DHS Tries to Safeguard Against Giant Monster Attack

KnightShift writes "Earlier this month the Department of Homeland Security halted the publication of the Monsterpocalypse Series 3: All Your Base Strategy Guide due to 'national security concerns.' In a statement on its website Privateer Press, which publishes the popular kaiju-inspired collectible miniatures game, reported that 'Homeland Security pulled the shipment for an intensive examination last week when it arrived in the United States. While no comment was made to the nature of the investigation, several crew members within Privateer Press believe the government became concerned over some of the more radical ideals espoused by several factions within the Monsterpocalypse game.' Privateer Press Chief Creative Officer Matt Wilson added that 'I am confident that the investigation's outcome will reaffirm the rights of free speech and protest of the radical environmental group Green Fury at the perceived devastation man is having on our planet as well as the freedom of people to practice religion without governmental oversight — even those religions which may very well bring forth the minions of the ancient Lords of Cthul.'"

Comments

Update

[ls671]

This is last week news, the article linked in the summary was published on July 21th, it looks like the release won"t be affected after all ! ;-))

MONSTERPOCALYPSE SERIES 3: ALL YOUR BASE STRATEGY GUIDE CLEARED BY HOMELAND SECURITY

Bellevue WA, July 30, 2009â"The Monsterpocalypse Series 3: All Your Base Strategy Guide, which was detained by Homeland Security last week, has been cleared of all security concerns and delivered to Privateer Press.
The guide, which contains detailed information on every figure from All Your Base, as well as tactics and strategy tips for using those figures with current Monsterpocalypse figures, is scheduled to be released Friday, August 14, 2009.
For more news and information on the Monsterpocalypse collectible miniatures game visit www.monsterpocalypse.com.

http://www.monsterpocalypse.com/story/monsterpocalypse-series-3-all-your-base-strategy-guide-cleared-by-homeland-security

My tax dollars at work

[girlintraining]

My tax dollars are being used for the Department of Homeland Security to investigate subversive books? Is this a repeat from the 60s? Do they, in fact, have in their hand a list of known communist supporters? Seriously, the only nice thing I can say about the DHS is that I'm not getting all the government I'm paying for.

Re:My tax dollars at work

[sleeper0]

$100 says the press release was based on nothing more than a routine customs hold - know who customs is a part of? DHS. Know how often international shipments stall at customs for a few days? All the freaking time. Congrats on getting gamed for advertising yet again, slashdot.

Re:My tax dollars at work

[lumenistan]

Sure, you say that now, but you'll appreciate the DHS when they protect you from whatever unthinkable things come forth from R'lyeh...

Re:My tax dollars at work

[siddesu]

It is an Easter Egg. To get the bureaucrat, you must buy two complete sets, and combine a monsterpocalypse customs officer, TSA-thug, wetback chaser, drunk coast guard sailor and SS guy into one figure, and equip them with a geiger counter, a 24-hour count-down flashing digital clock and a large, gold-plated badge that says "SAVING LIVES".

Re:My tax dollars at work

[sleeper0]

Hmm... http://www.ice.gov/about/index.htm or http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/about/ or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Customs_Service

"Until March 2003, the United States Customs Service was an agency of the U.S. federal government that collected import tariffs and performed other selected border security duties. Before it was dissolved to form part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, the Customs Service had three major missions: collecting tariff revenue, protecting the U.S. economy from smuggling and illegal goods, and processing people and goods at ports of entry.

"With the passage of the Homeland Security Act, the U.S. Customs Service passed from under jurisdiction of the Treasury Department to the Department of Homeland Security. On March 1, 2003, parts of the U.S. Customs Service combined with the Inspections Program of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, Plant Protection and Quarantine from USDA, and the Border Patrol of the Immigration and Naturalization Service to form U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The Federal Protective Service, along with the investigative arms of the U.S. Customs Service and the Immigration and Naturalization Service, combined to form U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Oops?

GURPS Cyberpunk all over again?

[StefanJ]

At least Homeland Security didn't raid their office and confiscate their printers and eat their jelly beans.

Re:GURPS Cyberpunk all over again?

[CastrTroy]

A hold up of 30 minutes doesn't exist due to the fact that not everything is done by a single person. It more likely goes like this. Person A realizes that the marked weight doesn't match the weight of the package (or some other miscellaneous clerical error). Person A fills out a bunch of paper work and puts it in a queue to be processed by person B. Person B has a backlog, so anything going in takes a day or so to get processed. This is intentionally done by person B so that it doesn't ever look like he's not busy. If there's always a backlog, he much have enough work to do. So eventually person B gets around to processing the package, and filling out a bunch of other paper work. Person B then decides it's fine and puts it in person C's queue of things to be sent out. Person C eventually gets around to processing it, and filling out even more paper work. After which it continues on with shipping.

Re:GURPS Cyberpunk all over again?

[sumdumass]

Add about 3 more people in line with a site commander having to check off on it all and you are exactly right. Years ago, before 9/11 and DHS, I was bringing a a shipment of car alternators from Nuevo larado Mexico, I picked them up at the customs center which is technically in the middle of the border between the US and Mexico. Anyways, I was held up for 6 days waiting to get an inspection on the freight and it was just like you mentioned but it took another 3 or 4 people to process everything because of the seal on the container-trailer and all needs to be documented the entire time it's in their custody. Something as simple as a seal not matching will send it to the back of the line until it gets sorted out and the inspecting agent will not open the doors unless the seal matched. In my case, it was a matter of backlogged paperwork from understaffed and over worked agents doing the best they can.

This only happened one time to me in the 20 or so times I picked up from that spot. But that is exactly what can happen and I wouldn't be surprised if it happened this time with more emphasis on searching more and more because of national security threats and all.

Not the first time

[cybergrue]

A few years back, Canadian Customs blocked an expansion of WotC's board game 'RoboRally'
It might have had something with the expansion's title that was clearly displayed on the side of the shipping boxes.

The name: "Radioactive Waste"

"Cyberpunk" anyone?

[jim_deane]

Cyberpunk raid ring a bell?

early copy?

[mldi]

The truth is Obama is a huge nerd and simply wanted early copies :)