17 thoughts on “Panic! The Kind That Came From New Jersey

          1. I dunno. Let me ask the AI.

            A good synonym for that would be “petulant brat.” It captures the immaturity, entitlement, and tendency to dish out insults or behavior without taking it in return. Other possibilities include “spoiled troublemaker,” “sulky instigator,” or “whiny antagonist.”

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  1. What I dislike about the whole drone thing: I am 100% down with the whole “THEY’RE PLANES, STUPID!” explanation.

    Remember the “Men in Black” episode of The X-Files?

    Hey. It was the planet Venus.

    And I’m okay with that. But then the government releases recommendations:

    Despite federal officials’ assurances the drones don’t pose a public safety threat, Belleville, New Jersey, Mayor Michael Melham has said he has received guidance police should call the county bomb squad and local fire departments should wear hazmat suits if they encounter a downed drone.

    “It’s a FedEx plane. We get a half dozen of them every night.” is something that makes sense. “Oh, and if a drone crashes, use a hazmat suit to investigate” undercuts the whole “It’s a FedEx plane” thing.Report

    1. I’ve seen reports that the guidance came from the state, not the feds. Why are these sources never cited and why doesn’t the press ask for a citation? I swear, social media and the death of the press have turned Americans, more than ever, into credulous morons.Report

    2. I don’t think that “undercuts” anything, I think that’s more like boilerplate, it’s what they’re required to say as their response to “what if someone actually does encounter a drone after all”.

      Like, you ask “what do I do if I encounter a grizzly bear” and they say “play dead”, that doesn’t mean they expect you to encounter a grizzly bear in the near future.Report

  2. What is it about New Jersey?

    Orson Welles’s War of the Worlds radio broadcast:

    The first few bulletins interrupt a program of live music and are relatively calm reports of unusual explosions on Mars followed by a seemingly unrelated report of an unknown object falling on a farm in Grovers Mill, New Jersey.

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