NEW: Read Michele McPhee's "Schools baby kids born under lucky Star."
Stop with the sympathy for MIT student Star Simpson.
It’s international news that the 19-year-old was arrested in Terminal C at Logan International Airport with a fistful of Play-Doh and a circuit board attached to her hoodie, which was emblazoned with the words “Socket To Me” scrawled on the back.
She was surrounded by state troopers, some wielding machine guns, after she made a spectacle of herself asking inane questions of Massport employees while picking up her 42-year-old boyfriend at the airport.
Then Simpson told authorities she was “surprised” she landed in jail.
After all, she wrote on her Web site that she spends her free time “saving the planet from evil villains” and loves “crazy ideas.”
What? She’s 19, not 9.
She would have been even more surprised if the police - rightfully - opened fire and turned her little art project into a scene that would have made last week’s screeching from just-tasered University of Florida student Andew Meyer look like a kid being tickled.
There is absolutely nothing artistic about scaring people in public places, even if her father, Hugh Simpson, told the Maui News in Star’s native Hawaii that he was “proud” of his daughter.
Then he boasted that his daughter went to a park after she was freed on $750 bail to “stretch her arms because she had been in a small room for hours and hours.”
I hope she gets used to it because stupidity is not an excuse for criminality; an “art project” to attract prospective employers that terrorizes perfect strangers should certainly be a deterrent from Star Simpson ever landing a job.
Read more.
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Star Simpson and her "art"
Look at MIT student Star Simpson's "art."
Like it?
I don't.
In my opinion, it's not art and Simpson isn't an artist.
It's a crime and she's a menace to society. Trotting around wearing her "art" at Logan was stunningly irresponsible, incredibly reckless, and amazingly stupid.
BOSTON -- An MIT student wearing what turned out to be a fake bomb was arrested at gunpoint Friday at Logan International Airport and later claimed it was artwork, officials said.
Star Simpson, 19, had a computer circuit board and wiring in plain view over a black hooded sweat shirt she was wearing, said State Police Maj. Scott Pare, the commanding officer at the airport.
"She said that it was a piece of art and she wanted to stand out on career day," Pare said at a news conference. "She claims that it was just art, and that she was proud of the art and she wanted to display it."
Simpson was charged with disturbing the peace and possessing a hoax device, and was to be arraigned in East Boston District Court later Friday.
"I'm shocked and appalled that somebody would wear this type of device to an airport," Pare said.
Simpson was "extremely lucky she followed the instructions or deadly force would have been used," Pare said. "She's lucky to be in a cell as opposed to the morgue."
...The battery-powered rectangular device had nine flashing lights, Pare said. Simpson also had Play-Doh in her hands, he said.
The phrases "Socket to me" and "Course VI" were written on the back of sweat shirt, which authorities displayed to the media. Course VI appears to be a reference to MIT's major of electrical engineering and computer science.
FAKE BOMBS AREN'T ART.
FAKE BOMBS AREN'T ADVERTISEMENTS.
FAKE BOMBS AREN'T PUBLICITY STUNTS.
Instead of wearing a fake bomb at Logan International Airport, source of the hijacked planes used by Islamic extremists to destroy the World Trade Center, Simpson should have showed up at Columbia University next Monday.
She could proudly display her little art project when Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is welcomed to the campus by Columbia University president Lee Bollinger (212-854-9970) to deliver his speech at the World Leader's Forum.
Let her "perform her art" there, not at an airport.
Let her show off where terrorists and IEDs are appreciated.
..."She was immediately told to stop, to raise her hands and not to make any movement, so we could observe all her movements to see if she was trying to trip any type of device," Pare said. "Had she not followed the protocol, we might have used deadly force."
Pare said Simpson took a subway to the airport, but he was not sure if she had the device on at that time.
She told authorities she was at the airport to greet someone arriving on a flight from Oakland. Authorities verified information as to the name of the passenger she was greeting, and said he had already left the airport.
"She did seem a bit upset that she was in custody. However, she was rational, and she did answer all questions as required," Pare said.
Simpson was upset?
Poor baby.
Star Simpson can join Peter Berdovsky and Sean Stevens on the team of MAJOR LEAGUE IDIOTS.
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UPDATE: Simpson released on bail.
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Check out some of Simpson's other work.
Read Team Three/ Journal.
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Simpson describes herself on her website:
"In a sentence, I'm an inventor, artist, engineer, and student, I love to build things and I love crazy ideas," the website says.
She forgot to include "terrorist poser."
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Here's more.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology student arrested at Logan Airport Friday accused of carrying a fake bomb, described herself as someone who loves "crazy ideas" and has been "traveling the world and saving the planet from evil villains (sic) with my delivered-just-in-time gadgets."
...Simpson said she is currently studying computers and how they work. For play, she wrote that she works at a student-run machine shop at the MIT Electronic Research Society.
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MIT's "people directory" lists Simpson's e-mail, address, and phone number.
I think that information should be removed ASAP.
We wouldn't want some artist to stumble on to any of that information and use it in an artistic creation of some sort. That might cause Simpson the artist some distress; and you know how emotional artists can be.
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Here is a sample of Star Simpson's photography.
More.
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Artist Star Simpson is a member of the MIT Hawaii Club.
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From MIT's The Tech:
At Simpson’s arraignment earlier today, [Assistant Suffolk District Attorney Wayne] Margolis asked for a $5,000 cash bail. Margolis said the high bail amount was requested because Simpson had provided an address in Hawaii, not a local address; she had refused to answer questions while at Logan Airport; and she showed “a total disregard to understand the context of the situation she’s in, which is an airport post-9/11.” Simpson is from Hawaii.
Defense attorney Ross E. Schreiber said that the bail amount was “completely unreasonable,” telling the court that Simpson is a 19-year-old sophomore at MIT majoring in Course VI (Electrical Engineering and Computer Science). Schreiber said that there was no evidence Simpson acted in a suspicious manner or that she ever pretended the circuit board was anything but art.
Schreiber added that Simpson is the secretary of the MIT Electronics Research Society, was a National Merit Semi Finalist and captain of her high school robotics team, and was at the airport for legitimate reasons. Tim Anderson, Simpson’s boyfriend, confirmed to The Tech that he arrived at the airport this morning.
Schreiber said Simpson and Anderson are “not the type of people who go around seeking trouble.” He also added that Simpson is “doing very well” at MIT.
Bail was set by Judge Paul Mahony at $750. As part of her release agreement, Simpson must stay away from Logan Airport between now and her pre-trial hearing on Oct. 29.
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MIT spokesman Greg Frost released a brief statement Friday afternoon.
"MIT is cooperating fully with the State Police in the investigation of an incident at Logan Airport this morning involving Star Simpson, a sophomore at MIT. As reported to us by authorities, Ms. Simpson's actions were reckless and understandably created alarm at the airport."
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From the New York Times:
The trouble began when Ms. Simpson, wearing a lighted circuit board sewn to her black hooded sweatshirt, walked up to a customer service desk at Logan International Airport and asked about an arriving flight carrying a passenger she was to meet. A nine-volt battery was attached to the circuit board, and Ms. Simpson carried a wad of modeling clay in one hand.
The employee, fearing that the board was a bomb, “asked Ms. Simpson what was on her chest, and she didn’t answer,” Major Pare said. “Ms. Simpson then turned around and left the building.”
What was Simpson doing carrying around clay?
If you buy that her sweatshirt, adorned with a battery and circuit board, was just an innocent wardrobe choice, it takes quite a leap to accept that she would also be innocently holding clay.
Furthermore, when an airport employee asked her about the board, why would she not answer?
Why didn't she cheerily explain that it was something she designed for MIT's career day?
Why did she just leave?
There is no question that Simpson was behaving suspiciously.
...Various efforts to reach Ms. Simpson yesterday were unavailing, but [fellow sophomore at the institute Caine L.] Jette said he was confident that she had not meant to scare anyone.
“She’s not violent at all,” he said. “She’s just kind of kooky like that. Last year she shaved her head and donated her hair to charity. She’s a great girl.”
If she didn't mean to scare anyone, then why did she act scary?
Simpson's airport stunt wasn't a fun kind of "kooky." It was the sort of "kooky" exhibited by a thoughtless, selfish individual.
A "great girl" doesn't walk around an airport wearing something and holding something that would understandably cause people to fear for their safety.
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Simpson's lawyer Ross Schreiber claims that the fake bomb charge is an overreaction.
I know Schreiber's role is to defend his client; but it must be tough knowing that al Qaeda is cheering you on.
67 comments:
Anyone knows more about her background. I know she is Hawaiian, but nothing else.
Who was she picking-up at the airport? (Name)
Is she Christian, Muslim, ...?
Does she belong to any other groups besides swimming?
Give her a break, she's just a young geeky girl!!
She's smart enough to know better.
Are we to believe that this MIT student is mentally deficient and didn't understand the gravity of her actions?
Give ME a break!
It's just a circuit board with some leds, battery, and tape. Hello? It looks like poorly constructed Radio Shack project for beginners. MIT should be embarrassed by her shoddy construction. The media should be embarrassed for overreacting. The cops were just doing their job by being hyper-aware.
Menace to Society??? Then we have a pretty pathetic society.
Look at the picture. There is no bomb. There is a breadboard with some lights on it. There is no explosive.
It's no different than those light-up led hats you can buy, except this is homemade.
Was it a smart idea? Not in today's society. But what moron would think that was a bomb?
Hmm wait a minute. Somebody has something electronic with flashing lights on it and they are walking in an airport.... We better shoot them. Oops it was just an Ipod.
Get real people. If I'm going to blow up the airport, you aren't going to notice until it's too late.
Are people this stupid? Where do you get the bomb part from? It is electronics, the same as in your phone - there is nt one trace of any explosive stuff in the pictures! Are you really declaring that all hobby electronics are potential weapons of mass destruction
You are overreacting, as only very naive people can...
This goes to show that attending a school like MIT isn't necessarily an indication of one's superior intelligence.
I feel so much better after reading the comments. I'm so glad other people exist who aren't as retarded as the bloggers, media, and cops going nuts about this.
It's not a fake bomb. It's not a hoax. It's some flashing lights and a cicuit board.
Lets all just take a deep breath and not jump to conclusions before all of the facts are in. Star's "art" and it doesn't look like a bomb to me, but of course I'm no demolition expert. Perhaps that was why the bail was only $750, because the judge might be willing to extend the BOD that there was no intent on the part of Ms. Simpson to represent an actual bomb... On the other hand, I'm glab that the police are hyper-alert at the airports and their responce to this incedent makes me feel safe.
These bloggers, the media, the police are the crazy ones. This is no bomb. There is a career fair going on this week at MIT. She probably jumped on the T without even thinking ahead that crazy people see threats in everything they do not understand.
There was no prank, , no bomb hoax, no threat, no bomb. It's time the media gets real. The biggest threat to our way of life is Bush and the GOP.
It's not a fake bomb - it is just a bunch of wires and a breadboard. Since when did it become illegal to carry homebrew electronics?
And since when did we decide to treat college kids with anything vaguely electronic with death-threats?
As a geek who often has worn pieces of electronics and as someone who carries around things that I fidget with, I can completely relate to her. Hell, I went to the other tech school and I remember working on projects during grad school when I had gadgets taped to me for months.
Sheesh. Reward genius, not paranoia. Was she quirky and weird? Probably. But so freakin' what?
It was a shirt made for a job fair. Doesn't look anything like a bomb unless you are a moron. The news reports that said it was a fake bomb were lies. If you believed them, you are a moron. She was let on bail of $750 although the prosecutor asked for $5000, because the judge, isn't a moron. The gun toting children we put in charge of our airport security along with the reactionary idiots like the one who wrote this blog would better serve society if they were locked in a playpen where they could only harm each other. Failing that, please fall in a hole and never come out. That goes for the offensive head of security at the airport Scott Pace as well. Please move someplace that appreciates worthless society-draining people. This girl will simply go back to court in a week, get her bail back and have the charges dropped. Boston is an embarrasment to America, and it just needs to stop. And by the way, if she wasn't brown, this situation wouldn't have ever developed.
Paranoid. The piece of "art" was a light-up LED star (She's Star, get it?), kind of like the little light-up christmas tree Gramma wears on her sweater, except home-made. The news photos demonstrate the "device" is neither artistic nor threatening. I'm somewhat disappointed with the police commander's statement "she's lucky to be in jail instead of the morgue." When arrested, she was standing on a public street, outside the terminal, remote from the secure area of the airport, which she did not attempt to enter. Is lethal force really the optimal management technique for the "crime" of loitering while eccentric?
MIT's statement:
"MIT is cooperating fully with the State Police in the investigation of an incident at Logan Airport this morning involving Star Simpson, a sophomore at MIT. As reported to us by authorities, Ms. Simpson's actions were reckless and understandably created alarm at the airport."
I see you are getting the same type of comments I have from the denial crowd visiting from CNN.
Lovely huh?
1) Did she make a verbal threat?
2) Did she enter a secure area?
3) Did she fail to cooperate with police?
4) Is it illegal to possess a 9 volt battery and six LEDs?
I'm thinking no, no, no and no.
Save it for Osama.
Mary,
would that be the same MIT office that last year glowingly reported the antics of several of their undergraduates, who paraded around campus with a stolen howitzer?
Star is a shaved head loco radical. She hid the device on the subway and exposed it in plain view. The wires, circuit board and hanging battery, along with the flashing lights and the clay in her hand ALL make a statement that was out of the ordinary. Poor Richard Reid was only trying to light his simple shoe???? If she did this at Heathrow she would have been shot DEAD; no questions. She went to private school just like HOWARD FISH that was arrested at the airport for possession of dynamite. FISH AND STAR are both allegedly scholars of wealthy parents and both these idiots should be thrown out of school, incarcerated for 1 year and made to clean toilets!!! Screww her!
Gee, "F***" y'all are really angry 'bout somethin...somethin' more than this, I think. Can't kill Osama, so we'll do her instead? Or is just that MIT turned you down?
OK, she had a major brainfart, but she's not actually a Jihadi, OK? Hawaii is a US state, she is an American citizen. Stupidity is not a priori a crime.
Mary, you're a scrub. I'm surprised that you are the one person who spent more time than the media overreacting about this rubbish. Yes, "RUBBISH," as some of the folks across the pond would say about the matter and your entire blog. You're a terrorist for the harm to society you have done with a keyboard. I think your keyboard has some electrical components in it. I think you're plotting something. That will be $750 whenever you get a chance. Thanks Mary.
Mary, your blog reminds me a lot of this website.
MIT student: share your opinion
This girl unfortunately displays contempt for The US. Truth is now out. The media should report on the strong under current in Hawaii amongst the upper middle class to very wealthy educated class of pure racism against whites. Star Simpson is an example of a Native with contempt for white America and authority...These Natives have no sympathy for the victims of 9/11 and are modern anarchist extremists...Most are wealthy just like the Bin Laden family...Challenge journalists in your community to examine Star's beliefs and the undercurrent of racism in hawaii against whites. This is about power for Star and thumbing her nose at the system. She deserves two years in jail.
the last post is wrong. I'm sorry. That is an incorrect answer.
The circuit board and battery along with clay in her hands are perfectly normal behavior.
Almost all people walk into airports with this type of aparatus.
Why don't most of you lib children grow the fuck up.
I hope this bitch serves time.
What kind of idiots are running TSA. LEDs on a circuit board is no indication of a bomb. Don't they know what real bombs look like? Haven't they watched movies or the news?
Everyone knows what bombs look like.
Suitcases and backpacks.
It's true. Suitcase bombs and backpacks filled with explosives.
They should be arresting everyone with suitcases and backpacks.
They probably should taser them first just to be safe.
Remember that Pan Am Flight 103 which crashed over Lockerbie Scotland was blown up by a Samsonite suitcase bomb and those subway and railyway bombings in London and Madrid used backpack bombs.
Someone should tell TSA to be on the lookout for suitcases and backpacks. That should keep them, and us, occupied.
Another thing, suitcases and backpacks are bad for business. If we just banned them, then everytime people traveled, they would have to buy new clothes, toiletries and gadgets. We would be safer and the economy would boom.
Ooops! I guess "boom" is not the right word.
Thank god for the quick wits of the Airport Information clerk. I think you need more qualifications to be a Walmart Greeter.
Boston's finest have once again saved the city from being involved in a major terrorsist incident... hmmm. But I guess they did what they were supposed to do. So I'll take it easy on them. I just love to watch thier news conferences.
Dumb**cks work at the airport info desk, and 'Geniuses' often lack any common sense.
Wake up people. Terrorism doesn't come with cute flashing lights and sure as hell doesn't try to draw attention to itself until DELIVERY of the devastation.
"Don't taze me bro!"
Mary:
Why don't you post YOUR contact information? Get a life.
As seen on the Internets... Star Simpson's real crime appears to be Confusing A Police Officer. Everything about this affair after the circuit board was determined to be harmless is an overreaction. That goes for most of the comments here, too.
It's just a geeky nametag. Her name is Star, and the device lit up some green LEDs in a star shape.
It is not a fake bomb by intention, and it's irresponsible to report it as such.
For one she is not HAWAIIAN she lived in hawaii. Which does not make her hawaiian. Hawaiian is an actually nationality and being from hawaii does not make you hawaiian I believe she is german Jamaican. I know her personally and YES it was a totally stupid thing for her to do, but she is the type of person to consider what she was wearing "art". She is young and definetly a nerd, but she is not and has never been a Menace to society. One mistake does not make you a menace. Its pretty funny to think that some people would call her a menace to society. She is a smart person with very little common sense like most 19 year-olds . Many people say its sick, but you know what is sick... a study done a while ago where people actually had fake bombs on them and in their luggage to see how good the security at airports were. Half made it through fine in a number of airports.
Leave the poor girl alone. I agree, she shouldn't have been there with such an awkward contraption on her jacket, but she was. Was her intention to scare people? No. That's ridiculous. And, no, she's not an idiot for wearing such a thing to the airport; she's an extremely intelligent girl who most likely wasn't thinking about what to wear when she was heading over to the airport. Mistakes happen. People need to stop over-reacting. People need to just leave her alone. Honestly, the real idiots are the people who look at a circuit board connected to a 9-volt battery and think that it is a dangerous bomb.
Ok so to the person who left the comment about how Hawaiians are all racist and they do not even care about 9/11. Yes many Locals from Hawaii are racist to "white" people, but you took that comment to the extreme. Star is not Hawaiian and infact she is German "white" and Jamiacan "black". I am from hawaii and can tell you that she is not some racist Hawaiian trying to attack white people. You are the one who sounds racist towards hawaiians. You have clearly not ever met a real Hawaiian. Hawaiians REAL HAWAIIANS are about the land and the people, real hawaiians have ALOHA! Many "white" people who come here come with the preconceived idea that we are stupid people which is pretty funny because when a person walks around with that type of attitude they will more then likely not be liked. People from hawaii are laid back. Just because we are a small group of islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean does not mean anything. There is a higher rate of racist people anywhere else! We were also touched by 9/11 in more then one way.We have also been affected by the bombing of pearl harbor, we also have major Military bases on the island of Oahu. We are a state the 50th state to be exact. We also had family members who were killed and who are still being killed who are fighting for our country and you have the nerve to say something like that because you had a bad experience with some people from Hawaii. Have you ever thought that you are just ignorant and people cant stand you WHITE, BLACK, BROWN, YELLOW!
Bomb makers don't waste time with blinking lights. They also would not display it prominently on their shirt. There should be more outrage over the fact that so many people lack the basic critical thinking skills to recognize these facts than to crucify a college kid who made a poor fashion choice.
sent by Hawaii Prep. Student...
i go to the school that she graduated from and no, we are not a school of terrorists. it is actually a very good school. there have been very successful students that have gone here. now some of the seniors are afraid that colleges won't accept them because of this one crazy thing that star did. we all agree that what she did was amazingly stupid. i'm just letting people know that what she did is not what we do here. the students that go here are all mostly "a" students.
I, for one, am glad that someone went ahead and did something like this. It American mentality and intelligence for what it really is.
As someone who works with breadboards every day, it probably didn't even occur to her that her device would like like a bomb to a non-geek. Maybe it should have occurred to her, but there is zero evidence that any kind of hoax was intended.
How stupid can you be! You actually think this is something a smart person does. I think she is mentally retarded and the gene pool should have been thinned by one. Anyone who would defend her actions has shit for brains. You people asked what kind of person would walk into an airport with a board with wires on it, blinking lights and a battery attached, in plain sight so everyone can see? Definitely not a sane one. A person with mental problems does things like this. And a person with mental problems is capable of anything and should be considered a threat. Security only knew they had a subject that refused to identify why she had an apparatus on her shirt. I think she just wanted to see how far she could push authority. Considering the state of the nation and the fact we are at war, careless, childish actions can cost you your life. Suppose TSA had done nothing and the media had just reported it as art. Then a terrorist could just walk into an airport terminal with a bomb in plain view (why hide it) and say “It may look kind of like a bomb but its just art so you can't detain me.” Also I am so glad all of you dumb asses know what a bomb looks like. You have no clue. If it had been an actual bomb and TSA did nothing, all of you idiots would be saying “Why didn’t you stop her, didn’t she look and act suspicious?” I commend TSA on their actions.
I apologize for the last entry. It was really mean. The world is so messed up right now and I am just adding to the hate. Sorry. I think she made a really bad error that almost cost her life. Which is sad.
If she was totally nude, that might have made my day!
Perhaps standing out on the freeway ,in the fast lane, at night wearing dark clothes,or maybee laying down on therail road tracks, maybee dropping acid, maybee,maybee,maybee.
Here's the deal. This young lady is 19 and very stupid. We all can only hope she grows out of it!
You: It's a crime and she's a menace to society
After reading some of your rants here today, its clear that the only menace to society in this sad little story is yourself.
Look what fear for security hath bought... 19 year old geeks arrested for bread board circuitry, and grown ups behaving like children in their condemnation of same.
Tape an alarm clock to some highway flares, and you have a fake bomb. Easier to do than her project. Many things done by art students at college don't meat my criteria for "art", but it's not an actionable offense. Buy, rent or lease a clue.
She meant no harm. She wanted to wear something geeky and cool. People's reactions here remind me of Monster's Are Due on Maple St....
I'm Rod Serling...
I know Star. I went to highschool with her. She really is a harmless person. She is, as her fellow students describe her, "kooky". She was always a weird kid and I wasn't surprised when I heard about this, to be honest. I also wasn't surprised that she would wear something like that and think it harmless. She always did crazy things like that. Everyone, stop being so hard on her. I agree it was stupid on her part, but she's not a terrorist or dangerous in any way for goodness sake!
Oh and whoever was talking about her having "contempt for upper middle calss white society" is an idiot. She's rich. We went to a College prep school together. Also, she is NOT Hawaiian. She lived on Oahu, yes, but she isn't Hawaiian.
This isn't some statement, political, racial, or otherwise. She's just a kid with strange tendencies. She's a really good, fun, kind person.
I'm white and in Hawaii! I have Hawaiian friends! What is this bullshit about "Undercurrents of racism"? Shut up and come live in the islands for a while. Yes, some people don't like white people. Those people are idiots. You're just as guilty by thinking all Hawaiian people are evil people who loved 9/11. That's rubbish. We're American and stand with America. No one liked 9/11. So shut up.
Star is an amazing girl. She used to shave her eyebrows for fun and didn't care what people thought about her. She was just being quirky and wearing an electronic device on her shirt. It looks nothing like a damn bomb! She was a geek who spent most of her time in our physics teacher's computer lab messing around with electronics. I think she should just get a warning not to do anything like this again.
Man, you really must be completely mentally deficient. Where the fuck did you figure this "fake bomb" shit from? Heard anything about a hidden fuze? Was there TNT or any other explosive or pseudo-explosive found in her shirt? Is there a reason to believe she had intentions to act like a terrorist, just for fun? Oh sure, she certainly finds it funny to see guns pointing into her face and put her life in danger! How hysterical is it to call this thing a "fake bomb"?
I see a much larger danger in hysterical hypocrites that tend to see a danger in most harmless things - and the consequences for a democratic and pluralistic society that they demand.
Sorry, but this thing does not look like a bomb. Why is everyone calling it a "facke bomb".? We really are in Orwell's society when the police can dictate the discourse. This thing is flashing LEDs, that is all. A calculator or a cellphone would be a fake bomb, for god's sake. Is it different? Yes. But this is America, and people should not have to worry about being shot just because they are different. I repeat, this does in no way look like a "fake bomb". Get real.
Sorry, but this thing does not look like a bomb. Why is everyone calling it a "facke bomb".? We really are in Orwell's society when the police can dictate the discourse. This thing is flashing LEDs, that is all. A calculator or a cellphone would be a fake bomb, for god's sake. Is it different? Yes. But this is America, and people should not have to worry about being shot just because they are different. I repeat, this does in no way look like a "fake bomb". Get real.
Oh please - maybe if some of the over-privileged snobby little creeps whining "That doesn't even LOOK like a bomb, DUH!" lived in a country where people routinely blew their own asses up in support of a genocidal ideal, you'd feel a little differently about someone walking around with something not commonly seen on clothing attached to their chest.
It has NOTHING to do with what the hardware actually was or what it was used for, the point is people who aren't riding on Mommy & Daddy's dime to go to MIT don't KNOW what it was and it could have been anything. And the Play-Doh? What a retard. For supposedly being someone so smart, a lot of college-aged people don't have a whole hell of a lot of common sense. Look outside your safe little campuses and above your own inflated egos.
I'd like to see her walk through the streets of Baghdad, I guarantee a lot more than a simple arrest would be the result.
What a pathetic post!
What if someone looks at your (bald?) head and shouts "A Bomb!" - would you later also write about it in a way like: "A fake bomb is not a head!".
I don't know your age, but your comments about this incident let me beleive that you are very childish in your mind.
Cool down!
in respose to "For supposedly being someone so smart, a lot of college-aged people don't have a whole hell of a lot of common sense.":
Yes your sooo true but did you have common sense at 19? highly unlikely. You might have thought that you did, but what young person doesn't think they know everything?
Poor freakin' (Logan Airport weenies and security theater goons) babies: scared by a (approx) 3"X6" circuit board with a few twinkling LEDS in the shape of a star. Playdoh, too? Ooooo, scary!
My hinky white ass it's scary...
Babies.
Anyone scared by this lil white bread girl with the breadboarded LEDs and Playdoh is just too freakin' stupid to be out roaming around without a leash and a keeper.
And maybe a muzzle to muffle the whines.
*sheesh*
Weepy, whiny idiotic pussies...
Anyone who can not recognize a simple breadboard and it's inherent safety has forfeited the right to call anyone stupid.
thanks for playing.
Read this.
Some may think this Boston incident is being overblown. It is.
There should be no cries of racism, fascism or any other police criticism. They did their job. Was this girl testing airport defenses? Was she just trying to make a statement? Some say she is a nice kid who got caught up in her own absentmindedness. Still, how did she ever qualify to get into MIT?
While she apparently is a good student who has won some awards, another award she can now put on her mantel is the coveted dummy of the year award. As one person commented, she should have to pay for all the police and emergency response she triggered by wearing such a device.
As for the whiners about civil liberties, government authority and the erosion of rights, they don’t have a clue. They would be the first to complain if a bomb did get through and they would say the police failed.
Since they like beating the drum for civil liberties, beat it for all those passengers who have to put up with delays due to some clueless individual. Add up all the time wasted by passengers, security and police. Where are their rights? Where is the injustice done to them by someone who wants to make a fashion statement?
To me, anyone who interrupts or stops transportation and impacts my rights and the rights of thousands of others just trying to get from one airport to another should be prosecuted to the fullest so the next loser thinks twice before making a fashion statement.
As Henry Cabot Lodge once said: “Good judgment comes from experience and experience comes from poor judgment.” Maybe this student learned something more valuable than what she ever could learn in a classroom.
Carlinism: There is no sympathy for stupidity.
I was terribly worried to read the strong opinions expressed against Star in the articles. Thankfully reading that the article worried other people too makes me feel better.
Listen, It makes sense that the airport authorities are cross with her...they have a huge responsibility on their hand and they must have been worried for a bit. But people ITS OKAY. I know a lot of politicians would have us believe otherwise but our world is NOT infested with killers and bombers and we are not all out to kill each other and pollution or cholesterol or alzhiemers will get to us before a bomb ever does. Lets chill shall we?
I'm shocked at the number of posters who think officials overreacted to the situation involving Star Simpson.
She walked in and made a fake bomb stunt at an airport. She was arrested and taken into custody. Where is the overreaction?
She learned a valuable lesson about inciting reactions in other people. You have to live with the consequences.
But yeah, she made a clear and artful statement. That she is a dumbass.
Wow. A 19 year old girl walked into an airport wearing a sweatshirt with some blinking lights on it.
First, one thing needs to be clarified - The original article states that she refused to answer when asked what the thing on her shirt was, but that is NOT TRUE. She didn't answer the first time, perhaps because she didn't hear the question or because she is a flake (who knows). But when the worker asked again, the girl did respond that it was a piece of art.
So, after being told by a young girl that some blinky lights on a shirt were 'art', the airport workers freaked out and ran to hide and call the police.
Bombs don't have blinky lights, except in the movies. And terrorists don't wander around with bombs on the outside of their clothes, or stop to talk to people at the information booth - terrorists conceal bombs under jackets and coats and try to blend in so nobody will notice them until it is too late.
People say she should have known better. Known what, exactly? Not to wear blinky lights to the airport?
So what if her shirt had blinky lights on it? For $40, you can buy a t-shirt with an LED equalizer on it that actually responds to the sounds around you (see www.thinkgeek.com/tshirts/generic/8a5b/).
Should you be shot, or arrested for for being dorky enough to wear a commercially produced shirt that uses the latest in technology to merge fabrics and electronics when you go to pick up your equally dorky friend at the airport?
And so what if she was in an airport? What makes that such a special place? So 9/11 involved airplanes...so what? How is an airport building any more significant than a bus station, train station, subway platform, shopping center or other crowded, public place? This girl wasn't trying to go through security, or get on a plane, which might justify some additional scrutiny by the police and TSA. She just walked into the terminal, asked for some information from (gasp) the information desk and walked out again.
If it is so dumb to wear blinky lights to an airport, then is it equally dumb to wear them on the subway on your way to work or school? Or what about just walking down a street on your way to an art exhibit? Terrorists can attack anywhere, and now that security is so 'tight' around airports, they are more likely to attack somewhere else, such as a bus or subway (London) or train (Madrid).
The cops overreacted in response to a panicky airport worker who should have been trained a bit better in recognizing security threats.
Unfortunately, once the dust settled and the police discovered that this girl was not a threat, they couldn't leave well enough alone. Act II of this drama should have been a "Thanks for your cooperation and sorry about the misunderstanding and all the guns. You are free to go." But this is Boston, after all, and they really don't like being caught overreacting, so they trump up ridiculous charges that will never stick and strut around like they found Osama. Shame on them (again).
How long will it be before the gun-toting cowboys of the Massachusetts State Police kill some kid walking down the street with an Ipod or his science project?
You talk like you go to MIT.
Very impressive.
The blog here is so biased against Star Simpson that it looks like it was written by the prosecuting attorney! :(
I very seriously doubt (VERY indeed) that Simpson did it for shock value. And the intent MUST be PROVEN for it to even have been a crime. You know that, right?
So she'll get off on doing community service (for civil damage). This is fair treatment of her case, in my opinion.
I have an electrical engineering degree and the same mental diagnosis that she has. And my friends have worn circuits in public before.
Oh, and I am going to put a little bit of my money where my words are if there is a legal defense fund for her.
I won't say that she has a RIGHT to wear the thing in the airport.
But I will pay to support clemency and freedom for people with Asperger's Syndrome, even though I am unemployed.
You insist on calling the contraption a "fake bomb" even though this is only an interpretation of the media and police.
For the fashion to have been a crime, it must have been premeditated as a "fake bomb". And for Simpson to be convicted, the premeditation must be proved. And "reasonable doubt" must not exist. It is a stronger evidential standard than convicting based on a "reasonable interpretation" of motives.
A rumor has been circulating that Simpson has Asperger's Syndrome, which many electrical engineering students have. If she has this psychological tendency to reserve good social judgement, then innocence or reasonable doubt should free her.
You even complain about her father speaking favorably about her to the media. Tough if a father is proud of his daughter and stands by her. Tough if he won't just be quiet and let the media alone manage her reputation.
It looks like you've leapt onto the bandwagon of being terrified. And Star Simpson never made this country's call to terror.
You talk like you go to MIT.
Very impressive.
You talk like you go to a bible college.
I know that led name tag isn't a bomb. Do you?
I suppose its unreasonable to expect the general public to tell the difference between a prototyping board with some lights on it and a bomb, but its crazy how when people see a home-made piece of electronics their first reaction is: "It's a bomb!". Star had a legitimate reason to be in the airport, the device on her back is clearly not a bomb. If an MIT computer student wanted to make a fake bomb I'd expect to see a timer counting down and some explosive symbols not five blinking lights.
There were no wires connecting the flashing lights to the clay so how can anyone jump to the conclusion that her flashing lights were a pretend detonator for a pretend bomb in her hands. Would it have mattered if she was holding something else? She was put to gunpoint before anyone knew what she was holding.
Engineering students are very proud of their abilities and like to advertise the fact. Its not uncommon to see home-made watches or bike safety lights or nonfunctional art on these students. Americans need to stop being so paranoid before someone gets shot.
So, to put things in perspective. Star went to the airport to pick up her friend. When she arrived at the help desk she saw that the worker was terrified of her artwork. Her first instinct was to calm her down and to try to comfort her. After attempting to do so for nearly an hour, after no progress and after her friend had left the airport, she finally decided to go home. While she was innocently waiting outside for the T to return to MIT, she was held at gun point and arrested. I am sorry that you are too bent on the destruction of a teenager's life that your cannot consider grasp the factual evidence. I am also sorry that you cannot discern between a few wires and leds and a bomb. Perhaps you should take a few science classes and educate yourself. Well, maybe not even go that far. Try and wire up some play-do and a nine-volt battery into a bomb. Good Luck. Do you consider computers, cell phones, pdas, ipods, etc. bombs? They also are made ALSO from plastic, leds, wires, batteries, and actually a little more, yet I don't see you freaking out over people carrying those sorts of electronics. No terrorist, in his right mind, would ever attack an airport in such manner. She was simply an innocent girl, who reached into her wardrobe and grabbed her piece of artwork one morning, on the way to pick up her friend.
personally I am ashamed that I live in a society that is so clueless and ignorant. The paranoia surrounding terrorism has resulted in behavior which is the equivalent of the salem witch trials. I think its interesting that this event happened in MA where the salem witch trials originated. It appears that after several hundred years a lesson went unlearned. Wearable computing is the next technological evolution that our society will face. Lights on a shirt are nothing new - and the police at Logan should have known better.
all she was wearing was a sort of LED nametag with a star. Then the police invented the "playdough" thing to cover their asses -- all she had was a sculptured flower for her boyfriend. Go find a real fiend to harp about. Star is all right.
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