#2 "Please, please, please: gears were meant to do something - anything!"

Exactly. I could also go for a bit more, y'know, actual steam to move those little gears around :)

Broths: goths dressed in brown.

"It's a courtesy, law enforcement to law enforcement,"

No, that's called selective enforcement. Perhaps Sgt. Lee should be "Let go" from his duties lest we find ourselves under the impression that there is a ruling class for which the rules do not apply.*

It would be an interesting experiment to see if you could get out of a traffic ticket using this defense. It would seem that the cost of a lawyer would outweigh the cost of the ticket, but still, it would be interesting.

(*Irony. Of course, in practice there is very much a ruling class. America is somewhat novel in that you can join this ruling class with enough cash or connections. All Lee is doing is breaking the unspoken rule of not rubbing it in the faces of the unwashed masses.)

Is there a handbook somewhere that explains all this insanity?

"Chapter 11: Concealed IEDs.

Naturally, any self respecting terrorists intent on obtaining their objective will place explosives in a conspicuous location, usually, with the contents clearly labelled. Frequently, so as to avoid suspicion, we have also found that the device in question will display protruding wires, make a ticking noise, or flash brightly colored lights. It should be noted that the red wire is the wire most likely to disable the device. In the event you see any of these telltale signs immediately inform your superior, who will authorize the inevitable overtime pay required to diffuse the terrorist device in question and insure the public that your organization is 'doing something.'"

Of course, in the absence of any actual real terrorist threat you'll just have to make shit up to justify the millions you spent on training and maintaining all that fancy police equipment and personnel.

Oh well, I'm sure someone will find a use for it later...

This photo reminds me of a Jacek Yerka painting, in his book "Mind Fields"

This reminds me of the mall scene from Brazil, when the young hero mistakenly believes the christmas package to be a bomb.

It's funny, the odds of being killed by another motor vehicle are significantly higher than being killed in a terrorist attack, and yet all this energy is being wasted fearing this tiny little enemy. The best way to fight terrorism is to not be afraid and get on with your life.

The best way to get this posters taken down would be to take them literally at every opportunity...