Terror Alert In Boston

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by KrazyHorse


In this case there's an obvious felony being committed. What were these people guilty of other than nuisance charges, again?

The response of the authorities in Boston was out of all proportion to the threat. It was not a reasonable response, therefore the people responsible for the devices should not be asked to shoulder a significant part of the cost associated with the response. That's a well-known legal principle.

If I call somebody an ******* and he proceeds to engage in 10 years of psychotherapy to rid himself of the scars of our unpleasant exchange then I am not responsible for the costs he has incurred.

You dont put things with wires on them on bridge supports.

Bin Laden: Whats going on, there havent been any mass killing in the US lately, its getting embarrassing.

Zawahiri: Its been hard, they monitor things too closely, especially all the really good targets, but we;ve got a new operational concept

Bin Laden: Well?

Zawahiri: We're going to disguise bombs as childrens toys -

Bin Laden: ah, to get infidel kids to pick them up and die? Like the Soviets did to us in the old days? Great idea, but i dont think it will get the degree of disruption we want.

Zawahiri: no, we are going to disguise bombs as childrens toys and plant them on bridge supports, etc. The local police will be too embarrased to take the kinds of actions they would for a bomb that didnt look a kids toy.

Bin Laden: Ah, I got it - another great idea, Z

Zawahirir: actually it wasnt mine, I got it from Ted Turner

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by KrazyHorse
I remember living in a world where a lite-brite board left in a public area was not considered sufficient cause to shut down a city.

Maybe it's just me, but I preferred things that way.

And I would prefer not to live in world where the subway is shut down cause somebody left their backpack on it.

But Id also rather be inconvienced then have more attacks.

[KrazyHorse]

Originally posted by lord of the mark



You dont put things with wires on them on bridge supports.

Yeah, I'm sure that terr'ists are planning to leave their wiring in plain sight instead of stashing it up in the gridwork where nobody would ever have seen it. Plus they're going to light it up so that everybody can see it. What a load of tripe.

[KrazyHorse]

Originally posted by lord of the mark


And I would prefer not to live in world where the subway is shut down cause somebody left their backpack on it.

But Id also rather be inconvienced then have more attacks.

You've got an absolutist mind.

Some inconvenience is fine. Some is not.

This was silly, and the Boston PD and FD should be ashamed of themselves.

How much money has been spent on "homeland security"? How much additional cost (inconvenience) has been caused by the measures? How many lives do you think have been saved?

I'm going to take a wild guess and say that it hasn't been worth it.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by KrazyHorse


You've got an absolutist mind.

Some inconvenience is fine. Some is not.

Im QUITE aware of that. But its one thing to make cost benefit tradeoffs in a planning situation, using such fine tools as economics, sociology, and poly sci to estimate both economic and socio-political impacts. Its quite another to make the decision on the fly as the Boston PD had to. Not being in a position of making such a decision, I dont like second guessing them, in what to me was a situation arguable either way. That other cities chose to come down one way is NOT evidenc that Bostons decision was unreasonable.

Surely youve flown enough times to see the signs, widespread BEFORE 9/11, that airlines, airport personnel take "jokes" about bombs, hijacking, etc seriously and you make such jokes at your own risk. I dont want the burden of judging jokes like this to be on the police and fire dept - I want it to be on the folks who make such jokes.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by KrazyHorse
I remember living in a world where a lite-brite board left in a public area was not considered sufficient cause to shut down a city.

Maybe it's just me, but I preferred things that way.

I remember living in world without cable television. I remember living in a world where corporations were expected to exercise SOME social responsibility.