are required to broadcast emergency alerts and messages for national security emergencies initiated by the President. Broadcast stations and cable systems are not required to broadcast EAS alerts and messages initiated by state and local authorities, but the FCC encourages broadcast licensees and cable operators to transmit emergency alerts as a public service. Information about local natural disasters is often broadcast via EAS. The EAS is what was formerly the EBS, and it seems implementation is determined by the local operators. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-about-the-child-aduction/188493/49 "2003-07-15T06:14:18Z")
From A Monkey With A Gun > [@](#): > > As soon as most people see that introductory “STAND BY” they change the channel to one of the cable stations, which are not part of the EBS (as they aren’t broadcast - obviously). EBS can no longer count on a captive audience, and many of us have seen that damn test pattern so often that changing the channel is almost reflexive upon hearing those initials beeps. This is what I love about America. An emergency announcment interrupts a program on television and what’s the reflex response? Quick!!! Turn the channel before you’re burdened with potentially life-saving information. Just what the EBS/EAS folks had in mind. :rolleyes: Maybe if in the event of emergency they suddenly broadcast a cum-shot and loud moaning from a porno flick you would stay tuned and actually pay attention?? ---
**Author:** ![thirdwarning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecccb3/32.png) [@thirdwarning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdwarning)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-about-the-child-aduction/188493/50 "2003-07-15T06:18:50Z")
Well, here they break into every channel, cable or not. In fact, I heard the alert today. Everybody in the house stopped everything they were doing to listen. It mentioned that three children were missing, it told us their names, ages, and race. It gave the name of the abductor, a description of him, and the color and type of the vehicle he used. It also said that he had a gun (type given, but I don’t remember it), with which he had shot at the victim’s vehicle. It said that the vehicle he had used was being driven by an unidentified female. All in all, I thought that was a reasonable amount of information. I haven’t heard anything further. I’m afraid for those babies. ---
**Author:** ![Major\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Major\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Major_Kong)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-about-the-child-aduction/188493/51 "2003-07-15T06:26:06Z")
> [@](#): > > Oh, man Major Kong, this is freakin’ hysterical! Can I adopt it for my sig? Sure. ---
**Author:** ![Major\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Major\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Major_Kong)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-about-the-child-aduction/188493/52 "2003-07-15T06:30:38Z")
> [@](#): > > It mentioned that three children were missing, it told us their names, ages, and race. It gave the name of the abductor, a description of him, and the color and type of the vehicle he used. It also said that he had a gun (type given, but I don’t remember it), with which he had shot at the victim’s vehicle. It said that the vehicle he had used was being driven by an unidentified female. Did you hear the broadcast more than once? Did it have all this information all times? I listened to the whole thing the first time and didn’t hear any description, except for the vehicle. ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-about-the-child-aduction/188493/53 "2003-07-15T06:41:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by A Monkey With a Gun \* > \*\*Nope, not on mine. You piqued my curiousity, so I did some basic googling and I found[this:](http://www.callingbargains.com/emergency-communication.htm)The EAS is what was formerly the EBS, and it seems implementation is determined by the local operators. \*\* Interesting. But yea, we get the regular one on cable channels, usually warning about flash floods and weather and such. It’s Comcast, FWIW. I hadn’t seen it on cable before, but we didn’t have cable for 3 years, so I assumed it was some new thing. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-about-the-child-aduction/188493/54 "2003-07-15T06:46:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by I Love Me, Vol. I \* > \*\*This is what I love about America. An emergency announcment interrupts a program on television and what’s the reflex response? Quick!!! Turn the channel before you’re burdened with potentially life-saving information. > > Just what the EBS/EAS folks had in mind. :rolleyes: > \*\* Man, somebody likes to jump to some bitter conclusions. I said the test pattern. _The test pattern_. Rather than sit through an overly long initialization beep to find out if it’s an actual message, people changed the channel because the test pattern was shown _far_ too often. Call it the “cry wolf” effect. The FCC (those EAS folks) addressed this when they revamped the system in 1997, but they aknowledge it is still a problem. You seem more concerned with histrionics than actual thought. Hell, you even insinuated the OP was a child abductor\*. Perhaps you could explain how EAS is better than a crawl based system without using the rolleyes smilie (the damn thing’s a crutch). Keep in mind that the EAS is currently limited to text and audio, while a crawl can show photos, maps, and other graphics. \*this needs more than the qualification you offered earlier. It deserves a retraction and an apology ---
**Author:** ![thirdwarning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecccb3/32.png) [@thirdwarning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdwarning)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-about-the-child-aduction/188493/55 "2003-07-15T06:51:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Major Kong \* > \*\*Did you hear the broadcast more than once? Did it have all this information all times? I listened to the whole thing the first time and didn’t hear any description, except for the vehicle. \*\* We only heard it the one time. Maybe that was later than the one you heard, and they had more info by that time. ---
**Author:** ![Flamsterette\_X](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/41988e/32.png) [@Flamsterette\_X](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flamsterette_X)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-about-the-child-aduction/188493/56 "2003-07-15T06:56:16Z")
You don’t CARE about children getting abducted coz it interrupts your TV program? Dude… that is just LOW. F\_X ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-about-the-child-aduction/188493/57 "2003-07-15T07:00:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by GMRyujin \* > \*\*Interesting. But yea, we get the regular one on cable channels, usually warning about flash floods and weather and such. \*\* Well, keep in mind that state agencies like GEMA (GA emergency management) are also part of the equation. It might be that GEMA thinks the EAS is next to worthless and never uses it - choosing to dessimate information through other means. Therefore, Comcast sees no reason to carry EAS except through the feeds they get from the local broadcast stations and what they are required to comply with federally. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-about-the-child-aduction/188493/58 "2003-07-15T07:03:41Z")
dessiminate, diseminate, desi… aw hell, just pretend I wrote “send out” information ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-about-the-child-aduction/188493/59 "2003-07-15T07:03:58Z")
I think they should wait until they actual useful info. **Major** ’s right. A vaugue description _can_ be worse than no description at all. Specific descriptions can produce useful leads. Less than specific descriptions(which can fit virtually anyone) can result in a LOT of needless legwork for cops who are already under the gun. Maybe even for cops in a tri-state area. I have never seen them break into programming for an Amber alert. Here in SoCal, the Amber alerts are on the lighted freeway signs, which provide vehilce descriptions and sometimes plate numbers. They have done pretty well. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-about-the-child-aduction/188493/60 "2003-07-15T07:15:14Z")
Monkey– Cry wolf the EAS might, yet some people still have the decency and concern to wait the :05 to find out if it is a test or an actual warning. I said earlier that the OP was either a moron, a child abductor or both. This leaves a lot of room for him to simply be a moron. Most people are not child abductors, so by using simple statistics we can assume that there is a very big probability that the OP is in fact, NOT a child abductor. As I stated before (perhaps you were watching Tee Vee, and didn’t read all the posts) I was simply trying to figure out who could possibly be so agitated about an Amber Alert. I think that child abductors would be very agitated by Amber Alerts. Other possiblities are morons, fools and the mentally infirm. (I left two of those out before-- sorry.) The roll eyes thingie is NOT a crutch for me, but simply a visual way to connote intense sarcasm. If you need a further explanation of the sarcasm-- here it is: The EAS/EAB did NOT design their system to be ignored by insensitive pricks , but rather to be paid attention to. So when I said that was “Just what they had in mind” I was being sarcastic. Get it?? If you can’t take it, then don’t behave like such an unfeeling jackass with the attention span of a hyperactive newt. :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-about-the-child-aduction/188493.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-about-the-child-aduction/188493.md?page=4)