From the Independent:
The family of Ahmed Mohamed, the Texan schoolboy who was arrested after taking a homemade clock to school, has demanded $15m in compensation and written apologies from the local mayor and police chief.
In letters sent on Monday, the lawyers said if the City of Irving and Irving School District did not agree to the apologies and compensation, they would file a civil action.
"Ahmed never threatened anyone, never caused harm to anyone, and never intended to. The only one who was hurt that day was Ahmed, and the damages he suffered were not because of oversight or incompetence," said the letter to the city authorities.
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Ahmed The Clock Kid Suing School and Police For $15,000,000.00
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(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 24 2015, @11:18PM
homemade clock
Ugh.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 24 2015, @11:22PM
Home-rebuilt clock.
Satisfied?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 24 2015, @11:29PM
rebuilt
built
>implying he built anything
Ugh.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 24 2015, @11:34PM
That damn raghead built a bomb!
He was going to blow up a school filled with infidels and get his 72 virgins.
Why are you libruls so damn thick, and why do you hate America?
(Score: 3, Interesting) by DeathMonkey on Tuesday November 24 2015, @11:37PM
Have you ever built a computer? Made coffee/tea?
"If you wish to make apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe" - Carl Sagan
(Score: 3, Insightful) by darkfeline on Wednesday November 25 2015, @03:16AM
Even so, I think building a computer excludes buying a prebuilt machine and swapping some RAM, and making coffee excludes buying a cup from Starbucks and transferring it to your mug.
Building a clock, in my opinion, includes such things as assembling a Raspberry Pi, some wires, LEDs, breadboards, etc., and excludes removing a store-bought clock from its shell and transferring it to a different box.
Join the SDF Public Access UNIX System today!
(Score: 2, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 25 2015, @08:41AM
Wait... Your definition of building a clock starts off by buying a computer, a much more complex device than does a million times the things that a clock would do...
(Score: 2) by darkfeline on Thursday November 26 2015, @11:44PM
Yes, I think teaching a kid to program a Raspberry Pi and wire it to LEDs counts as building a clock.
A RaspPi does not come preprogrammed to run an LED clock; it requires significant extra work. By your logic, the universe has already "built" everything in the past, present, and future, since it does infinitely more things than anything within it.
Join the SDF Public Access UNIX System today!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 24 2015, @11:39PM
Homemade clock case?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 24 2015, @11:49PM
Good enough.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Tork on Tuesday November 24 2015, @11:43PM
🏳️🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️🌈
(Score: 5, Interesting) by moondoctor on Tuesday November 24 2015, @11:45PM
He's a kid. He repackaged a clock. I did the same kind of stuff when I was little, enjoyed it and learned about how things work. This type of experimentation is something I believe should be encouraged and not belittled. He did 'build' and 'make' something. Characterising it as a scratch-built clock was the media's game.
It may be pretty simple in the grand scheme of things, but yes, he did 'build' something. How far does it go, does one have to mine the ore and silicon also? Not being facetious, this is a question I wonder about for fun now and then.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 24 2015, @11:54PM
this is a question I wonder about for fun now and then.
for fun
You must be great at parties.
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 25 2015, @01:04AM
Since most people who go to parties are insipid and shallow, I see no reason he would even attend such events. Thinking is alien to them.
(Score: 3, Touché) by dyingtolive on Wednesday November 25 2015, @10:05AM
I go to parties. We get drunk and talk about the stars. Maybe the problem is that people are going to the wrong parties with the wrong people.
Don't blame me, I voted for moose wang!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 26 2015, @01:53AM
As an extreme introvert, parties are simply not my thing. Your description of a party sounds boring, as well as terrible because other people are there. That and I don't drink alcohol.
Did I mention that I don't watch TV...?
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 24 2015, @11:57PM
> He's a kid. He repackaged a clock.
He didn't just repackage it, he spent 20 minutes soldering major components together. [archive.org] Sounds to me like he took a couple of broken clocks and made one working clock.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 25 2015, @12:15AM
Bullshit-> http://blogs.artvoice.com/techvoice/2015/09/17/reverse-engineering-ahmed-mohameds-clock-and-ourselves/ [artvoice.com]
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 25 2015, @12:31AM
Er no. Nothing in that blogger's post contradicts the kid's claim that he soldered some pieces together. Looks like he could have easily soldered the transformer and board with the buttons in 20 minutes. Furthermore there is tons of evidence that he's soldered all kinds of other things in the past.
Trying to dissect every little thing the kid did to find proof of nefarious intent is how conspiracy theories work - every fact gets viewed in the most uncharitable light no matter what the fact actually is.
(Score: 2) by Tork on Wednesday November 25 2015, @12:59AM
🏳️🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️🌈
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 25 2015, @03:23AM
> I think he was refuting the claim that it was two different clocks put together.
Well it doesn't refute that either, you can't tell where the components came from previously. You can't even see the solder points on the transformer.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 25 2015, @02:21AM
I know that everybody likes to relate this story about their own childhood, but let's not forget that Ahmed comes from a family that has literally spent his entire life pulling one theatrical stunt after another. I am willing to bet that his childhood is nothing like the childhood of anybody on SoylentNews, and any similarity or perceived curiosity is wishful thinking. From his father running twice for President of Sudan under a platform of implementing strict Sharia law as the solution to that nation's woes, to his father's public baiting of a hate monger-er leading to the Quran burning controversy resulting in the deaths of dozens of people across several countries, to his father suing to implement Sharia law in Irving Texas only to have the City Council vote it down, this family has been in the news a lot already. Add the fact that his father hired a lawyer just a few days before sending his kid to school with a ticking bundle of wires in a briefcase, and now said father is suing the city (for the second time in a year) for $15 million USD, and well, it just looks like there's more than an innocent kid being the victim of racism in a city with 20% Islamic faith. Unless balloon boy is posting at SoylentNews, I *really* doubt that anybody can accurately make the "I was in his shoes once" claim.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 25 2015, @02:27AM
What the fuck does any of that have to do with this kid bringing a clock that could be viewed as a bomb in this paranoid society to school? All this fearmongering and panicking demonstrably leads to a reduction in liberties, makes people afraid to even do simple tinkering, and serves to disprove the notion that we are a land of freedom and bravery.
Even if this *was* a stunt and they somehow predicted all this, it's still absolutely absurd the school and the police acted the way they did. They deserve to be punished.
(Score: 2) by Tork on Wednesday November 25 2015, @05:45AM
What the fuck does any of that have to do with this kid bringing a clock that could be viewed as a bomb in this paranoid society to school? All this fearmongering and panicking demonstrably leads to a reduction in liberties, makes people afraid to even do simple tinkering, and serves to disprove the notion that we are a land of freedom and bravery. Even if this *was* a stunt and they somehow predicted all this, it's still absolutely absurd the school and the police acted the way they did. They deserve to be punished.
This was unfairly modded as troll.
🏳️🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️🌈
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 25 2015, @07:36PM
A family that repeatedly tries to enact sharia law, the thing ISIS was made for, sends a child to school with something that looks like a bomb, something ISIS does, and you disagree with him being arrested? If it walks like a terrorist, talks like a terrorist, and looks like a terrorist, maybe err on the side of preventing mass death yes?
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 25 2015, @08:14PM
I disagree with him being arrested, yes. What I care about is the constitution and freedom, not your stupid paranoia. What you seem to care about is some minuscule possibility that some reassembled clock could be a bomb. Continue to live your life in fear, I guess.
maybe err on the side of preventing mass death yes?
No, because that leads to a demonstrable reduction in liberties. I would rather be less safe (though no safety was gained here) and be more free than the other way around. I'm tired of these stupid overreactions from law enforcement and schools.
I don't care that the kid was Muslim or anything else. Similar things happen to be of all races and religions, and it needs to stop.
(Score: 3, Informative) by CaTfiSh on Wednesday November 25 2015, @02:52AM
Not sure why you've been moderated down, but perhaps it was because you failed to mention that Ahmed's sister had been suspended 3 years earlier from a middle school in the same district for her own involvement in a bomb threat.
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/09/23/ahmeds-sister-admits-school-suspension-alleged-bomb-threat-3-years-earlier/ [breitbart.com]
There is also a telephone interview out there where you can hear Ahmed hesitate and being prompted by his sister on how to respond.
Nope, this family is all about the drama and persecution. They've had their apologies, their moment of national notoriety, so what are the damages again?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 25 2015, @03:26AM
Wow. Even Breitbart can't spin that to make her look bad.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 25 2015, @03:28AM
...but perhaps it was because you failed to mention that Ahmed's sister had been suspended 3 years earlier from a middle school in the same district for her own involvement in a bomb threat.
Funny that you omitted the word 'alleged' when even your link managed to be pretty clear about it. In any event, here's the problem with your link: It provides no evidence. One possibility, the one you're leaning heavily on, is that she made a bomb threat. Another possibility is that... oh and this is good... that this community likes to tease people of a certain religion about making bombs. Call that one a draw.
There is also a telephone interview out there where you can hear Ahmed hesitate and being prompted by his sister on how to respond.
Gee, imagine someone choosing their words carefully while people run around trying to dig up dirt on their family.
Nope, this family is all about the drama and persecution.
Mm hmm.
(Score: 1) by CaTfiSh on Wednesday November 25 2015, @04:30AM
Fair enough, the details aren't out there specifically and the sister states it was someone else. Funny coincidence though, isn't it?
Is it that much easier for you to believe that an entire town is out to target a single family, rather than their rather petulant and militant father has an agenda to push?
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 25 2015, @05:53AM
Funny coincidence though, isn't it?
No. Too many Americans associate Muslims with bombs.
Is it that much easier for you to believe that an entire town is out to target a single family, rather than their rather petulant and militant father has an agenda to push?
Yes. Turn the news on and listen for the word 'refugee'.
(Score: 2) by Anal Pumpernickel on Wednesday November 25 2015, @06:00AM
It's much easier to believe that we live in a paranoid nation that will go insane over anything that could even conceivably be a bomb, even if the chances of that are 0.00000000000000000000000000000000001%. People making bomb jokes on Twitter spark a ridiculous response from the government. Then there are cases like this [wikipedia.org] and many more. And how many times have we seen schools totally overreact to things which shouldn't be against the rules anyway, like kids pointing their fingers at other kids and pretending their fingers are guns? With all this paranoia and zero tolerance nonsense, it's not hard for me to believe that the school, government, and even a lot of the citizens are just being insane.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 25 2015, @09:52AM
Wanna bet catfish would be the first to complain about that insanity if the victim weren't muslim?
(Score: 1) by CaTfiSh on Wednesday November 25 2015, @04:02PM
You'd lose that bet, but nice try at deflecting my points by characterizing me as a bigot.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 25 2015, @04:56PM
So you would be totally OK with all the crazy shit happening to anybody?
(Score: 2) by dyingtolive on Wednesday November 25 2015, @10:10AM
You remember that time there was a bomb threat at a school? We had at least one yearly, and had only maybe 400 kids at the high school. I could count the number of not-white kids there on one hand.
A Muslim kid would have provided us with countless amounts of fun, and all of what I'm saying is from a pre-police-state world. I was sleeping in Spanish class in my senior year when that went down.
Don't blame me, I voted for moose wang!
(Score: 2) by Tork on Wednesday November 25 2015, @03:03AM
...but let's not forget that Ahmed comes from a family that has literally spent his entire life pulling one theatrical stunt after another.
Yeah because turning xenophobic in response to an allegedly-reputed-troll is so much better than overreacting when a student named Mohamed brings a suitcase (that wasn't actually ticking...) to class.
🏳️🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️🌈
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 25 2015, @07:15AM
(Score: 2) by JeanCroix on Wednesday November 25 2015, @01:22PM
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 25 2015, @02:26PM
Thats because one usually does not get trolled successfully enough to cause one to violate someone elses rights.
Comparing this to internet trolling is like comparing an earthquake to a table with a shaky leg.
(Score: 5, Informative) by Ezber Bozmak on Wednesday November 25 2015, @03:40PM
> From his father running twice for President of Sudan under a platform of implementing
> strict Sharia law as the solution to that nation's woes
That's utter bullshit. The guy is a Sufi. Sufis are the totally chill, party version of Islam. They are the ones who literally spin around to get high (whirling dervishes) and they make the most rock and roll music - having major concerts that all the uptight taliban hate. They are as far from fundamentalism as you can possibly get. [smithsonianmag.com] He ran on the exact opposite of "strict sharia law." In fact he stated that his platform for president included:
"You put laws that conform to international conventions on human rights that would achieve social justice and assert individual freedoms. All laws that restrict freedoms will be abolished"
“We will have a moderate view of religion. Anyone who breaches [that view] and harms people will be swiftly dealt with by law”
http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article54000 [sudantribune.com]
> to his father's public baiting of a hate monger-er leading to the Quran burning controversy
> resulting in the deaths of dozens of people across several countries,
Puh-leaze. Jones was running on full blast all on his own and would have burned the quran anyway. He no more "baited" Terry Jones than Bill Nye baited that creationist Ken Ham.
> to his father suing to implement Sharia law in Irving Texas only to have the City Council vote it down
And that is just totally made up.
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 25 2015, @07:25PM
Literally everything you wrote is outright false or so misleading as to be effectively a lie. Ezber already hit the big ones, but I'll do the rest:
> his father hired a lawyer just a few days before sending his kid to school
His father only hired lawyers after his child was arrested and had his property confiscated, [nbcnews.com] not before.
> school with a ticking bundle of wires in a briefcase
It was an 8" by 5" pencil box [amazon.com] not a briefcase.
> it just looks like there's more than an innocent kid being the victim of racism in a city with 20% Islamic faith
Irving, TX is 3.5% islamic, not 20%. [bestplaces.net]
Congrats on trolling the shit out of Soylent, it was masterful and you deserve every one of those +5 insightful points for pulling it off.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 25 2015, @10:29PM
Thank you for posting this, this is much closer to the uncovering the truth than people trying to blame racism and evil white racist bogeymen and everything else are ever going to get.
(Score: 2) by fritsd on Wednesday November 25 2015, @10:25AM
Really? It's nice to read that other people wonder about this kind of stuff too.
Have you also had the thought: "I wonder if the whole production chain of the machinery that sustains our interlinked modern society is still documented and functioning, or if there's a little cog somewhere that's company secret by an Albanian paint company, and only its 65-year old research chemist (cancer patient) has the company-secret formula in his decaying head", or similar thoughts?
I'm an admirer of Michael Hart [wikipedia.org] (RIP) of the Gutenberg project, and of Brewster Kahle (archive.org).
Everything is on the Internet nowadays, but what is the Internet on? AFAIK, there's no "build a harddisk from plate steel, paperclips and magnetic paste" DIY handbook. That kind of stuff is probably all company secret.
And how do you solder a MIPS or ARM cpu from a box of NAND chips?
I suspect that a "reboot" to 19-th century level technology is possible. Energy maybe from wind turbines (you'd need to replicate a Chinese Neodymium "magnetizer" to produce its supermagnets, and lots of functioning wind turbines to power it). I think ultrapure silicon for chips and solar cells requires "high-tech" infrastructure but amorphous silicon for crappy solar cells might be a lot easier.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by dyingtolive on Wednesday November 25 2015, @12:52AM
I "built a clock". Earlier this year actually. Used an old Soviet VFD I got on ebay, an arduino, a shift register IC, an RTC IC and a voltage regulator. There were also some capacitors and resistors.
Did I build a clock? I didn't pour the elctrolyte, or make any of the components. I used manufactured parts, some of which were designed specifically for this purpose, and most of them I got from the same location.
Don't blame me, I voted for moose wang!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 25 2015, @01:55AM
You used old Soviet parts? You are lucky you didn't get sent to gitmo.
(Score: 2) by dyingtolive on Wednesday November 25 2015, @10:21AM
No doubt. They wouldn't deliver them to my door. Made me show up at the post office to pick them up. In this day and age, nervous was an understatement for how I felt when I showed up to collect. I expected federal marshals or something there for me.
After I left, I regained composure quite a bit. The wrapping was in an old Russian newspaper. Actually quite cool to look at. I'm still terrified to think of what could actually be in the damn things though. Wash my hands after touching them, even for a moment.
Don't blame me, I voted for moose wang!
(Score: 5, Insightful) by vux984 on Wednesday November 25 2015, @12:59AM
Really? If his parents had bought him a birdhouse kit and he built that and brought it to school, nobody would blink twice at him calling it a homemade bird house that he built at home. Hell.. I've even made clocks in woodshop in highschool... and my contribution to the "clock" part was little more than affixing a purchased clock movement to a clockface I cut, and decorated myself. Nobody has ever challenged me on the claim that I made that clock.
This kid did something quite a bit more adventurous than that, presumably on his own initiative.
Why are you so dead set against giving him credit for "making" a clock? He took clock parts from a clock, and a case that was not a clock, and combined them to 'make' a new clock.
Assembling existing parts into a whole object is the definition of building. Whether your building a lego project, a birdhouse, a gaming computer, a car, or an ikea bookshelf. Demanding that this boy must design the circuitry himself before he can claim he made a clock is just silly.
Implying that he designed the circuitry when all he did was assemble the parts is always wrong, and the media should get slapped for that. But the kid, he did make a clock. Don't take that away from him. Its nonsensical that. My son made a clock the other day too, out of a snap together electric kit with 100s of 'projects'. The week before that he made a voice modifer with it.
If we can say my kid 'made' a voice modifier without feeling like I'm abusing the english language (and I did just that in the last paragraph)... then we can say this kid made a clock.
(Score: 2) by Tork on Wednesday November 25 2015, @01:40AM
I really don't get why people are trying to hold him to that standard. He tinkered. Tinkering shows an interest in learning. Unless you've got a citation for a fair number of students at that school showing off their own projects I'm out of ideas about what's so wrong about his puffery. Heck, I changed a title screen on a game once and tried to pass that off as a creation of mine to a teacher in grade school. She didn't care a whole lot (In retrospect I wish she had either been impressed or really angry at me, either would have served me better as life-lessons...) but my explorations led me to make programming part of my work-life. My dad is a Ham radio operator and several of his radio buddies spent time with me to learn various electronics/computing skills. My career-skills are self taught, I credit each of them for that for all the faith they showed in me.
I don't really get why it being a repackaged clock is a big deal, I wish all the kids in his class would try that.
🏳️🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️🌈
(Score: 4, Insightful) by PartTimeZombie on Wednesday November 25 2015, @01:48AM
I really don't get why people are trying to hold him to that standard.
It's weird really, the amount of criticism of this boy I've seen on the Internet. The whole clock building thing seems like an attempt to make him the bad guy instead of the arsehole who called the cop, or the drooling idiot of a cop who put him in chains.
They're the ones who should be held accountable for this, but sadly probably won't be.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Knowledge Troll on Wednesday November 25 2015, @07:27AM
It's weird really, the amount of criticism of this boy I've seen on the Internet.
There's plenty of weird all around. Here is my view: this entire situation is a gigantic ball of fucked up and retarded. No one wins and it is not clear at all who needs to be "blamed" as if that would fix something. There are so many valid and invalid opinions being spread around I still have not increased my signal to noise ratio on this topic. On one hand when I brought electronics to high school that I had tinkered with it made people nervous and I stopped doing it. That was 20 years ago and I'm not brown. The kid should definitely tinker and play with electronics, that is a good thing.
On the other hand: if this kids parents are not carefully explaining to him what is going on he is going to be warped as fuck when he hits the workplace. Imagine this conversation after his first day at work:
clock kid> Hi boss, here I took apart an automatic cat water dispenser and duct taped it to the inside of a suit case. It'll be the best selling product in history. When do I get my promotion to CEO?
boss> Uhm. What? It doesn't work that way.
clock kid> Oh really? The last time I did this I wound up on the news and I had dinner with the president in his house. What is your problem?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 26 2015, @02:38AM
> It's weird really, the amount of criticism of this boy I've seen on the Internet.
You are seeing bigotry in action. I am not joking. Every bigot with an IQ over 80 knows he has have to have a reason to hate the people in his chosen group of persecution. It doesn't have to stand up to scrutiny, it just has to be enough to satisfy himself that his hate is founded in fact. Most of the time it is the application of negative stereotypes associated with that group: "muslims are terrorists." When that doesn't work he goes for generic negative stereotypes: "fame seeker. " And if that doesn't work he just shades any facts about the case with the worst possible light: "he didn't 'build' a clock."
If you point out what the bigot is doing he denies it, because he has convinced himself that his "facts" are sufficient justification. You'll get statements like "I'm just stating facts, how can facts be bigotted?"
(Score: 5, Informative) by FatPhil on Tuesday November 24 2015, @11:24PM
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 25 2015, @12:57AM
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 25 2015, @02:41AM
"Unfortunately, this video is not available in your country because it could contain music, for which we could not agree on conditions of use with GEMA.
Sorry about that." (GEMA being the Gesellschaft für musikalische Aufführungs- und mechanische Vervielfältigungsrechte [wikipedia.org])
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 25 2015, @10:36AM
<troll>
Replace it by the youtube video of "Der Sheriff" by D.A.F., then
</troooolll>
WARNING: only view that video clip in a free country! you have been warned.
(Score: 2) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Wednesday November 25 2015, @05:11AM
I mean I really do. I don't get tipped for it a whole lot but I enjoy singing it.
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
(Score: 3, Touché) by NoMaster on Wednesday November 25 2015, @05:44AM
I think you got your comment & sig reversed. I wish that happened to mine more often...
Live free or fuck off and take your naïve Libertarian fantasies with you...
(Score: 4, Insightful) by NotSanguine on Tuesday November 24 2015, @11:26PM
Maybe if Irving, TX feels the pinch, they'll rethink their bigoted, cowardly ideas.
This is how culture changes -- as an old boss of mine used to say, "when the pain to change is less than the pain to stay the same, people change." Hopefully US$15 Million is enough pain.
No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 24 2015, @11:57PM
Yeah, $15M should sufficiently cover the emotional pain he suffered becoming an overnight celebrity, getting to interact with the President, Zuckerburg, etc., gets a rich dude to pay to move you lock, stock, and barrel to Qatar.
Maybe if I hit and win the $200M Powerball lottery, I can sue my state for millions for selling me the ticket that turns me into an overnight celebrity. It is pretty stressful winning one of those lotteries, and I should be compensated for my pain.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 25 2015, @12:02AM
> Maybe if I hit and win the $200M Powerball lottery, I can sue my state for millions for selling me the ticket that turns me into an overnight celebrity.
If you become an overnight celebrity because they falsely arrested you for having that ticket in your pocket then yeah you can totally sue them.
The fact that other, unrelated people felt compelled to try to make up for the state's illegal behavior doesn't absolve the state of responsibility for their actions.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 25 2015, @12:12AM
The state tried various ways to mend ways. The issue is that apologies and the offered compensations weren't deemed to be enough money to salve his jet setting psyche.
MO MONEY, MO MONEY! He got to rub elbows with the tech hoi polloi and heads of state AND is looking to get a payday! CHA-CHING! Ain't America wonderful? His family couldn't have worked it any better if they tried (I don't know, maybe slipping on a discarded banana peel at Disney World while on live national TV or something), though his dad is very experienced in this kind of thing.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 25 2015, @12:21AM
> The state tried various ways to mend ways. The issue is that apologies and the offered compensations weren't deemed to be enough
Can you enumerate what they did to mend ways? Because what I saw was the mayor go on Glenn Beck's show and let Beck rant about all kinds of conspiracy theories about the kid's nefarious motives and she didn't do jack to dispute anything Beck said. In fact she claimed there were secret details that she couldn't release to the public that justified the kid's arrest.
So yeah, definitely not enough.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 25 2015, @08:54AM
When a kid gets arrested for building a clock, the first step to mend ways is somebody getting fired. The teacher, the principal and the police officers are candidates. The teacher might get a free pass because "not a science teacher", but the part about keeping the "bomb" in her desk for the remainder of the lesson is a good hint that even she did not believe it was a bomb.
So tell me. How many of the incompetent morons involved in getting this kid arrested got fired?
After firing those, they get to start apologizing. An apology with no action behind it is just words.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by skater on Wednesday November 25 2015, @12:33PM
I love the internet. Every problem will be solved as long as we fire someone when something is done incorrectly.
Tip: When you fire someone, the next person won't have the experience of learning from the error, setting your organization up for making the same mistake again.
Also, I agree the school should be sued, but $15,000,000 seems rather high.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 25 2015, @01:33PM
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 25 2015, @06:01PM
> It's straight from the SJW playbook.
You only see what you want to see. Getting someone fired for saying something you don't like has a long proud history independent of political beliefs.
For example, Bill Maher had his entire show cancelled for saying this about 9/11: "We have been the cowards, lobbing cruise missiles from 2,000 miles away. That's cowardly. Staying in the airplane when it hits the building, say what you want about it, it's not cowardly."
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 25 2015, @12:26AM
Bigotry should carry a hefty price.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 25 2015, @12:41AM
> Bigotry should carry a hefty price.
Not so fast. In america everybody is free to be a bigot. We are also all free to call out bigots for what they are.
BUT application of bigotry under the color of authority, that should carry a heavy price.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Wednesday November 25 2015, @05:02PM
BUT application of bigotry under the color of authority, that should carry a heavy price.
I agree here. Application of bigotry is an action or behavior you can observe. It can, as in the present case, be illegal without us having to figure out whether it actually due to bigotry or not. I don't think the current hubbub is $15 million worth of harm, but I can see two orders of magnitude less as a valid reward.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Wednesday November 25 2015, @03:59AM
Bigotry should carry a hefty price.
When are you going to cough up for your bigotry against perceived bigots?
(Score: 2) by Tork on Wednesday November 25 2015, @05:57AM
🏳️🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️🌈
(Score: 1) by khallow on Wednesday November 25 2015, @09:52AM
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 25 2015, @12:23PM
You aren't just aware, you are accusing.
Exactly the behavior you call being bigotted against perceived bigots.
The trap you set for me seems to have caught your leg instead.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Wednesday November 25 2015, @01:00PM
You aren't just aware, you are accusing.
Exactly the behavior you call being bigotted against perceived bigots.
The trap you set for me seems to have caught your leg instead.
Accusation != bigotry. I merely noted the naked hypocrisy of someone saying "Bigotry should carry a hefty price" while demonstrating ignorance of the case at hand (such as the real problem wasn't bigotry, but rather the illegal behavior), the monetary amount of the claimed damages ($15 million is a lot of money, I think a penalty should be proportionate to the harm not to the wealth of the perpetrator), bigotry, or that in a reciprocating world, they too would be paying that "hefty price". This noise about "traps" and "accusing" is more of the same demonstration of ignorance. Here, you can't even be bothered to read the thread.
Bigotry is normal and very enduring human thinking. You aren't going to get rid of it by fining it or by making it illegal. All you will do by such clueless attempts at punishment is cause additional suffering. The best you can do is make certain observable behavior illegal. My view here is that behavior should be on its own obviously and inherently illegal rather than illegal because of bigoted intent or viewpoint.
So unconstitutional violations of someone's rights (such as happened in this case) qualify as behavior that we should be making illegal whether it comes from bigotry or not. But making an action conditionally illegal or more illegal based on bigoted intent or viewpoint is discriminating against those with the penalized viewpoints. This is particularly perverse and hypocritical when so much bigotry is socially and legally acceptable (eg, bigotry against bigotry, acceptable bigotry from the right ethnic groups (bigotry by Blacks), or acceptable bigotry against the right ethnic groups (eg, institutional bigotry against Asians or males in the US).
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 25 2015, @06:34PM
> while demonstrating ignorance of the case at hand (such as the real problem wasn't bigotry, but rather the illegal behavior)
Uh, that's your interpretation colored by your bigotry.
> the monetary amount of the claimed damages ($15 million is a lot of money, I think a penalty should be proportionate to the harm not to the wealth of the perpetrator)
That's a simplistic standard since the point of cases like this is to be punitive in order to discourage the behavior in the future.
> This noise about "traps" and "accusing" is more of the same demonstration of ignorance.
Lol. My noise, or your noise? Because all of your arguments can easily be turned around on you. You just see it because you think your right and I'm wrong.
> Constitutional, blah, blah, blah.
The punishment is against the state. The state doesn't have constitutional rights.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Wednesday November 25 2015, @08:32PM
while demonstrating ignorance of the case at hand (such as the real problem wasn't bigotry, but rather the illegal behavior)
Uh, that's your interpretation colored by your bigotry.
Illegal activity did happen and that is the basis of the lawsuit. Bigotry probably happened and that might be an aggravating factor considered by the jury, but that isn't the basis of the lawsuit.
the monetary amount of the claimed damages ($15 million is a lot of money, I think a penalty should be proportionate to the harm not to the wealth of the perpetrator)
That's a simplistic standard since the point of cases like this is to be punitive in order to discourage the behavior in the future.
Should the school pay out the same amount, if the police officer had shot and killed the kid without cause rather than merely unlawfully detained and harassed (plus a three day suspension) the kid? Because I wonder if you get what "proportionate to the harm" means?
This noise about "traps" and "accusing" is more of the same demonstration of ignorance.
Lol. My noise, or your noise? Because all of your arguments can easily be turned around on you. You just see it because you think your right and I'm wrong.
My argument is greatly strengthened by the fact that there were no rhetorical "traps" involved and the "accusing" was based on the actual post I was responding to. As to "turning" my argument around, why don't you actually try that for once and see what happens?
Constitutional, blah, blah, blah.
The punishment is against the state. The state doesn't have constitutional rights.
Nor did I imply that in the least. Here's what I wrote:
So unconstitutional violations of someone's rights
"Someone" clearly is not the state. I think reading comprehension failure is going to be a thing here.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Wednesday November 25 2015, @08:42PM
(Score: 1) by khallow on Wednesday November 25 2015, @01:47PM
You are bigoted against bigots that hate bigots. So where does the cycle end?
Since there seems to be a lot of confusion over what should have been an obvious quip, my belief is that any sort of thought or speech should not be punished by a legal system, not even bigotry. In this case, we have clearly illegal activity, violations of the child's rights. We don't have to nor should care whether there was bigotry or not. Punish the illegal activity and behavior not the imaginary thoughtcrime.
But what can you say of someone who wants to punish peoples' thoughts and beliefs just because they are "bigotry". "Bigot" is an appropriate label.
(Score: 2) by Tork on Wednesday November 25 2015, @03:50PM
🏳️🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️🌈
(Score: 1) by khallow on Wednesday November 25 2015, @05:45PM
So someone who comes to the defense of one being gay bashed is a bigot, right?
No, I think the Moon is made of green cheese.
(Score: 2) by Tork on Wednesday November 25 2015, @06:47PM
🏳️🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️🌈
(Score: 1) by khallow on Wednesday November 25 2015, @07:47PM
(Score: 2) by Tork on Wednesday November 25 2015, @08:07PM
🏳️🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️🌈
(Score: 1) by khallow on Wednesday November 25 2015, @08:54PM
Let's start with my post:
Since there seems to be a lot of confusion over what should have been an obvious quip, my belief is that any sort of thought or speech should not be punished by a legal system, not even bigotry. In this case, we have clearly illegal activity, violations of the child's rights. We don't have to nor should care whether there was bigotry or not. Punish the illegal activity and behavior not the imaginary thoughtcrime.
But what can you say of someone who wants to punish peoples' thoughts and beliefs just because they are "bigotry". "Bigot" is an appropriate label.
And now contrast that with your "question".
So someone who comes to the defense of one being gay bashed is a bigot, right?
Note that I first was speaking of punishment by a legal system. So right there, "comes to the defense" sounds nothing like "let's fine this school $15 million because bigotry". Nor did I assert that defending someone makes them a bigot. Defending someone by saying that the other guys were bigots and they should be fined $15 million because of that, well that is bigotry.
So we see that your question had nothing to do with what I actually said. That is the very definition of "non sequitur".
But there's more. Not only was it a non sequitur, it was also a leading question since in the asking of the question, you falsely insinuate something (here, negative) about me, namely, that I casually label people as bigots because they defend other people.
That's two strikes against your "legit question".
(Score: 2) by Tork on Wednesday November 25 2015, @09:37PM
Nor did I assert that defending someone makes them a bigot.
No, this is what you asserted, which happened to also be directly what I was replying to:
But what can you say of someone who wants to punish peoples' thoughts and beliefs just because they are "bigotry". "Bigot" is an appropriate label.
This is a very general statement and I seriously doubt, especially after reading other posts of yours, that you were being specific to this incident. I brought up a scenario where the first half of your post becomes rather hazy in contrast to the second half. When violence is in reaction to violence the legality of it gets hazy, meaning your labeling 'bigot' is either absurdly absolute or scarily under-thought. There's an entire discussion with practical examples throughout right there... but, no "non-seuqitor", bla bla bla. If you don't want to discuss it I can make my tone less aggressive, that's fine I don't want to "Be a bigot!!" to you, but crying 'non-sequitor' is not going to earn you a cheap victory.
🏳️🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️🌈
(Score: 1) by khallow on Wednesday November 25 2015, @09:51PM
One of the interesting developments of this discussion, generally speaking I mean, is his how reliant one side is on trying to win arguments with labels. "Bigot", "non-sequitor", "intolerant", "hypocrite", etc. It's hilarious in its irony. Anway, moving on....
Labels which have meanings. Why would I use words with different meanings that wouldn't convey what I wanted to say?
But what can you say of someone who wants to punish peoples' thoughts and beliefs just because they are "bigotry". "Bigot" is an appropriate label.
This is a very general statement and I seriously doubt, especially after reading other posts of yours, that you were being specific to this incident.
Granted, but I was speaking in the context of the previous paragraph where punishment was clearly described as employing tools of a legal system (even to putting in bold my primary point). Further, if someone is slighted in your perception, would you think of a defense, even a spirited or insulting one, as foremost a punishment? Especially one equivalent in devastating harm to making them pay a significant fine?
(Score: 2) by Tork on Wednesday November 25 2015, @10:15PM
Why would I use words with different meanings that wouldn't convey what I wanted to say?
My criticism was the use of them to win an argument.
Granted, but I was speaking in the context of the previous paragraph where punishment was clearly described as employing tools of a legal system...
Alrighty. My apologies. Perhaps I read what I wanted to read.
Further, if someone is slighted in your perception, would you think of a defense, even a spirited or insulting one, as foremost a punishment? Especially one equivalent in devastating harm to making them pay a significant fine?
I'm not sure I understand. Are you asking if deterring someone being aggressive is a punishment? If so, I'd say yes, many people see it that way. The common argument is that they should just let them act, lest they become a bigot themselves.
🏳️🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️🌈
(Score: 2) by NotSanguine on Thursday November 26 2015, @01:51AM
Methinks you've wasted your time on this, Khallow.
I often disagree with your point of view, and in this case I think (as I mentioned) Irving, TX needs to understand that violating the rights of citizens has serious consequences -- so the $15 million figure seems appropriately outrageous and punitive. At the end of the day, the case will be settled for much less, I'm sure.
That said, aside from your quibble with the dollar amount, your assessment is perfectly logical and makes a good deal of sense. Sadly, others seem to have reading comprehension issues.
In addition to that failing, Tork appears to lack a sense of humar and is rhetorically challenged. As such, he doesn't seem to grasp your point. Perhaps he was dropped on his head repeatedly as a child?
No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 25 2015, @12:58AM
The people who will suffer the most pain in this scenario are the working class tax payers. You know, families just like Ahmed's. Oh, but who needs to care about the greater consequences, veng^H^H^H^Hjustice is more important!
when the pain to change is less than the pain to stay the same, people change.
Did you used to work for ISIS by any chance? They are the kind of people who think that everyone should adopt their values or be made to suffer.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 25 2015, @01:08AM
Well, what are we supposed to do? Never hold the government accountable when it wrongs people? It seems that it's impossible to touch the actual police who did this, so maybe the community should think about changing that.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by NotSanguine on Wednesday November 25 2015, @01:23AM
The people who will suffer the most pain in this scenario are the working class tax payers. You know, families just like Ahmed's. Oh, but who needs to care about the greater consequences, veng^H^H^H^Hjustice is more important!
You're spot on. Those self-same taxpayers are the ones who elected the school board, the mayor and (by extension) those who manage the police. If those taxpayers wanted their government to act in bigoted and cowardly ways, then they got what they wanted. If not, they elected the wrong people. Either way, they should pay for their poor choices. And if this experience causes them to rethink their bigotry or to vet their elected representatives more closely, that's a good thing IMHO.
when the pain to change is less than the pain to stay the same, people change.
Did you used to work for ISIS by any chance? They are the kind of people who think that everyone should adopt their values or be made to suffer.
That's a weak attempt at demonization, friend. You can do better ad hominem attacks than that.
It's not about forcing others to, as you put it, "adopt their values or be made to suffer," it's about the constitutional rights of an American citizen being violated by government representatives in Irving, TX. As such, you're implying that the belief that it's appropriate to hold governments accountable for violating the rights of their citizens is an extremist idea.
How very authoritarian of you. Good work!
No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 25 2015, @02:21AM
An interesting position from someone whose country is responsible for fucking up the lives of untold millions. Are you implying that the world should hold you collectively liable for the atrocities committed against the people of Guatemala, Japan, Congo or Iraq? Your government has been complicit actions far worse things than hurting the feelings of brown people.
Let that thought sink in for a while.
That's a weak attempt at demonization, friend.
It's a weak attempt at demonetization because it's not.
You can do better ad hominem attacks than that.
That word doesn't mean what you think it means. For an ad hominem to occur, the speaker must use an attack on one's character to justify an irrelevant position. Mockery alone is not fallacious because it's not an argument.
As such, you're implying that the belief that it's appropriate to hold governments accountable for violating the rights of their citizens is an extremist idea.
For someone who is so quick to call out others on their supposed fallacies, you are all too quick to resort to a strawman.
And no, I'm implying that only the willingly complicit elements should be held responsible. There are instances in which governments should answer, but this is not one of them. Expecting that people predict and preempt every outlandish turn of events is beyond reasonable.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 25 2015, @02:37AM
hurting the feelings of brown people.
Violating someone's constitutional liberties is far more than merely hurting feelings.
And no, I'm implying that only the willingly complicit elements should be held responsible.
Good luck making that happen.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by NotSanguine on Wednesday November 25 2015, @04:50AM
An interesting position from someone whose country is responsible for fucking up the lives of untold millions. Are you implying that the world should hold you collectively liable for the atrocities committed against the people of Guatemala, Japan, Congo or Iraq? Your government has been complicit actions far worse things than hurting the feelings of brown people.
I don't find it interesting or unusual. An American citizen's rights were violated by a local government. Regardless of the Federal government's (there's a difference, since you seem not to understand how the American system works) actions abroad or at home (many of which I find to be distasteful to say the least) this person has a right to a redress of his grievances [wikipedia.org].
If you disagree with that, feel free to propose an amendment to the US constitution. It would only require approval by both houses of Congress and two thirds of the state legislatures. Until then, that's the law of the land.
Let that thought sink in for a while.
Okay -- so your premise because bad things have happened to other people, this guy shouldn't be able to defend his rights. Is that correct?
That's a weak attempt at demonization, friend.
It's a weak attempt at demonetization because it's not.
No, you didn't try to demonetize [thefreedictionary.com] (I'm not even sure how that term applies in this context) me. You attempted (poorly) to demonize [reference.com] me by suggesting that I was a member of ISIS.
You can do better ad hominem attacks than that.
That word doesn't mean what you think it means. For an ad hominem to occur, the speaker must use an attack on one's character to justify an irrelevant position. Mockery alone is not fallacious because it's not an argument.
I take the suggestion that I was a member of a group of stone killers who murder innocent people as an attack on my character and unrelated to the discussion at hand. As such, I do consider your statement an ad hominem argument.
So. Now that we've completely confirmed that you're an ignorant, obnoxious jerk with trollish tendencies, how would you like to proceed, friend?
No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
(Score: 3, Interesting) by FatPhil on Wednesday November 25 2015, @11:04AM
Ad Hominem is "you're [something bad] and *therefore* your argument is wrong".
What's been used is "what you've suggested is similar to what [some bad people] did/do, who were/are wrong when they did/do that".
Not sure what logical fallacy is, but it's not Ad Hominem. It's also not just standalone mockery. It's quite close to the "Godwin" one (Nazi's did something similar, therefore you're wrong to suggest what you do). Then again, I hate a large proportion of the standard rhetorical fallacy classifications, so I should just give it my own name. It's the fallacy of irrelevant associations. It does not address the actual point, it merely brings up the irrelevancy that others have been associated with that point. Hitler or Stalin being atheists is not an argument against atheism.
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Rosco P. Coltrane on Wednesday November 25 2015, @12:02AM
Originally it was just an eye-revealing and sad story about a bright-ish kid who did something innocent and creative (yes, I know he just repackaged a clock, but he's at least interested in electronics) and got discriminated against because he's the wrong skin tone and has the wrong name.
It has now turned into a nauseating story about a bunch of greedy layers who managed to convince his equally greedy parents to make a bunch of money out of the affair.
How so American...
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Tork on Wednesday November 25 2015, @12:24AM
🏳️🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️🌈
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 25 2015, @02:24AM
Or a story about a career politician suing the same city for the second time in a year because he was butt-hurt that they didn't declare Sharia Law.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by c0lo on Wednesday November 25 2015, @12:52AM
Great education... I mean 'sue everybody, build your stash and live the American dream'
A (slim) hope for the future:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 25 2015, @01:59PM
Wow. Four, count 'em FOUR, anecdotes. I'm convinced it is a general reflection of how things are.
Thank you for your insightful post that is just as insightful as pretty much every other social commentary you make. From some of your comments I gather you are in a technical field, however, it becomes very clear when you try to stretch yourself much beyond that.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday November 28 2015, @02:10PM
And your point is...?
(Score: 2) by Hairyfeet on Wednesday November 25 2015, @05:25AM
Oh please! You think after Columbine they are gonna give a shit about the skin color of somebody who looks like he's carrying a bomb? Just like you don't hear about the white kid some cops shoot I have zero doubt they nab plenty of kids of EVERY race for doing things that look threatening but just as we watched Martin magically go from an 18yr old that benched 240 to a third grader the press only reports that which follows their political narrative.
ACs are never seen so don't bother. Always ready to show SJWs for the racists they are.
(Score: 1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 25 2015, @12:11AM
Ahmed Mohamed isn't the only victim of police stupidity or the only person to be unjustly labeled a terrorist for the heinous crime of curiosity. But because he has brown skin and a Mulsim-sounding name, he's befriended by Our President who also happens to have brown skin and a Mulslim-sounding name. That's racist favoritism, pure and simple.
Why should this asshole Ahmed even get an apology? The rest of us so-called "terrorists" never got any apology. Ahmed should be treated like fucking shit for existing. That's how equality under the law works.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by moondoctor on Wednesday November 25 2015, @12:44AM
That's an adorable view, but pump yer brakes, kid. If you aren't aware that brown people have more trouble than white people you aren't paying attention. How it gets fixed is a whole nuther subject.
Yes, white people get shit on by The Man also. Move along.
(Score: 2, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 25 2015, @01:28AM
Are you sure about that? If you're making decisions based on how a name sounds, your president's sounds more Irish than Muslim. It's not, of course, but you said you want to play "sound like".
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 25 2015, @09:58AM
The Corrigan Brothers: There's No One as Irish as Obama [youtube.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 25 2015, @01:55AM
Good day, sir.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 25 2015, @01:03AM
Or about anyone involved in the matter on any side, makes me want to take a shower.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 25 2015, @01:43AM
With no less than the POTUS supporting clock kid in the press, the school just wants to make this whole thing go away. This is a no-win situation for them. Expect that this will be quietly settled out of court for less than $15m, but clock kid will still walk away with a sizable sum of money.
(Score: 2) by Username on Wednesday November 25 2015, @02:37AM
They beat the kid senseless then sent him to Guantanamo or something? How is this kid now damaged goods?
15 million dollars just for punishing a kid for making a hoax bomb. Unreal. I should get my niece to make one, then sue for 30 million because the patriarchy is holding her down.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 25 2015, @02:55AM
To be a hoax bomb, this would have to be intentional. Not only did this not look like a bomb (even if it did, that could have been cleared up quickly by the school), but there's no evidence that was his intent. This kid did not deserve to be punished, but the ones who harassed him sure do.
I should get my niece to make one, then sue for 30 million because the patriarchy is holding her down.
How about holding the government accountable when it violates someone's rights. What the hell is so wrong with that?
(Score: 4, Insightful) by jmorris on Wednesday November 25 2015, @03:01AM
Good grief, the stupid burns!
First the kid did nothing notable. Buy Radio Shack clock on ebay, take it apart and stick the parts into a pencil box. Get money and grants thrown at ya. WTF?
If you show a picture of the thing to a hundred random people and ask what the first word that comes to mind is most say "Bomb." This experiment has actually been done and yes, people say "Bomb." Because dad put him up to it, it was designed to look like a TV bomb. It was an intentional bomb hoax.
There is no racism involved. If my lilly white ass went into a school building in today's paranoid world carrying that thing I'd get arrested for a bomb hoax. We are living in a world where a kid can't be seen pointing a finger and saying "Bang!" in a school. They get arrested for a goddamned PopTart(tm) that has been bitten so that a delicate snowflake teacher sees "Gun!" and sounds general quarters. The stunt was a sure fire publicity gimmick. It literally could not fail in today's insane school environment. Hell, you probably would have been arrested pre-9/11 for carrying that thing into most schools or other public places. It was designed to look like what most people think a bomb looks like.
(Score: 2) by Subsentient on Wednesday November 25 2015, @07:16AM
You are the only one here besides myself who can see things as they are. I salute you, good sir.
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." -Jiddu Krishnamurti
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 25 2015, @02:09PM
DING DING DING DING... We have a winner here folks! First place for telling it like it is. Everyone else that believes clockboy did nothing wrong has their heads up each others ass.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 25 2015, @03:44PM
He went to 6 different teachers trying to get a reaction out of them. Eventually he found one.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by sjames on Wednesday November 25 2015, @05:52PM
Pick one! First you say it's nothing at all, then you say it's sufficiently difficult that most people can't even identify it correctly.
Yeah, it's a beginner level hack. He didn't even convert it to battery power. By the same token, who's ever heard of a bomb you have to plug in? Of course, given that many people seem to have trouble even setting a digital clock, removing it from it's case and re-mounting it without breaking it is at least a tiny bit above nothing.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 25 2015, @03:06AM
My name is Mohamed and I've got a cool clock
my teachers agree I scared them somewhat
I've been wiring and soldering and fixing so long that
even my classmates think my mind is gone
I never built a bomb for those who deserve it
A muslim with an agenda? You know that's unheard of.
Better watch your back, Obama's my friend
Life's no longer just a bend
What I really hate is this jack about bombs
They call me clockmed now in songs
But I aint really great, I'm just a little kid
who ripped apart a clock packages and packed it into a lid
Don't cross me now my father will sue you
Qatar has my back they will blue you
I'm the guy little muslims want to be like
On my knees five times a day, praying for my afterlife
Been spending most my life praying for a muslim paradise
Been spending most my time working for a muslim paradise
Visited the sticks once or twice, working for a muslim paraise
Can't wait for my 72 male virgins, in a muslim paradise
Now I might just be a saint but you know that aint the truth
Please don't cry and despair, we're just monotheistically impaired
No sex no fun no photographs not a single thought not condoned by Ali
like 500AC it's as primitive as Turkey
Been spending most our time lying for a muslim paradise
Prayed once of twice hoping for a muslim paradise
Bring in sharia law so we can live in a muslim paradise
Break and rebuild more clocks to build a new muslim paradise
Now I have claimed 15 million compensation even if I didn't deserve it
A muslim crying racist? You know that's unhead of!
Think you're not really racist? Think you're pure of heart?
I am a million times more smarter than you are.
Been spending most my life living for a muslim paradise
Just want to live my life living in a muslim paradise
Sued for racism once in my life, I will live in a muslim paradise
I want more, will take more, living in a muslim paradise
Now they tell me my clock going off was bad against the rules or something
I don't care cause Qatar will see me to a future with money and bling
Can't wait for my virgins, the 72 who will serve me
I hope they're half male because I haven't decided yet, me
Putting up the puter, pulling clocks apart, done one on monday, think I'll call it art
Will spend the rest of my life pulling apart someone else's paradise
Can build clocks out of parts, living in someone else's paradise
Will move to Qatar so the slav... err... scenary is nice, now living in someone else's paradise
AAAAAhhhh ahhh ahh ahhh ahh ahhh ahhh ahhhhhhhh ahhh ahh ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 25 2015, @03:08AM
Apologies to Coolio ... http://www.metrolyrics.com/gangstas-paradise-lyrics-coolio.html [metrolyrics.com]
and thanks to Weird Al for inspiration
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 25 2015, @03:56AM
Mod parent up as funny, down as troll
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 25 2015, @06:57AM
Okay, after a break and a re-read.. yeah, this really needs to be split into two; one funny, one kaffiraphobic.
I've done another one.
This topic could be a gold mine for parody songs
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 25 2015, @04:20AM
Daddy was a rabble rouser, looking for a payout.
Congrats, Irving TX fell for it.
Nuff said.
Oh, and don't let door hit you in the ass on the way out.
Can we revoke citizenship?
(Score: 5, Insightful) by The Shire on Wednesday November 25 2015, @05:37AM
I'd actually like to see this go to trial... it would reveal that his father is actually an activist, that the clock was just something remounted that the kid didn't build himself, and that it was delibertaly intended to look like a suspicious device to provoke exactly the response it got. Too many people have had a knee jerk PC reaction to this - the truth behind it is much more revealing.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 25 2015, @07:01AM
He would be screwed in a trial. Evidence we have shows:
1. A teacher told him to put the device away and not show it to anyone
2. The alarm was set to go off in the middle of a class
3. When questions about his motives he was vague
For a start. Good luck winning any sort of court case here.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 25 2015, @06:42AM
"and written apologies from the local mayor and police chief."
He would much sooner get the 15 million with a stipulation that this is not an admission of guilt before he gets an apology even if that apology has no money attached to it. Because that's how government works these days.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 25 2015, @06:53AM
Just gonna stand there and watch the country burn
that's alright because we like the way it hurts
Just gonna stand there and hear us cry
That's alright because we like the way you lie
Clockmed, we love the way you lie.
We love the way you lie.
Clockmed, tell us what it really is
Come on, tell us what does it feel like
Right then it was a fake bomb in a classroom, right?
Is it like a pipebomb in your satchel?
Alarms in the head, teachers are red,
communities floating in hate
Claim the suffering and shock
hands tied back standing at the dock
for bringing to school a dismantled off the shelf clock
Where you going? You leaving us? No, you aint; Come back,
we're looking back, when it is going good it is going great
We're not deserting you
Here we go again
Don't apologies for the reaction yo police
This punk deserved what he got at least
Bomb threats this family they make
the world turns, people shake
We're arresting you, no you aint!
I'm muslim! You can't lay hands on!
Coming right back to the courthouse right now
Here we go again, another muslim complaining,
It feels like our hands are on fire...
We can't breathe, can't see, can't fight
As long as it's not a bomb we will be tight
It's like we can stand any islam games no more
It suffocates us, it placates us, resets us, messes us
Right before we drown we blame you, fricking hate you;
Clockmed, why do you sue? Did you cry?
Was someone hurt? Did anyone die?
What will 15 million buy?
You're escaping to Qatar after setting this place on fire
We're just going to stand here and watch this country burn
but that's alright because we like the way it hurts
We're just going to stand here to weep and cry
islam is killing us and it loves the way we die
it loves the way we die
Our culture under attack
it could never stand
this type of assault we depend
on each other, brothers, to protect again the insane
moving forward together, black, white, red, yella,
all being here, together as one, the future in our hands
while these pissants divide us and take our lands
We're not gonna stand here and let this country burn
frick off Clockmed, your type will never learn,
We're not going stand here and merely cry
We will defend our country land and sky
We will defend ourselves, not lay down and die,
Clockmed, we hate the way you lie,
Hate the way you lie.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 25 2015, @08:16AM
I see this guy is integrating well in the society of greedy bastards.