Art Bomb at the ROM

here is the offical statement from the school's web site
http://www.ocad.ca/PageFactory.aspx?siteID=20

here is the low res video he made

[flash=]<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/olYjeFFnKFY&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/olYjeFFnKFY&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>[/flash]

There are many things to discuss about this act.
But the issues at the end of the day have to focus on how the weak minded administration dealt with the *problem*.
What was the problem? I am reading Galloway and Thacker's "Expoit" ( a fantastic book) right now and I have to beliieve this kid performed one and knew what he was doing.
10 years ago a bomb in a bag addressed as it was would have been dismissed in an instance. But the poor sod who called it in is a product of post 911 hysteria. Well that's for another post.
The deadpan and rather stupid reaction of the th OCAD president, Sara Diamond , is another matter.
From her reaction I could see her supporting the ongoing persecution of Kurtz and the CAE. She came ouut quickliy backing the police action, and before we blame the Toronto Police I am told that they doubted that this was a real bomb from the get go.She was courting *good press*. After the rather idiotic reports of the incident through the press, she felt that the poor sod should be villified in every manner imaginable.
According to organizers of the AIDS benefit they felt this was a discrimitory act aimed at the AIDS Benefit. It wasn't.
So it gets Byzantine at this point.
Where Ms. Diamond could have brought clarity she chose to side with the :BUSH: mentality. With OCAD under extreme pressure to justify it's new budget she decided to court the right (in a vulgar and imprudent way).
All that aside, the police don't want to proceed with the charges but the powers that be (excluding the mayor of the city and the premier of the province) , the side kicks of censorship need a fall guy are lining up on the side of the prosecution..
Stupid is as stupid does…, poor cops…, poor kid… but Canada is becoming a lackey of the US state department and Sara is darling to them right now.
so maybe there is an upside to all this. Maybe students at OCAD will realize they have to choose which teachers are idiots and which ones are worth listening to.

Eric

yeah, i'm not so sure.