“Should know better.”

A college student at Boston College was arrested for making a bomb threat outside of a military recruiting office at the end of last month. The nature of the threat. He stood on a crate, with a hood over his head, and wires leading down from his hands, mimicking the photographs of Abu Ghraib torture victims. As with the case below, this seems again like an example of police authority reaching blindly to use the law to surpress political speech.

But this is what really got me:

Michael McCarthy, a spokesman for the Boston Police Department told the Boston Phoenix: “It can be implied, with fingers and wires – especially in a heightened state of alert, as we are. Mr. Previtera should know better. He’s a young adult educated at Boston College from a wealthy suburb. I’m sure he knows wires attached to his fingers, running to a milk crate, would arouse suspicion outside a military recruiters’ office [when he’s] dressed in prisoner’s garb. If he has any questions as to why people think he may’ve had a bomb, then he needs to maybe go back to Boston College to brush up on his public policy. Or at least common sense, but they can’t really teach that there.”

Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. It seems that Mr. McCarthy needs a dose of common sense in his own coffee. Take a look at the photos over on the Technocult site. How is it that anyone could mistake this for a bomb threat. I can see why they might have to ask him whether it was a bomb, or even search the box, but charging him with a felony is simply vindictive. The charges were dropped, but that doesn’t make it all better.

If “unlawful combatants” can be “detained” indefinitely without trial, trumped up charges that are only later dropped seems like a natural extension. Even if you are not protesting the government at present, you should be concerned if those who do are silenced. They are the canaries.