14 year old Muslim freshman student arrested for making a homemade clock

[haxartus]

If this had turned out to be a bomb, people would look at it and say "It looked like it could be a bomb. Why the hell didn't anybody do something?"

Due to this kind of "it might be the worst" thinking, overreacting in every situation has become pretty much mandatory in the US. You are obligated to overreact to everything.

[cuafpr]

pretty much standard training is if you a see box with wires and / or a clock face (Esp one that looks home made) is to treat it like a suspicious package. It didn't need to go as far as it did though.. .should've went to the office with it, and had it left there till the end of the day and told not to bring it back.

Remember there was a kid suspended for eating a pop-tart into the shape of a gun....http://www.cbsnews.com/news/examiner...rt-suspension/

[twiddler]

I agree. After looking at the suitcase-like design of the clock, I can see why his educators made the call to the police. In this day-and-age, it's better to be safe than sorry. If this had turned out to be a bomb, people would look at it and say "It looked like it could be a bomb. Why the hell didn't anybody do something?"

In any case, the kid has a great story to tell for the rest of his life.

Except for there isn't a suitcase design. He carried it in a suitcase. I'm all for better being safe than sorry, but stupid is stupid. If you cannot identify a bomb from circuit boards attached to a digital display, you should have paid attention in physics 102. How people like that end up being educators is well beyond me.

[Hammerfest]

Except for there isn't a suitcase design. He carried it in a suitcase. I'm all for better being safe than sorry, but stupid is stupid. If you cannot identify a bomb from circuit boards attached to a digital display, you should have paid attention in physics 102. How people like that end up being educators is well beyond me.

The average public high school educator wouldn't know an authentic improvised explosive device if you hit them over the head with one. They weren't sure, so they called the police. They did the right thing here. If anyone was stupid it was the kid genius who thought it was a good idea to use a suitcase-like enclosure for his digital clock.

[haxartus]

The average public high school educator wouldn't know an authentic improvised explosive device if you hit them over the head with one.

Then they are too stupid to teach anything.

[Qualia]

Except for there isn't a suitcase design. He carried it in a suitcase. I'm all for better being safe than sorry, but stupid is stupid. If you cannot identify a bomb from circuit boards attached to a digital display, you should have paid attention in physics 102. How people like that end up being educators is well beyond me.

There is. He already partially disassembled his clock in the interview, but in the same interview, he showed us how the pencil box looked like, and it looked like this (google image link). I dare say that a device consist of a suitcase-like box (with a tiger/skull hologram), a bunch of wire connected inside and a clock outside might look close enough to resemble a time bomb (or in the police words, "a movie bomb") to normal people.

Then they are too stupid to teach anything.

Really? Enlighten me, what does knowing what a real bomb look like have anything to do with the level of knowledge of someone who teach... well, most subjects in Highschool / University?

[twiddler]

The average public high school educator wouldn't know an authentic improvised explosive device if you hit them over the head with one. They weren't sure, so they called the police. They did the right thing here. If anyone was stupid it was the kid genius who thought it was a good idea to use a suitcase-like enclosure for his digital clock.

Why, is a box less credible as a bomb? What if I used wood? You didn't take electricity and magnetism, did you?

[Deleted]

yeah I read this, looks like terrorists have won.. time to go home and cry

I mean,.. thats their goal isnt it? That we get batshit terrified for anything scaryuh?

[haxartus]

So, basically, currently Hollywood is pushing specific norms on what is "dangerous" and people are getting arrested if they break the Hollywood norms.
How much stupider could the situation get ?

[Hammerfest]

Then they are too stupid to teach anything.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but most public high school teachers are nothing more than college lefties who have graduated. Even in Texas, most of them wouldn't even know how to use a gun... let alone identify an authentic home-made explosive.

- - - Updated - - -

Why, is a box less credible as a bomb?

To the average public school teacher, it would set off some red flags. In this case, they notified the police (who have explosive experts among their ranks) as they weren't sure. They did what they were supposed to do. They were in doubt, so they played it safe.

[twiddler]

There is. He already partially disassembled his clock in the interview, but in the same interview, he showed us how the pencil box looked like, and it looked like this (google image link). I dare say that a device consist of a suitcase-like box (with a tiger/skull hologram), a bunch of wire connected inside and a clock outside might look close enough to resemble a time bomb (or in the police words, "a movie bomb") to normal people.

I've seen the tape. He says he carried it in the case and obviously he has a 7seg display with capacitors so big it's unlikely he'd be able to mount it.

To the average public school teacher, it would set off some red flags. In this case, they notified the police (who have explosive experts among their ranks) as they weren't sure. They did what they were supposed to do. They were in doubt, so they played it safe.

Real question, look at a motherboard and tell me where the bomb is.

[Aeula]

Perfectly reasonable reaction on the school's part, considering how often kids sneak weapons into schools these days.

[haxartus]

So as a high school student in the US, you are expected to eat McDonald's, watch reality TV, complain that "math is hard" while trying to get into the school's football team.
Anything different is suspicious and it will get you arrested, expelled and put on a watch list.

[Surfd]

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from a bomb"
- Texas High School teachers.

haha, awesome.

[Hammerfest]

Real question, look at a motherboard and tell me where the bomb is.

The average public high school teacher wouldn't examine one if they thought it might be a bomb. They'd call the police.

[haxartus]

The average public high school teacher wouldn't examine one if they thought it might be a bomb. They'd call the police.

I could identify electronic components in the 5th grade (my grandfather was an engineer) and there are teachers who can't do that ?
The situation is starting to look like the movie Idiocracy.

[Hammerfest]

I could identify electronic components in the 5th grade (my grandfather was an engineer) and there are teachers who can't do that ?

Why yes, yes there are. They're called English teachers, Art teachers, Phy-Ed teachers and the list goes on... but more to the point, there is a protocol all teachers are required to follow if they suspect a student might have brought a bomb to school and it does not involve examining said device themselves. They call the police.

[haxartus]

there is a protocol all teachers are required to follow if they suspect a student might have brought a bomb to school and it does not involve examining said device themselves. They call the police.

So they have to report the device without looking at it ?

[twiddler]

The average public high school teacher wouldn't examine one if they thought it might be a bomb. They'd call the police.

Interesting being that the teacher questioned him and took it away from him.

[Hammerfest]

So they have to report the device without looking at it ?

Pretty much, yeah. Lots of places have policies like this. My place of business received a bomb threat three years ago. The call was recorded and didn't sound at all like a serious threat, but we were required to notify local law enforcement. Public schools have so much more liability in situations like this.