Listen, America has become a little too scared for almost six years. Yes, the events of September 11, 2001 has shaken our great nation to the core, and we knew that we weren't an invincible country anymore. I have friends who have lost loved ones in those shameful attacks, and I know it's still a difficult topic to comprehend. We could be attacked at any moment at any time. However, when you become overcome by fear, you lose yourself. A great president once said "We have nothing to fear but fear itself." Good guy, he's on the dime for a reason. Anyway, when fearmongers take over our lives, paranoia easily sets in those who are already afraid. It's a needless emotion, but if and when we become afraid to live and go about our business, then your life really is over.

That said, some people need to take responsibility and consider those who are already paranoid. People aren't always aware of their surroundings, and when they see something out of place and doesn't look normal, they panic. I remember one year someone put Super Mario-style boxes all over one town that caused this one city such panic. By doing activities like this, you get the fearmongers frothing at the mouth, ready to make you afraid, even if there's nothing to be afraid of, as was the case in Boston, and in our litigious world of ours, wondering whom they should sue for wasting their time.

But 1/31/07 shouldn't be compared to 9/11/01. The latter was one of the worst days in the history of the United States. The former just showed what's wrong with our country in the years since.

But you've got to admit, it is pretty funny. Not the legal reprecussions, mind you, because these are rather serious charges against all parties, but rather the media's reaction to it all. Every newscast in the United States yesterday said the words "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" and trying, in vain, to describe the show to an audience that has never seen it. It's like describing the color blue to a person who has been blind all his life. A smug blowhard wants Boston to sue Ted Turner, a man who hasn't had an active role in the company that bears his name since 2001 and after he left Time Warner last year. Of course, the funniest thing in all of this is that everybody called Aqua Teen Hunger Force a Cartoon Network series, not an Adult Swim series. Way to spend time and money to try to separate the block from the network, Techwood.

I mean, if the world still sees Adult Swim as a programming block rather than a network that shares space with Cartoon Network like you're trying to instill on the masses, isn't Adult Swim just a block? If so, then why separate the ratings from the two? Last week, Cartoon Network would have been the second most-watched network with all audience for total day ratings if Cartoon Network and Adult Swim's ratings were combined, beating out USA, TBS, and TNT. Still, Cartoon Network prefers that they and Adult Swim should be separate, but stay in the same house. You know, for the kids. I mean, adults.

It's over. It was just a misguided campaign in a location that just aren't hip to Adult Swim's culture and fanbase. Kind of like Lynyrd Skynrd promoting their concerts with glowing Confederate Battle Flag-decaled signs in Compton or Diddy and Bad Boy placed neon Bad Boy logos all over rural Idaho.

Adult Swim has surprisingly been mature in all of this, even offering an apology to the media, the citizens of Boston, and the viewers on-air and online. Of course, Boston wants more than an apology. They want restitution for the man-hours and resources used yesterday, despite the fact that instead of being all paranoid and all, thinking flat Lite-Brite-looking boards were bombs (or even bomb hoaxes as the sly contradiction keeps on trying to push to the easily manipulated), perhaps a simple Google search could have saved them time, money, and embarrassment. After all, that's what Boston is really after, a little restitution after being embarrassed on a global scale over a marketing stunt that not only was made in other parts of the country (according to the AP, New York, Seattle, and Philly all took down the signs with no problems, 911 calls, and paranoia), but, in the end, proved to be successful.

Now, instead of a handful of people knowing about the series, every newscaster, blowhard pundit, and every person watching the news last night knows about the Aqua Teen Hunger Force.