[lbo-talk] What's the matter with Bean Town?

[Carl Remick]

As a native of Salem, Mass. (a place haunted even now by the 1692 witch 
trials and their death count of 20) I've always been impressed by the unique 
capacity of Massachusetts -- proud arch-rational home of Harvard, MIT, etc. 
-- to concoct mass panics out of nothing.  The dumb PR stunt described below 
was rolled out in 10 cities around the country, and Boston was the only site 
that freaked out in a frenzy of Homeland Security hyperventilation.  Pretty 
pathetic for a burg that so prides itself on Bunker Hill, Old Ironsides, the 
Boston Tea Party and all those other musty icons of national fortitude.

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Boston Hoax Attack By 'Aqua Teen Hunger Force'

February 2, 2007

More than 10 blinking electronic devices planted at bridges and other spots 
in Boston threw a scare into the city in what turned out to be a publicity 
campaign for a late-night cable cartoon. The devices depict a character 
making an obscene gesture. Boston police said Wednesday night that one 
person had been arrested, and authorities scheduled a news conference later 
in the evening to provide details. Highways, bridges and a section of the 
Charles River were shut down and bomb squads were sent in before authorities 
declared the devices were harmless. "It's a hoax - and it's not funny," said 
Gov. Deval Patrick, who said he will speak to the state's attorney general 
"about what recourse we may have." Turner Broadcasting, a division of Time 
Warner Inc. and parent of Cartoon Network, said the devices were part of a 
promotion for the TV show "Aqua Teen Hunger Force," a surreal series about a 
talking milkshake, a box of fries and a meatball. "They have been in place 
for two to three weeks in Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, 
Seattle, Portland, Austin, San Francisco, and Philadelphia. Parent company 
Turner Broadcasting is in contact with local and federal law enforcement on 
the exact locations of the billboards. We regret that they were mistakenly 
thought to pose any danger."

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Carl

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