In the aftermath of The Bomb Scare That Wasn't, Turner Broadcasting Systems will ante up $2 million to cover the costs of last week's bungled "bomb scare" in Boston, reports Variety. The scare --- really a viral marketing campaign geared at raising awareness of the [Adult Swim] series Aqua Teen Hunger Force --- resulted in massive delays and part of the city being shut down for hours during peak commuting times. The high point came when the bomb squad from the Boston police force detonated one of the ad placements. The ad? A black box with an LED outline of an ATHF character. Or to be more basic, Boston was shut down because everyone from the mayor on down failed to recognize a Lite Bright [TM].

Peter Berdovsky, 27, and Sean Stevens, 28, the pair who actually placed the devices around the city (not to mention ten other major metropolitan areas which correctly identified the devices as "silly" rather than "terrorist"), were arrested and have pleaded not guilty to placing a hoax device and disorderly conduct. Berdovsky and Stevens are employees of Interference Incorporated, the marketing company behind the ad campaign.

Interference reportedly knew about the Boston scare by noon, but did not contact authorities about their role (or the safety of the devices), leaving that job to Turner, who claimed not to receive word until 5pm.

According to Marketing Daily, the ad campaign worked: viewership for ATHF was up 20% this week over last week.

This event demonstrates yet more problems with the current level of paranoia in contemporary American society. For every person who believes the so-called "War on Terror" has been exaggerated and blown out of proportion for political gain, another is buying duct tape and plastic wrap in case of biological attacks. Perhaps this event will finally demonstrate to the populace at large that living in fear is counterproductive and defeating. Certainly, popular outcry to the Boston scare has been of disgust with how the authorities handled the situation, on blogs on primetime talk shows such as the Colbert Report, and even immortalized in song.

It is this writer's opinion that people who are afraid of Mooninites have already let the terrorists win.