Aqua Teen Hunger Force...Number One Cartoon, Baby!

What do you get when you mix an ill-conceived marketing plan and a hyper vigilant law enforcement agency? You get hours of redundant media coverage and a couple of goofs facing possible 5-year prison sentences.
I, of course, am talking about the now infamous Aqua Teen Hunger Force marketing campaign that gridlocked the city of Boston for hours yesterday. And I for one think it’s funny as hell! This has shown our country’s tendency to overreact since 9/11.
Yes, overreact! We are becoming to vigilante, almost paranoid; anyone with half a brain could see those were not bombs. And, the reaction of the governor of Massachusetts was about what I would expect from an elected official wanting to look tough in a crisis. I mean common buddy, you are the governor Massachusetts---not Texas.
Anyway, this has brought me to an entire cluster of predictions for this entry so I’ll handle them one at a time so I don’t ramble as much as usual.
1. This is going to backfire on Homeland Security. I think most people find this entire situation stupid. Both what the young men did and how the Boston PD and Department of Homeland Security handle the situation. Only one word describes the DHS reaction---panic. They, the DHS and BPD, were not in control of the situation. In fact, they have once again shown just how disorganized they are. This is a great example of what happens when the federal government funnels billions of dollars into a highly centralized agency with the idea of making operations more efficient. Therefore, I see public backlash against DH. In the coming weeks there will be questions: Why did they continue to treat this is as a terrorist incident long after they knew it was a publicity stunt? Why are they pursuing charges against these guys when there was obviously NO malicious intent? And why were other cities put on alert when they KNEW this was a publicity stunt?
2. Aqua Teen Hunger Force will gain in popularity as a result of this. Despite the negative press and opinions of some of the idiots on Foxnews, ATHF will gain so many viewers from this it will rival Family Guy for adult cartoon supremacy.
3. The most dire prediction I have from this stems for our countries growing callousness to terrorist threats. If something happens, I mean really happens, people will be slower to react because they see the DHS as incompetent and their information unreliable.
Sure, the rank and file guys try but they are led by insidiously idiotic bureaucrats who are piecemeal demolishing the security of this Nation.
So, what have we learned from the Aqua Teen debacle? Marketers are morons. The DHS is lost, Americans just don’t give shit anymore, and a shake, fries, and piece of meat can even clog up transportation arteries.