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

[Co6aka]

On the same day that Obama was praising the boy and inviting him to the White House, the White House was in lock down.  Someone found a suspicious package, across the street in Lafayette park. The package contained a coffee mug.

Good thing it wasn't a Mooninite... The whole city would have been in lockdown!

[LabSpokane]

Yes!  Exactly. Curiosity was how we started. Nobody deserves to have that beaten out of them.

No need to be dramatic. Nobody beaten anything out of anybody.  Police had a false positive bomb/hoax which was corrected once identified. No system is perfect, including the ones that you design yourself.

Proverbially "beaten."  Emotional trauma counts.

And I'm glad nobody on side of school system and the police did anything dramatic, like cuffing a child and arresting him for clock possession ... with intent to ... what did he threaten to do?  Oh that's right. Nothing.

[Stonent]

This case which essentially boils down to only a handful of persons in authority reacting stupidly has been blown all out of proportion.

Maybe Ahmed can be sent to a nice Islamic college instead, like this one:

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/parents-have-vowed-to-continue-protests-and-boycotts-until-islamic-college-of-sa-board-resigns/story-fni6uo1m-1227348844895
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/may/15/islamic-school-allegations-to-be-investigated-by-christopher-pyne

Piano and singing is deemed evil and in the latest breaking news a person in authority at the school essentially abducted/harangued one of the male students off campus to barber have his un-islamic (probably deemed gay-looking or something) hair style cut.


As for Ahmed's fathers political and religious associations, for one he is involved with CAIR:

http://www.meforum.org/916/cair-islamists-fooling-the-establishment

There are a whole bunch of ultra-racist/homohpobic/anti-Semitic/female-repressive Islamic organizations like this, which put up a front of being organizations for fighting so-called "Islamophobia".

Yes, CAIR has made some pretty bold statements that are cringe-worthy in the past. They've been interviewed before after terroristic incidents have occurred such as when Major Nidal Hassan murdered several of his fellow soldiers at an army base and will be asked by the media "do you condemn his actions?" and they will dance around the question and not answer it.  I wouldn't call this picking on them, because they have put themselves out there as the face of American Islam and are always the first to appear at interviews.

 There is a large Mosque in Irving, I drove past it for several years when I worked there.  It is actually the largest Mosque I've ever seen in person, so they must have a large muslim population.  I do know they have several Indo-Pakistani restaurants there.

[echen1024]

uh, it's Texas. shouldn't that be the obvious answer for everything in this situation?

(I know it's a jerk comment)

but it is actually accurate.  texas is one of the places in the US that has quite a high concentration of backward-ass non-thinkers.  the war on women is heavily fought in texas, there is only 1 'valid' religion in texas, hell, there is only 1 valid skin color in texas.  you could not pay me to live in texas.

sorry texas people reading this, but you, down deep, know this is true.

it does not excuse it, but if you know how the US is spread out (culture wise) nothing in this article would surprise you.

Yeah it is quite true. And Irving (close to Dallas, not Houston) is actually one of the more affluent areas. Just imagine what it is like in the backwards, rural areas.

[Stonent]

uh, it's Texas. shouldn't that be the obvious answer for everything in this situation?

(I know it's a jerk comment)

but it is actually accurate.  texas is one of the places in the US that has quite a high concentration of backward-ass non-thinkers.  the war on women is heavily fought in texas, there is only 1 'valid' religion in texas, hell, there is only 1 valid skin color in texas.  you could not pay me to live in texas.

sorry texas people reading this, but you, down deep, know this is true.

it does not excuse it, but if you know how the US is spread out (culture wise) nothing in this article would surprise you.

Yeah it is quite true. And Irving (close to Dallas, not Houston) is actually one of the more affluent areas. Just imagine what it is like in the backwards, rural areas.

Irving affluent? I suppose Valley Ranch, and Las Colinas areas. Though most everything south of highway 114 or Airport Freeway is not.

[WZOLL]

[zapta]

I can see who has the agenda here, ...

For a starter, you accused the school and police with racism in this case because it fits your political narrative about certain minorities in the US.

Do you see now who has the agenda here?

[Stonent]

I am more concerned about the kids safety. Playing around with mains powered devices and building them into what looks like to be a metal case isn't the best idea for a kid of his age and skill level. I hope President Obama doesn't get electrocuted when he shows this thing off a the White House 

I think that little cloth bag in the picture may have been used to cover the transformer. I guess cloth gives some miniscule amount of clearance or creepage.

[mtdoc]

I can see who has the agenda here, ...

For a starter, you accused the school and police with racism in this case because it fits your political narrative about certain minorities in the US.

Do you see now who has the agenda here?

Zapta, your continued defense of the school and police makes your agenda and leanings
quite apparent.

This entire thread really has been very informative.

[rickselectricalprojects]

i remember about a year ago the local train station i live near was shut down and armed police officers were all over the place because some student left his science project on the train and forgot to take it home and apparently it looked like a bomb.

[EEVblog]

The media overhypes this .

The media overhype everything.
Every story, every day of the year.

[EEVblog]

NASA tee-shirt, but not a single solder joint or wire, not much of an electronics hobbyist, maybe I'm being unfair

Yes, you are.
I'm willing to bet half the people on this forum started their electronics hobby by taking stuff apart and playing around with it.

[Stonent]

I can see who has the agenda here, ...

For a starter, you accused the school and police with racism in this case because it fits your political narrative about certain minorities in the US.

Do you see now who has the agenda here?

Zapta, your continued defense of the school and police makes your agenda and leanings
quite apparent.

This entire thread really has been very informative.

Different cities or school districts may have different rules about what gets reported and what doesn't.

One example could be a requirement to report any suspicious bruises or injuries to a child welfare investigator.

One computer repair job I had  made it very clear to us that the instant we see anything remotely resembling child porn / child molestation on a computer, we were to immediately turn the computer off and nobody was to go near the computer without the police present.

[smpowell]

Looking at a the details of this so called "invention" puts things in a different light. I can see why a reasonable person might think that it looks like a Hollywood version of an IED.

http://blogs.artvoice.com/techvoice/2015/09/17/reverse-engineering-ahmed-mohameds-clock-and-ourselves/

[zapta]

I can see who has the agenda here, ...

For a starter, you accused the school and police with racism in this case because it fits your political narrative about certain minorities in the US.

Do you see now who has the agenda here?

Zapta, your continued defense of the school and police makes your agenda and leanings
quite apparent.

This entire thread really has been very informative.

You are making things up. I didn't defend the school and police. Read my posts again.

[mtdoc]

You are making things up. I didn't defend the school and police. Read my posts again.

Your posts speak for themselves.

[Wytnucls]

What's wrong with defending the school and the police anyway? 

[Stonent]

What's wrong with defending the school and the police anyway? 

Because schools are baaaaaad, except when they aren't. And cops are baaaaaad, except when they aren't.

I'm guilty of it too... 
When a school insists that the decorated tree in the hallway around late December is simply a "holiday tree" and when I get a speeding ticket. Yeah, they're both bad.

[wraper]

Looking at a the details of this so called "invention" puts things in a different light. I can see why a reasonable person might think that it looks like a Hollywood version of an IED.

So how does the fact that he put PCBs from the factory made clock into the another case change anything? Did he deserve to be prosecuted for not doing "proper" DIY. In which way it makes the device more or less suspicions than if those were DIY boards?

[wraper]

What's wrong with defending the school and the police anyway? 

Because schools are baaaaaad, except when they aren't. And cops are baaaaaad, except when they aren't.

I'm guilty of it too... 
When a school insists that the decorated tree in the hallway around late December is simply a "holiday tree" and when I get a speeding ticket. Yeah, they're both bad.

Because they are bad when act like braindead idiots.

[Stonent]

Looking at a the details of this so called "invention" puts things in a different light. I can see why a reasonable person might think that it looks like a Hollywood version of an IED.

So how does the fact that he put PCBs from the factory made clock into the another case change anything? Did he deserve to be prosecuted for not doing "proper" DIY. In which way it makes the device more or less suspicions than if those were DIY boards?

Not prosecuted, detained, questioned and let go.  Whether the police thought he had any intent of trying to scare someone with it, or not, they most likely came to the conclusion that they'd never get anywhere with it legally without looking bad, so he was let go.

[GK]

When a school insists that the decorated tree in the hallway around late December is simply a "holiday tree" .....

In serious context here, there is an endless list of examples of this type of political correctness gone mad for the express, specific and intended propose of not offending and alienating minority group religious sensibilities - principally and most prominently Muslim sensibilities. Not exactly sure how that fits into the persecution narrative in general, but just saying........
 

[mtdoc]

I've had similar things happen to me for dicking about with electronics and I'm as white as you can get.

For reference, this happened in a small town in Washington state and I am 22 years old.

I had my desk and backpack searched in grade school because some kids reported me to the principal for talking about fireworks ("Bombs" to them, It was July anyways) and told him I was looking up bombs on the computers (Electromagnets are apparently bombs). Of course I had random PCBs from shit I took apart in my backpack and that was damning enough evidence to call my parents and suspend me for a week (For "Disrupting the learning environment, a copout term when you piss off school administration but technically didn't break any rules). Cops were threatened but weren't called.

But you weren't arrested, handcuffed, taken to a police station and questioned without your parents present were you?  Threatening to "call the cops" to scare a kid for perceived misbehaviour is common as stink and also happened to me a few times in school.  This is something completely different.

The issue is not school zero tolerance policies that result in school suspensions, the issue is the arrest, handcuffing  and interrogation without parents or lawyer present of a 14 year old kid for what was clearly a harmless clock. (even if it could be mistaken for a fake bomb).

It's not racism really - but it is fear of Muslims and a police state run amok. 

I can understand where the fear comes from. With the constant propaganda how is the average person to make the distinction?

Not only have we created the terrorists by our constant bombing and killing in their countries but we have been doing their job for them by spreading fear and mistrust and letting it be used by those who would take advantage of our fear to trample our constitution and civil liberties. Goebbels would be proud.

It's ironic and frightening that those in this country who tend to so vocally espouse their patriotism are so often quick to abandon its founding principles and embrace the police state as long as it is serving their needs and assuaging their fears.

[Wytnucls]

Procedures are there for a reason and Obama is not likely to change them.
If you don't follow procedures, even if they seem ridiculous at the time, you lose your job, be it principal or police officer.

In my line of work, if I let a 9-year old, fascinated by airplanes, visit the cockpit during the flight, I'm out of a job the next day, even if that kid happens to be mine. Go figure.

[G7PSK]

How things have changed over the years, when I was at school I made bombs in the science lab, when they did not work the science teacher helped me out so that they did. We blew a pea size hole in the floor with the Nitro we made, and when I made some gun cotton I cracked the roof light. but this was in the late 1960's.