Duke wrote: To be fair, they are serving a public that has proven time and time again that they are hysterically allergic to even the slightest perceived risk, and who are backed by a huge pool of lawyers willing to get rich by pandering to those fears. In other words, we've gotten exactly what we've consistently screamed for and voted for.
Precisely so
rob_lewis wrote:RX Reven' wrote: Sorry to interrupt a perfectly good rant but we have none – nada – zilch indication of what would have happened if the student with the improvised time keeping device didn’t have a Muslim name. Maybe his name played a role, maybe it didn’t but everyone should know that the burden of proof lies with the accuser and there clearly is no proof here. I’m perfectly fine with conjecture but to “be depressed as hell” implies that you’ve drawn a conclusion…a conclusion that’s very disparaging and clearly lacks objective support. I have a tendency to like people in general and I specifically like you Rob so I hope nobody gets the wrong impression that I’m bent out of shape or anything like that. However, I do feel the need to interject rational thought here. ASSUMING the kid received harsh treatment because of his name is absolutely as bad and in the exact same vein of injustice as treating him harshly because of his name…does everyone get that?Totally understood. Again, I really DO try to see all sides of something, but this one just struck me as a stink to high heaven. You're exactly right, we don't know (or will EVER know) if this happened because of his ethnicity or if it's just a zero tolerance. And I would love to believe that it would be applied to anyone. But I really struggle making that assumption. I want to. I really do. But I just can't. Especially with this excerpt from the DMN when they interviewed the kid:They led Ahmed into a room where four other police officers waited. He said an officer he’d never seen before leaned back in his chair and remarked: “Yup. That’s who I thought it was.”Now, it could be because the kid was as problem before. And I'm willing to bet the slandering will come out soon enough against him or his family showing that the above statement had merit. I hate to say it, but I HOPE that's the case, that he's a problem kid. Because if not, why would a comment like that be made? On to a much more pressing issue. Let's say that the exact same thing would happen to any kid at that school. Would it get the media attention it has? Would I have even known it occurred? Of course not. Nobody would know that some kid was hauled off to jail for making a clock. BUT, it would STILL be ridiculous that it happened. I'd have the exact same frustration and anger that we've nanny-stated ourselves into this utter moronic state. That we jail someone for trying to do something cool and impress a teacher or peers at what they've learned. In some ways, his name has been a benefit because we wouldn't have known about it otherwise. Yeah, I made the comment about his name in the original post. Yes, I'll admit irrational thought that I assumed it played into it (and still lean that way, although I'm trying not to). But it's still sad that it happens in our schools (or hell, pretty much everywhere). Along those lines, the outpouring of support for this kid (no, not the bobble head politicians looking for brownie points, but astronauts!) has helped to cool my blood. That although idiotic things happen, we as a nation still lean towards the greater good. -Rob
Well said Rob…I wouldn’t have been so blunt if I didn’t know you were a standup guy that wouldn’t get all defensive and weirded out.
Take care, Brett
Appleseed wrote: It's Texas. They execute the mentally handicapped.
Judging by that article, they also appear to put them in charge of public schools.
RX Reven' wrote: Well said Rob…I wouldn’t have been so blunt if I didn’t know you were a standup guy that wouldn’t get all defensive and weirded out. Take care, Brett
All good! I know we all can get off into a pissing match sometimes, but I really really really love how everyone respects each other here. I'll admit that the only real reason I even posted it was because I WANTED to hear y'all's feedback and ideas. I wanted to start the civil discussion. I wanted to hear from rational sane people to show me some of the other sides.
-Rob
I guess part of me could see the teacher's point of "if you see something, say something," but where I turn my head to the side like beagle is when the same sentence includes the words texas and bomb along with the name Ahmed, how much of this was based on prejudice?
I can't find it right now, but there was an article going around Facebook that listed a dozen or so names of not-brown kids who took a homemade clock to school and didn't get arrested. It is a false positive to assume that this was racial, but I just think about the probability that it was and it ticks me off.
Besides, isn't it pasty white kids that usually do that sort of thing?
foxtrapper wrote: Yea, the police and their allusion of guilt over a kid not giving a "broader explanation" to "it's a clock" is the biggest eye-rolling part to me...
"What is it?"
"It's a clock"
"What's if for"
"Telling time"
"What else?"
"What else what?"
"What else can you use it for?"
"I don't know"
"Timing something?"
"I suppose"
"You can't think of anything else someone might use something like this for?"
"Sorry sir, I don't know. You seem to though, why don't you tell me?"
Take away everything from this story except for the fact that this kid was walked out in handcuffs and brought to a detention facility after no longer being deemed a threat(let's pretend that maybe some wasn't able to realize he was never a threat) and it's safe to say what happened was wrong.
G. P. Snorklewacker wrote:Toyman01 wrote:Insert quotes about trees of liberty and what they are refreshed with.4cylndrfury wrote:They honestly don't have a choice. The one time they don't over react and something happens, they will be crucified.Toyman01 wrote: Short version. School system over reacts to nothing. Why are you surprised? This is the new normal.Agreed - Nothing to see here. Move along, move along. All Hail Oceana.
I had a really long post written. This is all that survived editing.
Get used to it, there are too many people who prefer cradle to grave mediocrity, over the ability to soar or fail. 
I can understand if they initially thought it was a bomb or thought he was making a bomb threat with a fake bomb - it sort of looks like a Hollywood incredibly obvious bomb, but it should have been clear after examining it that (1) it didn't contain any explosives, and (2) he wasn't pretending it was a bomb or threatening anyone with it. The mistake I'm seeing is not that they asked him to hand over the device and considered punishing him - it's that they didn't back down after realizing this was a false alarm. They went on to keep him suspended and send letters home with the kids about a bomb threat.
At SnoDrift we were using borrowed start clocks that were made by one of the organizers from 100 Acre Woods. I never realized we were in so much danger.
He was interviewed on Good Morning America a few minutes ago. He's a geeky 14 year old kid who wanted to impress his teacher. When asked what he wanted next he answered "I'd like my clock back, and my humility". At least that's what I think he said. He looked about as threatening as one of those Cabbage Patch Kids dolls.
I bet the Home Ec class has pressure cookers!
Won't someone think of the children?
Its good to see that the USA is winning the war on terror. I see a bunch of cave dwelling USA hating radicals pissing themselves laughing at this state of affairs.
Never in their wildest dreams could they have hoped for the US government to take over their task of spreading terror to the general population.
I also like the message sent with the handcuffs, cause like this kid could easily take out that wussy cop guarding him.
It IS funny, you have to admit. Cause if its not, its really sad.
a kid chews his poptart into a shape of a gun, and gets thrown out of school
a kid makes a gun with his forefinger and thumb, and gets thrown out of school
a kid writes a story where he shoots a dinosaur, and is suspended
a kid refuses to take off an NRA shirt, and is suspended
instead of this being another in a long line of pants on head retarded "zero tolerance" policies that have only gotten worse across the country over the years, the oh so wonderful media has decided that because the kids name this time is all terrorist sounding and E36 M3, that it's islamophobia.
So now, instead of a call for schools to stop being so goddamn stupid, we have a trending hashtag, world wide media attention, people bitching about racism, and an invitation to the white house.
Good job all around.
Oh yeah, and his clock looks like dogE36 M3, all he did was take it out of the case and put it in a different box.
DeadSkunk wrote: He was interviewed on Good Morning America a few minutes ago. He's a geeky 14 year old kid who wanted to impress his teacher. When asked what he wanted next he answered "I'd like my clock back, and my humility". At least that's what I think he said. He looked about as threatening as one of those Cabbage Patch Kids dolls.
The engineering teacher, for whom he built it and showed it to, was impressed. His English teacher, who was freaked out when it kept beeping inside his backpack, was the one who reported it. You would think four cops would have had enough sense between them to tell the difference. I noticed the school still gave him a three day suspension.
Grizz wrote: a kid chews his poptart into a shape of a gun, and gets thrown out of school a kid makes a gun with his forefinger and thumb, and gets thrown out of school a kid writes a story where he shoots a dinosaur, and is suspended a kid refuses to take off an NRA shirt, and is suspended instead of this being another in a long line of pants on head retarded "zero tolerance" policies that have only gotten worse across the country over the years, the oh so wonderful media has decided that because the kids name this time is all terrorist sounding and E36 M3, that it's islamophobia. So now, instead of a call for schools to stop being so goddamn stupid, we have a trending hashtag, world wide media attention, people bitching about racism, and an invitation to the white house. Good job all around. Oh yeah, and his clock looks like dogE36 M3, all he did was take it out of the case and put it in a different box.
This.
He obviously didn't "make a clock." It's guts from a clock clumsily stuffed into the same kind of metal case that you see bombs in at the movies. Then the alarm just happens to go off in the middle of class.
Having not read every single article and watched every interview pertaining to this story, I'll go against the popular narrative here...
This doesn't look as simply explained as "young electronics prodigy gets abused by racist school and law enforcement," but more like "politically astute Islamic parents send kid to school with innocuous but suspicious-looking-to-the-ignorant box of electronics in order to create a E36 M3 show, play the victim, become minor celebrities and get some bucks."
Grizz wrote: a kid chews his poptart into a shape of a gun, and gets thrown out of school a kid makes a gun with his forefinger and thumb, and gets thrown out of school a kid writes a story where he shoots a dinosaur, and is suspended a kid refuses to take off an NRA shirt, and is suspended instead of this being another in a long line of pants on head retarded "zero tolerance" policies that have only gotten worse across the country over the years, the oh so wonderful media has decided that because the kids name this time is all terrorist sounding and E36 M3, that it's islamophobia. So now, instead of a call for schools to stop being so goddamn stupid, we have a trending hashtag, world wide media attention, people bitching about racism, and an invitation to the white house. Good job all around. Oh yeah, and his clock looks like dogE36 M3, all he did was take it out of the case and put it in a different box.
i don't disagree with your main point, but there is a huge difference between being suspended from school (like all the other examples) and being handcuffed and detained by the police.
I like the part where the people yelling the loudest about profiling and judging a book by its cover are using this opportunity to judge the entire state of texas by the actions of one person.
In reply to That_Renault_Guy:
No i'll agree with you there, that part is extremely stupid.
DeadSkunk wrote: He was interviewed on Good Morning America a few minutes ago. He's a geeky 14 year old kid who wanted to impress his teacher. When asked what he wanted next he answered "I'd like my clock back, and my humility". At least that's what I think he said. He looked about as threatening as one of those Cabbage Patch Kids dolls.
No 14 year old kid has ever known how to properly use the word humility in a sentence describing themselves.
JamesMcD wrote: He obviously didn't "make a clock." It's guts from a clock clumsily stuffed into the same kind of metal case that you see bombs in at the movies. Then the alarm just happens to go off in the middle of class. Having not read every single article and watched every interview pertaining to this story, I'll go against the popular narrative here... This doesn't look as simply explained as "young electronics prodigy gets abused by racist school and law enforcement," but more like "politically astute Islamic parents send kid to school with innocuous but suspicious-looking-to-the-ignorant box of electronics in order to create a E36 M3 show, play the victim, become minor celebrities and get some bucks."
This. This is probably more along the lines of what happened. Its like the 7 year old "feminist" girls protesting against sexism, its brainwashing at its finest.
The problem with schools is the students, politicians, lawyers, Media, and most of all the parents (Not teachers). Kid brings in a homemade suitcase clock (Great idea when school shootings and bomb scares are a regular occurrence) excuse me for not being PC, but that is purely idiotic. Teachers cannot do what they think is safe, they have to listen to the parents, lawyers, and politicians. The teacher followed the proper protocol. You have to act on everything no matter how outlandish, because those are the rules (sorry critics). The police had to do the same. Teachers have to be vigilant, but I do not think it is fair for them to be on the spot in front of the media critics, obviously the media is just digging up propaganda. Seems to be the only working method nowadays. When I worked for a middle school, kids were bringing all kinds of things to school, even though the parents and students signed a document containing what they can or cannot bring they still brought the items in. As soon as you take it away you have an ignorant parent down your throat, sorry your son or daughter cannot bring in a box cutter to fight other students (true story). As a teacher your hands are tied behind your back, I have seen teachers punched and kicked by unruly students, and the next day they are back in your classroom ready for another babysitting. After all, of that you have people bring in outlandish things. Most of your job is spent babysitting as a teacher, on behalf of parents that should have been spayed or neutered. Another media propaganda story missing the truth, that the schools issues are the students and parents.
In reply to trigun7469:
Exactly. The only people qualified to determine its a bomb are the bomb squad. Anyone below that, even regular cops, that decide to use their judgement risk being run out of their job by angry parents for not taking the safety of the precious snowflakes seriously.
A few years ago I had to wait for the bomb squad to remove two forgotten slices of pizza from a bus because some hysterical idiot couldn't believe they were harmless and could be thrown in the trash.
"I made it just like one of my dad's, except I couldn't find the gray clay he uses." 
If clocks are outlawed, only outlaws will have clocks
The only way to stop a bad guy with a clock is a good guy with a clock
JamesMcD wrote: ...more like "politically astute Islamic parents send kid to school with innocuous but suspicious-looking-to-the-ignorant box of electronics in order to create a E36 M3 show, play the victim, become minor celebrities and get some bucks."
Or:
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