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Univ. of Oklahoma Locked Down for Suspicious Object: A Yoga Mat or Umbrella

From the Norman Transcript:

The Norman campus of the University of Oklahoma briefly experienced a lockdown this morning after officials received a report of an unidentified Caucasian male of student age carrying a “suspicious object.”

According to a campus-wide email issued at 9:32 a.m., university deans, directors and chairs were ordered to “Immediately take action to keep all individuals within their current buildings into further notice.” A second email was sent by President David L. Boren’s office at 9:50 a.m. to students, faculty and staff. The note stated, “students, faculty and staff should stay in their buildings or dorms until further notice.”

Shortly after 10 a.m. the lockdown was lifted and Boren issued a statement attributing the action to a yoga mat mistaken for a weapon. Later, officials said it was an umbrella.

Are we now in the paranoia stage?

[hat tip to my cousin Miles, brother of Max, who was on campus and received word someone was on campus with a rifle.

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  • Display: Sort:
    Hmm. (none / 0) (#1)
    by Gabriel Malor on Tue Apr 17, 2007 at 02:39:31 PM EST
    Given the events at OU last year an OU's connection with a few of the 9/11 attackers, I'd expect a little paranoia at that particular campus.

    On the other hand, we are talking about Sooners, so it may be that their too dumb to know what a yoga mat is.  /rivalry-induced snark

    Hopefully (none / 0) (#2)
    by Wile ECoyote on Tue Apr 17, 2007 at 03:19:01 PM EST
    a Sooner would know the difference between their and they're.  Just had to point it out.  They being a Big 12 school though, you never know.  

    Grrr. (none / 0) (#7)
    by Gabriel Malor on Tue Apr 17, 2007 at 05:02:43 PM EST
    Well that's embarrassing!

    Parent
    In short: (none / 0) (#3)
    by scribe on Tue Apr 17, 2007 at 03:24:12 PM EST
    Are we now in the paranoia stage?

    Yup.

    In long.

    It's a deeply saddening event.  I'll set aside the deep sadness of the whole event to engage in a little media criticism.

    First, from overseas.  A lot of the foreign reporting includes a reference to Bush saying he's been deeply affected by it while emphasizing that its everyone's right in America to have arms.  The German radio has consistently used their word for "weapons", rather than the one for "hunting weapons". The implications in their coverage are pretty clear:  (a) it's tragic, (b) your preznit is an idiot, (c) this is what happens when you have a lot of guns running around, (d) after all the lawless violence you've done overseas, America, you have no reason to expect any different at home.

    Now, domestically.

    The MSM spent the whole day yesterday on this story.  No speculation was too outlandish to be sliced, diced, hashed and rehashed.  In the most inflammatory terms, when the opportunity presented itself.  Taking a break from work, I ate lunch with MSNBC running, when the host went into an anti-immigrant, anti-foreign student rant, aided and abetted by the former FBI profiler.  Stuff like whether certain ethnic groups were more susceptible to snapping in the manner the poor soul behind the trigger did.  Like whether we should cut back on foreign students.  And so forth.

    In toto, the coverage was not much different in character than that which followed 9/11.  Vilify the misguided guy who did the deed, ethnic prejudice, etc., etc.

    I'm glad the dog can't understand the finer points of propaganda, and is satisfied with the presence of a human voice and moving pictures to keep her sort-of occupied while her person attends to work.  It was not fit for human consumption.  Because, beyond the just-the-facts reporting, most of the coverage was there to generate something, anything, to divert public attention from anything other than running, terrified, to hide behind Authoritarian Republican Daddy's legs while he slays the scary monster du jour.  And the MSM will keep picking at this wound until, rather than form a scab and heal, it forms yet another nasty scar on the body of what used to be a beautiful civilization.  

    of what used to be a beautiful civilization. (none / 0) (#15)
    by jimakaPPJ on Tue Apr 17, 2007 at 09:10:13 PM EST
    I agree. The 50's were wonderful.

    Parent
    Racial Profiling? (none / 0) (#4)
    by HeadScratcher on Tue Apr 17, 2007 at 03:54:30 PM EST
    Good thing it was a yoga mat and not a prayer mat...

    or a bottle of holy water (none / 0) (#14)
    by jimakaPPJ on Tue Apr 17, 2007 at 09:09:01 PM EST
    Security Theater (none / 0) (#5)
    by TomK on Tue Apr 17, 2007 at 03:59:39 PM EST
    It would be a good time for everyone to read Bruce Schneier on security theater and the psychology of security

    I think I better.... (none / 0) (#6)
    by kdog on Tue Apr 17, 2007 at 04:02:27 PM EST
    stop carrying my banana breakfast in my jacket pocket everyday....somebody will drop a dime on me before long in this climate.  We were in paranoia stage long before yesterday, though it probably is worse today than last week.

    I'm not gonna let the very few nutjobs in this world force me to look at all of my fellow humans with suspicion.  I won't live that way.  Everybody gets the benefit of the doubt from me.

    Everybody gets the benefit of the doubt from me. (none / 0) (#11)
    by jimakaPPJ on Tue Apr 17, 2007 at 09:05:08 PM EST
    I'll remember that when I reraise all in against you.

    ;-)

    Parent

    The poker table.... (none / 0) (#13)
    by kdog on Tue Apr 17, 2007 at 09:08:28 PM EST
    is another universe my friend:)

    Parent
    aw shucks.... (none / 0) (#18)
    by jimakaPPJ on Tue Apr 17, 2007 at 09:18:16 PM EST
    Wait (none / 0) (#8)
    by kaleidescope on Tue Apr 17, 2007 at 06:22:18 PM EST
    I thought that in places like Oklahoma they want people to carry weapons like rifles (especially assault rifles) on campus and everywhere else.  Now I'm so confused.

    Uncool. (none / 0) (#9)
    by Gabriel Malor on Tue Apr 17, 2007 at 06:24:51 PM EST
    What a lovely stereotype.

    Parent
    let me check you out (none / 0) (#17)
    by jimakaPPJ on Tue Apr 17, 2007 at 09:17:26 PM EST
    do they still play snooker and drink 3.2 beer???

    Parent
    Hah. (none / 0) (#19)
    by Gabriel Malor on Tue Apr 17, 2007 at 09:44:51 PM EST
    3.2 beer is still the law of the land. I have no idea what snooker is.

    Parent
    Gabriel (none / 0) (#20)
    by jimakaPPJ on Wed Apr 18, 2007 at 09:05:03 AM EST
    Do students still drive down to Texas to get real beer??

    And would you like to learn how to play snooker?

    ;-)

    (It's a vriation of pool, only requiring real skill.)

    Parent

    Assault (none / 0) (#10)
    by Wile ECoyote on Tue Apr 17, 2007 at 07:25:58 PM EST
    rifles have been illegal to own with out special lic. from the ATF since the 1920s.  

    Parent
    kaleidescope (none / 0) (#12)
    by jimakaPPJ on Tue Apr 17, 2007 at 09:06:34 PM EST
    Ah, the smell of ignorance in the morning.

    Parent
    Alert the media.... (none / 0) (#16)
    by kdog on Tue Apr 17, 2007 at 09:11:42 PM EST
    I'm with gabe, wile and jimbo...that was uncalled for.

    You could criticize 'em for overzealous dime dropping...but that goes down all over.

    Parent