America - The Official Thread

[prisonermonkeys]

However hoax bombs typically don't... only a hoax hoax bomb would actually have explosives in it.

The thing about a hoax is that you have to intend for it to be a hoax to make it a hoax. Otherwise, it's a clock.

 

[Northstar]

Traditionally, bombs employ some kind of explosive...

Which is why I think the police part was overkill. Once it was shown to obviously be harmless, the whole tning should have been over.

 

[Touring Mars]

The thing about a hoax is that you have to intend for it to be a hoax to make it a hoax. Otherwise, it's a clock.

Well, yeh... it wasn't a hoax, but the thing looked to the untrained eye to be a suspect device and hence it was perceived as either a genuine bomb threat or a deliberate hoax. The fact that it was neither is beside the point.

The kid was treated really badly - that's not in dispute - but for a smart kid, he was a bit dumb to bring something like that to school that would raise suspicion just about anywhere. My joke about trying to get that thing on a plane to D.C. was also a serious point... the kid would have been cavity searched before his feet touched the ground.

My boss went on a rant about this just now at lunch, arguing that American police and schools are racist and anti-Muslim... this perception is being fed by the countless headlines (such as that in The National newspaper here in Scotland) that read "Muslim arrested for bringing clock to school" (presumably to be filed under the category 'Those Crazy Americans')... but he changed his tune a bit when he saw the actual device; The Guardian, perhaps unsurprisingly, have a misleading photograph of the kid showing some other device that looks completely different accompanying their article on the incident.

Anyway, I reject the idea that the kid was treated like this because he was Muslim - you asked what would have happened if the kid had been Caucasian... my guess is that the exact same thing would have happened, but apparently it is OK to jump to the conclusion that the teachers involved, charged as they are with protecting their students, are racists.

 

[Famine]

Anyway, I reject the idea that the kid was treated like this because he was Muslim - you asked what would have happened if the kid had been Caucasian... my guess is that the exact same thing would have happened

Only if he'd brought a home-made Nerf gun.

 

[GBO Possum]

Jeb Bush claimed last night that his brother had "kept us safe". Really?

If he wanted to keep us safe, he'd have realized that we kill TEN times as many people on American roads than the 9/11 event EVERY YEAR, and would have pumped money into accelerating autonomous vehicle research.

Instead, he sent 5,000 Americans to die for his cause and maimed countless thousands more. And spent, what was it, two or three Trillion dollars.

It has been estimated that autonomous vehicles could reduce fatalities and injuries by up to 90%. Even if that is way optimistic, George Bush chose the wrong way to "make us safe".

 

[FoolKiller]

I'm probably in the minority that thinks the school's actions were completely fine (the police part seems like overkill though).

I say that because that doesn't look like a normal clock, it actually looks like the type of "bomb" used in Hollywood movies. Perhaps since his intention was to show it to a certain teacher he should have brought it there prior to school starting instead of bringing it to all his classes.

I should warn the guy I know that his Estes model rocket launch system he mounted in a briefcase should be kept hidden, as it likely would test positive for some kind of chemical residue, due to him storing extra engines in there.



And I don't quite trust the one photo from one angle defense. I want multiple angles and views of the outside of the box as well. If I took my digital clock apart and stuck it in a case like that I have a feeling it might appear to be similar.

 

[Northstar]

I should warn the guy I know that his Estes model rocket launch system he mounted in a briefcase should be kept hidden, as it likely would test positive for some kind of chemical residue, due to him storing extra engines in there.

Does he carry it into schools, malls, airports or other places that may be targets without informing people first?

If I took my digital clock apart and stuck it in a case like that I have a feeling it might appear to be similar.

Probably, you would also probably receive some questionable glances upon opening it.

Again, I think the school and police blew this way out of proportion, but at the same time the kid should have stopped and thought it over some more as well. There were several times when I was in school where I brought things for a certain class that wouldn't be acceptable to carry around to every other class. I just brought whatever it was to the proper classroom prior to school starting and no problem ever manifested.

 

[Sanji Himura]

Jen Bush claimed last night that his brother had "kept us safe". Really?

He was speaking in terms of Terrorism. In which case, he is absolutely right. After 9/11/01, there were no reported attacks on Americans either here or overseas because they were too busy fighting our military to plot another attack. We had Iran surrounded by our troops, ready to attack at a moments notice had the order been given. Obama, playing off our war weary minds, pulled them out of both countries and played nice with Iran's Supreme Leader when it came to nukes. As a result, we (as a planet) had terror attacks by the bushel (an expression @TenEightyOne) and a growing caliphate that is willing to destroy the boarders that were set in place since the 1910's.

 

[TenEightyOne]

After 9/11/01, there were no reported attacks on Americans either here or overseas because they were too busy fighting our military to plot another attack.

Cobblers, to use another expression.

 

[Smurfybug]

Someone call me?

 

[Northstar]

Someone call me?

Yes, what time is it?

 

[FoolKiller]

Does he carry it into schools, malls, airports or other places that may be targets without informing people first?

Yes, he teaches at a university and does some after school rocketry courses with teens and keeps it in his office while at work on those days.

but at the same time the kid should have stopped and thought it over some more as well.

Because 14-year-old boys, even intelligent ones, are known for their common sense and awareness of adults' cautious nature. I was trying to blow stuff up in my backyard at that age. I was intelligent enough to know how to produce a chemical reaction to create a volatile gas, contain it, and ignite it, but did not have enough sense to realize that 5-foot burn mark in our yard might be a result of my actions.

And I think I did an informative presentation on how to build such an incendiary device in school once.

Then there was the creative writing assignment where I wrote the story about killing a teacher and the time I discussed with my chemistry teacher how my brother and I learned by accident how to create chlorine gas using home cleaning supplies.

The fact that no one ever showed up at my door with a warrant baffles me to this day. Good thing too. I owned a copy of The Anarchist's Cookbook.

 

[Northstar]

Yes, he teaches at a university and does some after school rocketry courses with teens and keeps it in his office while at work on those days.

You didn't answer the second part, does he inform other people about it?

I also realize that 14 year olds don't have the best judgement, which is why I think the resulting police involvement and school suspensions are overkill. It however doesn't mean that the teachers are racist and should be made out as bad people for investigating something that looks suspicious.

 

[Smurfybug]

Yes, what time is it?

4:29 PM EDT

 

[FoolKiller]

You didn't answer the second part, does he inform other people about it?

I don't know, but I bet if he wanted to show it to a colleague at work he'd just take it in and not call campus security first, because that seems like a ridiculous notion to anyone who is old enough to remember before this country went paranoidally insane.

It however doesn't mean that the teachers are racist and should be made out as bad people for investigating something that looks suspicious.

Media does what it does. I doubt racism was involved, but the liberal minded people will treat this the way a conservative will treat someone getting shot for legally having a gun in public.

That said, the school paranoia and zero tolerance policies are insane in this country. This case is far more understandable than kids getting in trouble for a pop tart in the shape of a gun, however we had a local school where a 2nd grader had a toy gun and people were trying to make a big deal until the principal released statement saying there was no punishment. outside the usual for bringing a toy into class, and there was no reaction on the school's behalf because it was just a toy and cooler minds prevailed.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

The kid was treated really badly - that's not in dispute - but for a smart kid, he was a bit dumb to bring something like that to school that would raise suspicion just about anywhere.

Bear in mind that he's also a kid. He sees the world as a kid does, so while it might be obvious to us adults that he should not have taken it to school, the consequences of his actions may not have been as apparent to him.

 

[ECGadget]

14 year old me would have taken that into school. I would have expected my teachers to have either praised the work or tell me that I need to improve it and show me how. I'll be honest, if I was nicked like that I would have lost all desire to build anything ever again because of my nature. Even 20 year old me would probably have taken that in to show to be honest but maybe would have thought about it more before doing so.

 

[Johnnypenso]

Only if he'd brought a home-made Nerf gun.

Try being a 7 year old white kid, chew a pop-tart into the shape of a gun and see where that gets you.

 

[Sanji Himura]

Cobblers, to use another expression.

You missed Jeb's (and by extension, my) point then. While President Bush 43 did indeed have terror plots facing him (I mean what president doesn't), none of them were successful in its execution during his term, unlike Obama. His Justice department was ahead of the curve when it came to terror intelligence, whereas Obama want's to delay action to said intelligence.

 

[Touring Mars]

I thought a point raised in this article was quite funny/astute... the kid has now been invited to the White House by President Obama himself, but imagine if he had just showed up there with the clock in his bag without an invite, and try to guess what the reaction would have been... he probably would have been shot.

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/424202/ahmed-mohamed-clock

 

[Johnnypenso]

I thought a point raised in this article was quite funny/astute... the kid has now been invited to the White House by President Obama himself, but imagine if he had just showed up there with the clock in his bag without an invite, and try to guess what the reaction would have been... he probably would have been shot.

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/424202/ahmed-mohamed-clock

Just a feeling on my part, but I think there is more to this story than meets the eye so far. It all seems just too convenient, too pat. I assume the reporters will be digging into the background of the parents in the next few days so let's see what turns up. Your analogy is spot on though. I'd like to see him try to put that clock in his carry on and try to board a plane. He'd be strip searched and finger printed before he could get out, "But, but it's a clo...." If he was a white kid and the exact same thing happened, do you think he'd be invited to Facebook and the White House? Methinks not.

 

[Touring Mars]

If he was a white kid and the exact same thing happened, do you think he'd be invited to Facebook and the White House? Methinks not.

Yes, alot has been made about how his teachers and the police over-reacted to this situation, but the President inviting the kid to The White House is not an over-reaction? Sounds like bending over backwards to be politically correct to me.

I also asked the question, how did anybody know the kid was Muslim (I mean without jumping to conclusions about his name...)? And how well did his teachers know him? Wasn't he quite new to the school? My boss said something like he'd only been at the school for a week or two... hence his teachers may have known very little about him, let alone the fact that he's a whizz at making hideous clocks.

I also made the point about getting on a plane with that thing. My bag and person were vigorously searched when I forgot about a small tub on hair wax I had left in the bottom of my bag, and I was swabbed for explosives etc. - having someone go through a bag of your dirty undies is a strange mixture of emotions, part shame, part schadenfreude, but I digress. For those of us who feel paranoid carrying a flippin' smartphone, you'd need some cojones to take that thing past the TSA.

 

[Sanji Himura]

New revelations about the kid's father has come to light, including running for president of Sudan TWICE:

http://www.youngcons.com/ahmed-moha...oran-burner-ran-for-president-twice-in-sudan/

 

[TenEightyOne]

New revelations about the kid's father has come to light, including running for president of Sudan TWICE:

http://www.youngcons.com/ahmed-moha...oran-burner-ran-for-president-twice-in-sudan/

Wow, that's a pretty nasty article. I recall a teacher in the UK who was telephoned to say that he was now the deputy president of Sudan (South), his headteacher was pretty surprised at his reason for resigning. I don't see how running for one of the Sudanese presidencies would mean he had the mind-control power over teachers in his son's school - forgive me if I missed that part of the article?

 

[IforceV8]

Wow, that's a pretty nasty article. I recall a teacher in the UK who was telephoned to say that he was now the deputy president of Sudan (South), his headteacher was pretty surprised at his reason for resigning. I don't see how running for one of the Sudanese presidencies would mean he had the mind-control power over teachers in his son's school - forgive me if I missed that part of the article?

You have to be wearing a Islam proof tin foil hat to see the obvious-Obama planted this kid and created this whole story.

Thanks Obama...

 

[FoolKiller]

New revelations about the kid's father has come to light, including running for president of Sudan TWICE:

http://www.youngcons.com/ahmed-moha...oran-burner-ran-for-president-twice-in-sudan/

Oh noes, he defended his religion against bigots and islamophobes!!!

I see nothing in there that sheds any light on this story. Why is him running for president in Sudan (twice even!) a relevant fact?



Although, all validity was lost when they said this:

Strangely, it seems Mohamed’s father, Mohamed — yes, his first name is the same as his last, just like Mario in the dreadful Super Mario Bros. movie —

They may as well have said, "We are ignorant as 🤬" And I am not talking about the fact that they don't know that Mario Mario is from the games as well.

They immediately after that quote an article that shows how stupid they are.

From NY Daily News:
The father of the Muslim teenager, who was arrested for bringing a homemade clock to school, is a Sudanese immigrant who went from selling New York City hot dogs to twice running for president in his native country.
Mohamed ElHassan, who stood beside his son Ahmed Mohamed Wednesday and expressed how “proud” he is of him, grew up in an African village before moving to the U.S. to achieve the American dream, the North Dallas Gazette reported.

This article just reinforces my thought that Young Conservatives is just another knee-jerk, reactionary, fear mongering politically biased group of idiots.

They would applaud a Christian who defended the Bible against a Sudanese Muslim who was burning it, and then came back home and ran for president.

 

[Carbonox]

Although, all validity was lost when they said this:



They may as well have said, "We are ignorant as 🤬" And I am not talking about the fact that they don't know that Mario Mario is from the games as well.

I know, right? What kind of a journalist remarks their opinion of a movie in an article?

 

[FoolKiller]

I know, right? What kind of a journalist remarks their opinion of a movie in an article?

I honestly believe that their goal was to try and appear culturally relevant, and failed miserably.

 

[TenEightyOne]

I know, right? What kind of a journalist remarks their opinion of a movie in an article?

They mauled/bungled the cultural reference and got the fact wrong. I think that was @FoolKiller's point.

 

[gnomefromnome]

A year ago, reporter quits live on TV in dramatic fashion over legalization of Marijuana. (Language warning)
Fast forward to this week, same person arrested on Felony drug charges

http://www.adn.com/node/2859711