Sad State of the USA

[livespive]

When a kid can't bring in a project:

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/te...school/ar-AAelysP?li=BBgzzfc&ocid=mailsignout

Me being an engineer, and had taken electronics in High School.......

From what I hear the teacher told him it looks good, but I wouldn't show that to anyone else.
So the ELectronics teacher knew he was dealing with numbskulls in the school.

Why didn't he tell the boy " Leave it here, and come get it after school."? I think that is what I would have done.

Also why didn't this teacher just go and tell the cops that he had already looked at it, and it wasn't a bomb.

Sad

 

[9andaWiggle]

On the other hand... why build a clock that not 1 or 2, but nearly everyone that saw it thought was a bomb? There are a myriad of ways to build a clock that does not resemble an explosive device.

And I haven't seen the actual clock, so just basing those thoughts off of what I read.

 

[livespive]

I seen it, and it looks like the inside of a clock when you take it apart, which is why the electronics teacher didn't flip out.

On the other hand... why build a clock that not 1 or 2, but nearly everyone that saw it thought was a bomb? There are a myriad of ways to build a clock that does not resemble an explosive device.

And I haven't seen the actual clock, so just basing those thoughts off of what I read.

 

[Robadat]

Is this a clock...or a hoax bomb?
Personally, I don't see anything there that looks like it could be mistaken for explosive materials that could possibly be detonated by the timer mechanism he built...but, I'm far from an expert in explosive devices...I will assume I have a little bit more knowledge in the subject than your typical high school english teacher...

 

[9andaWiggle]

I see. People get weird about stuff like that.

We almost got a whole shift fired back when I worked in production. Some guy on 1st shift called in a bomb threat at lunch because he didn't want to work that afternoon (He got some jail time, as the guy he was with sang like a canary when the cops questioned him. The Mgr recognized the voice on the recorded call, and remembered the two heading out to lunch together).

Anyway, a day or two later, we thought it would be funny to assemble a fake bomb. We had 7 hollow tubes taped together like dynamite, and taped a calculator to the front with nylon cords as the "fuses". Then we taped it to a post on the middle of the work floor. Everyone in the dept knew it was a joke, and it stayed there the whole shift, everyone working around it and cracking jokes.

Unfortunately, one idiot took it to show a buddy in another dept. near the end of the shift. Someone else saw it, thought it was real, and reported it to a manager. The joke wasn't so funny after that. At least they didn't call the cops, or it would have been even less funny.

We got a nice ass chewin' from the boss, and I'm sure somebody would have been fired if the entire dept. hadn't been involved at some point in wrangling materials for the "project". Oddly enough, the guy who did the final assembly was suspended for 3 days, but the guy who paraded it around the other dept. didn't.

 

[livespive]

I see transformer, LED, and circuit boards. Now unless that LED is blocking a big piece of C4, that is not a bomb.

9, Right, you were doing it as a joke.....

He had already told a teacher it was a clock, so at least that one should have said something to the police.

I see. People get weird about stuff like that.

We almost got a whole shift fired back when I worked in production. Some guy on 1st shift called in a bomb threat at lunch because he didn't want to work that afternoon (He got some jail time, as the guy he was with sang like a canary when the cops questioned him. The Mgr recognized the voice on the recorded call, and remembered the two heading out to lunch together).

Anyway, a day or two later, we thought it would be funny to assemble a fake bomb. We had 7 hollow tubes taped together like dynamite, and taped a calculator to the front with nylon cords as the "fuses". Then we taped it to a post on the middle of the work floor. Everyone in the dept knew it was a joke, and it stayed there the whole shift, everyone working around it and cracking jokes.

Unfortunately, one idiot took it to show a buddy in another dept. near the end of the shift. Someone else saw it, thought it was real, and reported it to a manager. The joke wasn't so funny after that. At least they didn't call the cops, or it would have been even less funny.

We got a nice ass chewin' from the boss, and I'm sure somebody would have been fired if the entire dept. hadn't been involved at some point in wrangling materials for the "project". Oddly enough, the guy who did the final assembly was suspended for 3 days, but the guy who paraded it around the other dept. didn't.

 

[9andaWiggle]

I never said it was a smart joke... lol

We were going to dis-assemble it before leaving so the cleaning crew wouldn't freak out.

 

[Robadat]

People can end up in jail for that, 9~. That's just as bad, if not worse than calling in the fake "bomb threat".
Guy was lucky he only got three days off, he could've ended up doing some serious time...

Live, that was my perception of the device, except not seeing any unaccounted wires leading under the lcd precluded me from thinking some C4 might be hidden under there...

I can see the teacher and principal mistaking this as something it's not, but the Police should have known it was not a bomb and the student never intimated to anyone it was a bomb, real or fake...should not have gone as far as it did. I really have to wonder if his being muslim had anything to do with his treatment.

 

[livespive]

If he is building clocks he could have made a fake bomb........

If he wanted to. Once they get through all of this, they need to make sure this is taken off of his record.

I never said it was a smart joke... lol

We were going to dis-assemble it before leaving so the cleaning crew wouldn't freak out.

 

[livespive]

I would bet my life it did. He was Muslim, AND it was around 911. A bad combo.

People can end up in jail for that, 9~. That's just as bad, if not worse than calling in the fake "bomb threat".
Guy was lucky he only got three days off, he could've ended up doing some serious time...

Live, that was my perception of the device, except not seeing any unaccounted wires leading under the lcd precluded me from thinking some C4 might be hidden under there...

I can see the teacher and principal mistaking this as something it's not, but the Police should have known it was not a bomb and the student never intimated to anyone it was a bomb, real or fake...should not have gone as far as it did. I really have to wonder if his being muslim had anything to do with his treatment.

 

[9andaWiggle]

People can end up in jail for that, 9~. That's just as bad, if not worse than calling in the fake "bomb threat".
Guy was lucky he only got three days off, he could've ended up doing some serious time...

Yeah, fortunately management handled it and police weren't called. We thought, at the time, it was obviously a joke and not real. The tubes were like paper towel tubes - completely see through with the "wiring" conspicuously attached with scotch tape. Frayed ends showing and all on both the calculator and the hollow tubes. I think we were even mature enough to key in 5318008 on the calculator as the "time".

As for the kid in the article, I'm sure his muslim name has a lot to do with how it was handled.

I feel like I should add... our dumbassery was also done several years before 9/11 happened. For the most part, people weren't quite as sensitive about stuff like that at the time. At least not where I was.

If we'd done it a few years later, Cheney would still be waterboarding us!

 

[9andaWiggle]

I see where the Mayor is supporting the actions of the school, and I think he's partially right.

He's right that contacting police over a suspicious device is the correct thing to do. I don't expect teachers to be weapons experts. However, If the boy is still facing suspension I didagree. Once found (by the police) that he was honestly showing off a clock and there was no safety risk, he should not receive suspension. That is, unless the school has some rule that does not allow students to bring clocks to class.

As for the arrest, that is on the police, not the school. Their actions should be reviewed separately from the school (and vice versa).

 

[WAMO]

HE IS CHANGING SCHOOLS BECAUSE OF WHAT HAPPENED.

JUST A FEW QUESTIONS.

IF THE KIDS PARENTS KNEW WHAT HE WAS DOING, WHY DIDNT THEY CALL THE PRINCIPLE, OR AT A MINIMUM, THE OFFICE AND TELL THEM WHAT HE WAS BRINGING IN?

THE KID "IS" PROBABLY SMART ENOUGH TO BUILD A BOMB. BUT AT WHAT AGE DO SCHOOL, POLICE OR ANY AUTHORITY DECIDE WHATS THE AGE LIMIT TO NOT PAY ATTENTION TO A BREIFCASE WITH A BATTERY AND WIRES IN IT?

WHEN OTHER PARENTS HEARD WHAT HAPPENED, WHAT WERE THEIR REACTIONS? I KNOW I WOULD BE UPSET IF THE AUTHORITIES DIDNT STOP HIM AND CHECK. BUT RELIEVED TO KNOW IT WAS ONLY A CLOCK.

WOULD HIS PARENTS ALLOW HIM TO CARRY THAT INTO AN AIRPORT OR A POLICE STATION?

THOUGHTS GENTLEMEN.

 

[WAMO]

AND YOUR THOUGHTS AS WELL ERICA.

 

[9andaWiggle]

And that's why I think the school reacted appropriately. Had that alarm going off in the other class been an explosion instead, everyone would be calling for the head of that electronics teacher (and the school administrators) for not reporting the suspicious device and/or providing security and training for such an event.

The police may have been heavy handed after the device was found to be nothing more than a clock, but that is a separate matter/investigation IMO.

 

[Djarum300]

This really is wierd. When I was in HS we put together in a physics/computer class a LEGO automated robot. Much of the circuitry was exposed, like this is. God forbid a teacher look at it today and think it was a bomb. What the teacher should have done then, once he saw it, was confiscate it then and explain to the kid the situation. At the end of the day, gave it back to the kid, called the parents, and explain the situation. I don't mind the knee-jerk reaction. The kid should be allowed to come back to school.

Honestly, the most dangerous thing about it is that he's got 110 going into a transformer and it doesn't look all that well taped. Coulda shocked himself...

 

[WAMO]

NEWS FLASH...THE KIDS PARENTS ARE TALKING ABOUT SUING THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. IT WAS ON THE LOCAL NEWS TONIGHT. THAT DISTRICT IS CLOSE TO HERE. THEY ARE SAYING ITS RACIAL BECAUSE HE IS MUSLIM. OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Greg T.]

NEWS FLASH...THE KIDS PARENTS ARE TALKING ABOUT SUING THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. IT WAS ON THE LOCAL NEWS TONIGHT. THAT DISTRICT IS CLOSE TO HERE. THEY ARE SAYING ITS RACIAL BECAUSE HE IS MUSLIM. OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's more like a knee jerk reaction from the liberal pc police.

 

[livespive]

Kids take in stuff all of the time. I took stuff in to my electronics teacher. I do still think that his teacher tell the kid what he did, should have also told him to let him keep it until after school. That way there would have been no accident like the alarm going off in another class....

Also again, once the kid was detained why didn't the teacher come forward and tell everyone that it was a clock????

HE IS CHANGING SCHOOLS BECAUSE OF WHAT HAPPENED.

JUST A FEW QUESTIONS.

IF THE KIDS PARENTS KNEW WHAT HE WAS DOING, WHY DIDNT THEY CALL THE PRINCIPLE, OR AT A MINIMUM, THE OFFICE AND TELL THEM WHAT HE WAS BRINGING IN?

THE KID "IS" PROBABLY SMART ENOUGH TO BUILD A BOMB. BUT AT WHAT AGE DO SCHOOL, POLICE OR ANY AUTHORITY DECIDE WHATS THE AGE LIMIT TO NOT PAY ATTENTION TO A BREIFCASE WITH A BATTERY AND WIRES IN IT?

WHEN OTHER PARENTS HEARD WHAT HAPPENED, WHAT WERE THEIR REACTIONS? I KNOW I WOULD BE UPSET IF THE AUTHORITIES DIDNT STOP HIM AND CHECK. BUT RELIEVED TO KNOW IT WAS ONLY A CLOCK.

WOULD HIS PARENTS ALLOW HIM TO CARRY THAT INTO AN AIRPORT OR A POLICE STATION?

THOUGHTS GENTLEMEN.

 

[WAMO]

KIDS TOOK STUFF INTO SCHOOL WHEN I WAS THERE TOO. BUT IT WAS NOT THE SAME SITUATION OUR COUNTRY IS IN NOW WITH ALL THAT IS GOING ON. TOTAL DIFFERENT WORLD TODAY. AGREE WITH THE TEACHER THING. BUT I STILL PUT PART OF THE BLAME ON THE PARENTS. THEY ARE AWARE OF THE CLIMATE OF THE COUNTRY AND THAT SOMETHING LIKE THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A RED FLAG TO THEM. THE ONLY REASON I SAY THAT, THE FIRST THING THEY DID WAS HOLLAR RACISM INSTEAD OF SAYING MAYBE "WE" MADE A MISTAKE. BUT THATS JUST MY OPINION.