9th Grader Arrested in Houston for making ... a clock.

[Kjelt]

Just as information this happened in the UK, a boy brought a orange fake toy gun to school, same result 
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/terrified-teachers-call-police-boy-5280852

[cimmo]

And let us not overlook the elephant in the room here - the ethnicity and gender of the child. Would a caucasian female who built an identical device have been treated the same?
Why not?

She might be, she should be. But say that you are right and this played a role, then to answer your question probably because there have been no reports or news about caucasian female children in training camps in the middle of a war shooting unarmed hostages through there heads with AK47's.

You are on the wrong side of this argument, even Obama is inviting this kid to the White House to show off his clock.
https://twitter.com/potus/status/644193755814342656

Face the facts - the only "crime" this child committed was being found brown and probably Muslim.

[Kjelt]

Face the facts - the only "crime" this child committed was being found brown and probably Muslim.

Look at the link above, a white kid, christian, orange toy:  same result.
It is all about what MIGHT have happened if it was not fake.
I can post here 30+ stories of shooting incidents in schools with deaths involved.
To make sure that does not happen ever again, society has made teachers very carefull.
That is what this is all about IMO.

[LabSpokane]

[firewalker]

Just as information this happened in the UK, a boy brought a orange fake toy gun to school, same result 
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/terrified-teachers-call-police-boy-5280852

Toy guns should be banned.

Alexander.

[cimmo]

Face the facts - the only "crime" this child committed was being found brown and probably Muslim.

Look at the link above, a white kid, christian, orange toy:  same result.

A perfect example of what is wrong with the world - paranoid and ignorant ADULTS (who clearly do not understand children).

But was it really the same result? Was this white kid with an obvious toy "gun" arrested and escorted away in handcuffs?
Why not?

I would like for you to explain to me why this clock that some ignorant ADULT thought looked like a bomb did NOT result in the school being evacuated? You (and the school administrators/police) cannot have it both ways - either it was genuinely seen to be a credible bomb threat - and should have immediately warranted evacuation - or it was not.

Since the school was not evacuated, it would appear that the powers that be KNEW full well that this clock was NOT actually a bomb at all. But because it was made by a brown kid, then he apparently deserved special attention, huh?

Which of course is the perfect way to potentially radicalize an impressionable teenager.

[mtdoc]

This kind of crap went out of fashion with Nazi Germany, and it should damned well should stay that way.

Wow!  A kid brought to school a strange looking apparatus that was mistaken for a fake bomb and now we are in Nazi territory. 

The magic of social media.

And a white kid wouldn't have been looked at twice. Just admit it. It was about the child, not the device.

And the parallels between the current trend of anti-Hispanic and anti-Muslim political propaganda and anti-Semitism are clear and abundant. 

It's not right. This is not America's promise. This is not equal treatment under the law.

Absolutely right. Yes, lots of the typical social media hype - such are the times we live in.  But this incident is representative of an important issue and indicative of the fanning of the flames of fear and hatred of the "other" and police state that the fake "war on terror" has brought. 

Better to have social media provide a public forum for discussion of this incident and the questions it raises than the usual social media Kim Kardashian type nonsense.

[firewalker]

Maybe this was the plan. He will bring the real thing with him and blow the white house. 

[FrankBuss]

Right Mr. President, it's funny as hell to get handcuffed for building a clock, I'm sure it will inspire more kids to like science.

[LaserSteve]

Um,  The distrust is so high here in the US, that for the past few years, you cannot bring your actual project hardware to the regional science fair.  Despite my offering to have a team of engineers doing inspections outside the door. No way was it going to happen.   I'm a judge for the regionals, so after they make it thru the school and county levels, they face me. 2 out of 10 times I want to see the actual hardware. I'm making a decision on whether to send them onto a scholarship possibility, offer them a college level mentorship,  or get them interested to INTEL ISEF or GOOGLE Science Fair.. I want to see the whole project, period. Most of my fellow judges agree with me.

I got told by the fellow who runs the statewide program, that his security advisor told him to assume that practicing Electrical Engineering, Chemistry, and Physics Professors, as well as University Senior Technicians,  did not have the proper skills to recognize "devices".    Man, I'd love to have said "Advisor"  to see what we research, and the kids would love the campus sniffer dog... Still a no go...

I'd be happy to see Achmed go to DC on government expense, preferably on budget of his home town government. ... Even if all he did was solder on a larger display, or re-box a clock. Science Education needs the PR boost!

FACE PALM....

Does New Zealand  have easy immigration? 
 
Steve

[pickle9000]

This is a seriously depressing thread. The adults involved should be ashamed, instead it seems to be more of a "not my responsibility" mentality.

[jancumps]

What's crazy is I took apart a clock for a project about 15 years ago and brought it into the 4th grade and no one batted an eye.

Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk

The same here. It was (and still is) common to take home projects to school - to show off, to compare, to discuss issues and problems.
We were allowed to use the lab off-hours. Teachers volunteered to stay late and keep the lab open - they would typically use that time to correct our tests,
or they would show their interest in what we were building; giving some advice left or right.
They even organized a little component shop where all jellybean components could be purchased at cost.

[LabSpokane]

Right Mr. President, it's funny as hell to get handcuffed for building a clock, I'm sure it will inspire more kids to like science.

You're misreading the President's tone. It is not meant to ridicule Ahmed. I'm very happy and proud that Obama stepped in and put an end to what could have been a weeks long witch hunt.

[Kjelt]

But was it really the same result? Was this white kid with an obvious toy "gun" arrested and escorted away in handcuffs?
Why not?

You can not compare England with the USA, policeman in england (bobbies) did not even carry guns on the street 20 years ago, do not know how it is today.
But it is comparable in a way that the teachers raised a big issue with what was obviously a toy (orange).

I would like for you to explain to me why this clock that some ignorant ADULT thought looked like a bomb did NOT result in the school being evacuated?

Now there you have a very good question. If the english teacher thought it might be dangerous she should have let it in the classroom and evacuate the class and school.

You (and the school administrators/police) cannot have it both ways - either it was genuinely seen to be a credible bomb threat - and should have immediately warranted evacuation - or it was not.

black/white or Binary thinking is not reality. There are more then two choices. It could have been a part of a bomb. Or she thought it might be from his brother or father and he brought it to show off. Perhaps it could have been part of a potential bomb? I don't know what that teacher(s) was thinking but they perceived it as not normal and possibly dangerous.

The whole point is: don't bring that stuff to school when no-one expects it. If there is a science fair or you asked you're teacher ok. To show off something unexpected, not ok.

Which of course is the perfect way to potentially radicalize an impressionable teenager.

You look too many tv series.

[Augustus]

Are there any actual pictures of that develish doomsday device? 

[ez24]

Are there any actual pictures of that develish doomsday device? 

One of these

[dr.diesel]

This is a seriously depressing thread. The adults involved should be ashamed, instead it seems to be more of a "not my responsibility" mentality.

Agreed, so now anything with a circuit board is now a potential bomb, WTF.   

I built a bomb timer in my advanced digital class in the mid 90s, no one thought twice about it.

[SeanB]

My alarm clock went through the metal detector many times, including Xray. Never had a peep about it, though the fact that I was in a military uniform, and occasionally had a rifle as well as hand luggage probably was a factor. Yes, SA did have actual terrorists, and real terror attacks, and we were not all Chicken Little about it. My neighbour is ex, and my other neighbour we used to swap tales about places, times and we were so glad that neither side could shoot what they aimed at, though he was nearly killed a few times by the SpecOps guys.

Here if a school child looking like him brought something like that to school he would be showing it to all the teachers, and the other kids would be asking him how he did it. Here kids go to school with knives, guns, knuckledusters.  Sometimes somebody is injured, but the teachers really do not care. Where else do you have a teacher go on sick leave for 7 years with no one noticing.

[Augustus]

That's the Zar bomba, right? Frickin' badass design, even the Soviets shit their pants and backed down on the yield...

[linux-works]

The whole point is: don't bring that stuff to school when no-one expects it. If there is a science fair or you asked you're teacher ok. To show off something unexpected, not ok.

we can't have kids thinking on their own and being proud of what they built.

corporations want obedient and scrared little sheep.  this kid shows no signs of being either.   we do need more people who are going to take initiative, be proud of their inventions and their work.

if you seriously believe that kids should 'think twice' before bringing DIY style projects into school, you may want to look up the term 'chilling effect'.

[G7PSK]

USA land of the not so free.

[Kjelt]

if you seriously believe that kids should 'think twice' before bringing DIY style projects into school, you may want to look up the term 'chilling effect'.

You lay words in my mouth that i did not speak.
I state that they should not bring it unannounced to school. My 10 yr old is not allowed to bring pets to school, why? Because it gets chaotic in class. If there was an animal day he is allowed as long as it is not harmfull. So a pet tiger or lion or alligator would not be allowed.
If there is a science class talk to the teacher tell them you built something and ask to brung it. Is that so strange that children ask their teachers or parents permission to bring something to class?
Are you allowed to bring anything to work? Even things that might be seen as dangerous?

The whole rage is that he was arrested which indeed is rediculous and over reacted by teachers and police. The fact that he brought it to school unannounced is still a school rule in many places.

[linux-works]

I don't accept the notion that you have to 'ask permission' to bring DIYs, crafts, builds, artworks, drawings, writings (ETC) into school.

you'll never get me to agree that this is helpful or useful to society.  it teaches the wrong thing and it supports rule-by-fear.

you don't support rule-by-fear, do you?  it kind of sounds that way, but maybe I'm not reading your comments correctly.

[linux-works]

Are you allowed to bring anything to work? Even things that might be seen as dangerous?

every single place I've worked (i'm over 50 and have been working since before 20) I have been allowed to bring in projects, boards, circuits, disks, even water pistols, nerf 'guns' and other office style toys.

yup, never a problem.  only one company ever needed a 'property pass' to bring things OUT of the office; but usually it was ok to bring things in.  other than that one company (boston based), the rest of the calif-based ones I worked at never had a problem with my bringing in CLOCKS (yes, I do that) and other 'scarey wirey things' to work.

the 'ask permission' mentality is 100% foreign to me and I kind of like having freedom.

[AF6LJ]

USA land of the not so free.

Here in the Patriot community it is referred to as "Land of the Sheep, Home of the slaves."

You not actually living here and not being immersed in information / propaganda war won't see the level of opposition and protest there actually is to this crap.
The mass media here is highly controlled. You go from channel to channel and you get the same talking pints and propaganda push in nearly the exact order, It is like 1984 meets fahrenheit 451, meats Brave New World.

Mark Dice is a local to me, he has a YouTube channel check it out.