14-year-old Texas boy arrested for bringing homemade clock

[Sam]

Come on Sam you aren't that thick.

When he was suspended there was nothing said about his past behavior (which apparently was never serious enough to warrant calling the parents or asking for a parent-teacher conference -- it looks like they never even sent a note home to the parents requesting them to sign it). He was explicitly suspended for nibbling a pop tart into the shape of a gun and waving it around. That was the only reason given. Nothing about previous behavior problems.

Then, only after the parents conducted several interviews including on national TV and pressure started mounting on the schools did they suddenly start saying that it was actually due to a record of rambunctious behavior. It is a case of post hoc rationalizing. It looks like the school knew it had over-reacted and fearing a potential lawsuit (a real fear in this litigious society) they needed something to justify their actions.

Where are you getting that the parents were never notified of past disciplinary issues? When a school suspends a kid and sends a note home to other parents, the school does not dredge up the kid's disciplinary history in the note. You've offered up nothing thus far to refute the determination of the hearing examiner who looked through the incident and noted that the school's actions were the result of prolonged disciplinary problems and the proximate incident that resulted in the suspension was linked to the child's disruptive behavior rather than a reaction to the Pop-Tart being in the shape of a gun.

Unless you can refute that examiner's findings, you're spinning the tires.

[rogue06]

Where are you getting that the parents were never notified of past disciplinary issues?

This was a point raised by the parents.

[One Bad Pig]

A more serious answer about why I abuse CAPS....

I was typing WAY before Al Gore invented the internet. (dang, I just did it again)

I don't have all my fingers on my right hand, and nerve damage (especially when I am tired) apparently causes the nerves in my right hand to "misfire", and my right hand doesn't always type in coordination with my left hand. For example, if I'm typing "work", it might come out wrok, and I have to backspace and retype. (I actually "touch type" using the proper keys) (At least, that's the target)

Over the years, I have come up with a number of ways to deal with this, and using the mouse while typing makes things worse. It's really easy to hit the Caps Lock key with my left pinky, type the word, then hit Caps Lock key again. WAY easier (crap) than highlighting and hitting 'bold' or 'italics' or some other way to draw attention to a word or phrase.

HOWEVER (poop!) this is not the first time somebody brought up the allegation that I'm "yelling" when I'm actually typing quite calmly.

So, I realize it's "on me" to figure out a way to stop the habit of Caps Locking stuff just because it's easier for me.

Your complaint is legitimate, and I'll try harder to do better. Seriously, it's obvious that you're not the only person who thinks I'm "yelling" or being emotional when I'm not at all. My bad. But I hardly EVER (drat!) type in anger. I just don't get angry very often.

Meh. Yelling is a form of emphasis, just like using bold font. An entire post in all caps is annoying. The occasional word typed in all caps? Much ado about nothing.

[Irate Canadian]

Apparently Richard Dawkins agrees with those who say he did it purposefully.... that's kinda hilarious.

[One Bad Pig]

Everybody loves ya, CP, if only for the endearing way the drool comes dripping off your chin.



Cause ya saw a doof say so on YouTube, right?

Said doof showed evidence, yes? All you've got in response is mocking. Jerk.

[Sam]

This was a point raised by the parents.

Citation? At the hearing the parents' testimony apparently was that they were not made aware of all the disciplinary problems the school pointed to in the child's record. Nor would they be expected to: I don't know of any school that notifies parents of all the times a student's behavior has to be dealt with.

[Sea of red]

Apparently Richard Dawkins agrees with those who say he did it purposefully.... that's kinda hilarious.

I'll always respect Richard Dawkins. His books on popular biology are the best introduction to the field one can find. I remember reading The Blind Watch Maker as a kid and being truly taken in by his writing ; and The Selfish Gene, Ancestors Tale, Unweaving The Rainbow, and The Greatest Show on Earth all get five stars from me. He's truly the Carl Sagan of biology for the masses - yes even above Stephen Gould.

But damn, is he becoming more and more unreasonable in his activism of religious criticism.

[Irate Canadian]

I'll always respect Richard Dawkins. His books on popular biology are the best introduction to the field one can find. I remember reading The Blind Watch Maker as a kid and being truly taken in by his writing ; and The Selfish Gene, Ancestors Tale, Unweaving The Rainbow, and The Greatest Show on Earth all get five stars from me. He's truly the Carl Sagan of biology for the masses - yes even above Stephen Gould.

But damn, is he becoming more and more unreasonable in his activism of religious criticism.

From what I can see, he's excellent when it comes to the field of Biology, when it comes to other fields...... not so much.

[Cow Poke]

Pay attention to what Adrift was claiming the kid said and what the kid was actually talking about in the video.

WAaaannnnhhhhhh!!!! Sam is being SNARKY!!!!

I know exactly what Rogue was saying, and I understood the video, Mr. Snarkybutt*.

That's the issue on the table; Adrift was using ~1:26 to say that the kid knew the clock device looked suspicious, indicating that he knew it looked like a "movie bomb". That wasn't what the kid was saying, however.

And, again, I ask... why did he even need a cable, since the box had its own clasp? So, please stop the dodge, and answer the question.

Thank you kindly.




*CP is only kidding, but Sam is being snarky

[Cow Poke]

Meh. Yelling is a form of emphasis, just like using bold font. An entire post in all caps is annoying. The occasional word typed in all caps? Much ado about nothing.

Yeah, it just seems to really annoy certain posters.

[Cow Poke]

Said doof showed evidence, yes? All you've got in response is mocking. Jerk.

He loves me, OBP. It's his way of flirting. Like pulling pigtails, but I don't have pigtails (anymore).

[Sam]

WAaaannnnhhhhhh!!!! Sam is being SNARKY!!!!

I know exactly what Rogue was saying, and I understood the video, Mr. Snarkybutt*.



And, again, I ask... why did he even need a cable, since the box had its own clasp? So, please stop the dodge, and answer the question.

Thank you kindly.


*CP is only kidding, but Sam is being snarky

Being snarky would be pointing out that Adrift, not Rogue, was talkin' bout the video

I don't know why the kid needed a cable to close the case or how the case would even lock. That snippet didn't make a whole lot of sense. But what's relevant to Adrift's point is that the kid was not acknowledging that he thought the project looked like a movie bomb before the whole mess.

[Cow Poke]

I don't know why the kid needed a cable to close the case or how the case would even lock.

It's yet another goofy part of this saga - yet another thing for which you have to come up with a "dog ate my homework" explanation.

That snippet didn't make a whole lot of sense.

EGGzackly. But it's consistent with a whole lot of other things about this that don't make sense.

[Sam]

It's yet another goofy part of this saga - yet another thing for which you have to come up with a "dog ate my homework" explanation.



EGGzackly. But it's consistent with a whole lot of other things about this that don't make sense.

Doesn't have to make sense. Every story is going to have incongruities and incomplete stories. It's completely unconnected with the main issue and no one on the "other side" has made any statements regarding the box being closed with a cable. You have to be straining for incongruities for this to be notable.

[Cow Poke]

Doesn't have to make sense.

wow

Every story is going to have incongruities and incomplete stories.

Some WAY more than others! This one is at the top.

It's completely unconnected with the main issue

translation -- this is yet another thing to which I will close my eyes and stick my fingers in my ears....

and no one on the "other side" has made any statements regarding the box being closed with a cable.

Who freakin cares? The KID said this himself. He volunteered that information, Sam, and it makes no sense whatsoever.

You have to be straining for incongruities for this to be notable.

It's there in the video, Sam - the kid brought it up himself, and it's yet another part that is just really dumb. Like why on earth didn't the kid just answer the questions the officials were asking?

(perhaps because his sister wasn't there to feed him the answers? )*


*yes, I'm being facetious