Finally, Congress Is Going to Do Something About the Mooninites!

[Lemur]

My first reaction when I heard about this bill was to think, "Congress needs something to occupy its time." Go ahead and convince me I'm wrong, 'cause on the surface this sounds like a really, really pointless law.

The Terrorist Hoax Improvement Act (http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070508-mooninites-meet-the-terrorist-hoax-improvements-act.html) (no, I'm not kidding, that's the name). Full text of the bill does not appear to be available online, so we have to make do with secondary sources for now.


https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v489/Lemurmania/mooninites300x220.jpg

[Kralizec]

Before that image loaded, I thought it was about this (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_Myung_Moon).

[Odin]

I live in MA and this is one of the paradox's of being here, its by far the most liberal part of the country, but cause a traffic jam and you'll be lynched. :laugh4:

[drone]

When I first saw this, my thought train went: Senate bill + Boston = Uncle Ted. After a quick google, voila!

http://www.masslive.com/hampfrank/republican/index.ssf?/base/news-9/1177572209111140.xml&coll=1

WASHINGTON - A Senate panel yesterday approved the Terrorist Hoax Improvement Act of 2007 aimed at filling in gaps of a similar bill passed by Congress in 2004 to include hoaxes related to attacks on military bases and those involving railways and mass transportation facilities.

The bill was written by U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., and Norm Coleman, R-Minn., was passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday with no amendments. It now heads to the Senate floor for full approval.
Link to bill:
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s110-735
And link to Kennedy's take:
http://kennedy.senate.gov/newsroom/press_release.cfm?id=F0B71889-81FC-4A5F-97F9-FB5A2ABD654B

The one good part of the bill is that people are liable if they see reports of a false alarm response, are responsible for the suspicious package, but do not call in. We shouldn't really be wasting the bomb squad's time if we know the package is a Lite-Brite. No matter how funny it was. ~D

Edit-> IIRC, the ad agency in the Mooninite fiasco sat on the knowledge for a little while before going to the cops to up the hype. I think this bill is supposed to address that. I didn't read the bill's text myself, for all I know it give the feds permission to perform mass body cavity searches as well. I'm sure there is some liberty-taking going on, wouldn't be a anti-terror bill without it...

[Don Corleone]

But what about the hair, man? You haven't talked about the hair. That's the important angle in all of this...:dizzy2:

Give me a break. All I have to say is the fact that those 2 clowns didn't wind up in Gitmo with a firehose up their :daisy: is proof that rumors of the draconian measures of the USA Patriot act are somewhat exaggerated.

That being said, yes Lemur, I agree. Surely Congress has something better to focus their time on like, oh, gee, I don't know...:idea2: the defecit? the border? winning the war?

[Lemur]

the defecit? the border? winning the war?
That would be nice. I would be a happy lemur if they would get serious about any one of those three subjects.

[Whacker]

I don't think the Ad Agency doing this believed that it would have been treated as a terrorist act or threat like it was. I thought it was hilarious myself.


All I have to say is the fact that those 2 clowns didn't wind up in Gitmo with a firehose up their :daisy: is proof that rumors of the draconian measures of the USA Patriot act are somewhat exaggerated.

I don't remotely agree with this statement but :laugh4: :laugh4: :laugh4:



That being said, yes Lemur, I agree. Surely Congress has something better to focus their time on like, oh, gee, I don't know...:idea2: the defecit? the border? winning the war?

Well they already voted themselves another raise not too long ago... You know... for all that hard work.

[Adrian II]

That would be nice. I would be a happy lemur if they would get serious about any one of those three subjects.With Ignignokt in the White House they won't get very far.