Texas schoolboy and his clock score Obama visit as authorities defend arrest

[umbertino]

‘That is not America. That is not like us,’ says father of 14-year-old Ahmed Mohamed, who will visit the White House next month for science fair

 

 

Jessica Glenza and Nicky Woolf in New York

 

Thursday 17 September 2015 10.27 BST

 

 

A 14-year-old Texas boy who was arrested after bringing a homemade clock to school has accepted an invitation to visit the White House as school and city officials insisted they made the right decision when they handcuffed, interrogated and arrested him this week.

 

Ahmed Mohamed, an engineering enthusiast, brought the clock to MacArthur high school in Irving, Texas, on Monday to show one of his teachers. Hours later, he was handcuffed and arrested by school resource officers as part of “standard procedure” after being summoned to a school office to explain the device.

 

At a press conference outside his home on Wednesday, after his story swept across the internet and drew messages of support from tech companies and the president of the United States, Ahmed told reporters: “I built the clock to impress my teacher, but when I showed it to her she thought it was a threat to her. It was really sad that she took a wrong impression of it.”

 

He said he was still suspended until Thursday, and was thinking of transferring to a different school.

 

Wearing a Nasa t-shirt, Mohamed thanked his supporters on social media, as well as Barack Obama and Hillarious Clinton. There was a cheer when he announced that he would be visiting the White House.

 

The White House said Ahmed was invited to participate in an astronomy night next month. Press secretary Josh Earnest said the Obama administration thought the boy was “failed” by his teachers and called the incident a “teachable moment”.

 

His father and sister both spoke too, thanking his son’s many supporters online. But his father also spoke angrily about his son’s treatment. “My kid was hurt and was tortured and arrested and mistreated in front of his friends inside of the school,” he said. “That is not America. That is not like us. We left every place … we love to be in Irving, Texas. We love it and we love our people here.”

 

On Monday, Ahmed was taken from his school to police headquarters, where he was interrogated about his intentions with the device and his own surname and was not allowed to call his father, according to media reports.

 

A social media uproar supporting Ahmed ensued soon after, as people questioned whether he would have been arrested had he not been been Muslim.

 

On Wednesday, an Irving independent school district spokeswoman, Lesley Weaver, defended the school’s decision to arrest Ahmed under Texas’s “hoax bomb” statute after an English teacher reported the “suspicious” device to administrators.

 

“We will always take necessary precautions to protect our students and to keep our school community as safe as possible,” Weaver said.

 

Weaver also said members of the public appeared upset because they hadn’t seen photos of the “suspicious-looking item in question”.

 

“Perhaps upon release of that photo there may be a little bit different perception about what took place, and people might have a better understanding of how we were doing everything with an abundance of caution to protect all of our students in Irving,” Weaver said.

 

The Irving chief of police, Larry Boyd, seconded Weaver’s belief that photos of the device would clear up the controversy. A photograph of the homemade clock was passed out to reporters, and Boyd said that “it shows that it certainly was suspicious in nature”.

 

Police said it does not appear that Ahmed ever had any intention of alarming law enforcement or school authorities, a requirement to be charged with a misdemeanor under Texas’s statute, but he was nevertheless arrested for the criminal misdemeanor on Monday.

 

Irving Mayor Beth Van Duyne, who earlier this year endorsed a state bill that would forbid judges from using foreign laws to inform their rulings. She, and others in the town, claimed imams were “bypassing American courts” by participating in mediation.

 

The school refused to release further details of Ahmed arrest citing the Federal Education Rights and Privacy Act, though nothing under Ferpa bars a district from releasing information on “conduct that posed a significant risk to the safety or well-being of that student, other students, or other members of the school community”, the rationale school officials gave for first arresting Ahmed.

 

School officials said they were continuing to cooperate with the police investigation. Police said the investigation had been closed.

 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

 

 

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/sep/16/homemade-clock-ahmed-mohamed-texas-officials-we-were-right

 

 

 

 

[leanonme]

Welcome to America Ahmed. Your Muslim heritage is at work here!

[dog53]

Berry`s world 

He does this crap to try to stay relevant.

 

It so doesn't work 

[jg1]

I wish we could see a picture of the bomb, uh I mean clock. Was it counting up or down is the question. 

[pattyangel]

I commend the School Administration and the English teacher for being quick to make that decision of keeping all students and staff out of harms way.

 

Can't help not thinking if this turn out to be a bomb and disaster did occurred!!!  If so.....

 

The new story from the media would be condemning the School Administration for accepting a 14 year old Muslim boy bringing a so call clock to school.  So as you can see this administration and teacher are condemn no matter how the story is told.   

 

The techies out there see a deeper picture of how things work in the technical world, what they lack in understanding is that this world is in a bad place where everyone wants to hurt America and we American people have the right to be cautions in all matters, including when it involves school matters, children lives. 

 

The parents of this boy should of been aware of school policies.  They should of did their part in protecting their child from this incident...or did they want this to happen????

 

Quick thinking on the teacher and administration's part should be mentioned in the media, but we know the media is for ratings.

 

And yes, the media made it out to be about a Muslim boy, nothing else.  They couldn't care less if it was a bomb or not.

 

Mr O should keep his mouth shut, and keep his skinny neck out of state businesses. 

 

The American people are tired of this administrations recklessness opinions. 

 

In the eyes of the 99% of Americans, it didn't look like a clock.  1% techies it was a clock

[DinarCash]

Well stated Pattyangel girl!!!

[TexasGranny]

Earlier this week, a Muslim boy was arrested in Texas after an English teacher turned him into the principal for having a suspicious pencil case, fearing it could be a bomb.

Turns out it was a homemade digital clock.

As you might imagine, progressive race hustlers immediately started salivating over the incident, chomping at the bit to start tossing out the “racist” label as quickly as possible, politicizing the incident to boost support for the Democratic Party and their push to appear like “tolerant” social justice warrior do-gooders out to save the world.

In reality, they just want to expand the voter base, but hey, no big deal, right?

A lot of folks jumped to the boy’s defense claiming the case obviously looked like a clock, not a bomb. This meme pretty much shoots that defense to pieces. Take a look.

Yeah. After taking a look at this comparison, I can totally understand the reason why the teacher and police were incredibly concerned about what the boy had, although I do think folks might have overreacted a tad, especially once they discovered this was only a clock.

Still, the fact people on the left are trying to turn this into a race thing is ridiculous. Young men, regardless of race and religion, get treated like this at school all the time now.

How many stories have you read about boys getting tossed out of school for doing something silly like pretending to use their finger as a laser gun, or chewing their Pop Tart into the shape of a pistol?

It’s become par for the course in our modern education system.

This kid is hardly the first one to fall prey to such shenanigans, and he won’t be the last either.

Believe it or not, it’s liberal policies of political correctness that have contributed to this kind of atmosphere.

That being said, the teacher did the right thing. What if the student would’ve actually had a bomb, but because someone didn’t want to appear “racist,” didn’t check it out and innocent kids died? Then people would be complaining that nothing was done.

At the end of the day, these folks made the right call, deciding to err on the side of caution, even though they may have went too far at the end.

http://www.youngcons.com/this-meme-shows-what-the-media-wont-tell-you-about-the-digital-clock-that-caused-a-muslim-student-to-get-arrested/

 

 

[Texstorm]

Ten to one that little Muslim would be arrested on the spot if he brought that home made device into the White House. Muslims do kill their own kind , hell they kill all kinds ! Obviously the kid is in training, I'm sure that he can teach many others how the timer works.

[markb57]

Just more of BO's racist, bigoted ways....

[jg1]

Just a dry run. Next time go directly to the President and not the school next time. Eventuallyit will be the real thing.

[umbertino]

http://www.peoplesworld.org/support-pours-in-for-teen-suspended-over-clock/

 

 

Edited September 17, 2015 by umbertino

[pattyangel]

This country is run by the media, their unethical journalism is out of this world. There're so blinded, not seeing the other side of the coin/story. 

 

There is so much room for the "what if's" but noooo!!!  they want to view this as something minor, because this boys facial demeanor is child like. In todays world at this point we have to stay vigilant of all possibility of the "what if's" 

 

Keep leaning on the liberal journalism, and see how they'll keep you cage in their realm.

 

Again, I commend the authorities for responding to this situation in the manner that they did.   

 

DON'T MESS WITH TEXAS !!!!!  

[bohica]

I don't remember Obutt doing anything for the number of white kids who have had troubles at school.  He's the biggest bigot ever to enter the White House.  That sack of dog puke has never attended a Normandy remembrance and is an insult to America in the eyes of foreign nations.  We have got to get rid of that dang muslim idiot before he blows up what is left of our nation.   

[Thaiexpat]

Maybe someone can help me out here: I cant find any news reports about the deployment of the bomb squad to this event? Does anyone know a report stating such? Thanks in advance if you happen to see one and letting me know.

The questions I have are this:

IF the school really thought the boy brought a bomb to school, why wasn't the school evac'd? Isnt that standard SOP to remove all personal from the place?

IF the cops thought the thing was a bomb, why didn't they call the bomb squad? Isnt that standard SOP to deploy the bomb squad in the event of a suspicious object?

Is it standard SOP to carry said "bomb" and suspect in a police car THRU town?

If the cops called knew it wasn't a "bomb", why  was the boy arrested and taken downtown?

 

Something smells very  fishy about this whole event. Again, thanks in advance to members who can clear this up for me. As a past demolition guy in the Marines, I think I would have handled a suspected "bomb" with a LOT of safety then what I am reading about in the press. Perhaps, the reports I am reading are wrong. Dunno, just asking 

[Jaxinjersey]

Thai... it seems the crime was under the HOAX law, so no need to evacuate or call the bomb squad.  Someone obviously figured out quickly that it wasn't a bomb... but the crime was committed.

 

I agree with Patty's assessment... the parents are to blame, primarily.  They should have contacted the school/teacher in advance as to the student's project and intentions...  I mean, c'mon, look at that thing!!!  If it's under their own roof, they don't have the maturity and parental oversight to advise some common sense and courtesy?

 

The parents failed.

[billbill]

A K-9 would have been sufficient to sniff it and verify if it was indeed a bomb or not. We don't use bomb techs unless K-9 alerts on the package. Just sayin...  

[Thaiexpat]

OK, thank you Billbill for that information. So the K-9 WAS (or wasn't) called in to sniff the package and it was then determined that it was not a bomb? I'm sorry folks, but I am just so confused on this one. Either it was a bomb or it wasn't, but the actions of the so-adults in the situation is what is baffling me (outside of the parents)?!?! I read that the science teacher was the first person to see this thing and was OK with it?!?! If he thought it was a bomb, why was he OK with it? IS anyone else was confused as I am?

The whole thing stinks. I don't think the child planned this to get a future job! Maybe, but doubtful. So what is the motive for arresting a child for bring a clock to school?

If you claim "because adults thought it was a bomb" story, then WHY DIDNT THEY EVAC the school? Why didn't the cops show up with a K-9 or equal and once the K-9 or equal barks "no bomb" that this child is then arrested? For what? Bringing a "no bomb" to school?

Is anyone else doubting the story as it is presented? Otherwise, I see a cascade of events that were handled rather poorly by the so-called adults in this event. If I was a parent at this school, I would want answers and immediately start home-schooling my children, but those people have shown a complete lack of an ability to address a problem properly.

If it is suspect of being a bomb: EVAC

Call the cops and they can bring in either a dog or expert to assess the situation based upon their expertise

If no bomb, kid is told not to bring such again (parents are told same)

Life goes on.

[Thaiexpat]

Sorry JAXS, but what does "HOAX of law" mean? You cant claim the child was committing a hoax since he stated it was a clock and not pretending it was a bomb. Is that what you are referring to? Or are you referring to "color of law" where the cops arrest a person for no real reason pretending to have jurisdiction and authority to do so? I would accept the latter as it is a common practice in LE. If the school figured out that it wasn't a bomb early on, why were the police called in? Call the kids a dumb-a$$, pull his ear, whatever and move on. Again, I am really confused with this one.

[Jaxinjersey]

Sorry JAXS, but what does "HOAX of law" mean? You cant claim the child was committing a hoax since he stated it was a clock and not pretending it was a bomb. Is that what you are referring to? Or are you referring to "color of law" where the cops arrest a person for no real reason pretending to have jurisdiction and authority to do so? I would accept the latter as it is a common practice in LE. If the school figured out that it wasn't a bomb early on, why were the police called in? Call the kids a dumb-a$$, pull his ear, whatever and move on. Again, I am really confused with this one.

Sorry Thai... not sure what your confusion is.  It's pretty simple, and apparently it's the law...  zero tolerance erring on the side of safety in our crazy age of terror.  The message being... just don't do it... kind of like calling in fake (hoax) bomb threats, etc.  The message TO ALL is apparently serious.  Please use more common sense and consideration.  Message sent.

 

And of course you can claim the child was committing a hoax!  Just because he stated it was a clock doesn't "disarm" the hoax.

 

Why were the police called in? A crime was committed... perhaps worth investigating further.

 

Now, if it was a piece of bread chewed into the shape of a gun, I'd have to agree with you!

[Thaiexpat]

Hey JAX, thanks for clearing up what you meant. I still don't get it however, if the child said its a "clock", what "hoax" is he guilty of? From what I read (and hence my confusion), he stated it was a CLOCK and the adults thought it was a "bomb". How did that happen? I can understand a child's pretend things. My son shows me a stick and says it a space ship and I am "OK, yeah..right. Looks just like one..." but if some kids shows me a box and says its a clock, I'm saying "OK, show me how it works and all..." See? this is where the disconnect is happening.

I follow what your are saying. If I walk into the airport making jokes about bomb, etc, hey, its bend-over time for me. But if a kid walks into an airport and asks about if he should check-in or carry-on his clock, why would anyone in their right mind think its a bomb? I mean, is this the default setting in the States now? (Bear in mind, I haven't been back to Amerika since 2007, so maybe I am totally out-of-the-loop).
So, if Haji never said it was a bomb (and only  said its a clock) what law did he break? Zero tolerance to clocks?!?!

I feel this is like Thug's post about "Sofa King Low". I just cant wrap my mind around this, unless what I am reading is omitting a lot of information (which is possible and hence, asking for more info).

Again, thanks JAX for your input. I am still not getting WHY he was arrested and WHY wasn't the school evac'd if they really thought it was a bomb?!?!

[Jaxinjersey]

Hey JAX, thanks for clearing up what you meant. I still don't get it however, if the child said its a "clock", what "hoax" is he guilty of? From what I read (and hence my confusion), he stated it was a CLOCK and the adults thought it was a "bomb". How did that happen? I can understand a child's pretend things. My son shows me a stick and says it a space ship and I am "OK, yeah..right. Looks just like one..." but if some kids shows me a box and says its a clock, I'm saying "OK, show me how it works and all..." See? this is where the disconnect is happening.

I follow what your are saying. If I walk into the airport making jokes about bomb, etc, hey, its bend-over time for me. But if a kid walks into an airport and asks about if he should check-in or carry-on his clock, why would anyone in their right mind think its a bomb? I mean, is this the default setting in the States now? (Bear in mind, I haven't been back to Amerika since 2007, so maybe I am totally out-of-the-loop).

So, if Haji never said it was a bomb (and only  said its a clock) what law did he break? Zero tolerance to clocks?!?!

I feel this is like Thug's post about "Sofa King Low". I just cant wrap my mind around this, unless what I am reading is omitting a lot of information (which is possible and hence, asking for more info).

Again, thanks JAX for your input. I am still not getting WHY he was arrested and WHY wasn't the school evac'd if they really thought it was a bomb?!?!

Hey Doc... thanks for the insightful response.  I respect and enjoy all your posts!  But, yes, it is a bit of a default response/law thing going on, considering the terror environment we now live in.  Although this was in Texas, I am a bit hyper-sensitive to this stuff considering my proximity to NYC/9-11 and knowing some victims.  It's just not comfortable or prudent to trust the word of anyone these days, even a 14 year old kid.  

 

Respectfully, they figured out it wasn't a bomb... so no reason to take it to another level, evac, bomb-squad, etc.  The "crime" has already been committed simply by the alarm the briefcase/clock represented.  It's that simple.

 

Heck... I say, go "arrest" the parents! LOL    Johnny's leaving for school that day... "Hey Johnny, what's with the briefcase?", his dad says.  "Oh, just that clock project I've been working on in the basement!", Johnny says.  "Oh, wonderful... that looks really handy!  Much less cumbersome than the pressure-cooker!  Good luck with that, son... have a great day!" says the proud dad.

 

Parental failure there... and now the school has to be subject to controversial decision making.  Better safe than sorry.  And I understand that this occurred not far from the shooting/terror attempt a few months ago in Texas.

 

So yes... Sofa King Sad that we must deal with things like this these days!

 

Carry on Doc!

[Candy01]

ALL the GOOD things that are happening for this poor boy now, he RICHLY DESERVES!!

 

[Whatshername]

Suspicious Pop-Tart guns versus scientific suitcase clocks

By Jeannie DeAngelis

In an effort to assuage what is perceived to be the fragile sensibilities of Muslim-Americans, Barack Obama has once again bowed to political correctness by extending his usual partiality toward an individual based solely on skin color and religion.

This time, the person at the center of the controversy is Ahmed Mohamed. Ahmed is the 14-year-old Sudanese-American aspiring clockmaker who has proven to be bright enough to impress his teachers with his engineering prowess – but apparently not bright enough to know that bringing a homemade digital clock to school with wires snaking out of it, stored inside a suitcase (or briefcase, if you will), isn’t a good idea.

As it turns out, Ahmed is also the son of Sufi Dallas imam Mohamed Elhassan, who once ran for the presidency in Sudan on the platform that, if elected, he would lift sanctions the U.S. imposed on Sudan in the late 1990s because of that nation’s alleged sponsorship of terrorism. Mr. Elhassan was also embroiled in controversy when he acted as a defense attorney on behalf of the Quran when Florida Pastor Terry Jones threatened to burn the Islamic holy book.

Mohamed Elhassan, who calls himself a sheik, now has a son who in his own right has become an overnight social media sensation by managing to register on Barack Obama’s racial injustice radar.

Despite young Ahmed being treated more respectfully than other children half his age who’ve been punished for doing things far less alarming than bringing a suitcase clock to class, in reaction to the school taking routine precautions concerning Ahmed’s science project, the Mohamed family is accusing the Irving, Texas school district of Islamophobia.

One would think that since immigration has swelled the Muslim population in America to 6.2 million, the Mohameds would understand that because Ahmed is one of millions of Allah-loving students presently occupying desks in America’s classrooms, reprimanding their son doesn’t mean he’s being profiled.

Nonetheless, unlike in the case of Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who also had an affinity for wiring up and transporting household items, being a Muslim with a digital clock in a suitcase has served Ahmed well.

For starters, Obama, who still hasn’t contacted Kate Steinle’s parents since their daughter was murdered by an illegal alien and felon in San Francisco, tweeted kudos to the studious teen. In the tweet, the would-be horologist got an invitation to bring the ticking timepiece to the same White House that goes into lockdown over suspicious-looking coffee cups.

Above clock-making, Ahmed is being celebrated for his interest in science. As a matter of fact, in his laudatory tweet, President Obama, who also inspires young Iranians to take an interest in nuclear science, commended Mohamed for his technical expertise by implying that kids making clocks that look like suitcase bombs exemplify “what makes America great.”

In addition to Obama’s invite, Ahmed also got a “like” from Facebook’s Mark Zuckerburg, was offered an internship at Twitter, and, after being pictured wearing a NASA t-shirt, was offered a summer scholarship at Space Camp USA in Alabama.

However, what this love fest has yet to reveal is how an all-American kid like Ahmed’s detention for bringing a suspicious-looking suitcase to school may have successfully paved the way for children with Muslim-sounding names to avoid being questioned if, in the future, they too decide to pack a “cool clock” or a pressure cooker into their backpacks.

Moreover, if liking science is an indicator of inspirational greatness, one can’t help but wonder why the president never commended young Josh Welch of Baltimore, Maryland for his exciting artistic expression.

Instead, Josh, the seven-year-old who maintained that his Pop-Tart “gun” was just an attempt to fashion a breakfast food into a mountain range, was suspended from school for two days because, instead of the Grand Tetons, Josh’s creation resembled something that looked like a Glock 19.

If only Josh had made a clock that looked like a Glock, President Obama might have invited him to the White House, too!

Not likely.

Then there’s six-year-old Rodney Lynch, also from Maryland. In 2013, around the time of his run-in with the law, Rodney was a big fan of cartoons. Seems the imaginative Mr. Lynch positioned his thumb and index finger into the shape of an “L.” Rodney’s design did not say “tick-tock” like Ahmed’s, but after molding his fingers into a gun, the tyke was heard uttering the word “Pow!” For that, and to ensure the school’s “sense of safety and security,” Rodney was suspended for a day and has yet to receive a tweet from the president.

There’s also the case of the five-year-old Pennsylvania girl who, in a debate at the bus stop, insisted that princess bubble-blowers are superior to Hello Kitty bubble guns.

When the princess bubble-blower girl suggested that the two friends test their claims by shooting each other with soapsuds, the barely-out-of-diapers five-year-old was accused of making a “terrorist threat,” mandated to attend counseling sessions with a therapist, and suspended for 10 days.

In 2009, an 11-year-old student was arrested, thrown in jail, and charged with a third-degree felony for bringing a plastic butter knife to school. That same year, an eight-year-old Massachusetts boy was mandated to have psychological counseling for drawing a picture of Jesus on the cross while in school.

Not so with Ahmed. After toting a homemade clock that looked like a suitcase bomb to school, the kid is a national hero, and the Irving Independent School District is under fire for investigating the digital clock in a suitcase as a potential threat.

What ever happened to the Janet Napolitano-coined DHS motto “If you see something, say something?”

At the end of the day, this isn’t about a presidential tweet or whether the authorities discriminated against a Muslim kid with an interest in science. The crux of the issue here is why schools’ “zero tolerance” safety policy suddenly has two different standards. Why, in the midst of the War on Terror, should a 14-year-old boy of Middle Eastern descent bringing a ticking circuit board to school in a metal suitcase be exempted from scrutiny?

[pattyangel]

Bravo WHN!!!!  Thank you so much for the article. 

 

There you go people!!!! what picture does this paint of this administrations?  It only paints one color. I'm not seeing a diversity of colors. This administration is catering to only those that please.  Such weakness in the people not seeing his evil plan. 

 

The administration is guilty on all accounts in causing the division of God's people.  This administration is a disgrace to our America. JMO

[Jaxinjersey]

Suspicious Pop-Tart guns versus scientific suitcase clocks

By Jeannie DeAngelis

Suspicious Pop-Tart guns versus scientific suitcase clocks

However, what this love fest has yet to reveal is how an all-American kid like Ahmed’s detention for bringing a suspicious-looking suitcase to school may have successfully paved the way for children with Muslim-sounding names to avoid being questioned if, in the future, they too decide to pack a “cool clock” or a pressure cooker into their backpacks.

Instead, Josh, the seven-year-old who maintained that his Pop-Tart “gun” was just an attempt to fashion a breakfast food into a mountain range, was suspended from school for two days because, instead of the Grand Tetons, Josh’s creation resembled something that looked like a Glock 19.

Sofa King Perfect find Team Leader, to back up my own perspective!  Thanks!