LOL.
They are a special kind of stupid in Texas. It's a clock, what further explanation do they need as to what it is for?
Why confiscate his tablet? Nevermind, it's obvious, those things tell time too.
The kid in trouble for bringing a clock to school
- Thread starter mule_eer
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LOL.
They are a special kind of stupid in Texas. It's a clock, what further explanation do they need as to what it is for?
Why confiscate his tablet? Nevermind, it's obvious, those things tell time too.
Amazing, isn't it? Even liberals like Maher and Matthews can see through the ******** of this.
This kind of stuff happens all the time in schools. This would be no news if the kid was white.
My son was pulled over by Anne Arundel MD county police as he was leaving his high school because his license plate they said had been altered. They pulled him out of the car, handcuffed him and took him to police headquarters. They searched,towed and impounded the car. The plate had been altered by two high school girls. They used mascara to change SCX to SEX. My son was not aware it had been done. They released him later that night but we had to pay a towing and storage fee to get the car back.
Bit of an aside: My late brother was I huge Redskins fan while I am aligned with the Cowboys. Anyway, ahem, someone put a Dallas Cowboys bumper sticker on the rear differential of his car. It was very visible to anyone following or parked behind the large Ford. It took PriddyBob Jr. almost 2 years to figure it out. Many of his peeps knew about the sticker but didn't tell.[devil][devil]
Take it up with the author. He makes valid points. Would the same treatment have been applied to a white kid?
Probably so.
The more I look at this story the more it looks contrived.
One thing I'd be interested in knowing is what makes the clock work? How is it a school project? Is it a unique way to keep time (Gilligan's Island worthy) or was it just a clock adhered to a briefcase? If it's the latter: F+ maybe D- .
One thing I'd be interested in knowing is what makes the clock work? How is it a school project? Is it a unique way to keep time (Gilligan's Island worthy) or was it just a clock adhered to a briefcase? If it's the latter: F+ maybe D- .
Basically the kid took the inside of a commercial plastic alarm clock and put it in a briefcase. He didn't "invent" anything. I don't think it was for a school project but he wanted to "impress" his teacher, but also decided to flaunt it around in every other class he was in. It's obvious it was done for political reasons.
From what I have read, he and/or his father took a simple 1986 Radio Shack commercial alarm clock apart and reassembled it in a briefcase like pencil case (no new capabilities were added so this is in no way an invention). His father is a muslim activist in Irving, TX. Mark Cuban spoke with the boy over the phone and indicated that the boy's sister was feeding him answers to some of the questions that Cuban posed. He attended several classes that day and his engineering teacher told him not to show the device to others. He ignored that teacher's advice. In English class, it beeped and the teacher saw the device and freaked out. The stated goal of a group that supports the family is to raise $60,000 for the boy's college education using GoFundMe.
I'm not holding it up as something racial or religious. I'm holding it up as an example of incompetence. The school administration and local police were so concerned over this device that they didn't evacuate the school or immediately remove/destroy the clock, but they did make a big deal of it with respect to the student.
Also, I think the characterization of his actions as flaunting the clock in other classes is incorrect - at least not consistent with what I've heard. His English teacher asked about it and raised concern because of it. I don't have a problem with that - if it looks suspicious, report it. And it wasn't in a brief case, it was in a pencil box.
Also, I think the characterization of his actions as flaunting the clock in other classes is incorrect - at least not consistent with what I've heard. His English teacher asked about it and raised concern because of it. I don't have a problem with that - if it looks suspicious, report it. And it wasn't in a brief case, it was in a pencil box.
I have no problem with due diligence with respect to some object that a teacher thinks is suspicious. That move is fine. It's how it was handled from that point forward - not suspicious enough to evacuate the school, but suspicious enough for the school administration and the police to interrogate the kid in the school for a couple of hours without making a call to his parents. Either you are concerned about safety or you aren't. Based on how they handled it, either they aren't truly concerned about safety, or they are incompetent in how to handle an incident witha suspicious object in a public place.
I'll also note that I started this whole thread, and I made no mention of race or religion. I don't see this as discrimination, I see it as a lack of good judgement.
From what I've read, they recognized pretty quickly that it wasn't a bomb. I think what they were trying to charge him with or pin him down on was it being a hoax bomb. Hence their frustration when they asked over and over what it was ans what it was for and all he said was that it was a clock ... and never even hinted that it was a bomb or hoax bomb, which is what they were going for.
As I've noted before the lack of judgment you correctly describe is routine in schools across the country. Why this one created the media buzz has everything to do with his religion.
That's an assumption on your part. I can't say you are wrong, but I would need an example of similar incidents with similar outcomes and the media coverage they received. I did see one link to other clock stories where students were not minority and not in trouble, but at least a few of the cited examples were water clocks - not something that could be mistaken as part of some sinister plot.
What is innovative about removing the inside of a commercial clock and putting it in a pencil case?
He's 14. I was looking up girl's dresses when I was 14. Plus he attached a power supply to a motherboard and attached that to a display. I call that innovative.
Alex Stone was suspended, his locker searched and when he complained, he was arrested. His teacher didn't like the fact that he wrote about shooting a pet dinosaur in a creative writing class.
http://www.nbc12.com/story/26319685...ter-writing-threatening-message-on-assignment
A 6 year old boy chewed a pop tart in the form of a gun and was suspended from school. Another 6 year old boy gave a 6 year old girl a peck on the cheek and was suspended from school. This stuff happens all the time.
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Disassembling/reassembling a clock is innovative? Every five year old boy does that.
You would think someone like bamaeer would pause to take a stance on this without knowing all of the facts.
I take issue with the kid calling this his "invention" for sure. The digital clock was invented a long time ago. We've lauded a lot of people or companies for repackaging other people's inventions over the years though - Apple comes to mind. That's not the overarching issue to me though. The reaction in the name of "safety" was my issue. Either try to make people safe or don't, but don't pretend that your reaction actually made anyone safer.
With respect to the Alex Stone issue, I can see how his words could be misconstrued, and I think the initial reaction could be considered fair in the wake of the history of school shootings. Based on the statements of the police in that case, the words written weren't the reason for his arrest. His reaction to the search was the issue taht led to him being hauled in. I would say that his parents should have been notified of the search though.
With respect to the Alex Stone issue, I can see how his words could be misconstrued, and I think the initial reaction could be considered fair in the wake of the history of school shootings. Based on the statements of the police in that case, the words written weren't the reason for his arrest. His reaction to the search was the issue taht led to him being hauled in. I would say that his parents should have been notified of the search though.
There have been school shootings and bombs have been exploded. Ahmed would not cooperate with the police at the school. As a result he was temporarily detained. Again, schools pull this kind of stuff all the time . This made national news solely due to his religion. There's Is no possible explanation or reason for suspending a six-year-old boy for chewing a pop tart. His parents had to go to court to get the suspension removed from his record.
I agree that the whole pop tart thing was a major over reaction. What I heard about a lack of cooperation from Ahmed is that he wouldn't say that it wasn't anything more than a clock - no secondary purpose intended. So while they are trying to get him to say that this had some other purpose, i.e. admit to a criminal offense, he wasn't allowed to contact his parents or an attorney.
I don't care why it's in the news. This is a problem, and it was the same problem for Alex Stone.
From what I read, he simply refused to answer their basic questions. And if I'm Alex, I get upset too when I get my locker searched and get suspended for writing about shooting a BABY DINOSAUR in a CREATIVE WRITING CLASS. They would have arrested me too.
I think we both agree that schools are completely overreacting to situations like this. My only point has been the media's reaction. No news if the kid was white. National news if he's Muslim. Why? IMO, the media believes we're a bigoted nation and this story serves that story line. The fact that others have been mishandled or mistreated is completely unknown to the low information crowd which serves the media's purpose.
It wasn't the part about the dinosaur, but the next part that piqued the interest of the teacher, something along the lines of buying a gun to take of the business. It was taken out of context. I'm absolutely sure the kid's reaction was due to being upset about the search. Maybe if a parent were present, that could have been controlled better.
WIth respect to Ahmed, the basic questions were about the intended use of the device. If it's a clock, it's a clock. That's not refusing to cooperate, it's refusing to incriminate oneself. Again, maybe if a parent were present, some of the pain could have been avoided.
I don't think they thought it was a bomb. I think the police thought it might be part of a bomb and that is why they questioned the kid to see if he was making a bomb or working for someone making a bomb or being used by someone making a bomb. Police are always going to ask the same questions 20 ways to make sure your answer is straight.
He didn't build a clock...he took one apart and put it back together. The kids said he wrapped the box in cord so it wouldn't look suspicious...so suspicion was already on his mind...this was a set-up pure and simple. I wonder when the 7 year old white kid that bit a pop-tart into the shape of a gun and was suspended will be invited to the White House?