Althouse: "Less than 24 hours after Ahmed Mohamed met President Obama, his family decided it’s time to leave America for good."

October 21, 2015

"Less than 24 hours after Ahmed Mohamed met President Obama, his family decided it’s time to leave America for good."

"The 14-year-old Texas boy who was arrested for bringing to school a homemade clock that authorities said resembled a bomb will soon be living in Qatar." They're leaving next week.

According to the article, in The Washington Post, he family weighed various offers relating to the boy's education and career path, and Qatar's Young Innovators Program in the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development seemed best. And they liked Doha. Ahmed said praised it as "so modern," with "many amazing schools... many of them campuses of famous American universities." And his sister said: "Qatar is in the Arab world, but it also feels like Texas. It’s like Texas in Qatar."

One of the most-liked comments over there at WaPo is: "Qatar 'feels like Texas' because both are God-forsaken desert hellholes with obscenely rich oil barons and religious fundamentalists out the wazoo. You couldn't pay me enough to live in either." Another is: "'Young innovator'? He took the housing off of clock and put it in a box. A toddler could do this. WaPo, your political correctness blinds you!"

170 comments:

TrespassersW said...: Let's get something straight: If this kid "made" a clock by taking an off the shelf alarm clock and sloppily putting the guts into a pencil case, then I "made" supper by taking the burgers and fries out of the bag and putting them on the table.; 10/21/15, 9:40 AM
Quinn Satterwaite said...: Best comment is clearly "Qatar Finally Takes in a Muslim Refugee"; 10/21/15, 9:40 AM
Todd said...: Did he present the President with his "invention" as a thank you gift?; 10/21/15, 9:41 AM
bleh said...: Texas is a big place, so it's hard to generalize. Parts of it are very nice. Parts of it are drab and boring, like much of flyover country. The cities are lively and surprisingly diverse. There is a huge coastal area; not very beautiful but sparsely populated and therefore relaxing. The hill country region is very pleasant. Out west there's Big Bend and the Guadalupe and Davis Mountains ... astonishing beauty, in my opinion. Lots to see and do.

It really bothers me when smug liberals like the one you mention say crap like Texas is a desert wasteland full of religious fundamentalists. It's just not true. It cracks me up when some of those same people end up moving to Texas for one reason or another. Usually, after a few years that smugness is replaced by Texas pride.; 10/21/15, 9:44 AM
Charlie said...: Everyone should read Mark Steyn's latest:

http://www.steynonline.com/7244/the-clock-ticks-on; 10/21/15, 9:46 AM
Laslo Spatula said...: Will he get to bring his 'clock' in his carry-on luggage?

I am Laslo.; 10/21/15, 9:46 AM
David Begley said...: I hope this is the last we hear from this kid and his dad, but I suspect not.; 10/21/15, 9:49 AM
Tyrone Slothrop said...: Bye Felicia.; 10/21/15, 9:51 AM
David Begley said...: And this case is a classic example of a dishonest media and the insanity of the Left.

And, of course, Obama had to exploit the race-religion aspect of the incident.

The "cool clock " comment typifies the pathetic politics of Obama.; 10/21/15, 9:54 AM
Mick said...: All political theater inspired by the class warfare inducing Usurper Hussein Obama, and promoted by his lap dog media cohorts. Don't let the door hit you.; 10/21/15, 9:59 AM
Diamondhead said...: The comment about Texas is absurd. The large majority of the state's people live in areas that could not reasonably be described as desert, and there isn't a single part of the state that you'd mistake for Qatar.; 10/21/15, 9:59 AM
cubanbob said...: "One of the most-liked comments over there at WaPo is: "Qatar 'feels like Texas' because both are God-forsaken desert hellholes with obscenely rich oil barons and religious fundamentalists out the wazoo. You couldn't pay me enough to live in either."

A thought experiment: for an obscenely rich oil baron and religious fundamentalist how little money would he (by his standards) need to get the person who made that comment above to move to Qatar and live there for ten years?; 10/21/15, 10:01 AM
Michael K said...: Qatar is a good place for him. His "clock" will resemble other "devices" being constructed there,; 10/21/15, 10:02 AM
Rick said...: It's too bad we can't send the school administrators and involved law enforcement with them. Otherwise everyone wins.; 10/21/15, 10:02 AM
cubanbob said...: Leaving Doha airport and getting on the highway indeed it does look a little like the drive into Vegas, the highways look impeccable which is more than can be said for most of the roadways in the Blue States.; 10/21/15, 10:05 AM
Gusty Winds said...: Todd said... Did he present the President with his "invention" as a thank you gift?

Exactly. If you showed up at the White House with the clock in a metal case resembling a bomb, the reaction would be much more swift and severe than what the school district did.

Although Elvis got away with presenting Nixon with a handgun...but that's Elvis.

Good riddance to this kid. He played everybody (the School, the Press, the President) and got what he wanted. He's a smarmy little shit. He's not Jr. inventor, but he in his dad are very good manipulators.; 10/21/15, 10:09 AM
Alexander said...: Well, all's well that ends well!

Unfortunately, I have no doubt that in a few years, the ivied (fifth) column will be doing everything in its power to bring him back into the country.; 10/21/15, 10:09 AM
MadisonMan said...: and there isn't a single part of the state that you'd mistake for Qatar.

What, they're no shopping malls in Qatar? I'm surprised.; 10/21/15, 10:11 AM
CWJ said...: Gotta go now. Cover blown. But thanks for all the publicity. And a special thank you to all you MSM (looking at you WAPO) who stayed on message. You're awesome!!; 10/21/15, 10:16 AM
Sebastian said...: "He played everybody"

Then again, "everybody" wanted to be played.

As long as the mean-to-Muslims meme serves Prog purposes, there will be other cases.; 10/21/15, 10:18 AM
Annie said...: The religious in Texas won't be sawing your head off if you hurt their feelings or come out as gay. They also don't demand their women cover themselves or follow Sharia law, but whatever.; 10/21/15, 10:24 AM
Diamondhead said...: "What, they're no shopping malls in Qatar? I'm surprised."

So every state resembles Qatar at least a little bit?; 10/21/15, 10:24 AM
tim maguire said...: I know only one person who's been to Qatar, he spent several months on a work contract. Said it was hell on earth and he couldn't wait to get back the the U.S. (though not Texas).; 10/21/15, 10:27 AM
Dr.D said...: Good riddance!! He will not be missed, and he will be right at home with the other muzzie idiots.

You ignorant folk go right on thinking that Texas is a miserable place. Trust me, Texas has no need for you, and would not want you to come. Stay out, stay in California, New York, Michigan, Wisconsin, etc. Texas will do just fine without you.; 10/21/15, 10:36 AM
Monkeyboy said...: So a WaPo reader proudly exclaims his ignorance of Qatar and Texas and everyone applauds.
James Lileks once made a comment that if it took a passport to get west of the Hudson it would be a badge of honor for the "smart set" not to have one.

I've been to both, honestly modern cities are pretty much interchangeable once you remove the billboards and the traffic.; 10/21/15, 10:38 AM
Etienne said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 10/21/15, 10:38 AM
Bill said...: HGTV House Hunters International had an episode the other week featuring a lovely American couple with kids who moved to Doha. They chose an enormous development built to vaguely resemble Venice, with canals, balustrades, etc. But not a human being in sight. It was eerie.; 10/21/15, 10:40 AM
Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer by this son of New York said...: The religious in Texas won't be sawing your head off if you hurt their feelings or come out as gay. They also don't demand their women cover themselves or follow Sharia law, but whatever.

Yeah, but they don't like it when you saw your own baby's head off, so they are exactly the same.; 10/21/15, 10:41 AM
Jane the Actuary said...: I've tried to read what I could here, because there's one missing piece of info. They've given the boy a scholarship for this school. But is Qatar giving the whole family a generous living allowance, all because they think they're poking the US in the eye by doing so? You don't just up and move to Qatar. You need a job, and expats there get kicked out the minute their labor contract ends, and you don't bring the family along unless your job covers their expenses, including private school. All the construction workers, maids, etc. have to leave their families at home in Pakistan or wherever. What sort of skill or education does Dad have? Probably not much.

So maybe, in the end, from Dad's point of view, what he's actually done is pulled one over on the Qataris, if he's convinced them that funding this, for the whole family, will be a way to embarrass the U.S., and Dad gets to loaf around and go to Muslim Brotherhood meetings. But I wouldn't want to be the sister. What's she going to do when the Qataris lose interest in them?; 10/21/15, 10:48 AM
JSD said...: Rhythm and Balls needs to drop by and provide his nuanced and insightful observations about Texas.; 10/21/15, 10:56 AM
Anonymous said...: It looks to me like this is a family of wannabe Jihadi's. They should be put on the watch list and not allowed back in the US.; 10/21/15, 10:56 AM
SteveR said...: One family out, 200,000 refugees in.; 10/21/15, 10:59 AM
Known Unknown said...: I can't decide if I feel bad for the kid. Was he put up to this whole thing by his activist dad?; 10/21/15, 11:08 AM
Brando said...: I've never lived in Texas, but from what I know of the state that comment is about as ignorant and simplistic as you'll find online. Several of the country's fastest growing cities are in Texas, the geographical and cultural variation of that state from the west, to the Gulf, to the east defies easy characterization. But if ignoramuses like that commenter avoid the state due to their unfounded fears of it, all the better for Texas. Unfortunately for us northeasterners we're stuck with people like that.; 10/21/15, 11:10 AM
James Pawlak said...: Bright Boy!!! Islams's next-generation bomb maker?; 10/21/15, 11:20 AM
William said...: He should not have been given an invite to the White House. Bergdahl's parents should not have been hosted in the Rose Garden. These truths are self evident. The responses of Obama and of the media to these people are not my responses. There's a reason why Trump leads in the polls.; 10/21/15, 11:21 AM
Quinn Satterwaite said...: You ignorant folk go right on thinking that Texas is a miserable place. Trust me, Texas has no need for you, and would not want you to come. Stay out, stay in California, New York, Michigan, Wisconsin, etc. Texas will do just fine without you.

Worse the commenter, jax75420, is from Maryland.; 10/21/15, 11:21 AM
CWJ said...: Jane the Actuary,

All good points. It doesn't add up. Hence my comment "Cover blown." Rational people don't uproot entire families including their careers and/or career prospects for the educational sake of their youngest member whose actual innovative skills are at best questionable. Rational people don't pass over lucrative offers stateside to take a flyer on some Qatari opportunity. I assume the family is rational, So the real story of Ahmed and his amazing technicolor dreamclock is probably even more intriguing than as presented. But as long as the MSM sticks to the boy genius fleeing islamaphobia meme, we may never know.; 10/21/15, 11:27 AM
jr565 said...: We'll probably see him on the news in 10 years as the next Ramzi Yousef.; 10/21/15, 11:31 AM
Titus said...: I never travel to red states. I would rather visit Tehran than Jackson, Mississippi.; 10/21/15, 11:35 AM
Jane the Actuary said...: Hmmm . . . what was the family's financial situation? Maybe it's as simple as: dad was unemployed, or working at a job that wasn't sufficient to pay the mortgage and keep them out of debt. With credit card bills piling up, Dad sees all the Go Fund Me reports -- the bus driver getting hundreds of thousands out of sympathy, for instance -- and thinks this is a path forward, then decides that a move to Qatar is an even better way to blow off creditors.

Is a living allowance provided by the Qataris taxable in the U.S.?; 10/21/15, 11:38 AM
Jason said...: Let's all pile on the hate on a 14-year-old.

See, this is how libtards get the impression conservatives are assholes.

Pathetic.; 10/21/15, 11:44 AM
Jason said...: I never travel to red states. I would rather visit Tehran than Jackson, Mississippi.

Let's take up a collection for air fare!; 10/21/15, 11:44 AM
Robert Cook said...: "Let's get something straight: If this kid 'made' a clock by taking an off the shelf alarm clock and sloppily putting the guts into a pencil case, then I "made" supper by taking the burgers and fries out of the bag and putting them on the table."

Yeah...and? I make dinner that way all the time!; 10/21/15, 11:49 AM
JPS said...: Jason,

I don't hate the kid. I don't call liberals tards, either. I do reserve the right to mock those who loudly proclaimed their own virtue by angrily defending young Ahmed from the legions of anti-Muslim bigots who refuse to see the inventive genius in what he did.

And, yeah, when a 14-year-old kid uses his newfound fame to grin and grip with a mass murderer, my "give-the-kid-a-break" default position gets slightly strained. His dad left Sudan; they both know damn well who Omar al-Bashir is. My dad's from Iran, and whatever my flaws, had I become suddenly famous at 14, I would not have been delighted to meet the Ayatollah Khomeinei.; 10/21/15, 11:57 AM
CWJ said...: Jane the Actuary,

But that's the situation. It's all "Hmmmm" and "Maybe."; 10/21/15, 11:59 AM
Bobby said...: Yeah, I'm with Jason on this one.

But it's not just red states-- my uncle grew his beard out during his very recent ordination as a Catholic deacon and, apparently because we are a Latino-Sephardic mix and- as he is an immigrant- he speaks English with a rather thick accent, tells me he is the recipient of anti-Muslim comments "at least once or twice a day" (ironically, he's one of the most virulently anti-Muslim people I know). This is in California.; 10/21/15, 12:01 PM
Diamondhead said...: "Let's all pile on the hate on a 14-year-old."

The worst thing I've heard about the kid is that he doesn't know what it means to "invent" something...that just means he's not as smart as advertised, which is no crime.

Most of the criticism has been of idiot liberals who swallowed the initial story whole and immediately used it to bash the country, the state of Texas, the community, the school, the teachers, and the police. "Cool clock," tweeted the president, before he ever saw it.; 10/21/15, 12:01 PM
CWJ said...: Robert Cook,

Just goes to show that you're a budding culinary genius.; 10/21/15, 12:01 PM
Alexander said...: See, this is how libtards get the impression conservatives are assholes.

I'm not particularly worried if people who promote chopping up babies for parts, cheering for western civilization to be overrun by barbarian hordes, or gleefully cackling about how they can finally change the culture thanks to demographics after telling us that it was a feverish racist fantasy to think demographics would ever change culture...

...think I'm an asshole.

In fact, I'd have to wonder if I was utterly devoid of moral character if they didn't.

Have fun in Qatar, you serpent-tongued jihadi in the making!; 10/21/15, 12:07 PM
traditionalguy said...: Allah calls. Real bomb makers don't need clocks. Just a trigger attached to their dynamite vests. To bad, so sad.; 10/21/15, 12:12 PM
damikesc said...: Let's all pile on the hate on a 14-year-old.

See, this is how libtards get the impression conservatives are assholes.

Who "hated" him? Noting that his accomplishment was taking a clock out of its fully functional casing and putting it in a far less functional pencil case is not hating. He's just a stupid kid, as many kids that age are. Plays the race card rather badly, but most kids do at that age.

The whole thing is really odd and doesn't remotely add up and his father is a genuine lump of shit.; 10/21/15, 12:17 PM
MathMom said...: We will see this little bastard again, only this time he will trigger a loud explosion, not a fake bomb.; 10/21/15, 12:19 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: A very amusing development.; 10/21/15, 12:21 PM
Ann Althouse said...: It was stupid to arrest him, and a shame that he had to make himself a public figure out of self-defense. I'm sure he also suffered from embarrassment knowing that his invention was nothing of significance. It must be very weird to find yourself in the middle of such insanity. It's the adults who reacted to him who deserve criticism. That has always been my position. I don't see the basis for berating him, and I never have.; 10/21/15, 12:21 PM
Ann Althouse said...: Qatar bought itself some PR. Seems worth it to me, even if the boy has no academic potential.; 10/21/15, 12:22 PM
MathMom said...: What he did was probe the system, just like the Muslim clerics in Minneapolis who prayed loudly before getting on the plane, then requested seat belt extenders and put them on the floor, and made gestures to each other across the plane, which freaked out everyone on board.

He looks cute, but his sister and he were both discipline problems if you read further than the headlines about "Clockmed", as Mark Steyn calls him.

Now he has shown that a Muslim kid can take a suitcase bomb into a school and everyone will be afraid to report it.; 10/21/15, 12:35 PM
damikesc said...: It was stupid to arrest him, and a shame that he had to make himself a public figure out of self-defense.

I'm not seeing where he "had to make himself a public figure out of self-defense". Can you explain how he was MADE to do it? Seemed that was his goal the entire time.

I'm sure he also suffered from embarrassment knowing that his invention was nothing of significance.

Enough idiots will always say "He made a clock" and not know what he ACTUALLY did. He also got tons of free swag, most of which I have little doubt he is incapable of using properly.

It must be very weird to find yourself in the middle of such insanity. It's the adults who reacted to him who deserve criticism. That has always been my position. I don't see the basis for berating him, and I never have.

The kid was a shitty little punk, not unheard of in that age range. He was seeking to do something for publicity given his father being who he is. The school was stuck in an unfortunate situation where the kid blatantly broke a law making a hoax bomb and being expected to ignore it.; 10/21/15, 12:44 PM
Michael K said...: " I'm sure he also suffered from embarrassment knowing that his invention was nothing of significance."

Pretty naive response. He was used by his family for a caper that we don't yet completely understand. Maybe it was a probe. Maybe it was just a ploy used by the father to get publicity and a pension from some Islamic group. Whatever it was, this kid is not "embarrassed."; 10/21/15, 12:45 PM
Jason said...: damikeesc: Who "hated" him?

Very next comment in the thread: We will see this little bastard again, only this time he will trigger a loud explosion, not a fake bomb.

QED.

You can't make this stuff up.; 10/21/15, 12:50 PM
Todd said...: Jason said...
damikeesc: Who "hated" him?

Very next comment in the thread: We will see this little bastard again, only this time he will trigger a loud explosion, not a fake bomb.

QED.

You can't make this stuff up.

10/21/15, 12:50 PM

I understand your point BUT a) this is not some innocent little 14 year old kid (review his background and that of his family), b) no one has (as far as I know) done anything more than call him some names, and c) little has been done by any of the "guardians of truth" in the MSM to actually cover this story.

I am much more worried about politicians vilifying citizens of this country than some citizens "picking" on other citizens. Where was the outrage when Hillary! stated that her worst enemy was Republicans? Not ISIS, Not Russia, Not the Taliban but fellow US citizens that just don't share her political beliefs. Republicans are worst then people that stone women and gays, that enslave people, that mutilate girls privates, that burn girls while they are in (because they are in) school, etc., etc., etc.

But you are right, some right-wingers said bad things about a kid. They are SO evil! If only they would support the mutilating of unborn babies and the selling of their parts for profit, than everything would be OK.; 10/21/15, 1:20 PM
Unknown said...: Not a popular position in my world, but I actually empathized w the teachers. I didn't think the kid was a terrorist, but I did think he was a troll. Imagine what those teachers and admins would have to go through if anyone was hurt, another Columbine, another Sandy Hook, and then a kid shows up w a clock in a case? Come on.; 10/21/15, 1:21 PM
Fernandinande said...: I invented a home-made newspaper by ripping up a Washington Post and putting it in the bottom of a bird cage.; 10/21/15, 1:35 PM
HoodlumDoodlum said...: Ann Althouse said...It was stupid to arrest him, and a shame that he had to make himself a public figure out of self-defense. I'm sure he also suffered from embarrassment knowing that his invention was nothing of significance. It must be very weird to find yourself in the middle of such insanity. It's the adults who reacted to him who deserve criticism.

Why do you think it was stupid to arrest him? Have you read the arrest report or seen any specifics about why they decided to arrest him? I haven't, and the last time I checked neither the school nor the police could release that detailed info because his family wouldn't let them. If he was uncooperative or evasive when they asked him straightforward questions to clear up what he was doing/intending it was stupid to arrest him. If, on the other hand, he was trying to get arrested....
The whole thing stinks and I don't think you have to imagine a vast conspiracy to see that everyone, up to and including the President, got played. The Media was taken and ran the story they wanted to run. The known facts don't really support that story ("made" a clock, had the case closed, wasn't being disruptive/drawing attention to it in more than one class, etc) but the story fit the narrative so they ran that story. Anyone asking questions is a bigot, probably a racist, and is cast as attacking an innocent kid.

Texas, cops, authority figures, non-minorities bad, science-loving racial and religious minorities & their Media & leftists friends good. The facts don't actually matter to anyone with a byline, so that's the story. Assuming this kid is embarrassed in any way over this is ridiculous, especially given the actual interviews/news coverage he has been given--he's had the time of his life and profited greatly. "I'm sure he's embarrassed, because he should be by x" is a silly projection and ignores what's actually happened (fame, free material goods, etc).
The kid and his family used the outrage machine to their benefit and exposed how shallow our institutions (Media & political bodies) really are. He's smiling all the way to Qatar, and it's tough to blame him.; 10/21/15, 1:37 PM
Jason said...: FACT: It's a clock.

AHMED'S STATEMENT TO INVESTIGATORS: "It's a clock."

DUMBASSES: "EVASIVE!!!"; 10/21/15, 1:45 PM
William said...: I don't dislike or hate Bergdahl's parents. But the obvious fact is that their son did nothing to warrant a Rose Garden ceremony celebrating his release. The President hit a false note. I don't wish to demonize Ahmad either, but, again, he did nothing worth celebrating with a White House invite.......Can't anyone on the left admit that the President is simply wrong? Ahmad is ambiguous and Bergdahl is a deserter. Obama's celebration of them is what is causing others to demonize them. Sometimes people on the right dislike people worth disliking, and their dislike is proportional to the offense.; 10/21/15, 2:05 PM
Hammond X. Gritzkofe said...: Hammond predicts: now Daddy will teach little Ahmed to make a real bomb.; 10/21/15, 2:06 PM
HoodlumDoodlum said...: Jason - do you know that's what was actually asked, in that way? Or are you making that up? I'd love a link if you have one.

"why did you bring this thing to school? Why was it making noise during a class? What was your purpose and intent?"

"It is a clock" isn't an answer to any of that, and calling people dumbasses doesn't change that fact.

Without knowing what actually happened/was said in the interview/interrogation you have to assume either 1.) the police decided he should be arrested for having a hoax device for no reason (other than their own stupidity/racism/bigotry, of course) or 2.) the police decided based on the responses to their interview/interrogation that an arrest based on the kid's INTENT was warranted.
Without details of the actual interview neither of us can give an educated judgment on which of those is more likely. As far as I know the details can't be released because the kid's guardians won't allow it--which itself might be a lil' evidence, but again of a murky nature.

I know it's a clock and the cops & school admin knew then it wasn't a bomb. He was not arrested for having a bomb, but for having a hoax device. I understand it's easy to keep saying "it's a clock and obviously not a bomb so that's the end of it" as though that proves the arrest was stupid, but it doesn't--it would if he was arrested for having a bomb, but he wasn't.; 10/21/15, 2:08 PM
Nichevo said...: Well, Jason, if he was doing what he is suspected of doing, "little bastard" is lightweight. I don't hate him. I would have opened him up to see what was inside, and his father and anyone else i could catch, but I don't hate him.

I do hope he likes Qatar better than Texas. Wonder if he envisioned that happening.

BTW the father is some kind of political activist. If he doesn't toe the line in Qatar he will have the life expectancy of a housefly.; 10/21/15, 2:15 PM
American Liberal Elite said...: I think Ahmed and his dad played a lot of people, including the president, like a violin.; 10/21/15, 2:16 PM
HoodlumDoodlum said...: Did a quick Google search, turns out the words "made" and "homemade" mean something different than I assumed.; 10/21/15, 2:17 PM
HoodlumDoodlum said...: From a contemporaneous news article:

Ahmed never claimed his device was anything but a clock, said police spokesman James McLellan. And police have no reason to think it was dangerous. But officers still didn’t believe Ahmed was giving them the whole story.

“We have no information that he claimed it was a bomb,” McLellan said. “He kept maintaining it was a clock, but there was no broader explanation.”

Asked what broader explanation the boy could have given, the spokesman explained:

“It could reasonably be mistaken as a device if left in a bathroom or under a car. The concern was, what was this thing built for? Do we take him into custody?”; 10/21/15, 2:25 PM
HoodlumDoodlum said...: It's a clock!
I know, thanks. Why'd you bring it to school, why'd the alarm go off in class, why did you (apparently) plug it in during class, why did you open it up despite saying you were going to keep it closed so that no one would get the wrong idea and after being told not to show it to anyone else by a teacher--what was your intent?
It's a clock!
That's not an answer.

If the reason I bought a disassembled clock to school was to show my shop teacher the cool solder job I did to repair it then I haven't committed an offense.
If the reason I brought a disassembled clock to school was to get a reaction out of my classmates or leave it in a bathroom stall as a prank (to freak people out) then I've committed an offense.
In both cases "it's a clock!"

Clearly INTENT matters. One way to figure out INTENT is to interview/interrogate the kid. If the kid doesn't give answers (or is, as I said, evasive) then it's not crazy to assume his INTENT was such that he should be charged. Without knowing the details of the interview (& his answers) I don't know how you can judge that it was outrageous for the police to conclude based on that interview that they believed his INTENT warranted an arrest and further investigation.
They dropped the charges and you can certainly use that as evidence that he shouldn't have been arrested at all. Maybe he shouldn't have been; probably he shouldn't have been! People who point out that "it's a clock" by itself doesn't settle the question aren't dumbasses, though, Jason.; 10/21/15, 2:35 PM
Fen said...: "It's the adults who reacted to him who deserve criticism."

Nope. They correctly discerned it wasn't a bomb but a potential hoax. He was asked questions that would have cleared up what would have been a misunderstanding, and he refused to answer them. Note that this was not part of some assigned project, he just randomly decided to ripout the guts of a working clock, transfer them into a pencil case, and take it took school.

Even his science teacher told him to not show it around in class, as it could be mistaken for a bomb. Instead, he took it out each class and plugged it in, letting the digital timer run down (ie it was a countdown, not a display of current time). He got away with this disruption all the way till 6th period, when his teacher complained his countdown beep was a distraction to the class and sent him to the principle.

Your position is that his teachers, his principal, and all the LEOs involved somehow acted stupidly. I think your "flyover country" bigotry is clouding your reason, because you are ignorantly making assumptions about people you don't even know, and you weren't even in the room when it happened.; 10/21/15, 2:38 PM
damikesc said...: FACT: It's a clock.

AHMED'S STATEMENT TO INVESTIGATORS: "It's a clock."

DUMBASSES: "EVASIVE!!!"

Why take a fully functional clock out of its fully usable case and place it inside of a pencil case? What's the point?

He was arrested for making a hoax. That was the charge in the first place. Do you have any evidence to state that the arrest was wrong? I'm not seeing it.

Hell, the press keeps acting like the police won't give it back to him when they've asked, for weeks, for the family to take the damned thing.; 10/21/15, 2:50 PM
HoodlumDoodlum said...: Ann Althouse said...It was stupid to arrest him

Scenario: School admin calls the cops. Cops show up, see the clock in case, hear that the clock alarm has gone off in a class, hear that Hoodlum has shown the case to others despite being advised not to by a teacher, call in Hoodlum. Cops ask Hoodlum "what's this, why did you bring it, what's the reason you brought this to school (is it schoolwork-related)?" Hoodlum says "it's a clock, I dunno, I wanted to, no reason." Cop asks "did you want other people to think it was something other than a clock?" Hoodlum says "I dunno, I thought it would be fun. It's just a clock!" Hoodlum refuses to answer any more questions (he know his rights). Cops look at statute covering hoax devices and think about whether they reasonably believe Hoodlum meant for other people to think he might have a device.
Is it still stupid to arrest him? Why are the cops' belief that Hoodlum likely committed a crime unreasonable? What would Hoodlum have to say or do to make it NOT stupid to arrest him? If he said "I brought it to make people think I had a scary bomb" it's obviously not stupid, but Hoodlum wouldn't volunteer that if it were true.

I'm not a lawyer so hopefully you can help me out, but don't police need just probable cause in order to make an arrest? If PC is a reasonable belief that a crime has been committed, and the crime in question hinges on an individuals intent in taking an action that could be reasonably interpreted in different ways (bringing a clock you took out of its case to school, having its alarm go off in class) and if we don't know the details of the interview Ahmed had with the cops, how can you be certain it was stupid to arrest him?

It's stupid if they don't have PC. Whether they had PC depends on the interview. We don't (as far as I know!) have details of the interview. Would anything in the interview other than an admission of guilt make the arrest un-stupid to you, Prof?; 10/21/15, 2:51 PM
Nichevo said...: PC means only one thing to Althouse. "Who, whom."; 10/21/15, 2:58 PM
HoodlumDoodlum said...: Eh, no one cares. Prof. Althouse is a smart, media-savy adult and her quick synopsis isn't appreciably different from what the average viewer would get from CNN. The Media sure as hell doesn't care about getting the story right, asking actual questions, being "fair," or even being skeptical.

The narrative is set; question the narrative at your peril (you racist, xenophobic, child-attacking monster).; 10/21/15, 3:02 PM
Jupiter said...: Blogger Ann Althouse said...
"It was stupid to arrest him, and a shame that he had to make himself a public figure out of self-defense. I'm sure he also suffered from embarrassment knowing that his invention was nothing of significance. It must be very weird to find yourself in the middle of such insanity. It's the adults who reacted to him who deserve criticism. That has always been my position. I don't see the basis for berating him, and I never have."

It appears that he went to considerable trouble to "make" his "clock" draw various people's attention to it. He didn't "find himself in the middle" of this incident, he planned it.

What would be your reaction if some Muslim freak started playing with a bomb in one of your classes? "Oh, look! Mohammad brought his detonator to class today! Bring it up front, Mo, and show us all how it works!"; 10/21/15, 3:05 PM
Fen said...: "PC means only one thing to Althouse."

Its an interesting tension. I wonder if she will Virtue Signal her "enlightenment" and "tolerance" so strongly when radical Islam throws her gay son off a rooftop to his death.; 10/21/15, 3:10 PM
HoodlumDoodlum said...: "Teen clock-maker" No.
"the homemade clock 14-year-old Ahmed Mohamed brought" No.
"14-year-old hoping to impress his teachers with a homemade clock" No and probably no.
"his invention" No.
"the 14-year-old robotics enthusiast who was arrested for bringing a homemade clock to school after a teacher confused it for a bomb" No and No they didn't.

"We’d love to build some digital clocks with you." (Wired) Good luck.
"Ahmed Mohammed is Silicon Valley's New Hero" (Wired) Ok.

Geez, that's depressing. It's the Humpty-Dumpty Media! Apparently a basic respect for accuracy is counterrevolutionary or something.; 10/21/15, 3:18 PM
HoodlumDoodlum said...: Fen & Nichevo--I used "PC" for probable cause in my earlier post, my apologies if that was confused for political correctness.; 10/21/15, 3:20 PM
Nichevo said...: No, I was aware :-)

"The street finds its own uses for things" -- William Gibson; 10/21/15, 3:23 PM
HoodlumDoodlum said...: Headline: Young Man Who Didn't Build Clock Warmly Greeted by President "You Didn't Build That!" Obama.; 10/21/15, 3:25 PM
Fen said...: Fen & Nichevo--I used "PC" for probable cause in my earlier post, my apologies if that was confused for political correctness.

Ah my bad. Of course, I'm just another ignorant hick from Dallas, Texas. So please excuse the mistake ;); 10/21/15, 3:26 PM
Alexander said...: Lefties: If you see something, say something!

Unspoken Addendum: Unless what you see is a young Muslim male with what is designed to look like a crude home-made bomb. In which case shut up, bigots.

In a parallel world not very far from our own, liberals are still screaming, "Oh, so every Chechen that decides to go watch a marathon while carrying a pressure cooker is 'suspicious'. Thanks, bigots. Maybe if you actually thought about it maybe you'd know he was taking it to his sick grandmother. Only right wing loonies want to live in a country where you can walk around carrying a gun but you should be locked up if caught with a kitchen appliance."; 10/21/15, 3:35 PM
Scott said...: Qatar doesn't rhyme with "guitar," but with "cutter" (as in box cutter).

So is a Qatari a "cutter-ee" then?; 10/21/15, 3:37 PM
Scott said...: Here was another story where journalists got played like an off-tune ukulele. Why would anyone want to pursue this so-called profession anymore?; 10/21/15, 3:39 PM
HoodlumDoodlum said...: Through The Looking Glass:
'And only one for birthday presents, you know. There's glory for you!'

'I don't know what you mean by "glory",' Alice said.

Humpty Dumpty smiled contemptuously. 'Of course you don't — till I tell you. I meant "there's a nice knock-down argument for you!"'

'But "glory" doesn't mean "a nice knock-down argument",' Alice objected.

'When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, 'it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.'

'The question is,' said Alice, 'whether you can make words mean so many different things.'

'The question is,' said Humpty Dumpty, 'which is to be master — that's all.'

Alice was too much puzzled to say anything; so after a minute Humpty Dumpty began again. 'They've a temper, some of them — particularly verbs: they're the proudest — adjectives you can do anything with, but not verbs — however, I can manage the whole lot of them! Impenetrability! That's what I say!'

'Would you tell me please,' said Alice, 'what that means?'

'Now you talk like a reasonable child,' said Humpty Dumpty, looking very much pleased. 'I meant by "impenetrability" that we've had enough of that subject, and it would be just as well if you'd mention what you mean to do next, as I suppose you don't mean to stop here all the rest of your life.'; 10/21/15, 3:41 PM
Thuglawlibrarian said...: In 10 years that kids is going to be blowing up vehicles in the Middle East.; 10/21/15, 3:45 PM
HoodlumDoodlum said...: It's not some pedantic, miniscule point, by the way, to say he didn't "invent" or even "make" (in the "invent" sense of the word) the thing.
The actual question isn't whether the thing is a bomb or not ("it's a clock, it's not a bomb!" I know, we know).
"A thing I created from parts," "a thing I assembled," "a thing I put together," and "a thing I designed and then made" are all qualitatively different enough from "a thing I took out of one case and put into another" to make a difference when assessing the INTENT behind the action (where action = doing the thing and bringing it in to school). Since that is what assessing the reasonableness of the police's (and school's) actions hinges upon it's not a trivial distinction.; 10/21/15, 3:46 PM
CWJ said...: HoodlumDoodlum @3:18,

Thanks for doing the fisking I was too lazy to do. Almost as lazy as that "reporter's" writing. That's what saddens me the most. Once the meme is too big for the facts, the facts don't stand a chance. So someone will bankroll a movie and audaciously title it "Truth." And Michael Brown will forever have his hands up shouting don't shoot as he was done in the back. Oh and "Jackie" will forever carry the scars of that glass coffee table.

Lest anyone get me wrong, I'm substantially with Althouse on some of this. The kid was definitely seeking attention, probably like many Freshman nerds. I think he was genuinely surprised by how out of hand the adults made this. In an earlier time, he would be given a good scare and it would be a valuable life lesson for him and his friends. But today, given the cast of characters including his family, this President, zero tolerance policies, and a nationally trolling narative driven press, the adults made this a circus!; 10/21/15, 4:06 PM
Dan Hossley said...: Meeting Obama face to face would be enough to want to make me move too.; 10/21/15, 4:14 PM
Jason said...: He was arrested for making a hoax. That was the charge in the first place.

No, he was never charged.

Why? Per the Irving police chief: “The follow-up investigation revealed the device apparently was a homemade experiment, and there’s no evidence to support the perception he intended to create alarm.

Source: http://www.dallasnews.com/news/community-news/northwest-dallas-county/headlines/20150915-irving-ninth-grader-arrested-after-taking-homemade-clock-to-school.ece

Hear that?

No. Evidence.

Per the head of the investigation body.

You're inventing things that aren't there.

Sometimes a clock is just a clock.; 10/21/15, 5:01 PM
Jason said...: Do you have any evidence to state that the arrest was wrong?

What kind of protofascist bullshit is this? It's not on Ahmed or me to prove any arrest was wrong; It's on the authorities to prove the arrest was justified. After an initial investigation, the police chief came out on record stating there is no evidence to support the hoax bomb theory.

That should be the end of it. But no, idiots have to pile hate on a 14 year old. It's absolutely vile, and the people doing it should be ashamed of themselves.; 10/21/15, 5:12 PM
HoodlumDoodlum said...: Jason,
My hearing's fine. For "charged" substitute "the reason he was arrested." I understand charges were dropped and he wasn't prosecuted. Shall I Google "ahmed mohammed" & "charges dropped" for you and report the # of hits? If you're contending he was never formally charged, fine, but you can't drop charges if they never existed, right? Are you saying he was never formally arrested, just detained? Ok, cool, I'll play along, but again we're back to correcting the hundreds of articles saying "14 Year Old Ahmed Mohammed Arrested..."

I know it was a clock. You keep saying it's a clock as though that somehow refutes anything I've said, but it doesn't. The cops knew it was a clock (or at least knew it wasn't a bomb). He wasn't arrested (or detained, or handcuffed and taken for further questioning) for having a bomb. It's not even a straw man at this point, you're just gleefully stabbing at air.

Additionally, the police chief saying after subsequent investigation that charges aren't warranted says very little about whether an arrest at the time, prior to that full investigation, was warranted or not. Taken to an extreme that illogic would mean anyone found not guilty of a crime shouldn't have been arrested--the subsequent trial found insufficient evidence to convict them, after all.; 10/21/15, 5:15 PM
AlbertAnonymous said...: #cocksnotclocks to go along with #cocksnotglocks at UT.

Hook em Horns; 10/21/15, 5:18 PM
Jupiter said...: “The follow-up investigation revealed the device apparently was a homemade experiment, and there’s no evidence to support the perception he intended to create alarm."

There is, perhaps, no evidence he intended to create an alarm clock. Or had any idea how to do so, for that matter. There is plenty of evidence he intended to create alarm.; 10/21/15, 5:19 PM
HoodlumDoodlum said...: I'm skeptical of the Media's portrayal of the events of this case, Jason, and I'm skeptical of Ahmed's claims and claimed motivations. Is that "piling hate on a 14 year old?"

I don't believe Hillary Clinton when she says the reason she used her own (wildly insecure) email server is because "it was more convenient" than using the Stated dept's email system. Does that make me a soldier in the war on women, or a hater of the elderly?; 10/21/15, 5:21 PM
HoodlumDoodlum said...: NYTimes: "Handcuffed for Making Clock, Ahmed Mohamed, 14, Wins Time With Obama"

I mean, wow, that's just laughably wrong. "for making [a] clock?" Honestly, even people who think it was a terrible, racist-ly driven decision to handcuff Ahmed understand that it wasn't for "making a clock," right? Nevermind that he didn't make it, of course.; 10/21/15, 5:25 PM
HoodlumDoodlum said...: Same NYTimes article: The thing in question was the product of Ahmed’s love of invention. He made the clock out of a metal briefcase-style box, a digital display, wires and a circuit board. It was bigger and bulkier than a typical bedside clock, with cords, screws and electrical components.

Just wrong about every objective detail, it looks like, huh? He didn't make the thing, it was already made, he took it out of its case and put it in the "metal briefcase-style box." It was in fact a "typical bedside clock" and had no more "cords, screws, and electrical components" than a bedside clock...in fact it had fewer, since it IS a bedside clock, just without the case! The only reason you could argue it's "bigger and bulkier" than a typical clock is because it's stretched out and placed in a different box.

The Media's portrayal of these objectively-verifiable facts is laughably wrong. In the absence of additional evidence the only thing we have to go on regarding the details of the interrogation (Ahmed & the school and cops) is the same Media portrayal and Ahmed's own assertions. I'm skeptical of those, and you're saying the only reason I could be skeptical is because I'm a dumbass or possibly a protofascist.; 10/21/15, 5:34 PM
HoodlumDoodlum said...: I don't hate the kid. I don't believe his story, but 14 year old kids do dumb things and lie about them all the time, so I don't have difficulty suspecting that's what happened here. He (and his family) have successfully used this incident to enrich themselves in a number of ways. I'm not aware of any evidence that he (and his family) set this up on purpose, but other than suing the school district & police I'm not sure what they would have done differently if they had.

I hate the Media's treatment of the story. I hate the gross inaccuracies that very few people seem to care about. I hate that what smells to me like either a fake or a badly-misreported story is used to promote a Left-Media narrative, and I hate that the response to pushback against that is to be accused of racism, xenophobia, hillbilly-ness, etc. I hate that discussions seem to devolve into these kinds of tribal pissing matches where no one cares about logic, evidence, or the basics of constructing actual arguments. I hate that our elites (in Media, business, and politics) are either so stupid they buy this crap or so cynical (and correctly so!) that the play along. So yeah, I have hate, but it's not for Ahmed.; 10/21/15, 5:42 PM
Jason said...: Jupiter: There is plenty of evidence he intended to create alarm.

Funny. The police chief and head of the investigating body came on record and said precisely the opposite. Verbatim: there’s no evidence to support the perception he intended to create alarm.

Hmmmm. Who is in a better position to know? You? Or the police department that actually did the detention and investigation?

Well, I get that for you it doesn't matter. My money's with the police chief, though.; 10/21/15, 6:08 PM
HoodlumDoodlum said...: Jason,

As you said he wasn't charged, after the investigation the police chief said he shouldn't be charged. That's an excellent refutation of anyone claiming "he should be charged and convicted!" It doesn't really do much to refute the claim that it wasn't ridiculous to detain him initially, though (that it was "stupid to arrest him").
If the cops reasonably suspect you've committed a crime they'll arrest you. You seem to be conflating the arguments "it was unreasonable to arrest him initially" and "given the findings of the full investigation it's unreasonable to charge/try him."; 10/21/15, 6:20 PM
HoodlumDoodlum said...: Jason said...My money's with the police chief though.

NYTimes article Irving Police Chief Defends Response to Ahmed Mohameds Clock

On Friday, the police chief in Irving, Larry Boyd, defended the officers who detained Ahmed.

He said in an interview on CNN that officers assigned to MacArthur High School had determined “fairly quickly” that the device was not a bomb. Then the issue, he said, was to determine why Ahmed had brought the device to school.

“What they were investigating was whether he brought a device to school with the intention of creating alarm,” Chief Boyd said.

It doesn't sound like the Chief is saying the initial detention was wrong, does it? Is your money with the Chief on that point, too?; 10/21/15, 6:25 PM
Douglas B. Levene said...: "He's a smarmy little shit. He's not Jr. inventor, but he in his dad are very good manipulators." Indeed, he trolled the school, the cops, the president and got exactly what he wanted, and more. Good riddance.; 10/21/15, 7:03 PM
narciso said...: Qatar is where KSM hid out, when he was under investigation, in the water (sewer management)
department, it's where at least one defense ministry employee and one central bank employee were discovered to be funding Nusra Front and or the Islamic State, organizations that have ravaged Syria, as Ansar Al Sharia did to Libya, yes the outfit most tied to the attack in Benghazi,; 10/21/15, 7:29 PM
Jupiter said...: Jason said...
"Jupiter: There is plenty of evidence he intended to create alarm.

Funny. The police chief and head of the investigating body came on record and said precisely the opposite. Verbatim: there’s no evidence to support the perception he intended to create alarm.

Hmmmm. Who is in a better position to know? You? Or the police department that actually did the detention and investigation?"

It appears to me, Jason, that the police are in a better position to know, but I am in a better position to say, since I'm not likely to lose my job over the matter. Maybe you have an explanation for what the smarmy little shit was trying to accomplish by pulling a clock out of its casing, sticking it in a box, and taking it to school? And showing it to everyone in each of his classes, and beeping its little beeper? You don't think that is evidence he was trying to create alarm? What was he trying to create? Do you suppose his activities were related in some way with the fact that his sister had been accused of a bomb threat, and his Dad is a Muslim nutbag publicity whore? Nah, no possible connection.; 10/21/15, 7:34 PM
Lewis Wetzel said...: Have you ever noticed that when Obama gets personally involved in any issue involving the cops, he jumps to conclusions, shows bigotry and ignorance, and generally fucks everything up?
This is something of a pattern. The "JV" team re: ISIS, the Iraq withdrawal, the promise to get the troops out of Afghanistan, Gaddaffi and Benghazi, "you can keep your doctor", and on and on.
Great job on that 2012 presidential vote, America!; 10/21/15, 8:06 PM
vza said...: "his family decided to leave America for good."

Good.; 10/21/15, 10:13 PM
Paul said...: Wait till ISIS gets a hold of that kid..... bet they turn him into a walking bomb with promises of 72 whatever.; 10/21/15, 10:40 PM
Scott said...: The whole family has a strange sense of humor. The father is a Director of "Twin Towers Transportation"; 10/21/15, 11:48 PM
Jason said...: Maybe you have an explanation for what the smarmy little shit was trying to accomplish by pulling a clock out of its casing, sticking it in a box, and taking it to school? And showing it to everyone in each of his classes, and beeping its little beeper? You don't think that is evidence he was trying to create alarm?

On the contrary, I think that's pretty solid evidence he was NOT trying to create an alarm. I think given the facts of the case and the number of people he showed it to and explained it, it's pretty fecking stupid to continue to assume he was trying to create an alarm.; 10/22/15, 12:00 AM
Smilin' Jack said...: Another is: "'Young innovator'? He took the housing off of clock and put it in a box. A toddler could do this. WaPo, your political correctness blinds you!"

I'm pretty sure I could train a chimp to do it in, like, 15 minutes--but saying so is racist or sexist or speciesist or homophobist or some damn thing, so fuck it.; 10/22/15, 12:20 AM
chickelit said...: Jason said...

Funny. The police chief and head of the investigating body came on record and said precisely the opposite. Verbatim: there’s no evidence to support the perception he intended to create alarm.

Nonetheless, the boy did create alarm. You can fault the teachers all you want and the cops under the charge of your beloved police chief for arresting the boy.

The father is the suspicious party in all of this. He reminds me of a heinous parent who somehow manages to have an OK child. Go ahead and defend him! -- I'd love to hear your arguments!; 10/22/15, 12:38 AM
chickelit said...: @Jason: I mean, it seems pretty clear to me that we're all adults, and that the dad is driving one side of the narrative here (lawsuits!) -- not the 14-year old boy...; 10/22/15, 12:42 AM
chickelit said...: And, I feel I must interject another phrase of scorn for Althouse (to go along with the one I heaped on her for her smug dismissal of Carly Fiorina yesterday): Althouse sucks on this topic and has from the get-go. Look back at her own history...use her tags to learn her opinion of this story.; 10/22/15, 12:46 AM
BN said...: I just don't get why people think Muslims like to kill people and worry about them showing up with funny tic-tocking suitcases.

There must be something wrong with us. That must be it.

Yeah, pretty sure that it's us. We really need to stop reading the newspaper.

...little steps.; 10/22/15, 12:57 AM
BN said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 10/22/15, 1:08 AM
BN said...: "... I feel I must interject another phrase of scorn for Althouse..."

Scorn!

Perfesser, I'm not sure that's the proper use of that word. Please tell us what it means according to your special old-world dictionary. We sorely need to be educated. (and I mean the first definition of "sorely", i.e., "painfully".); 10/22/15, 1:10 AM
BN said...: "...but it also feels like Texas."

Fucking Texas sucks, y'all! Stay away from there!

I'm serious!; 10/22/15, 1:14 AM
BN said...: Actually, I'd vote for Trump if he'd build the wall ALL THE WAY AROUND Texas and leave it at that.; 10/22/15, 1:15 AM
amielalune said...: Jason: I don't know, maybe little Mohammed is your cousin -- and if so, I apologize. But if not, you are actually making an ass of yourself while demonstrating a decided lack of critical thinking skills by your increasingly shrill posts.; 10/22/15, 6:16 AM
damikesc said...: Hear that?

No. Evidence.

Per the head of the investigation body.

You're inventing things that aren't there.

Sometimes a clock is just a clock.

He wasn't taken into custody for making a bomb.

He was taken into a custody for making a hoax.

It WAS a clock. He took it apart, put it into a pencil case, and rendered it unusable. All for attention and idiots buy into it. He BROKE a clock, a far less impressive feat.

I won't say you're an idiot...but you seem to buying into it.; 10/22/15, 7:03 AM
Fen said...: Go easy on Jason. Like Althouse, he's just Virtue Signaling. And considering the depth of his need to signal how "enlightened" and "tolerant" he surely must be, you have to wonder at what horrible things he must have done to require such compensation.; 10/22/15, 7:52 AM
Jason said...: Project much, Fen?; 10/22/15, 9:39 AM
Kyzer SoSay said...: Wow Jason. You got schooled, and hard. You might want to check for marks.

And you still haven't responded to the quote from the police chief provided by HD, to wit:

“What they were investigating was whether he brought a device to school with the intention of creating alarm,” Chief Boyd said.

Whatever their final determination was, they still had to investigate to find out. For that investigation to take place, the boy needed to be fully cooperative and forthcoming about his motives and intentions. He was not, at least not at first, and that's because he wanted to create confusion and then surf a wave of virtue-signalling tools like yourself who get high on labeling others as "racist".

You're like a dime store Al Sharpton. How much do you owe in back taxes?; 10/22/15, 10:11 AM
Kyzer SoSay said...: Also, you're incredibly ignorant and naive if you think that this wasn't part of something bigger.

Tell me, Jason - you find a device just like the boy's "invention" sitting unattended on a bench at an airport. What do you do?

A) Assume some angelic little Muslim boy invented a stupendously wonderful clock, then try to find him so you can give him a Nobel Prize in Engineering?

B) Or do you maybe heed the signs posted every-fucking-where in an airport and call the police or a TSA agent over to check out this mysterious gadget?

Based on your answers, I'd have to say you'd pick choice A. Yes, you're that stupid.; 10/22/15, 10:16 AM
Kyzer SoSay said...: One last point. Bombs don't always have to look dangerous.

If the "Shoe Bomber" had made a dry-run with his shoebomb, explosives removed, Jason would be the first to totally buy his excuse that he invented an in-sole step counter.

That's called the "Gruberization" of America.; 10/22/15, 10:18 AM
Kyzer SoSay said...: Jason: "He wasn't a terrorist! He invented a seat warmer for his underpants!!"

Jason is the kind of person who would look at a hollowed out book with wires and circuits inside and then nod to his host and say "That's a neat auto-paging book you invented, Mr. Kaczynski!"; 10/22/15, 10:23 AM
Jason said...: You haven't responded to the the quote from the police chief, to wit: "there’s no evidence to support the perception he intended to create alarm."

Case closed.

No charges filed.

No. You're getting schooled. Not me. The police and I are in agreement and they actually conducted the investigation. You're banging the table on pure conjecture and assumption.

You're also conflating the decision to conduct an investigation with the decision not to file charges. Those are different decisions. I have no problem with a brief investigation based on reasonable suspicion. But you don't need a cooperative suspect to conduct an investigation, anyway. Suspects remain silent all the time. Smart ones do. Even innocent ones. And investigations happen anyway.

I'm not buying the assertion that Ahmed was uncooperative, anyway. They asked him what it was (a clock) and he told them, truthfully. The problem was they were hoping he'd confess to a crime and he didn't, and stupid people think that's the same as not cooperating.; 10/22/15, 10:33 AM
Jupiter said...: Jason said...

"On the contrary, I think that's pretty solid evidence he was NOT trying to create an alarm. I think given the facts of the case and the number of people he showed it to and explained it, it's pretty fecking stupid to continue to assume he was trying to create an alarm."

So, your theory is, that if he were trying to alarm people with his fake bomb, he would be careful to make sure that no one was aware of its existence?; 10/22/15, 10:39 AM
Jason said...: Also, you're incredibly ignorant and naive if you think that this wasn't part of something bigger.

Well, you assume so, because of some templates you have in your head. There are valid reasons for these kinds of templates in, say, military intelligence. Then you confirm your templating as best you can via reconnaissance and other means of collecting battlefield information. But schoolhouses in Irving, Texas are not battlefields. They aren't even airports, and a random homemade electronics device found planted anonymously in a sensitive area is a very different thing from an electronics project where you KNOW the kid, you KNOW he has a history of making other homemade electronics gadgets and bringing them to school, he's ALREADY shown it to authority figures who ALREADY know what it is and that it's damn well not a bomb. So your airport analogy is all wet. They are not similar contexts at all.

But back to your template: Is your templating valid in this specific circumstance? Is there any evidence to confirm your templating? Is there EVIDENCE to support your assertion that this is part of something bigger? Are you saying that this IS part of something bigger, or merely that it could be part of something bigger? If the latter, what at what point are you willing ruin someone's life? Over a template? Don't you think American citizens are entitled to a bit more substantiation than a "could be" before law enforcement types move to destroy their liberty and ruin their lives?

You're incredibly ignorant and naive if you think that this isn't a spectacularly bad way to go about handling criminal investigations.

Are you invulnerable to type ii statistical errors? What would you have the police do, anyway? File charges they can't support and spend a lot of taxpayer money on the way to an acquittal?; 10/22/15, 10:51 AM
Kyzer SoSay said...: Sorry Jason, you are the one being schooled, and schooled hard. Actually, Ahmed had an easier time in his school than you're having here. Tough break dude.

https://www.google.com/search?q=images+of+briefcase+bombs+for+law+enforcement+training&gws_rd=ssl

Oh, and if a suspect is uncooperative, which they have every right to be, guess what? They hold onto him until they figure out what is going on. Ahmed was evasive, did not answer questions clearly, and would only divulge that "it's a clock".

Guess what else? "It's a clock" is not a good answer for a question like, "Why did you plug it in during English class and make it start beeping?"

Meanwhile, in Jason's tiny, tiny head, police interrogations should go something like this:

Cop: "Why did you have a pressure cooker at a marathon?"
Dzhokar: "It's a pressure cooker."
Cop: "What were you doing lugging it around in a backpack in the middle of an event?"
Dzhokar: "It's a pressure cooker."
Cop: "What were you doing with it? Why is it partially disassembled?"
Dzhokar: "It's a pressure cooker."

Jason (looking from the other side of a one way mirror): "Clearly this man has nothing to hide. Release him at once, vile racists!"

Yeah dude, you're that dumb. Saddens the heart, it does.; 10/22/15, 10:53 AM
Jason said...: So, your theory is, that if he were trying to alarm people with his fake bomb, he would be careful to make sure that no one was aware of its existence?

If he were planning on planting the device as a hoax, he sure as crap wouldn't have shown it to his engineering teacher first, and then his English teacher, so everybody would know that he's the one who made it.; 10/22/15, 10:55 AM
Kyzer SoSay said...: Jason: But schoolhouses in Irving, Texas are not battlefields.

Jason on 9/10/01: But a United Airlines 757 isn't a battlefield.
Jason on 3/10/04: But a train terminal in Madrid isn't a battlefield.
Jason on 11/10/02: But a nightclub in Bali isn't a battlefield.
Jason on 4/18/95: But a federal building in Oklahoma City isn't a battlefield.

Gawd! You just keep the hits rolling in, you useless scamp you!; 10/22/15, 10:58 AM
Jason said...: Oh, and if a suspect is uncooperative, which they have every right to be, guess what? They hold onto him until they figure out what is going on.

And so they did. They held onto him until they figured out nothing was going on and they could release him to parental custody.

And no, there is no commonality between Ahmed and the Boston Bombers whatsoever. Had they been caught with their devices, they would have been caught with a detonator, explosives and shrapnel. Those are pretty big differences right there.

Had they been caught with pressure cookers in bags and nothing else, maybe because they were planning on planting them as a hoax or decoy, you'd still need more than that to charge them.; 10/22/15, 11:00 AM
Kyzer SoSay said...: Oh . . . wait, is Jason's brain growing? Maybe. Let's test it.

So, if they caught the Tsarnaev brothers with pressure cookers that had timers inside, but not explosives, making a dry run at a 5K race a few days before the marathon, what do you think they should have done with them if all the info they were willing to divulge was, "I invented a clock!!1!"

And what do you think the reaction from the Muslim-American and Ultra-PC crowd would have been?

Consider: the brothers had ties to Chechnyan separatists. Clockmed's father has ties to radical, genocidal Muslim warlords.

I still think your reaction would be, "Unhand them immediately, you vile racists!!"

But that's because you're not very smart. Prove me wrong.; 10/22/15, 11:05 AM
Kyzer SoSay said...: And yeah, there was something bigger behind this. The whole family was ready for this to be stage-acted in a way that would create the most sympathy for them. That's why Ahmed was uncooperative, at least at first, and that's why they publicized it. He was coached. He was in on it. And you're falling for it like a baby falls for peek-a-boo.

"Well, Mommy's face just disappeared! She must be gone forever!"; 10/22/15, 11:07 AM
Kyzer SoSay said...: Jason apparently likes practicing the extreme disinterest in MOTIVE that we usually only see when CNN brings up the topic of Hillary's private email server.; 10/22/15, 11:09 AM
Jason said...: Apparently Kyzernick thinks that because terror strikes could happen anywhere, the presumption of innocence and other central principles of American jurisprudence apply nowhere.

No, the whole country is not a battlefield for the purposes of conducting criminal investigations on American citizens or the term has no meaning.; 10/22/15, 11:11 AM
Kyzer SoSay said...: Oh, so close.

Did the cops bring him to jail? No.
Did the cops detain him for a long time? No.
Did the cops actually charge him? No.
Did the cops hold onto him until they could thoroughly examine the situation and determine there was no threat, and then further decide that his stunt wasn't worth charging for a hoax? Yes.

But apparently, thorough police work is antithetical to American values to someone who sees like through idiot-colored glasses. Might wanna get that prescription changed, Jas.; 10/22/15, 11:15 AM
Jason said...: To get a hoax bomb conviction, it's not motive you have to prove. It's intent.

Kind of a biggie.; 10/22/15, 11:15 AM
Jason said...: Did the cops hold onto him until they could thoroughly examine the situation and determine there was no threat, and then further decide that his stunt wasn't worth charging for a hoax? Yes.

Bingo.

So what's your problem with the kid?; 10/22/15, 11:18 AM
Kyzer SoSay said...: Motive: the boy's family wanted publicity and notoriety, and to cause further second-guessing in the public mind when Islamic terrorism is the topic.

Intent: create a hoax bomb, show it to a tech teacher to brag about it while calling it a "clock", then make it sound an alarm during English class where the pretty young teacher (who presumably is not tech savvy) might mistake it for a dangerous device, thus setting off a firestorm when the police arrive and determine after a period of investigation that the device is not a bomb, but could easily be construed as one.

I bet if this had taken a few days to go public, they would have charged him with makin a hoax bomb. Only instant public social pressure from do-gooders and naive idiots (like you!) who intend to get high off their own virtue made the police drop it, cuz it wasn't worth the hassle at that point.

This family is full of agitators and troublemakers. Sister threatened to bomb the school, father runs for president of Sudan and has fanatical ties, but to Jason, it's just an angelic little genius inventor versus the eeeeevil racists.

Ignorance is bliss, indeed. Hope that "virtue high" doesn't wear off too fast.; 10/22/15, 11:24 AM
Jason said...: You're confusing what actually happened with intent. Not at all the same thing.; 10/22/15, 11:31 AM
Kyzer SoSay said...: The kid and his family are agitators. I have a problem with people who follow the CAIR strategy of desensitizing America to threats from radical Muslims who have already demonstrated many times their willingness and capability to cause havoc. The kid was part of an agitprop scheme, and judging by how blind you are to it, they've at least partially succeeded. Again:

Jason on 9/10/01: But a United Airlines 757 isn't a battlefield.
Jason on 3/10/04: But a train terminal in Madrid isn't a battlefield.
Jason on 11/10/02: But a nightclub in Bali isn't a battlefield.
Jason on 4/18/95: But a federal building in Oklahoma City isn't a battlefield.
Jason on 4/14/13: But a marathon course isn't a battlefield!!!!!!!!!!1!!!

Hint: a battlefield isn't a battlefield until there's a battle. Until the hijackers took over United 93, it was just a regular ol' plane. Other people turned it into a battlefield. Our lack of caution allowed it to happen.

Jason wants it to happen more, I guess. Thankfully, there's plenty of other young Muslims out there in the Middle East who enjoy tinkering with electronics devices and slapping timers on all sorts of curious contraptions. Jason might just get to meet one of these genius inventors in person someday.

Tell ya what, Jas. If that happens, make sure to ask the marvelous inventor if he'll let you hold his wonderful invention. Then, without asking, go ahead and press that red button.

The jump in America's collective IQ after the boom fades will be noticeable, I think.; 10/22/15, 11:31 AM
Jason said...: Only instant public social pressure from do-gooders and naive idiots (like you!) who intend to get high off their own virtue made the police drop it, cuz it wasn't worth the hassle at that point.

Well, that and the fact that, per the police chief, there was no evidence to support the perception he intended to create alarm.

Again, kind of a biggie.

I know you're not hung up on the whole "evidence" thingie, though.; 10/22/15, 11:33 AM
damikesc said...: Again, the kid BROKE a clock. That is, literally, all he did. Why he gets fawned over is baffling. I've broken clocks in my past, too. His belief that, were he white, his broken clock would've given him academic awards shows that his intellect is limited, to be generous.; 10/22/15, 11:36 AM
Kyzer SoSay said...: Oh, I think there was some evidence of that. That's what is preventing the family from allowing the full police report to be released. If the kid was sooooo angelic, they'd have no problem letting that information out. The only reason he wasn't charged is because the school and the PD didn't want to deal with the "light in the loafers" brigade of SJWs like yourself descending on their town to carry misspelled placards and throw rocks at cop cars.

Cuz you SJWs really know how to behave.; 10/22/15, 11:38 AM
Kyzer SoSay said...: @ damikesc

I cracked the screen on my phone yesterday. Now there's a slightly raised edge with a bit of sharpness to it.

Clearly I invented a nail file.

Telling me otherwise means you're an evil bigot racist sexist and Jason is gonna make mean faces at you while he struggles to figure out what is really going on.; 10/22/15, 11:40 AM
Jason said...: I'm a SJW?

That right there shows you how dumb your templating is.; 10/22/15, 11:47 AM
richard mcenroe said...: I invite the readers of the Washington Post to continue in their perception of Tevas and stay away, bless their hearts.; 10/22/15, 12:33 PM
Anonymous said...: Good riddance to bad rubbish.; 10/22/15, 12:37 PM
Jupiter said...: Jason said...
"No, the whole country is not a battlefield for the purposes of conducting criminal investigations on American citizens or the term has no meaning."

Let enough Muslims in, and the whole country *will* be a battlefield. Like the Charlie Hebdo offices.

Look, Jason, good Muslims are not, and cannot be, good Americans. Their religion tells them that the Constitution is illegitimate. And it also tells them that they have the right to rob, rape, kill or enslave the rest of us. Being a Muslim is like being a Blood or a Crip; you get free license to prey upon everyone who is not in the gang.

Europe is in the process of finding out what Muslims do when they attain significant numbers in a non-Muslim country. You can read about it here;

http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/5195/sweden-rape; 10/22/15, 1:10 PM
Nichevo said...: Jason, you really think this kid is innocent?

Innocent of what?; 10/22/15, 1:11 PM
Nichevo said...: By the way, when this kid comes across the Qatari security forces and they have him raped by a German Shepherd,... Any thoughts on that?; 10/22/15, 1:13 PM
furious_a said...: Europe is in the process of finding out what Muslims do when they attain significant numbers in a non-Muslim country.

The Hungarians, Serbs and Austrians seem to remember, and are acting accordingly.; 10/22/15, 1:24 PM
Jason said...: Jason, you really think this kid is innocent?

Innocent of what?

Burdens of proof. HOW DO THEY WORK?; 10/22/15, 1:33 PM
Jason said...: Jason, good Muslims are not, and cannot be, good Americans.

That's funny. I had three of them in my company fighting Baathists and Al Qaeda types in Iraq. Good troops, all three of them. One of them later got a direct commission and is a captain now.

Actually it would have been four, but our signal officer, an Egyptian Muslim by birth, but raised here in the U.S., left the Army shortly before deployment because his application to the Secret Service was accepted, and he was shortly on the Presidential Security Detail.

Good man. Damn fine American.

So, yeah, sorry. Muslims can, indeed, be good Americans. And often are.; 10/22/15, 1:38 PM
Nichevo said...: Was it Atta or Moussaoui who had served in the US Army before trying to blow shit up?; 10/22/15, 2:13 PM
Nichevo said...: Proof doesn't matter. I don't need a conviction, only answers. What did the little fucker think he was doing?; 10/22/15, 2:14 PM
Nichevo said...: If he wanted a burden of proof why go to Qatar?; 10/22/15, 2:15 PM
Nichevo said...: Let him pull that little trick at East Doha High School. How many fingers do you think they cut off before he starts answering all of their questions in complete, truthful, sincere declarative sentences?; 10/22/15, 3:29 PM
Nichevo said...: crickets...; 10/22/15, 8:23 PM
Jason said...: the way, when this kid comes across the Qatari security forces and they have him raped by a German Shepherd,... Any thoughts on that?

Yes.

You're creepy.; 10/23/15, 4:42 AM
Jason said...: You can tell who's whacked out real fast by seeing who's hung up on whether the kid "made" something or "invented" something. It's really quite irrelevant but these shits are so intent on maintaining their ignorant and bigoted 2-minute hate on a 14 year old that they'll grasp at anything they think might stick.

I swear, these are otherwise normally rational people but when it comes to the wrong sort of swarthy brown people they turn into frothing hyenas.

DON'T CALL US BIGOTS (but Muslims can't be good Americans).

How fecking demented is that?; 10/23/15, 4:50 AM
HoodlumDoodlum said...: Jason said...You can tell who's whacked out real fast by seeing who's hung up on whether the kid "made" something or "invented" something

"Hung up on" is a funny phrase for asking that journalists get the facts right, even approximately. That seems, to me anyway, like one of the main things a journalist should do, and really their purpose, right? If getting the facts correct isn't important what are journalists, and what is the Media, for? In this case the fact is pretty important to the story, and extremely important to the narrative, so it's not a minor point.; 10/23/15, 10:23 AM
Nichevo said...: So, Jason, let's have you own something. You believe, have evidence, and will assert, the hypothesis that this boy sincerely thought that he was doing (slapping together a ratty piece of junk) something worth doing in the name of science? And conceived no ramifications to his behavior, which you do not consider disobedient, odd and/or counterproductive? Is that what we're to be getting from you??

Oh, and am I wrong about Qatar, and what would happen if you brought a sloppily wired countdown clock to a classroom full of Qatar's best and brightest princelings?; 10/23/15, 12:26 PM
Jason said...: Would be nice if they were using it to attack the media. But they're using it to attack a 14 year old kid.; 10/23/15, 12:44 PM