On Wed, Sep 16, 2015 at 7:59 PM, a.ashfield <a.ashfi...@verizon.net> wrote:
> I would place the primary blame on the school. A technical school and no > one there can tell the difference between a clock and a bomb? Really? > I don't think it's so simple. One of these devices is the thing that Ahmed Mohamed brought to school, and two of are what a Hollywood villain might use to blow up a building: http://cdn.instructables.com/FC1/ZLW8/GLL4ZND0/FC1ZLW8GLL4ZND0.LARGE.jpg http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/wp-content/uploads/Ahmed-Clock-Irving-PD-575x429.jpg http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-z7g0BU8Xilc/Uza3aGsmkNI/AAAAAAAAK3w/pdJ7oqunZ-k/s1600/defusable+clock+bioweapon+bomb+prop.jpg The teacher that saw Mohamed's clock thought that he should avoid showing it to other people; I assume that is because he or she grasped the potential for a scare. Also, when I was Mohamed's age, there is a 100 percent chance that I would have thought that it would be cool to have a clock that looks kind of like a bomb, in a kind of ornery way. Even without the benefit of hindsight, was it likely that Mohamed had brought a bomb to school? No. But there was an outside possibility, and there are a lot of kids at a school. A risk-based assessment immediately indicates that you will want to take a lot of care in the matter. Was it necessary to arrest Mohamed given what people were able to glean from looking at the thing? Hard to say, but I'm guessing probably not. I feel the case is partially an unfortunate confluence of circumstances and partially a result of poor judgment and communication on the part of faculty. But that does not mean that they did not have a situation on their hands to sort out, given what information they had. Eric
