This comment could be considered a terrorist act.

Case in point: In 2005, senior Matthew A. Pattison donned a gorilla mask and sheepskin shawl and climbed onto the roof of Oley Valley High School in Berks County. The stunt triggered an emergency response that included the FBI and a bomb squad. Police officers took Pattison off the roof at gunpoint as students remained locked in their classrooms with blinds drawn.

Officials defended the response as 'standard procedure' in the wake of the Columbine and the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.


Given that a sense of humor and the ability to laugh at ourselves is was one of America's greatest strengths, the terrorists have indeed won.

America the Pathetic

My class just went to the beach (3 blocks away) and got drunk. It was great, until the kid high on something passed out and the police were forced to act. Back then, that meant the police just confiscated the booze, took care of the sick kid and left the rest of us alone. I have no idea what would happen today.

/1985 - NYC (Beach Channel HS)

The Pussification of America^TM continues.

back in '78,'79 and '80, I went to a vocational school and high school....we were in the body shop class and us and the mechanics class grew pot plants over in the greenhouse. We would hang out in the sunshine and smoke pot at lunch and have a good time......oh for the good old days.........................

A class at my high school in the late 70's borrowed a Cessna from the local airport, dismantled it, hauled it over the cafeteria roof, and reassembled it in the main courtyard. I'm sure that would get the perpetrators a collective trip to Gitmo today.

but shooting a doctor in church in front of friends and family to instill fear in the rest isn't.

Big shock. Schools are just teaching the commoners how to live in a police state.

Hobodeluxe: but shooting a doctor in church in front of friends and family to instill fear in the rest isn't.

Given the level of vitriol against Tiller personally, I could see a plausible argument that it wasn't intended to intimidate others.

/completely unaware of any motivational clues left behind by the shooter, so ignore this if he had "Sic Sempre Abortionists" tattood on his face or such

A punishment incommensurate with the crime is an act of terrorism, designed to intimidate people into compliance.

I was watching Cloak and Dagger with my son the other week. When Davey was playing "spies" at the beginning by running through the lobby of a San Antonio building with a realistic looking gun, the guard just sat there, bemused.

Only thing I could think was, "Jesus - that kid would be riddled with holes today." To be fair, it was a family movie and he might have met the same fate in reality back then, but it didn't seem to even register as odd to me when I watched it as a kid.

"Officials defended the response as 'standard procedure' in the wake of the Columbine and the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks"

nice to see we went from home of the brave, to land of the hypersensitive pussies.

/truckload of horse poo on the school front steps with a sign that said "the shiat stops here"...

mediaho: A punishment incommensurate with the crime is an act of terrorism, designed to intimidate people into compliance.

Damn thats deep. And probably true.

The only prank pulled at my school was blisteringly idiotic. Some schmuck said he saw someone with a gun... a week after Columbine.

/He was expelled.
//Said he did it for the lolz...
///Dolt.

You want to talk acts that would be considered terrorism these days?

Friends and I made an elaborate fireworks display and hid it on a building overlooking graduation. The display was found by some kids and the bomb squad was called in to investigate and defuse.

Terrorism? Yes, they considered for a week or two whether to charge us with any sort of crime, but even then they never considered charging us with terrorism.

buddy broke into his elementary school (age 11), messed it up good, started some fires, other nasty things, got caught.

Forced into counseling. Caused no trouble since.

Around here, someone grabbed three goats, painted them with 1, 3 and 4, and let them loose on campus. People spent weeks searching for, and speculating over the fate of, the infamous "Goat No. 2".

Old idea, still gets people all the time.

I'm sorry, but did that article have any hair questions or did I overlook it?

Welcome to Obama's America.

Duh. we've been living in fear for decades now.

Land of the intimidated, home of the scared.

The best part is that all the good pranks from the 70's were pulled by the same pussies who now say it's a terrorist act kids to pull one now. Thanks Boomers.

What happened to you America? You used to be cool.

mr_a: Given that a sense of humor and the ability to laugh at ourselves is was one of America's greatest strengths, the terrorists have indeed won.


This whole mess has been like being forced to watch a grade school t-ball game. Except one team sucks harder than usual.

So one team can't bat, can't field, never gets any outs, and they eventually have to just swap the innings after the other team has batted through about nine times.

Meanwhile it's 2-107. Saying that they other team merely "won" is being polite so not to hurt the little losers feelings. It has been a brutal, unchallenged slaughter. And the good parents have to sit there and smile, trying to re-assuring even though their children are running around like headless chickens. It has been nine hours sitting on uncomfortable metal bleachers, and no alcohol is served at this damn game, but we still have to smile and nod even though all we want to do is end this whole thing out of pity and go get snowcones.

Fraidycat Paranoid Citizen: "Oh, please Mr Big Government official, please, please, please pretty please protect my from those scary terrorists."

Big Government official: "...."

Fraidycat Paranoid Citizen: "Please, I'll give you ANYTHING to protect me!! Just make the TERRISTS go away!"

Big Government official: "ANYTHING, you say?"

Fraidycat Paranoid Citizen: "YES, ANYTHING! I'm so TERRIFIED of TERRIRSTS."

Big Government official: "How about your FREEDOM, then? I think that's a good deal."

Fraidycat Paranoid Citizen: "DEAL. That's worth it. Here, have some extra taxes to pay for your snooping program!"

Big Government official: "SWEET!"

Actual, Real-life, Scary Terrorist, sitting in his cave in Afghanistan: "Silly Western people with their democracy. This is working out WAY better than I anticipated!!!"

thewingedgeek: The best part is that all the good pranks from the 70's were pulled by the same pussies who now say it's a terrorist act kids to pull one now. Thanks Boomers.

my dad used to go on and on about how his generation "the boomers" were the greatest. i told him that was a load. the boomers are the "greatest" generation of hypocrites. preached against all the wrongs of the system and the proceeded to sell out to the system completely.

at least my generation knows we suck. no delusions of grandeur...

Last One Left: This comment could be considered a terrorist act.

Just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean they're not after you.

Impasse: Welcome to Obama's America.

I'm no Obama fan, but you're in idiot. As I recall, it was Bush's America that drilled the word "terrorist" into our heads on an hourly basis to keep us in a constant state of complacent fear. I wouldn't know how to live if is wasn't for the color-coded homeland security chart!

... and snapping bra straps was just having innocent fun, instead of the actions of future lesbians/sex offenders.

thewingedgeek: The best part is that all the good pranks from the 70's were pulled by the same pussies who now say it's a terrorist act kids to pull one now. Thanks Boomers.

same thing i thought

"do as i say not as i dodid"

Impasse: Welcome to Obama's America.

Retard

is the Obama-Godwin the meme of the day or something?

Cornwell: Around here, someone grabbed three goats, painted them with 1, 3 and 4, and let them loose on campus. People spent weeks searching for, and speculating over the fate of, the infamous "Goat No. 2".

Old idea, still gets people all the time.

I can honestly say I've never heard that one...and I like it. Would go great with sheep and the town next to mine....

When I was graduating, our school was new and we had a new football field as well. There were a lot of rocks that needed to be raked up and removed so that fresh sod could be planted. One of our major rivals raked up and hauled in even more rocks in the middle of the night and used those mounds of rocks to spell out "PIRATES" (their team).

We repaid the favor by visiting their field with a sod cutting machine and removing all of their grass. It was the greatest prank ever, because the administrators from both schools "planted the seeds".

The Pirates needed the sod removed so that the field could have some drainage issues corrected. As part of the renovation, they would be getting new sod installed by the contractor. Since they were getting new sod, they gave us their old sod.

No one knew it was really an inside joke until it was announced in the newspaper and radio to prevent a riot.

Home of the Brave.

Many years ago - mid 60s - a friend of mine and one of his buddies went to a local farm, stole 2 medium sized hogs, threw them in the back of the truck, drove into town, backed up to the side entrance of the J C Penney store and let the hogs loose. They knew they were going to get caught - they did it during store hours and on a Friday evening when the downtown shopping district was busiest. They thought they'd cause a bit of excitement. They thought correctly. Of course, like most 16 year olds, they hadn't thought their clever plan all the way through. Like how exactly do you catch two terrified porkers running amok through a retail establishment? Bottom line - they had to help catch the pigs, bring them back the the farmer, help clean up the store and told to talk to the district court judge on Monday. No arrest, no lawyers, no trial, I don't even think there was an actual arraignment. They did have a visit with the judge on Monday, both sets of parents attending. The two boys then spent the entire summer working as full time employees of the JC Penny company for wages that were 100% garnished. They went on to respectable lives.

There would have been 3 of us if I hadn't been out of town attending a family wedding. But I've often wondered what would have happened now if someone pulled a stupid stunt like that.

FriarReb98: Cornwell: Around here, someone grabbed three goats, painted them with 1, 3 and 4, and let them loose on campus. People spent weeks searching for, and speculating over the fate of, the infamous "Goat No. 2".

Old idea, still gets people all the time.

I can honestly say I've never heard that one...and I like it. Would go great with sheep and the town next to mine....

I think they've pulled it in England a few times at least.

Okay, I'm going to go ahead and call it; America is officially on the decline.

For the record, the kids pulling pranks in the late 70s and 80s weren't really boomers. Boomers were born in the later 40s and the 50s, not born in the 60s and 70s.

Please don't insult those born in the 60s and 70s by calling us boomers. We hate the boomers, too.

iceberg theory:

nice to see we went from home of the brave, to land of the hypersensitive pussies.

Amen

If all of the people who pulled many of the creative stunts in high school were prosecuted as sex offenders, terrorists...etc; they probably wouldn't have become doctors, lawyers, scientists, or professors.

Lamune_Baba: mr_a: Given that a sense of humor and the ability to laugh at ourselves is was one of America's greatest strengths, the terrorists have indeed won.


This whole mess has been like being forced to watch a grade school t-ball game. Except one team sucks harder than usual.

So one team can't bat, can't field, never gets any outs, and they eventually have to just swap the innings after the other team has batted through about nine times.

Meanwhile it's 2-107. Saying that they other team merely "won" is being polite so not to hurt the little losers feelings. It has been a brutal, unchallenged slaughter. And the good parents have to sit there and smile, trying to re-assuring even though their children are running around like headless chickens. It has been nine hours sitting on uncomfortable metal bleachers, and no alcohol is served at this damn game, but we still have to smile and nod even though all we want to do is end this whole thing out of pity and go get snowcones.

I have absolutely no idea what you're trying to say with this analogy, but the score would be 107-2, not 2-107. And since no one pitches in t-ball, a score of 107 would just mean that one team is super-frigging awesome at t-ball.

The thing is, I'm not afraid of terrorists at all. I'd happily take my chances.

The best response we could have had after 9/11 would have been to purchase the front page of the New York Times with an ad that read:

"Dear Middle East,

That's all you got? We lose that many people on the freeway every week.

-America"

And than, not change shait.

Instead, I, an average American citizen, am now afraid of my own government.

Day_Old_Dutchie: Actual, Real-life, Scary Terrorist, sitting in his cave in Afghanistan: "Silly Western people with their democracy. This is working out WAY better than I anticipated!!!"

The sad thing is that our own paranoia is doing more damage than a couple dozen terrorists did on 9-11.

I'm so Goddamned sick of 9/11 being used to justify bullshiat. Actually I'm sick of hearing about 9/11 period.

When I was a junior, the seniors greased some pigs and turned them loose in the high school.

They were a pretty redneck group, though. My class was more of a 'party, drink and get stoned' class and I think we honestly forgot to pull some kind of prank before graduation. I think it was a fairly smooth affair.

Dr._Michael_Hfuhruhurr: The thing is, I'm not afraid of terrorists at all. I'd happily take my chances.

The best response we could have had after 9/11 would have been to purchase the front page of the New York Times with an ad that read:

"Dear Middle East,

That's all you got? We lose that many people on the freeway every week.

-America"

And than, not change shait.

Instead, I, an average American citizen, am now afraid of my own government.

If you ever run for president, you have my vote.

A couple of spelling mistakes slipped in there.

For Kennedies read Kennedys

And there's no such thing as Establishmen. I meant Establishment. The Establishment will deny the existence of Establishmen if pressured to admit this. In fact, if pressured, they'll deny the existence of the Establishment.