They've finally come for us.

[Kael]

http://img528.imageshack.us/img528/452/bslap2at7.png

lolz

[Rescue]

Although it's a bit ridiculous, especially if you know what ATHF is or have ever watched the show I don't think people put a lot of effort into putting themselves on the other side of it.

I guarentee you that the majority of people out there do not have any idea what ATHF is, the only reason most people here do is because you fall into the target audience of a show that is played at night on CN. How many people over 50+ do you think watch the show or have an idea of what it is?

Having no idea what ATHF is you are looking at what is a theoretically partially offensive image, since it's flipping you off, that has wiring and other electronics attached to it. Yeah sure it's easy to tell it's a litebrite, but which of these scenarios is more likely,

Caller: Hello 911, I a suspicious looking device with wiring attached near a busy road, it looks like a bomb.
Police: We'll get the bomb squad right over.

Caller: Hello 911, I a suspicious looking device with wiring attached near a busy road, it looks like a bomb.
Police: It's probably nothing, just ignore it.

Yeah sure, they overeacted but from the police perspective better safe than sorry, even if it looks stupid afterwards. Look at all the crazy ways people make bombs and if you would rather have the police not take every precaution then knock yourself out, after all what kind of crazy person would put C4 in their shoes, that's just crazy talk!

Terrorism isn't everywhere, crazy people aren't planting bombs on every streetcorner or boarding every busy with explosives, but that doesn't mean they aren't trying to on occasion and I'd rather the police overeact to a ridiculous litebrite than end up ignoring an actual bomb because they thought it was just a joke.

After all, what harm could people possibly do with a few pairs of boxcutters?

Jesus H. Christ, it took 5 pages of this thread before I found a rational person.

No one ever said it didn't start of rational. But once they figured out the "suspicious devices" were not a threat they should have stopped.

Once Turner broadcasting issued a statement saying that the "devices" were for a cartoon show, they should have stopped.

But yet they chose to ignore the facts and make it into a big deal. The media is to blame just as much as the mayor, police chief, and fire chief of Boston. Calling it a hoax when it clearly was not. It was a marketing campaign that went wrong. Calling them “suspicious devices” when in fact it’s a fucking lite-brite.

The government seems to like to cry wolf ever since 9/11. Well guess what, if they keep blowing nothing up into something and getting the public all worked up, eventually when there is an actual problem no one's going to listen. These are people that are trained to handle situations like this. Well at least they are suppose to be. Speaking as a fire fighter I for one really think they need to go back and rethink there whole approach on how they handle situations like this. Getting the public all worked up for nothing is going to blow up in there face one of these days.

Or has it already?

[Fhqwghads]

All I know is, if things continue in this manner, the terrorists have won. People will panic over a boombox that dropped off the back of a truck and is lying on the side of the road because OMFG IT HAS BATTERIES AND WIRES!

Look, people need to use COMMON SENSE when it comes to situations like this. As the previous poster stated, Turner & Co. contacted these morons as soon as they found out this was happening. Instead of changing tactics once they were informed that it was an ad campaign, they were quoted as saying something along the lines of "Yes Turner has stated that it's a marketing tool, but we are also investigating other possibilities." What other possibilities, asshole? The possibility that you might get re-elected by blowing the situation so far out of proportion while donning your super-hero cape to tackle the Mooninites lite-brite threat and save the besieged city of Boston?

Seriously, it's shit like this that really gives me no hope for this retarded species. Fucking lite-brite for pete's sake...

[HAcoreRD]

i lost faith in our government. Don't advertise "The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy" it might spark Terror threats.

Oh noes, Death, an annoying kid with a huge nose, and a sarcastic girl are coming to get us!!!

Actually, fear Mandy.

[finale23]

whatever happened to "live free or die hard"?

i remember right after 9/11, there were some ad campaigns on TV saying "we shouldn't change our life style or the terrorists will win"? well, this incident pretty sums it up that how jittery everyone has become and that the terrorists have already won. grow a pair and live free.

[Ushallbeasgods]

Again, I don't think anyone in this thread is disagreeing that a threat as probably described at first to the police is a small thing. They reacted as they should and took the right steps.

But as everyone has said, they were told what was going on and chose to ignore that. They fucked up really badly but instead of saying we overreacted but it was for public safety and leave it at that they chose to drag this out.

The guys are facing prosecution and fines for something that Boston's police and fire departments overreacted to. America has a culture of fear that is really sad from an international persepctive (lolCanada) to watch.

With that kind of fear lingering in your population, I hope your giving of world power to China ends up smooth and painless.

[BRP]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTrw4OVMBW8

Colbert time

[Devek]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTrw4OVMBW8

Colbert time

Your avatar applies.

(They already took the video down.. Damn Youtube, need find another non-gay video source.)

[Vixy]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTd9fezFlCY works

[Mysterio]

this whole thing is ridiculous, yes they acted accordingly originally.

and being the american homeland security way blew it out of proportion.

Should be jobs lost over this.

and not at Turner or the ad company they used.

[Mysterio]

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...ATHFBomber.gif

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...ujata/ATHF.jpg

[Ryko]

http://img528.imageshack.us/img528/452/bslap2at7.png

lolz

It feels good to stretch my legs. Boy, I havent bitchslapped anybody since tuscon.

Bend over slave!

Prepare for a pride obliterating bitchslap.

[Ushallbeasgods]

Why use Youtube for the Colbert Report? Full episodes are on http://www.comedycentral.com

Just go to the Colbert Report section.

[Kael]

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/02/05/turner ... index.html

BOSTON, Massachusetts (AP) -- Turner Broadcasting System Inc. and Interference Inc. have agreed to pay $2 million to resolve any claims resulting from a Cartoon Network marketing campaign that caused a widespread bomb scare, the attorney general said Monday.

The agreement with several state and local agencies resolves any potential civil or criminal claims, Attorney General Martha Coakley said.

More than three dozen blinking electronic signs with a boxy cartoon character giving an obscene hand gesture were found Wednesday in Boston, Cambridge and Somerville. The signs, part of a publicity campaign for Cartoon Network's "Aqua Teen Hunger Force," also appeared in nine other big U.S. cities in recent weeks, with little interest.

But in Boston, bomb squads responded to reports of the devices in a subway station, on bridges and elsewhere.

As part of the settlement, $1 million will be used to reimburse the agencies and $1 million will be used to pay for homeland security and other programs. Turner Broadcasting, a division of Time Warner Inc., and Interference Inc. also will issue a public statement accepting full responsibility and apologizing for the incident.

"Last week's events caused a major disruption in the greater Boston area on many levels -- crippling public transportation, causing serious traffic problems, negatively affecting local businesses and perhaps most significantly, costing Boston and surrounding communities thousands of dollars," Coakley said.

Authorities say two men were paid to hang the signs around the city. Peter Berdovsky, 27, and Sean Stevens, 28, have pleaded not guilty to placing a hoax device and disorderly conduct.

Coakley said prosecutors were in discussions with the men's attorneys to resolve the charges before a trial.

Turner Broadcasting is the parent company of CNN.



Boston's filled with morons.

[Scythiroth]

$2 million for nationwide advertising that lasted a few days and probably everyone has heard about ATHF now.....good deal.

[Ushallbeasgods]

Yeah I know all my friends are now big fans of the show. Any show that can scare the pants off a major US city is worth your time.

[The Blackrose]

$2 million for nationwide advertising that lasted a few days and probably everyone has heard about ATHF now.....good deal.

Especially considering it wasn't during the Super Bowl... Zing.

[Fhqwghads]

I'm kind of annoyed at Turner for rolling over so easy on this one. They had a strong case for telling Boston to go fuck themselves, and it's what Turner should have done instead of letting those idiots steal free money for Boston's stupidity.

Oh well... $2M for massive advertising, plus making the officials of a high-profile city look like a bunch of retards is probably a good trade-off from an economic standpoint. I just hope the stigma doesn't die off for a while. Boston needs to wear the dunce cap for many years after this circus.

[BRP]

Oh god, I hope not only ATHF, but South Park jumps on this. Such great material can be made out of this.

[Kuya]

Oh god, I hope not only ATHF, but South Park jumps on this. Such great material can be made out of this.

Off-topic, BRP is that your cat?