from some people I respect.

Comedian Tim McIntire thinks the buzz marketing is to blame and Turner should pay for the law enforcement fees. I disagree, and we go at it in his comment section. Update: I've pasted an excerpt of my comments below the fabulous video below

The Zebro kids put together a video. Because their response had clearly a lot more effort than Tim's, I vote them the winners of the debate whose side I already declared a winner: mine

Me on Tim's site:

I see yesterday's snafu as solely an overreaction to terr threats. The city and media did not have to react in the way they did. As was mentioned, this campaign happened in 10 other cities with not a hint of panic or paranoia. I can't believe that Boston got something right that 10 other major metros missed. I blame boston and I blame a system of "homeland security" which has to justify its existence (and budget) by overreacting to any and all "threats."

I mean they blew up LED signs. The news referred to these as "devices" and "packages" just to justify their existence (and budget).

In this case, the anti-terror INDUSTRY is at fault way more than buzz marketing which happens all the damn time.

When Menino invokes 9/11, he is doing his own buzz marketing for the military industrial complex. As if all overreaches of state power and aggression are issued a waiver by the memory of ONE act of violence?

All the bloviating and lawsuit-threatening are weak attempts to pardon a mistaken response to an absolute non-threat.

The fact that the backers of the campaign were cable network folks doesn't mean anything to me in THIS case. *I* could have an idea to promote some psychic waves in the populace by placing signs around the city. that's not a terror threat. it may be a public nuisance, but the overreaction by the state, to me, is the real offense in yesterday's story.