Boston Bomb Ha-ha-hoax

While I don't generally feel the need to write on the stupidity of our media and elected officials, which I feel is just a known fact among the educated, I just can't let this one go without a few words.

Yesterday, there was a big to do in the city of Boston, a small city in New England where I happen to reside. Apparently, there was some sort of major bomb threat involving two art school students and a bunch of Lite Brite boards.

You can read some follow-up here

It took $500,000 dollars worth of taxpayer dollars, several hours and multiple road and public transportation closings to determine that these "sinister devices" were in fact, part of a multi-city marketing campaign for Adult Swim's "Aqua Teen Hunger Force".

I think the funniest part of this whole thing is that the media is playing this out as a bomb hoax...as if some sort of severe terror threat has been publicly thwarted and we, as good citizens of this town, should genuflect upon the cold stone outside city hall and praise the Mayor and all his cohorts for saving us from what may have caused major social distress, akin to a Scarlett Johansson boob flash. Have we been watching too much "24"?

I don't recall any mention of a bomb threat being called in...can you imagine THAT phone call? "There are 42 bird-flipping Lite-Brite caricatures of an 8 bit cartoon character scattered throughout your city. All of them will begin to glow very brightly when the sun goes down. BEWARE THE MOONINITES!"...and there does not seem to be any intent to cause panic from the two gentleman who placed these devices. This is not exactly like yelling "Cops!" at some High School kegger.

These guys were paid to participate in a guerrilla marketing campaign. I'll concede the fact that maybe the campaign wasn't as well thought out as it should have been, but for the media to blow this so out of proportion as to potentially insight unwarranted fear...I mean, who are the hoaxters here? Tomorrows headlines should read, "Bomb Hoax Media Hype Bombed: Newscaster says, 'Got'cha!'"

And now, on top of all of that...we've got our own Mayor "Mumbles" Menino who wants to make an example of these guys by making them pay for the $500,000 dollars it cost to have these devices removed. Talk about trying to correct for your own stupidity and being out of touch with current popular culture.

I think deep down, Boston really wants some sort of terror threat, which is why this one got so blown out of proportion. I feel like this town felt a little left out of the 9/11 attacks...as if Boston wasn't big enough to bother with. And to have a terror attack of our own would say to the world, "Hey, look at us...we're a big, world-class city too." It's nice to have dreams, right?

Another day, another stupid media hype-up...in a few short months we'll be back to all the news hype on the dangers of public swimming pools and the importance of hydration.

With that...Richard Branson is opening a Virgin Stem Cell Bank.

What is this world coming to?