Freewaybloggers Beware!

At the request of one of my readers, (hat-tip to mdhatter) I'm going to weigh in on this Boston panic attack on Wednesday...

2 men released from jail in hoax case
By DENISE LAVOIE and JAY LINDSAY, Associated Press Writers

In nine cities across the country, blinking electronic signs displaying a profane, boxy-looking cartoon character caused barely a stir.
But in Boston, the signs — some with protruding wires — sent a wave of panic across the city, bringing out bomb squads and prompting officials to shut down highways, bridges and part of the Charles River.

Something that may have been amusing in other cities was not funny to authorities here, the city that served as the base for the hijackers who carried out the Sept. 11 attacks. Officials defended their reaction Thursday even as two men charged in the case, and some residents, mocked the response as overblown.

Young Bostonians familiar with the unconventional marketing tactics used by many companies tended to see the city's reaction as unmitigated hysteria.

Tracy O'Connor, 34, a retail manager, called the police response "silly and insane," contrasting it with that in other cities where no one reported concerns about the devices — an advertising gimmick for the Cartoon Network show "Aqua Teen Hunger Force."

"We're the laughing stock," she said.

Public safety officials and a large segment of Boston's older generation condemned the publicity campaign as unthinkable in today's post-9/11 world.

"Just a little over a mile away from the placement of the first device, a group of terrorists boarded airplanes and launched an attack on New York City," police Commissioner Edward Davis said in an interview with The Associated Press.

"The city clearly did not overreact. Had we taken any other steps, we would have been endangering the public," he said.
Full story here.

Yes, the citizens of Boston were in extreme danger from those deadly promotional ads. Luckily, the Boston police were on the scene, providing as much drama as possible to the situation with bomb squads, sirens, dogs, and pretty flashing lights.

Let this be a lesson to all my fellow freewaybloggers out there. Forget about putting batteries and lights on your signs, lest you unleash the irrational wrath of the Department of Homeland Security. At least if you live in the Boston area, anyway. There hasn't been this much excitement in Boston since 'Golden Girls' star Bea Arthur stormed an airplane at Logan Int'l. Airport with a pocket knife. Now that's something to get your panties all in a bunch about.

Update:
Check out the great commentary on this story by teh l4m3 over at Freedom Camp.