President Obama invites the boy who was arrested for making a clock to the White House

i respectfully disagree; there are plenty of stories reported on
bb about exactly this sort of stupid bullshit here, as pointed out to you by @ActionAbe above. I’m not sure the way this kid was treated exactly qualifies him as being of a privileged class either. A privileged kid wouldn’t have been dragged off in handcuffs and had his rights violated because his teachers overreacted then threw him under the bus, because they’d have been shit-scared of lawyers from the get-go, and more inclined by the nature of said privilege to not escalate things so far that lawyers would even be considered (which, in this case I certainly hope they are. Lots of them).

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The power of the Presidency was described by Teddy Roosevelt as “The Bully Pulpit,” meaning a terrific platform to advocate an agenda. Wise Presidents use that power to show the nation and the world their vision of what the United States of America should be.

So if, for example, a President wants to make a point that Americans should reject Islamophobic racism and embrace the pursuit of knowledge, then it absolutely makes sense to do so in the most public way possible.

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How do you know there aren’t ever any Chechens on White House tours? What an odd thing to be keeping track of…

Oh, you meant white people. Well, thanks for sharing your personal problems with us.

(Additional note: you’re completely, ridiculously wrong.)

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Thus proving that Obama is a Muslim from Kenya! /s

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From the fractured psyche of the principal:

I recommend using this opportunity to talk with your child about the student Code of Conduct and specifically not bringing items to school that are prohibited.

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been there, done that - a clock (even one without a case) is not prohibited

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Could you point out the rule that was broken?

at least two:

  • “[other items are prohibited] when the principal or designee determines that a danger exists”
  • Disregard for Authority (Fail to comply with directives given by school personnel)

the “other prohibited item” rule is a handy catch-all and was invoked by the principal, and Ahmed clearly failed to comply with directives, he didn’t confess that his clock was actually a hoax bomb.

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How did he fail to comply?

According to this article the principle demanded from Ahmed to write a statement about his device and insisted it would look like a movie bomb. Ahmed never wrote this statement while interrogated at the school. INSUBORDINATION!!!

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‘I’m arresting you for resisting arrest’?

I just mean it’s… what, ‘post-facto’? Authority retroactively applied. As if the admin could send demands for compliance back through time to before they made them.

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Every statement from authorities (school, police, mayor) I read is forcefully trying to blame Ahmed and mark him as evildoer - I wouldn’t be surprised if the school tries to use the insubordination rule against him.

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[quote=“Lanthade, post:22, topic:65779, full:true”]
What kind of idiot thinks that is a bomb?[/quote]

It’s been said before, but it seems pretty clear that nobody actually thought it was a bomb. The bomb squad was never called. The school was never evacuated. That’s what you would do, presumably, if you thought there was a bomb.

Instead, I think, their reasoning was more insidious (by which I mean even stupider). Something about “intent to showcase an object that could potentially be misperceived as a bomb…something…something…threaten the appearance of security (not security itself)…something…something”.

Honestly, I can’t parse it, but I know it sucks.

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Pretty sure the President of the United States has the wherewithal to get in touch with almost any specific individual he wants to. Even you and I can hire a private investigator; he’s got entire government agencies at his disposal, should he be interested in making contact on the down low. But there’s no reason to in this case. Making a public show of support is the right thing to do, not a “cheap populist manipulation.”

Edit: Should have been addressed to @bushybaby too.

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I only have one thing to say:

(ahem)

“Thanks a lot, Obama.”

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The parents are doing the right thing. Never set foot in that school again. Find a stem program that’s engaging, nurturing and positive. That school and school police department lost this skirmish. They may go wring their hands at each other in a meeting somewhere and have disturbed sleep.

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Agreed.
And, given that it has now become clear that authorities never actually thought it was a bomb, his parents should sue the shit out of the district and police for malice (interesting parallel to the maple-leaf-pot story)

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