Online Only: Terrorists take Boston

Last Wednesday, Boston was in a panic when several "suspicious packages" were found attached to structures throughout the city. They were initially assumed to be bombs, and several were destroyed. However, it was soon revealed that they were part of a guerilla marketing campaign for "Aqua Teen Hunger Force," a show that airs late at night on Cartoon Network. The "packages" were actually only signs designed much like Lite-Brites and depicted a character from the show -- a "Mooninite." He was doing what Mooninites always do -- flipping off the earthling motorists that passed him.\nThese signs had been in place for weeks in nine other major cities around the country -- including New York -- with little or no reaction.\nBasically, Boston overreacted. The thing is, the way the government, media and general populace acted scared me a lot more than the prospect of a terrorist attack.\nAs soon as Turner Broadcasting (which owns Cartoon Network) took responsibility for the devices, Boston officials began threatening legal action against the company that had made them look so stupid. Turner actually ended up having to pay $2 million to the city.\nNot only that, but the two men hired by Interference Inc. -- the marketing company in charge of the campaign -- are being charged with placing a hoax device to create panic, which is a felony. \nNot only did the government totally blow the situation out of proportion, but the news media were somehow able to get in on the act as well. Boston-area television news spent the day covering the harrowing detonation of the Lite-Brites until their true identity was revealed, at which point they began condemning the "hoax" and scoffing at the strange "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" concept.\nFor one thing, this was not a hoax. Hoaxes are intentional. This was a failed ad campaign. If there's a "hoax" in question, then it was perpetrated by the Boston government and media. They were fooled by a billboard, and once that was revealed, they tried to make Turner out to be a bunch of criminals and terrorists. Turner was not without blame; they should have done a better job of alerting city officials of the locations of these ads. However, the witch hunt is wholly unwarranted.\nA really interesting facet of this chain of events is this: Early and often, the phrase "post-9/11 world" was invoked by everyone involved. The implication is that after the awakening of our country to the existence of terrorism, the things that people in the United States can and cannot do were changed. We have to be more careful about our actions, lest a new terrorist attack occur. We have to be more vigilant -- always looking for suspicious packages and other possible dangers.\nThat makes sense -- to a certain extent. But it also greatly restricts liberty -- both personal and corporate. It seems odd to defend an ad campaign, but is our liberty worth giving away? If we are to live in perpetual fear of a terrorist attack, haven't the terrorists prevailed?