Bomb scare appliance first said to be 'vibrating devices' now changed to 'light fixture'
Important update on status of suspected pipe bomb at St. Mary's College...

UPDATE --- Commentary on the News

Kenneth C. Rossignol
ST. MARY'S TODAY

ST. MARY'S CITY ---  (May 2, 2005)  After a numerous calls from the public relations guru for St. Mary's College to learn how this newspaper obtained the information about the infamous 'vibratory devices' at St. Mary's College, the official version of what took place at the college on Saturday, April 16, 2005 was changed.  The Maryland State Fire Marshal's Office first reported that the devices suspected to be a pipe bomb by a St. Mary's Sheriff's Deputy and the panic ensued by College Dean Michael Freeman when he called the suspected pipe bombs to be "improvised explosive devices", to be 'vibratory devices'. Now the fire marshal's spokesman says that the suspected pipe bombs were simply light fixtures.   While the first report of the devices which set into  motion a wave of panic and overreaction by the St. Mary's Sheriff's Department and the College, were just as aforementioned, the State Fire Marshal's Office spokesman, in an update on the matter, said that the devices were never confirmed as being such and the description of the devices, for which no one seems to have a photo, is that they were simply light fixtures.  Since reporters are smart enough to stay away from devices described by the college dean to be bombs, there was never an attempt made to obtain photos of the "bombs" as described by College Dean Michael Freeman in an emergency email to the entire college.  When the first description of the bombs was changed to that of vibrators, the assumption was made that most readers had their own familiarity with those devises and did not need the benefit of photos of vibrators.  Thus the State of Maryland, officially, wants our readers to know that they could not confirm that the passing observation of the pipe bombs being vibratory devices could not be confirmed prior to announcing that they were simply light fixtures.  And to think there are people who think life in St. Mary's City is simply one of books and smoking pot while watching the sailing team glide by out on the river.
Due the wide availability of light fixtures throughout the college campus, it is surprising that College Dean Freeman, the college security staff, the students, who first noticed the 'light fixtures' have presumably graduated from high school and sometime during their lifetime had to grapple with 'light fixtures' might have noticed that the suspected pipe bombs were simply light fixtures.  Why the responding fire marshals would have listed the devices as vibratory devices and not light fixtures until urged to change their report by the College public relations spokesman, Marc Apter, is unknown.  Apter told ST. MARY'S TODAY  he could not supply photos of the suspected pipe bombs. The fire marshal's office now say that they never heard from Apter.
Two calls to the fire marshal's office to reconfirm the report of the investigators on the scene over the last week resulted in the reconfirmation of the description of the devices found on the college campus.  In an unusual move, the state fire marshal's office changed their description from 'vibratory devices' to 'light fixtures'.   What can't be changed is the fact that in 15 years of reporting by this newspaper based on information provided by the state fire marshals office, while information has been updated, technical descriptions have not been changed.
These conclusions can be made about the whole affair which should cause anyone who pays taxes in Maryland or sends their children to school at St. Mary's College to be concerned about how the tax money is spent or the college is conducted. 
Are absolute idiots in charge at the college who would push the panic button over materials found in a construction area?  Is there no one around who knows the difference between a real threat and simple construction debris?  Do we need to bring in sixty plus police officers along with one team of fire marshals flown to the scene because there were two 'light fixtures' and it takes one team to deal with each item?  Do we so under-rate the value of life that a Maryland State Police Med-Evac helicopter is taken out of service to fly crash victims to trauma units so it could be used to fly this team of fire marshals to the scene (and was used to fly them back --- God forbid they could have been driven back by another fire marshal)?

The taxpayer pays for it all.  There were dozens of St. Mary's County Sheriff's deputies sent to the college for this debacle.  Look at the photos, they were there by the dozens.  Some were dressed in riot gear, others brought K-9 dogs.  Some students report that police officers forced them out of showers and marauded through the dorms.  Police officers report that many of the students popped off with smart ass remarks and refused to follow orders to evacuate, remarking that their parents are important people who are politically connected to other important people in high places.

The St. Mary's College campus is a long way from the tragedy of the Attacks on America on Sept. 11, 2001 yet the police state environment and panic mentality have permeated all the way down the usually serene campus where cover your butt seems to be the first rule of order for both police and college officials.  The local police agencies as well as statewide agencies are blowing tax dollars in ways which will make taxpayers cringe and terrorists laugh.  More on this waste such as the police boats assigned to the Maryland Transportation Authority Police will be explored in coming months.

The idea that the "pipe bomb" devices could have been vibratory devices brought some plausibility to the panic caused by the college officials but if it is true that the devices were simply light fixtures shows that the circus is not always under the Big Top.

An army of cops swept over St. Mary's College of  Maryland after a College Dean sent an emergency email message to the campus population ordering an immediate evacuation due to a bomb found on the campus the same day that hundreds of prospective students were touring the campus with their parents.  ST. MARY'S TODAY photo	The first story based on official reports from the Maryland Fire Marshal's Office... Army of Cops, Firefighters Swarm Over St. Mary's College for Suspicious Vibrators read more     St. Mary's Sheriff's statement College Vice President reports that "improvised explosive devices" were discovered on campus
Police rest after sweeping college campus for dangerous vibrators.   ST. MARY'S TODAY photo