I will ask everyone to keep this thread civil and respectful. We should be able to disagree and discuss our different opinions in a respectful, mature and professional manor. Okay?
Thank you 
This is not a strict liability crime, and the Commonwealth will be required to show intent to obtain a conviction.
The commission of the act is not enough, and the defendant must have the requisite intent to cause anxiety or fear.
Additionally, a hoax device is a device that would cause a person to reasonably believe that the device was a bomb.
Stupidity, greed, and lack of forethought would not necessarily be enough for a conviction.
Massachusetts General Law Chapter 266: Section 102A1/2.
(a) âWhoever possesses, transports, uses or places or causes another to knowingly or unknowingly possess, transport, use or place any hoax device or hoax substance with the intent to cause anxiety, unrest, fear or personal discomfort to any person or group of persons shall be punished,â etcâŚ
(b) âFor the purposes of this section, the term âhoax deviceâ shall mean any device that would cause a person reasonably to believe that such device is an infernal machine,â ie. any device for endangering life or doing unusual damage to property, or both, by fire or explosion, whether or not contrived to ignite or explode automatically.
If a jury believes beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendants intended to cause unrest or fear (or were extremely reckless in failing to consider causing unrest or fear), and the automobile drivers reasonably thought it was a bomb, the defendants would be guilty. If the jury sufficently believed that the defendants intended to advertise a TV show and placed the advertisment on major highways to obtain the most exposure, and although some drivers were suspicious because they had never before seen an electronic figure giving them the finger but since 9/11 they have been repeatedly advised to report anything suspicious, and the drivers could not reasonably believe it was a bomb, the defendants would likely not be found guilty.
Itâs possible that there may be additional state or federal charges.
Lite Brites scare me tooâŚ:rolleyes:
But in all seriousness, it was dumb to put it on a bridge post 9-11, however it was outright retarded to not notice it was a Lite Brite, in fact it was almost criminal to squander a half million on this. Officials like John Kerry and these dipshits are turning Massachusetts into a joke.
The initial police response to a 911 call was understandable. The police didnât have the luxury of assuming it was a prank. And even in the first few minutes of response when the ground pounders probably started figuring out it wasnât actually bombs, a bit of anger was justified because it was one hell of an un-funny prank.
When the fog of warâerrâŚpolice response⌠cleared, however, what we had was an add campaign that had been in place in SEVERAL large cities for WEEKS, including these particular signs in Boston.
There isnât a shred of evidence that these guys meant to cause panic or fear or anything more than a chuckle. They didnât place these things as a prank to mess with the police.
The proper response now is to fine the guys for putting up signs improperly and make a nice reasonable statement about the fact that in the age of terrorism leaving unauthorized electronic devices in places like bridges (and other pieces of key infrastructure) isnât the wisest thing you can do. Then make a statement saying that because there was no malicious intent apparent here that no additional charges will be brought, but that anyone in the future who tries to pull something like this as a prank will be prosecuted to the full extent possible.
Then everybody should go home and relax a bit.
Politicians, however, arenât known for making rational decisions ESPECIALLY when they feel âembarrassedâ.
So instead of being reasonable about this, they are in full-fledged raving loon mode and seem to want to burn these two stoners at the stake. THAT is really embarrassing, and THAT is what guys like me will make fun of.
The initial response is understandable. The seething resentment and desire to crucify two idiot hippies who even a retarded monkey can see meant no harm is inexcusable.
Good post John.
Good enough for me Marc, I guess my sense of humor from GandR doesnât carry over very well here for the new guys. 
It does with me buddy
Carry on!