Comments on: “Innocent” Ideas That Prompted Mass Hysteria

By: Rob

Rob — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 18:13:33 +0000

The first time I went to New York, I was five. I went to FAO Schwartz where my mom bought me a toy Ghostbusters proton pack.

Turns out, when those things go through the airport scanner, they really look like bombs. At least the bomb squad thought so…and the SWAT team.

By: Aaron

Aaron — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 18:10:15 +0000

In her boingboing interview, Star Simpson says she wasn’t carrying any Play-Doh, let alone “five or six canisters in her hands”, which I can’t even visualize. She said she had a hardened clay rose that she had made, but that was it.

By: chris

chris — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 07:27:58 +0000

I was in an airport a few years ago; I think it was Atlanta, when they sounded the announcement to evacuate the terminal. I was already sitting at the bar and had a full beer so I really didn’t want to leave. The bar tender was surprised that I didn’t move or seem slightly concerned. I asked “doesnâ€™t this kind of thing happen all the time?” She said it a couple times a week but most people ran for the doors pushing girl scouts and old ladies out of there way. I told her my bag was heavy plus I hadn’t paid for my drinks yet.

The funny part was nearly every one at that bar had left without paying there tabs. And when they did let everyone back in 2 minuets later not a single person came back to make good on there bills. I was really disappointed in people that day, not only are most Americanâ€™s way to paranoid buts here is a young girl working her way threw collage and an entire bar full of people jipped her out of tips just because they had an excuse too. I saw several people who had been sitting in that bar eating food or having a drink walk by, and you could see in there faces that were thinking about weather they should come back in and pay there bills or just take the free meal.

Itâ€™s not terrorist I’m scared of its other people hysteria and greed. The bar tender was so happy that I stayed and tipped her well to try and make up for some of the money she had lost due to cheap paranoid idiots that she gave me free drinks for the rest of my layover. The only problem was after all the free drinks I was so drunk they almost didn’t let me on my plane.

By: graham

graham — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 18:38:03 +0000

We had a scare once at my dad’s art gallery, there was a briefcase left outside against the building. It was odd because it was kinda ragged looking and this was post 9/11 so everyone was very cautious. Turned out some neighborhood kids found it and left it behind.

The bomb squad came out and after x-raying or something, all was cleared. We were a little nervous, but no one was terrified.

What I remember most about the event was how brave those bomb squad men are, what balls!

I also rememeber the facial expressions on the kids faces when they came back to get their briefcase…

By: Cody

Cody — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 17:16:22 +0000

“O Lord, bless this Thy hand grenade that with it Thou mayest blow Thine enemies to tiny bits, in Thy mercy!”

By: Cassie

Cassie — Mon, 04 May 2009 20:37:00 +0000

I was at OU (Ohio University, Athens, OH) when the “This Bike is a Pipe Bomb” scare happened. Closed down the whole green for a day, cancelled classes, brought out the bomb squad and dogs. It was hilarious.

By: Steve

Steve — Sun, 03 May 2009 16:57:00 +0000

I remember once when a large section of the University of Georgia campus was shut down because of a “suspicious” package in a news bin. It was a brown paper bag filled with muffins. Muffins. Needless to say, the now had something more than donuts that they.

By: Brian

Brian — Sun, 03 May 2009 02:22:00 +0000

Does the first reading of War of the Worlds count? Since they first landed in ‘Jersey, the real fear was that no one would be able to tell the aliens from the residents!

By: Jim

Jim — Fri, 01 May 2009 15:27:00 +0000

I can’t believe they still charged the girl with the circuit board. Possession of a “hoax device?” Does that cover cans of peanut brittle with those snakes in it? Or rubber dog poop? Did she not have a lawyer?

By: Hastings

Hastings — Fri, 01 May 2009 15:08:00 +0000

This was in my high school, pre 9/11 but post Columbine. We’re all in class and all of a sudden, the administration announces over the loud speaker they have found a “suspicious fox” in one of the boys bathrooms. (They meant to say box, but every student at that school will swear to you they said fox). We were all evacuated outside in February to the football field with no coats for about 2 hours. Then I guess they decided the box wasn’t THAT big, so they moved us into the gym and auditorium instead while the bomb squad took care of it. It turns out that the box was a gag gift for someone’s birthday and was in fact empty. I was in the gym when the principal announced they had “diffused the empty box.” We laughed her out of the room.