Boston Police are idiots
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Topic: Boston Police are idiots
Posted By: OpethGuitarist
Subject: Boston Police are idiots
Date Posted: February 01 2007 at 11:44
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Boston_magnetic_light_scare - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Boston_magnetic_light_scare http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/02/01/boston.bombscare/index.html - http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/02/01/boston.bombscare/index.html Aqua Teen Hunger Force is going to get a lot of viewers from this though. ------------- back from the dead, i will begin posting reviews again and musing through the forums |
Replies:
Posted By: Tony R
Date Posted: February 01 2007 at 11:45
| Yes, and Neil Peart is in it too! |
Posted By: OpethGuitarist
Date Posted: February 01 2007 at 11:45
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you're thinking of the movie Tony, this is different
------------- back from the dead, i will begin posting reviews again and musing through the forums |
Posted By: Logos
Date Posted: February 01 2007 at 12:09
This is totally offtopic, but dude, your signature is way out of line. 
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Posted By: OpethGuitarist
Date Posted: February 01 2007 at 12:15
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how so?
------------- back from the dead, i will begin posting reviews again and musing through the forums |
Posted By: BaldFriede
Date Posted: February 01 2007 at 12:28
This reminds me that Edgar Allan Poe used to refer to Bostoners as "Frogpondians". 
-------------  BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue. |
Posted By: TheProgtologist
Date Posted: February 01 2007 at 13:31
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I don't think they are idiots at all.They saw something irregular and suspicious and investigated it.
Do you expect the majority of the Boston PD to even know what the heck ATHF is? -------------  |
Posted By: OpethGuitarist
Date Posted: February 01 2007 at 13:46
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It's my opinion Jody that much of state govt has spiraled out of control into policies dictated by fear and not on intelligent and rational observations and conclusions. The response was ludicrous. Similar signs were found all over the country, and had been up for several weeks with few problems. Seattle being an example. To me, it shows how out of touch the govt has gone. It is run through fear. This was really a harmless prank, and I'm not just saying this because I'm a fan of the show. Take something I dont even like and replace it with the ATHF message. It's really sad how much 9/11 has affected the govt. ------------- back from the dead, i will begin posting reviews again and musing through the forums |
Posted By: stonebeard
Date Posted: February 01 2007 at 15:08
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They acted appropriately, but the news coverage of the whole even is what made me laugh yesterday, even more so today when I found out what was in the boxes. 24-hour news channels are a joke.
------------- http://soundcloud.com/drewagler" rel="nofollow - My soundcloud. Please give feedback if you want! |
Posted By: JJLehto
Date Posted: February 01 2007 at 15:10
Amen to that. |
stonebeard wrote:Posted By: Empathy
Date Posted: February 01 2007 at 15:23
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I'm extremely embarrassed to be living here in Boston. I've been having a lively discussion on a local music board about this. Someone posted this:  ------------- Pure Brilliance: 
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Posted By: Easy Livin
Date Posted: February 01 2007 at 15:29
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Speaking personally, I find the thread title disrespectful to the Boston Police, who acted appropriately in response to the reports they received. Having a go at them for this is in my view a cheap shot. It is the company behind the stunt at whom the fingers should be pointed.
Suppose it had been something more sinister, and it had not been taken seriously.
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Posted By: Empathy
Date Posted: February 01 2007 at 15:36
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^ EL, I'll agree with you that when the first Lite Brite (I'm sorry I
mean "Hoax Device"... that's how they keep referring to it on the news
here) was reported, they absolutely did the right thing to investigate.
However, a simple inspection of the sign should have indicated that it
was not an explosive. The ensuing hysteria is simply inexcusable, IMO. 2 important points: 1) These signs had been up for 2 to 3 weeks before this all occurred yesterday. 2) 9 other cities in which these signs were placed did not respond this way. Also, I'm not sure if anyone is aware of this, but the gentleman who's primarily responsible for this was running Ozric Tentacles lighting rig on their last tour! ------------- Pure Brilliance:
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Posted By: Trademark
Date Posted: February 01 2007 at 16:55
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Police in my town tore apart a bicycle that was left unattended on the local university campus because it had a bumper sticker on it that said "this bkie is a pipe bomb". Apparently that is the name of a band from Florida and the bike owner was a fan. There was a big stink locally about how the local PD overreacting, ( they closed off a couple of square blocks and had a bomb squad dismatle the bike) but as in the Boston issue, I thought they were right on tagret.
The sad thing was there was so much crap about it that the PD bought the kid a new bike. Any idiot who would put a sticker like that on a bike and then leave it in a public place deserves to lose it. |
Posted By: OpethGuitarist
Date Posted: February 01 2007 at 17:11
Insider info. Props to you my friend. It's also, contrary to popular opinion, not a bomb hoax.
It's an ad campaign, and was never construed to be thought of as a bomb hoax. This is merely how the Boston Police have reported it as in a way, I think, to place blame at their glaring deficiencies. ------------- back from the dead, i will begin posting reviews again and musing through the forums |
Posted By: Easy Livin
Date Posted: February 01 2007 at 17:19
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Thanks for clarifying Empathy.
Details of the facts behind news tend to reduce with the distance they are from the location, or in the UK the distance they are from the London-centric news organisations.
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Posted By: el böthy
Date Posted: February 01 2007 at 18:04
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Just in Boston...? I thought policemen where stupid all around the world...thats the case here at least
------------- "You want me to play what, Robert?" 
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Posted By: laplace
Date Posted: February 01 2007 at 18:06
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They are, they are. people that defend the police when they do something alarmist and incompetent strike me as alarmist and incompetent... =P
------------- FREEDOM OF SPEECH GO TO HELL |
Posted By: zappaholic
Date Posted: February 01 2007 at 20:04
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This is just further proof that the terrorists have won.
------------- "Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard." -- H.L. Mencken |
Posted By: rileydog22
Date Posted: February 01 2007 at 22:37
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What I think is terrible about this is that people have been ARRESTED for this, and that Boston wants $750,000 from Turner, all because somebody placed some SIGNS. Hmmmm....I could have sworn that EXPRESSING YOURSELF wasn't a punishable offense in America...... EDIT: to clarify, I am in no way objecting to police being alarmed by boxes with wires sticking out of them stuck to bridges. What I AM objecting to is that after these devices were found to be innocuous, these people were charged as TERRORISTS. Someone who posts a sign advertising for a telivision show is in no way a terrorist. I think the appropriate form of action would be for the police to return the boxes to their owner(s), along with an apology and a warning. To continue to prosecute these people after seeing your blunder is downright stupid. -------------   |
Posted By: Ghandi 2
Date Posted: February 01 2007 at 23:29
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Yeah, they're so stupid for trying to stop a terrorist attack... Honestly, they deserve to get fined for putting something with lights and wires on the struts of a bridge. There is no reason whatsoever for them to put it on a freaking bridge. No-one's going to see it there, and it just makes it look way too suspicious. The police also could not have known if what they found was a decoy for a real bomb.
Oh come on riley, there's a difference between expressing yourself and causing half of Boston to be shut down in a terror scare.
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Posted By: OpethGuitarist
Date Posted: February 02 2007 at 01:56
The idea of this is that it's a case of the government never admitting a mistake, ever. Always pass blame onto someone else, never check into your own actions. 9 other American Cities had no problems whatsoever, it was only Boston that made a fuss about it. It wasn't a "bomb hoax" as it is put by the media, incorrectly. It was an advertising campaign. There was absolutely no intent for it to be a bomb hoax, that's pretty clear considering the fact that theres a tv show which has the characters in it. It's a state of fear, rather than reason as a course of action. Really, when's the last time you heard Boston police or Boston govt admitting a mistake? Give me some documents. They don't do it, they never have, and it's unlikely they will. ------------- back from the dead, i will begin posting reviews again and musing through the forums |
Posted By: Easy Livin
Date Posted: February 02 2007 at 03:58
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Making generalised comments in a forum about the police being stupid is in my opinion like putting your tongue out behind your parents back.
The police the world over are our civil defence from those who would do us harm. We all get things wrong sometimes, but would you really prefer that they were not there at all?
The police deserve a lot more respect than they get. (I am not involved in the police by the way!)
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Posted By: Forgotten Son
Date Posted: February 02 2007 at 05:27
Not always, no. They're often rash, aggressive and sometimes outright criminal. Sorry to be pedantic. |
Posted By: Jim Garten
Date Posted: February 02 2007 at 07:46
"often"? I think not. "pedantic"? Hardly. Naive generalisations? Definitely. OK, the police force in any country you care to name will have its fair share of those who abuse the authority given to them - we here in the west are considerably luckier than many countries in the so called developing world in that we do not have to actively fear those in uniform. They're not perfect, by any means, but they're all that stand between you and the criminal.  ------------- 
Jon Lord 1941 - 2012 |
Posted By: Easy Livin
Date Posted: February 02 2007 at 10:14
| With my admin hat on, please also bear in mind that some of our members will be in the police. They are entitled to the same respect as the rest of our members in these parts. |
Posted By: Sean Trane
Date Posted: February 02 2007 at 10:42
I think that they should actually teach policemen that the use of their brains is not an option in their line of work. It is mandatory. What on earth made them think this would be bombs
 Use of excessive force comes also to mind.
OK and up to the facts findings, I can agree with the police's actions, as they did not know.
but pressing charges for creating a bombscare is downright indecent from the police. They should immediately offer a public apology to make themselves look like dumbarses and causing the general public to distrust the civil servants. Because this is in fine the only thing that will be remembered, the police looked stupid and refused to see the point and the denial of it can only cause distrust in the citizens. The persons who decided to go to court should be fired for gross misconduct and indecent misuse of brains and complete lack of humour.
Although I have absolutely no sympathy for the incriminated duo, no doubt they will win big and hopefully get astronomical damages indemnisations. ------------- let's just stay above the moral melee prefer the sink to the gutter keep our sand-castle virtues content to be a doer as well as a thinker, prefer lifting our pen rather than un-sheath our sword |
Posted By: Jim Garten
Date Posted: February 02 2007 at 12:22
I know of at least one senior police officer in our ranks who has had to face the seriously dangerous side of his job in the past. -------------
Jon Lord 1941 - 2012 |
Posted By: OpethGuitarist
Date Posted: February 02 2007 at 12:52
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Please note that this is not intended to be a flame war on police. It is merely a thread about the incident, and also about how I strongly believe that the Boston police messed up on this one, yet refuses to admit failure. It's become a sort of culture in America, to never admit failure on your own part and always pass the blame on to someone else. ------------- back from the dead, i will begin posting reviews again and musing through the forums |
Posted By: Easy Livin
Date Posted: February 02 2007 at 13:12
| Personally I don't think the thread heading really reflects that OG. |
Posted By: enteredwinter
Date Posted: February 02 2007 at 13:14
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I live on Long Island (which is very close to New York City for those who don't know), and I'm often in NYC (I lived there for a couple of years recently). After 9/11, I'm paranoid. Probably overly paranoid, I'll admit, but NYC is the biggest bullseye for terrorism in this country, it seems, with the possible exception of the capital. My point is this: in defense of the Boston police, if I had seen electronic devices with lights, wires, and a character holding up its middle finger, in an important city, even on a bridge in at least one case ... I would have *definitely* been alarmed. Of course, part of me would have said "it's probably nothing", but these days it really is better to be safe than sorry, generally. If they actually had been explosive devices, for example, we'd all be talking about the Boston police in a MUCH different light. And that scenario is hardly far-fetched in modern times. ------------- 
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Posted By: OpethGuitarist
Date Posted: February 02 2007 at 14:35
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^^ So then where do we draw the line between not doing anything and having the govt react to everything? ------------- back from the dead, i will begin posting reviews again and musing through the forums |
Posted By: Empathy
Date Posted: February 02 2007 at 15:18
Perhaps next we'll see the entire BFD check into "rehab", ala Mel Gibson and Michael Richards?  ------------- Pure Brilliance:
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Posted By: Philéas
Date Posted: February 02 2007 at 15:49
It's true. |
Posted By: Sean Trane
Date Posted: February 03 2007 at 09:08
Dontcha think that if they were real bombs posed by potential terrorists, they'd have stashed those in a little more discreet packaging? These things giving "the finger" (to me it looks like it's hailing a cab , because it is a index and not the middle finger showing
 ) is not exactly passe-partout.And as I said, the investigation part is not the problem, but the fact that they are bringing this thing to court is not only ridiculous, but also scandalous.
Some people better lighten up. In Europe, this would be drawing laughter all over.
But then again we (as a society) are less uptight to get bombed over because our foreign policies area little less encumbersome.
------------- let's just stay above the moral melee prefer the sink to the gutter keep our sand-castle virtues content to be a doer as well as a thinker, prefer lifting our pen rather than un-sheath our sword |
Posted By: Empathy
Date Posted: February 03 2007 at 12:21
Now that's a cleverly delicate way of putting it!Every other city in the U.S. is surely laughing at Boston. Just to add a little more background to the situation... I'm sure part of the reason for the (over)reaction on the part of the Boston PD and the FBI was the fact that 2 of the planes that were part of 9/11 left from Boston's airport. I'm not originally from Boston, but I've lived here for over 15 years now... and I can say that I've never encountered a more uptight or self-important city. Let me put it this way... the author Oliver Wendell Holmes once wrote something to the effect of "Boston is the Hub of the Universe"... and the local news here STILL commonly refers to Boston as "The Hub". This is why the Boston government will NEVER admit any kind of error in this fiasco. I think the most important conclusion we can draw from this whole experience is that there's no problem with the fact that we're bombarded every waking moment of our lives with marketing and advertising... but only through offically approved channels! ------------- Pure Brilliance:
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Posted By: 1800iareyay
Date Posted: February 03 2007 at 15:50
| The guys who were arrested were hilarious! When they were interviewed, they refused to talk about the incident and instead only accepted questions dealing with the evolution of hairstyles. The idiotic media didn't know how to react! |
Posted By: Ghandi 2
Date Posted: February 04 2007 at 00:49
Yeah, they're so stupid for not knowing how to react to random stupidity!
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Posted By: Neil
Date Posted: February 04 2007 at 04:30
Not just in America. The UK Labour party seem to have gone well up this road in the last few years. ------------- When people get lost in thought it's often because it's unfamiliar territory. |
Posted By: Sean Trane
Date Posted: February 04 2007 at 06:12
That could be a good reason for this development.
 While New England is vmy fave part of the US, I always did find Bostoners a bit snobbish and pretentious. I s'pose it comes from the Mayflower and later the Boston Tea Party, thinking that they are the historical center of America.
I never even knew that two of those four planes ook off from Boston, though ------------- let's just stay above the moral melee prefer the sink to the gutter keep our sand-castle virtues content to be a doer as well as a thinker, prefer lifting our pen rather than un-sheath our sword |
Posted By: VanderGraafKommandöh
Date Posted: February 04 2007 at 11:14
You stole my thunder, I was going to say something similar to this! It's not just the British government mind you. -------------   
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Posted By: stonebeard
Date Posted: February 04 2007 at 11:21
Man, if this happened in Fort Wayne...wait, what am I saying???....this would NEVER happen in Fort Wayne! We'd probably just kiss the floor the perpetrators walk on for giving us the attention!  We've basically had a frenzy over a passing comment by Colts coach Dungy about maybe holding the Superbowl in FW. So silly.Look on the bright side, though. At least the Boston police aren't portrayed as badly as they were in The Departed.  ------------- http://soundcloud.com/drewagler" rel="nofollow - My soundcloud. Please give feedback if you want! |
Posted By: el böthy
Date Posted: February 04 2007 at 22:28
You know what we need to fight back terrorism? More cowbell! ------------- "You want me to play what, Robert?"
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Posted By: Empathy
Date Posted: February 04 2007 at 23:44
  ------------- Pure Brilliance:
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Posted By: Jim Garten
Date Posted: February 05 2007 at 03:19
Damn you both - I was going to say that, too  -------------
Jon Lord 1941 - 2012 |
Posted By: Forgotten Son
Date Posted: February 05 2007 at 05:21
That wasn't meant as a slight, though I can definately see why it could be taken that way. During my time as a criminology student, looking at police culture, however, it's fairly clear that, although generally well intentioned, they can be heavy handed and discriminatory, whether they're nice people or not. My comments, probably weren't put very well, however I felt the need to challenge your argument that they do a tough job and thus we should be lenient in our judgment. Such a view can be incredibly dangerous, so I don't think we should ignore blatant mistakes and overreaction on the part of people in places of authority and responsibility. Imagine, for instance, if the person had rung up an told them about a person that they thought was looking suspicious and then they went and forcefully arrested them. Would cutting the police some slack be acceptable then? Jim, Generalisation? Hardly. I was careful to say "often". How you interpret "often" is up to you. |
Posted By: Sean Trane
Date Posted: February 05 2007 at 06:09
I think that Bob's biggest annoyment is the thread title, and from an Admin POV, I can see where his point is very valid.
If the thread originator could change it as to not be so insulting, much less fuss would be made....
Thanks for doing so ASAP. ------------- let's just stay above the moral melee prefer the sink to the gutter keep our sand-castle virtues content to be a doer as well as a thinker, prefer lifting our pen rather than un-sheath our sword |
Posted By: Jim Garten
Date Posted: February 05 2007 at 07:32
Maybe I came across as a little heavy handed in my response, if so, I apologise - I think my general beef is that it seems sometimes that the police in general come in for a huge amount of flak and in some quarters it is seen as 'cool' to show little respect for them - when I see this, (or perhaps when I believe I see it ) I see red.
 -------------
Jon Lord 1941 - 2012 |
Posted By: Forgotten Son
Date Posted: February 05 2007 at 11:23
Oh, in that case I agree fully. |
Posted By: James Lee
Date Posted: February 06 2007 at 16:49
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Hmmm. 1. Yes, you can blame the police for some of the problem. They have a bomb squad; how long did it take them to get to the scene and determine that the device was innocuous? The local government seems to be reacting mainly on how disrupted the city was by the scare, and to me that seems to be tacitly admitting that their own civil infrastructure is sluggish and bumbling. 2. Or you can blame the person who called in the situation. 10 cities, 40 devices per city, and then several weeks later...one lone transit worker complains. Maybe we should check to see if that person is getting some cash from Turner. Plots within plots... 3. Did anyone do their homework? ATHF may not be a household name, but I've been watching it for years and so have millions of other people. But you don't have to be a fan to know it exists and know not to take it seriously. (makes me think of Spinal Tap..."I wouldn't worry about it. It's not a big college town.") 4. Stop calling it a hoax, already. "Hoax" implies misleading intent. Show me any evidence of that. Anywhere. (Now if it was actually shaped like a bomb, that would be one thing. Oh, yeah, that's been done- for Mission Impossible 3. Remember all the furor that caused? Neither does anyone else) ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/sollipsist/?chartstyle=kaonashi"> 
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Posted By: OpethGuitarist
Date Posted: February 06 2007 at 17:08
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Thanks for your thoughts James. I agree with a lot of it, especially the public calling it a hoax when that is obviously not the case. Towards others that would like to see the title changed. I am a bit surprised. Threads calling out and attacking other prominent officials, often with much more derogatory remarks, (see any political thread here) are rarely if ever commented on. While here, there seems to be a big fuss over my thread title. I assume that is because police can often be seen as citizens as well, and are much more likely of a position to hold than being a government official - they are seen as "normal" folks just trying to make a living. Regardless, I think it's being a bit over the top to ask me to change it. I PM'd Bob about it to get a clearer understanding and I think I know where he was coming from. It seems my views about use of ideas, and the freedom to express them, clash with some of the other, and it seems senior and more important members here. If so, maybe this is not the right place for me. I have come to the point where I don't enjoy posting as much as I used to (even though I never posted a lot) but given the situation, maybe I should just stick to reviewing. I don't plan on leaving the site, but maybe the forums are not for me. Regards, Joey - OG ------------- back from the dead, i will begin posting reviews again and musing through the forums |
Posted By: Easy Livin
Date Posted: February 06 2007 at 17:17
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I don't remember saying or implying that Joey, and I deliberately didn't ask you to change the title. I've only made one "Admin" post in this thread, and that was a general comment reminding everyone that all our members are entitled to the same level of respect. The other post of mine made clear it was a personal view, I was merely participating in the discussion.
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Posted By: OpethGuitarist
Date Posted: February 06 2007 at 18:10
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Sorry Bob, wasn't meant to imply it was just you directly, as there also have been comments from Sean Trane and Jim Garten, among others.
------------- back from the dead, i will begin posting reviews again and musing through the forums |
Posted By: Sean Trane
Date Posted: February 07 2007 at 04:21
Guilty as charged your honour!!
 But I do confirm what I said in that last post, and still think a better thread title would've given a much more positive slant to your thread.
But obviously if the thread is still alive now, it is not that offensive either.
Do what you feel like!! ------------- let's just stay above the moral melee prefer the sink to the gutter keep our sand-castle virtues content to be a doer as well as a thinker, prefer lifting our pen rather than un-sheath our sword |
Posted By: Jim Garten
Date Posted: February 07 2007 at 07:46
Guilty as charged, too. I still consider the thread title to be inappropriate, but as Admin have decided to allow the title to stay unchanged, I bow to their decision. No offense meant OG - just saying what I feel; incidentally, I'm not from Boston... or a policeman -------------
Jon Lord 1941 - 2012 |
Posted By: Easy Livin
Date Posted: February 07 2007 at 11:35
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.... or an idiot?
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Posted By: Jim Garten
Date Posted: February 08 2007 at 07:22
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Only in a generalised way... -------------
Jon Lord 1941 - 2012 |