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The Church of Scientology sought an injunction and a restraining order to prevent Anonymous from protesting on March 15 , 2008 , citing threats allegedly made by Anonymous . Both the injunction and the restraining order were denied . On March 31 , 2008 , Radar Online reported that representatives of law firms delivered legal letters to suspected Anons , often at their homes . The Church filed complaints of trespassing and criminal harassment against Boston organizer Gregg Housh , who was charged with disturbing an assembly of worship , disturbing the peace , and harassment . The District Attorney 's office dropped the harassment charge , and Judge Thomas Horgan issued a continuance without finding for the remaining charges .
In a May 8 , 2008 appearance on CNN , Church of Scientology spokesman Thomas W. Davis said that Scientology was " dealing with ninety @-@ six death threats , bomb threats , acts of violence , vandalism " from the group Anonymous . CNN 's John Roberts responded , stating that the Federal Bureau of Investigation found nothing connecting Anonymous to the Church of Scientology 's accusations of violence : " You are leveling these accusations at this group , the F.B.I. , which is looking into it , says it has found nothing to connect this group Anonymous with what you 're talking about , or death threats against members of the church , the F.B.I. at this point says - it has no reason to believe that charges would be leveled against this group . "

= = Reaction = =

Andreas Heldal @-@ Lund , founder of the Scientology @-@ critical website and non @-@ profit organization Operation Clambake , released a statement criticizing the digital assault against Scientology . Heldal @-@ Lund commented , " People should be able to have easy access to both sides and make up their own opinions . Freedom of speech means we need to allow all to speak - including those we strongly disagree with . I am of the opinion that the Church of Scientology is a criminal organisation and a cult which is designed by its delusional founder to abuse people . I am still committed to fight for their right to speak their opinion . " He also stated that " Attacking Scientology like that will just make them play the religious persecution card ... They will use it to defend their own counter actions when they try to shatter criticism and crush critics without mercy . "
Mark Bunker , an Emmy Award @-@ winning journalist and Scientology critic who runs the website XenuTV.com , posted a video to YouTube and asked Anonymous to tone down their campaign against the Church of Scientology . According to NPR 's Morning Edition , Bunker has " become a revered voice to many members of Anonymous " , and they refer to him as " Wise Beard Man " . Bunker told Newsweek that he was pleased to see a large group of young individuals acting against Scientology , but stated he was also concerned for their safety : " I know the way Scientology works : they 're going to get these people in trouble ... I 'm very concerned about their safety , and I 'm concerned about the Scientologists ' safety , too . " Bunker stated that he has received 6 @,@ 000 emails from individuals who say they are part of Anonymous . Bunker attended the February 10 , 2008 protest against Scientology in Los Angeles .
Tory Christman , a critic of Scientology and former Scientologist from 1969 to 2000 , stated she disapproved of illegal tactics but felt encouraged by the new influx of critics of Scientology . Christman told Morning Edition : " It feels like we 've been out in this desert , fighting this group one @-@ on @-@ one by ourselves , and all of a sudden this huge army came up with not only tons of people , thousands of people , but better tools ... " Scientology critic Arnaldo Lerma told the St. Petersburg Times he was impressed by a video of a protest against Scientology which took place in Orlando , Florida : " I 've never seen anything like that before . This is incredible . I wouldn 't have believed it if I didn 't see it on a Web cam . "
In a February 4 , 2008 appearance on the G4 television program Attack of the Show ! , Mark Ebner , journalist and author of the book Hollywood , Interrupted , and Nick Douglas of Gawker.com commented on Project Chanology . Ebner stated that " Hacking their site is not really the best way to go about taking them ( the Church of Scientology ) down . Most critics you talk to want the Scientology site to be up there so that people who are interested can see the stupidity they have on the web and at the same time they can go - they are a few keystrokes from getting a thousand other opinions . " Nick Douglas explained that the group decided to shift their strategy away from the attacks to Scientology websites : " Anonymous even decided that they were going to stop that attack , that it was a bad idea . It 's the usual thing they used to do when they really hadn 't had a thought out plan , and here they 're realizing they actually have to figure out some real plan against a real enemy . "
University of Alberta professor Stephen A. Kent weighed in on the issue , and said " I think these disruptions probably are illegal . At the very least , they ’ re forms of harassment ... We now have three parties involved . Anonymous , Scientology and law enforcement . " Kent stated that " The hacker community has been angry at Scientology for ( their ) attempts to block free speech on the Internet . " Reaction to the denial of service attack on the Church of Scientology websites was mixed in message board forums for PC World . Some readers praised the actions of Anonymous , while others commented that the DDoS attacks bring more attention to Scientology . The Economist likened the DDoS attacks used by Project Chanology to " cyberwarfare techniques normally associated with extortionists , spies and terrorists " , and referred to Anonymous as " internet activists " .
Dan Schultz of PBS 's MediaShift Idea Lab commented that the movement " ... is a really fascinating case study of how current technologies and information dissemination via digital media can snowball into something that actually results in real world action " . In a follow @-@ up piece , Schultz discussed the tools used by digital media to achieve community impact , including lower barriers to entry and greater efficiencies through the use of information systems . Schultz wrote " For members of Anonymous I 'm betting most of these things are already unspoken understandings " , and pointed to their use of memes and cited the forums of the website enturbulation.org as an example of the group 's ability to collaborate effectively to accomplish goals .
In a May 8 , 2008 report on the recent actions of Anonymous against Scientology , CNN reporter Kareen Wynter commented : " Legal experts say the church may be facing its biggest challenge yet – trying to protect its image , in a loosely policed medium seen by millions of people . In a July 2008 interview with Entertainment Weekly , Alan Moore had this to say about the use of the Guy Fawkes motif , adopted from his comic V for Vendetta : " I was also quite heartened the other day when watching the news to see that there were demonstrations outside the Scientology headquarters over here , and that they suddenly flashed to a clip showing all these demonstrators wearing V for Vendetta [ Guy Fawkes ] masks . That pleased me . That gave me a warm little glow . "

= = = Audio / video = = =

NBC11 Staff ( January 24 , 2008 ) . " Group Wants To Destroy Scientology , Video : ' We Do Not Forgive ' - An anonymous group of hackers , fittingly known as " Anonymous " , has declared war on the Church of Scientology " . KNTV ( NBC Universal , Inc . ) . ( Video broadcast . )
" Know Your Meme : Project Chanology " , Know Your Meme Season 2008 , Episode 13 , " Rocketboom " , YouTube , December 31 , 2008 . ( Video podcast )
Seymour , Brian ( February 7 , 2008 ) . " The Anonymous war on Scientology : The Church of Scientology is already banned in several countries but now it is facing one of its biggest threats from a group called Anonymous . " . Today Tonight ( Yahoo ! News ) . ( Video broadcast )
Wynter , Kareen ( May 8 , 2008 ) . " Attacking Scientology : The Church of Scientology faces a new breed of Internet attacks . Kareen Wynter reports . " . CNN . ( Video broadcast )
Seabrook , Andrea ( January 27 , 2008 ) . " Hackers Target Scientology Web Sites " . All Things Considered ( NPR ) . ( Radio broadcast )
Masters , Kim ; Renée Montagne ( February 7 , 2008 ) . " ' Anonymous Wages Attack on Scientologists : The fight started when the Scientologists tried to get a video of Tom Cruise off the Internet . " . Morning Edition : Digital Culture ( National Public Radio ) . ( Radio broadcast )
Braiker , Brian ( February 11 , 2008 ) . " ' Anonymous ' Takes on Scientology : Online activists take their protest against the Church of Scientology to the streets . " . The Bryant Park Project ( National Public Radio ) . ( Radio broadcast )
Miller , Nancy ; Baker , Chris ( September 30 , 2009 ) . " Storyboard Podcast : The Assclown Offensive " . Wired News . ( Audio podcast )

= Transportation in Omaha =

Transportation in Omaha , Nebraska , includes most major modes , such as pedestrian , bicycle , automobile , bus , train and airplane . While early transportation consisted of ferries , stagecoaches , steamboats , street railroads , and railroads , the city 's transportation systems have evolved to include the Interstate Highway System , parklike boulevards and a variety of bicycle and pedestrian trails . The historic head of several important emigrant trails and the First Transcontinental Railroad , its center as a national transportation hub earned Omaha the nickname " Gate City of the West " as early as the 1860s .
During a tumultuous pioneer period characterized by its centrality in proximity to the Western United States , transportation in Omaha demanded the construction of massive warehouses where frontier settlers could stock up and communities west of Omaha got food and supplies to build themselves with . Riverboats and stagecoaches jammed the riverside city with a variety of newcomers , prospectors and shady characters . Early Omaha also landed the Union Pacific Railroad headquarters , leading to its important place in national railroad lore .
After quickly growing into a city , Omaha failed to pave its streets accordingly . A chaotic transportation system was highlighted by several miles of successful horsecar tracks ; however , the city only ever had four miles ( 6 km ) of cable car service . Several early suburbs were built on reliance of service from these lines , including Dundee , Benson and Kountze Place . In the early 1880s an extensive boulevard system was built to create a park @-@ like atmosphere for drivers throughout the city . The Trans @-@ Mississippi Exposition in 1889 led to the construction of many new transportation features , particularly the magnificent Burlington Station .
In the 1930s the city 's transportation system was marred by violent protests . Transit workers wanted to unionize , and with the main company 's management against any effort to change Omaha 's reputation as a non @-@ unionized city . After the introduction of buses in the early 1950s , streetcars were closed down , and in the last years of the decade the city began construction on its components in the Interstate Highway System .
Today Omaha 's transportation system is growing with the city , and trails for bicycles and pedestrians , as well as public transportation , highways and parkways , and other innovations are being developed . The city has a section of the Lincoln Highway listed on the National Register of Historic Places , and there are more than 100 miles ( 160 km ) of Interstate and freeway lanes , more than any other area in the state of Nebraska .

= = Pioneer period = =

Omaha was not projected to become a great city or bigger than its neighbor across the Missouri River , Council Bluffs , Iowa . In 1856 a land speculator reported to his East Coast concerns that ,
" C. Bluffs is steadily growing down towards the river and someday it will be one great city on both sides the river with Rail Road & foot & Carriage Bridges connecting the two – and this is now the hope and talk of the Bluffers . " - J. Barker , 1856 .
In August 1859 Abraham Lincoln visited land he had invested in Council Bluffs , and while there did not consider it worth the time to cross the river to the village of Omaha .

= = = Water traffic = = =

In 1804 , fifty years before the city of Omaha was founded , the Lewis and Clark Expedition first arrived via the Missouri River . The 1806 Fort Lisa and 1820 Cabanne 's Trading Post were important fur trading outposts located in proximity to the river , along with earlier Fontenelle 's Post in Bellevue . The Engineer Cantonment was built by Captain Stephen Watts Kearny 's Yellowstone Expedition in 1819 . The Expedition 's craft , the Western Engineer , was the first steamboat to successfully venture up the Missouri River to the Omaha @-@ Council Bluffs area .
The Missouri was the reason Omaha was founded , and continued to be important to the city 's growth for many years . In 1853 William D. Brown had the first vision for the city , leading him to found the Lone Tree Ferry crossing the Missouri River from Council Bluffs , Iowa . Later the Council Bluffs and Nebraska Ferry Company hired Alfred D. Jones to plat Omaha City , which was among the first settlements in the Nebraska Territory . Along with the Lone Tree Ferry Landing in Downtown Omaha , other ferries were established in the Omaha area at Florence , Saratoga and Bellevue . Large steamboats would carry provisions up the Missouri from St. Louis , stocking the warehouses in Jobbers Canyon and loading the trains of the Union Pacific and at the Omaha Quartermaster Depot , which in turn supplied the U.S. Army 's Department of the Platte .
The Banner State was the first steamboat to land materials for building the city in early 1854 , before the city was formally founded . Until 1879 Captain Joseph La Barge was the principal figure among the Missouri steamboat captains in the early years of the city . According to J. Sterling Morton , the golden era for steamboating on the Missouri was from 1855 to 1860 , just before the advent of the railroads . In 1857 , 174 steamboats carrying 13 @,@ 000 tons of freight tied up at Omaha wharves . When Omaha became the outfitting center for Colorado gold seekers headed for Pikes Peak in 1859 , 268 steamboats arrived at Omaha between March and November .
With railroads becoming the dominant form of long @-@ range shipping and passenger travel in the early 1870s , riverboats like those in Omaha became obsolete . However , as late at 1949 the steamship Avalon was letting passengers in Omaha , before becoming one of the famous St. Louis steamboats in the 1960s .

= = = Railroads = = =

In 1863 , ground was broke near Miller 's Landing on the Missouri River for the First Transcontinental Railroad . Along with local financier Edward Creighton , George Francis Train was the promoter who was mostly responsible for the city landing the railroad . He was made rich from its convenient placement near land that he owned ( near Deer Park . The Union Pacific Railroad has been headquartered in Omaha since its inception in 1867 . In 1872 , Union Pacific opened the first [ railroad ] bridge across the Missouri to Omaha .

= = = Trails = = =

In the 1860s and 1870s , the city became a major outfitting center for the major trails that went across Nebraska , including the Oregon , California and Mormon Trails . Jobbers Canyon was built in Downtown Omaha for the purpose of outfitting these migrants . Stagecoach lines had arrived by 1858 , including the Local Stage Coach Company in 1857 , and the Western Stage Company which began its easterly and westerly routes in Omaha . The Pony Express and Wells Fargo lines maintained offices in the city .

= = = Streets = = =

Omaha had terrible streets through the late 1880s , which caused many residents to believe the city was not progressing appropriately . This lack of responsiveness by the city government was caused by property owners throughout the city who did not want to pay for improvements . On rainy days stagecoaches would sink up to their hubcaps , and residents wore knee @-@ high boots to wade through the mud , and at times rivers ran through the streets .

= = = Public transportation = = =

In 1867 Ezra Millard , Andrew J. Hanscom , and Augustus Kountze formed the Omaha Horse Railway Company to provide horsecar service in the city . By the late 1870s the line had five miles ( 8 km ) of track , 10 cars , 70 horses , 20 employees and 495 @,@ 000 passengers annually . The Omaha Cable Tramway Company was the city 's only cable car , and started in 1884 and ended in 1895 after consolidating with the Horse Railway as the Omaha Street Railway Company . In 1896 the new company disbanded as competitors moved in . An electric car was built by Eurastus Benson between Omaha and Benson specifically to promote that suburbs development during this time .

= = 1880s - 1950 = =


= = = Streets = = =

In 1880 only a quarter mile of Omaha 's estimated 118 miles ( 190 km ) of streets were paved . In 1883 Andrew Rosewater , brother of newspaper owner Edward Rosewater , became city engineer and began an ambitious project to modernize city streets . By 1886 the city had 44 miles ( 71 km ) of paved streets , including asphaltum , Colorado sandstone , Sioux Falls granite and wooden blocks .
In 1889 Horace W.S. Cleveland proposed that the city of Omaha develop a series of " broad ornamental avenues , known as boulevards or parkways " designed " with a tasteful arrangement of trees and shrubbery at the sides and in the center " , similar to the comprehensive plans of European cities in the mid @-@ 19th century . His plan was accepted by the city 's Parks Commission , resulting in the construction of Omaha 's Prettiest Mile Boulevard in 1892 , and dozens of other boulevards in the through to the present . Today , Fontenelle and Lincoln boulevards are among the many remnants of the early plan ; Sorenson Parkway is a modern version of the historical plan . Saddle Creek Boulevard , currently known as Saddle Creek Road , which was originally the westernmost boulevard in the system .

= = = Bridges = = =

While the Union Pacific Missouri River Bridge was the first railroad bridge across the river , the 1 @,@ 400 @-@ foot ( 430 m ) Douglas Street Bridge opened in 1888 as the first road bridge . The East Omaha Bridge was originally opened in 1893 , and rebuilt a decade later in 1903 . The Mormon Bridge was first attempted to be built across the river in 1932 , and failed ; it was finally successfully constructed in 1952 . The South Omaha Bridge opened in 1936 . The Knights of Ak @-@ Sar @-@ Ben operated the Douglas Street Bridge as a toll bridge from 1938 to 1947 . The bridge was removed in 1968 . Traffic was carried by a new girder bridge built in 1966 for I @-@ 480 . The Saddle Creek Underpass , over which is the Dodge Street Overpass , was completed in 1934 by the Works Progress Administration . Over 1 @,@ 175 cubic yards ( 898 m3 ) of dirt were excavated to lower Saddle Creek Road sufficiently to pass under the overpass , which is still in use today . Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992 , it is part of the Bridges in Nebraska Multiple Property Submission as well .

= = = Highways = = =

In 1889 Otto Baysdorfer built Omaha 's first auto , an electric car . The " Ottomobile " was the first of nearly a dozen car manufacturers eventually started in Omaha . The Ottomobile weighed 265 pounds , had two cylinders , and could achieve a speed of 15 miles per hour . An " Auto Row " developed along Farnam Street and featured dealers , garages , and parts stores .
The original Lincoln Highway in Omaha was designated through Omaha in 1913 . Crossing the Missouri River into Omaha on the old Douglas Street Bridge , it traveled west on Dodge Street , then meandered across the state following section lines . Some of these sections were built exclusively to accommodate the highway . Important buildings on the Lincoln Highway in Omaha included the Hupmobile Building , the Nash Building at 902 @-@ 912 Farnam and 901 @-@ 911 Douglas streets , and the Blackstone Hotel at Farnum Street and 36th Street . Additionally , the Rose Blumkin Performance Arts Center at 20th and Farnum Street and the Farnum Street Automobile Row , from 30th to 40th Streets were both important landmarks .
In 1930 49 @,@ 128 autos were registered in Omaha ; ten years later 65 @,@ 489 were registered to drive on local streets .
After trucks became popular in the 1910s , the Omaha Stockyards grew exponentially . Cattle , hogs and sheep were shipped cheaper by truck than by trains . In 1919 27 % of livestock at the Stockyards was shipped by truck ; by 1940 's it rose to over 75 % . In 1955 the Stockyards became the biggest livestock distribution center in the United States , and almost all of the cattle was shipped by truck .

= = = Airport = = =

The aforementioned Baysdorfer provided Omaha with another invention by successfully flying an airship in the city in 1889 . In 1929 a bond was passed that would construct the Omaha Municipal Airport in East Omaha . This was thought to embody the city 's hope for the future ; however , air travel did not become popular in Omaha until the 1960s . The land was swampy and had to be filled in with silt taken from the bottom of Carter Lake . Northwest Airlines started service between Minneapolis and Omaha in 1930 .
In the late 1940s Eppley Airfield was completed . In 1959 the airport was named for Eugene C. Eppley , the Omaha Eppley Hotel magnate . Eppley 's estate donated $ 1 million to be used to convert the Omaha Municipal Airport into a jet port .

= = = Public transportation = = =

The Omaha and Council Bluffs Railway and Bridge Company was founded in 1886 in order to span the Missouri River . In the late 1880s the city had five franchise companies providing transit services within city limits . They included the Omaha and Southwestern Street Railway Company , which provided services to Kountze Place , Dundee , Bemis Park and the Gold Coast neighborhoods . Short lines ran with limited purposes : one went only to a baseball field at the end of its line , while another ran to and from a park .
By 1901 local businessman Gurdon W. Wattles consolidated several of the older horsecar and cable car companies to create the Omaha and Council Bluffs Streetcar Company , which later became the Omaha Traction Company . After receiving a 30 @-@ year franchise from the city of Omaha , the company established a mass transit system that covered the entire city , including commuter trains and interurbans .

= = = = Traction Company strike = = = =

Wattles was vehemently opposed to unionization , and in 1909 fought strikes in favor of unionization with hired policemen and rampant violence . By 1934 the Amalgamated Association of Street and Electric Railway Employees was organized in Omaha .
However , by April 1935 the fragile truce between pro @-@ open shop management and pro @-@ union forces broke . A long , violent strike ensued . Strikebreakers were hired , and within four days the company rolled out heavily fortified streetcars , complete with windows covered by heavy wire and armed guards on board . While few cars attracted passengers , the cars encountered little resistance . The company resisted calls for arbitration from the Omaha City Council , and continued employing strikebreakers . In early May violence broke out , with rifle attacks , violent beatings and bombings across the city . In June riots broke out throughout the city with mobs burning streetcars , looting and two deaths . The city government lost control of the violence and called in the National Guard , which sent 1 @,@ 800 troops while Governor Robert Cochran declared martial law and ordered the streetcars to stop running . After the governor intervened and Wattles allowed arbitration , a number of agreements were made . However , no changes occurred , and strikebreakers stayed on the job . The violence ended , court cases ensued , and the situation slowly faded away . The Omaha Traction Company never unionized .

= = = Omaha Belt Line = = =

The Omaha Belt Line was formed in 1883 by the Union Pacific ; some shady dealings by Jay Gould brought the Belt Line into the control of the Missouri Pacific Railroad by 1885 , when it was constructed with Union Pacific materials under the control of the MoPac . Stations along with Line included the Florence Depot , Webster Street Station and the Ralston Station . Operated by that company until the early 1960s , today the Line is largely abandoned , with a section redeveloped into the recreational MoPac Trail .

= = 1950 @-@ present = =

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