Letters posted here are associated with the following article:

271
Letters
Friday, September 21, 2007 12:00 AM

Is Star Simpson's "fake bomb" just an art jacket?

An MIT student wanted to stand out on career day by wearing a jacket that lights up. Airport cops nearly killed her for it.

The letters thread is now closed.

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Friday, September 21, 2007 05:21 PM

Security line?

Hey MIT geeks, why not tell us all what a Real bomb looks like.........

Get real kiddies.

You are standing in the security line and out of the corner of your eyes you spott a

Friday, September 21, 2007 05:23 PM

Fear and Stupidity

FDR said we have nothing to fear but fear itself.

He was spot on.

Bush has us all het up about the "terists". He's blowing smoke up our asses so he can keep sending people to steal land for his friends to have access to middle eastern oil pipelines.

Since we're all het up about "terists", the law enforcement types are told to shoot on sight.

Since we know the law enforcement types have been told to shoot to kill, we obligingly take our shoes off and stip for the law enforcement types. Then, the baggage handlers steal stuff from our checked in baggage and the TSA people steal stuff from our hand held baggage.

Kids who do pranks will be shot on sight.

Kids who dress funny will be shot on sight.

My European friends will not visit the United States anymore, because they don't want to have to consent to being fisted by TSA agents every time they travel. They want to keep their luggage, too. Its a shame, because they can get so much for their Euros in the United States.

Simpson wasn't stupid, the American public was. We're going along with this silly shit and precious little good has come from it.

Friday, September 21, 2007 05:30 PM

@brickbat

Would you mind telling my why you just verbally abused me?

I'd like to know why out of all the possible responses you decided to go with verbal violence.

I'd like to study you, if you don't mind. I'd like to study an abusive person who thinks I deserved to be abused because I expressed an opinion that makes him feel challenged.

So what exactly made you choose such a violent reply?

Do you think I will feel intmidated and ashamed enough to change my whole outlook on the world and forget all of the peer-reviewed, published science that I've learned about cannabis?

Or do you do this just for your own for pleasure?

I'm very interested, so please tell me what's going on inside that angry, abusive, demeaning, dehumanizing, violent, insulting, intimidating head of yours.

Friday, September 21, 2007 05:33 PM

Well it's pretty clear

People here can spell empathy but they have not a frigging clue how to use it.

Friday, September 21, 2007 05:36 PM

"Normal" people?

So-called "normal" people don't wet themselves in fear at the sight of a few flashing lights. Only red-blooded Americans, apparently.

I say again, what the fuck happened to the home of the brave?

Friday, September 21, 2007 05:44 PM

Upside-down society

Does anybody else think it's odd that in our society, we give high-powered guns and the power to use them to our absolute dumbest citizens (military and police)? In this case, these high powered weapons were threatening to murder one of our TRUE best and brightest: a creative MIT student. And their reason for threatening to snuff out this smart, creative person? They were too stupid to understand her and they live in a constant state of fear (again, because they're dumb enough to buy the propoganda from the government).

Friday, September 21, 2007 06:03 PM

Check back

. I am thinking

Friday, September 21, 2007 06:06 PM

blinking idiots

christmas must be a truly terrifying time for boston area law enforcement. with all of those lighted christmas trees around, it must be difficult to pick out the real bombs. i assume there is hysteria, and mass arrests.

heres a thought: the boston pd shouldn't be allowed to see violent movies anymore- the only place where bombs have flashing LEDs. you know, so the audience knows its a bomb.

Friday, September 21, 2007 06:25 PM

re: SIlenced

Ummm,

I Tried different handles,

Thought brickbat,

Was ok

For all,

God and country,

Republican,

Christian,

Liberal?,

All aspects of my personality pie,

Well, you have made yourself a target,

And, You dissed my affect in this thread,

So I aimed at your target,

And,

Apparently,

Hit it.

Nothing personal,

Just a schizophrenic, sociopathic internet personality bot I chose today.

And, Really I assumed you knew me…ummm see Permalink Tuesday, July 10, 2007 09:20 AM

I was using your ‘letters personality’ to continue my relentless attack, on this subject (of paronoia)…

I decided ‘I’ would be relentless to mirror the mindset of the Executive.

And…

You are not …really Silenced…are – You?

I after all am

Not really 'Brickbat'.

Friday, September 21, 2007 06:28 PM

OMG

What kind of morons are employed in the Boston airport police department!? I recognize that "art" hanging off of her shirt as a protyping board with a handful of LEDs. Big woop. Add in a 9 volt battery and oh my god--"Dangr Will Robinson."

Damn, those cops are fools. IF a terrorist wanted to really do damage to people or equipment it would easy enough to modify a laptop computer and build a bomb inside it. This silly little girls overt display of freshman level electrical enegineering lab work represents no threat.

I am appalled that a spokesperson for the police actually implied that deadly force was considered or might have been used! Does this mean my son's LED tennis shoes are going to be a bullet magent in Boston? Note to self: Never go to Boston.

If I was on a jury looking at sentencing ANY cop who shot someone for wearing that I would recommend either life in prison or the death penalty for the cop who did the shooting. If America's police force is THAT STUPID then we need to test these people for IQ's over 50! Unbelievable. If I was the DA I would let her walk ASAP before a train sreck happens in the court system. As an electrical engineer I would glady testify about the utterly harmless nature of what she had on her shirt. Was she thinking--probably not. Did she attempt to pass security? Apparently not. If she did not pass security then I imagine the police have ZERO case.

What the hell is happening to our country, are we that afraid these days?

Friday, September 21, 2007 06:30 PM

re SIlenced

I actually adore you,

but used your affect to silence you on my Rant.

Friday, September 21, 2007 06:32 PM

You've GOT to be friggin' kidding me. I mean about defending her.

Is there anyone in this country so stupid, so unaware of the climate in which we live, that they could wear this shirt to the airport and not consider "This may set off some alarms"? Clearly, clearly if we can't even bring on a water bottle, looking as if we are walking on the plane with a prominent, not readily identifiable mechanism with wires attached is likely to cause some concern. I think it would have at least lead to some questioning even before 9-11. She must have known the impact the shirt would have. Must have.

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