Purely out of curiosity...

[Mark Kohut]

Maybe better...Nothing That Rises Ever Converges. 

Sent from my iPhone

On Dec 12, 2015, at 2:14 PM, David Morris <fqmorris at gmail.com> wrote:

> I'd like to see a Flannery O'Conner version.
> 
> On Saturday, December 12, 2015, Mark Kohut <mark.kohut at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Or The Secret Disintegration!....TRP, stop out for a short story!
>> 
>> On Sat, Dec 12, 2015 at 1:46 PM, Mark Kohut <mark.kohut at gmail.com> wrote:
>> > YES! The Clockwork Bomb.
>> >
>> > All kinds of resonances.
>> >
>> >
>> > On Sat, Dec 12, 2015 at 1:38 PM, David Morris <fqmorris at gmail.com> wrote:
>> >> In fact, a good writer could spin this into a VERY good story.
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> On Saturday, December 12, 2015, David Morris <fqmorris at gmail.com> wrote:
>> >>>
>> >>> It seems likely that the son played out a set up, a test, and the school
>> >>> and the cops failed the test.  No one thought it was a bomb. The boy said it
>> >>> was a clock. Yet the authorities tried their best to get a hoax bomb charge
>> >>> to stick. They failed the test. They lost this Sting, and I'm glad it played
>> >>> out as it did.
>> >>>
>> >>> David Morris
>> >>>
>> >>> On Saturday, December 12, 2015, Mark Thibodeau <jerkyleboeuf at gmail.com>
>> >>> wrote:
>> >>>>
>> >>>> I sincerely hope that you are not implying that I came to my conclusions
>> >>>> based on anything THOSE idiots wrote, or that my skepticism about the
>> >>>> oversimplified, wrongheaded narrative that much of the mainstream media has
>> >>>> chosen to run with in this case puts me on par with the brothers and ancient
>> >>>> alien true believers on this pathetically benighted website.
>> >>>>
>> >>>> J
>> >>>>
>> >>>> On Dec 12, 2015 8:19 AM, "Elisabeth Romberg" <eromberg at mac.com> wrote:
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>> Clock-boy was also the subject on FreemanTV with Jamie Hanshaw last
>> >>>>> Saturday.
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>> http://freemantv.com/muslim-attacks-believe-it-or-else-jamie-hanshaw/
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>> 12. des. 2015 kl. 07.13 skrev Steven Koteff <steviekoteff at gmail.com>:
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>> It is scary just in how much it reveals about how reactionary we've
>> >>>>> become.
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>> You know, in a really peaceable society, people remember that there's a
>> >>>>> difference between being arrested and undergoing something that requires
>> >>>>> damages--that's only supposed to happen once you get convicted. A person who
>> >>>>> committed no crime occasionally being brought in for questioning and then
>> >>>>> released is an unavoidable part of even the most utopian investigatory
>> >>>>> system (you might call it, ahem, an inherent vice).
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>> Was there any suggestion or indication that, aside from the arrest being
>> >>>>> wrongful in the first place, he was improperly handled/treated? There is
>> >>>>> this from the ArtVoice thing:
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>>> "I asked if I could talk to or speak to my son and they told me, 'No,
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> not right now' because they were taking his fingerprints and asking
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> him questions," Mohamed said.
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>> If that's true (there's no time frame given I don't think) is that
>> >>>>> outside normal/proper operating procedures?
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>> Don't know if it constitutes the 'torture' the dad is quoted as
>> >>>>> suggesting.
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>> On Sat, Dec 12, 2015 at 12:05 AM, Steven Koteff <steviekoteff at gmail.com>
>> >>>>> wrote:
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> All your clarifications are noted, and important--I should've been
>> >>>>>> carefuller about them in the first place.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> On Sat, Dec 12, 2015 at 12:02 AM, Mark Thibodeau
>> >>>>>> <jerkyleboeuf at gmail.com> wrote:
>> >>>>>>>
>> >>>>>>> But that's kind of my point. Me and you paying attention to this is
>> >>>>>>> meaningless. The MEDIA (95% of which is pushing a false narrative) are
>> >>>>>>> the ones who should never have run with this. If they hadn't, then we
>> >>>>>>> wouldn't be having to discuss it.
>> >>>>>>>
>> >>>>>>> And anyway, in the Big Picture, NOTHING really matters, does it? So
>> >>>>>>> why even bring it up in this particular context?
>> >>>>>>>
>> >>>>>>> J.
>> >>>>>>>
>> >>>>>>> PS - Further clarification... I never claimed that the Mohammed family
>> >>>>>>> planned any of this in advance, and I don't know anyone who does. The
>> >>>>>>> opportunity simply presented itself, and they ran with it. No need for
>> >>>>>>> any complicated conspiracy or plan. It's just that, as soon as the
>> >>>>>>> media jumped on Ahmed's alleged "mistreatment", THAT's when the
>> >>>>>>> conniving for money began. But that doesn't let Ahmed off the hook for
>> >>>>>>> his shitty behavior.
>> >>>>>>>
>> >>>>>>> On Sat, Dec 12, 2015 at 12:48 AM, Steven Koteff
>> >>>>>>> <steviekoteff at gmail.com> wrote:
>> >>>>>>> > I guess I'm curious also why this particular case is so exigent, if
>> >>>>>>> > it is as
>> >>>>>>> > simple as the kid and his father are con artists, or malicious
>> >>>>>>> > provocateurs.
>> >>>>>>> >
>> >>>>>>> > If that's the case, then the wrongdoing is a relatively simple one,
>> >>>>>>> > and
>> >>>>>>> > committed on a relatively small scale (that is, by one or two
>> >>>>>>> > people, as
>> >>>>>>> > opposed to the broader/less addressable alternative that it's a
>> >>>>>>> > systemic
>> >>>>>>> > problem). People filing a ridiculous lawsuit--happens all the time.
>> >>>>>>> >
>> >>>>>>> > If that's the case, why does this particular one deserve more of my
>> >>>>>>> > attention (which I'm giving it) than, say, climate talks, what Trump
>> >>>>>>> > means
>> >>>>>>> > for America, this Shkreli asshole, etc., all of which seem to be of
>> >>>>>>> > more
>> >>>>>>> > pressing concern to the country than just a single father and son
>> >>>>>>> > acting
>> >>>>>>> > wrongly and in a way that did not really physically endanger anyone.
>> >>>>>>> > I mean
>> >>>>>>> > I guess the fact that the case is so zeitgeisty sort of gives it its
>> >>>>>>> > own
>> >>>>>>> > exigence, right or wrong, and of course we should always be on the
>> >>>>>>> > side of
>> >>>>>>> > truth prevailing, but...
>> >>>>>>> >
>> >>>>>>> > I dunno. I'm not saying it's wrong to have the stance that the
>> >>>>>>> > family should
>> >>>>>>> > get nothing and should maybe be punished in some way. I do not even
>> >>>>>>> > think
>> >>>>>>> > the ends-justify-the-means thing (meaning that maybe the attention
>> >>>>>>> > this gets
>> >>>>>>> > helps lead us in the direction of more tolerance, of more peace, of
>> >>>>>>> > less
>> >>>>>>> > systemic prejudice and injustice, etc...) is a good counterargument
>> >>>>>>> > if it
>> >>>>>>> > depends on us accepting or ignoring something untrue--I do think the
>> >>>>>>> > distinction should be made. But I guess I'm saying it feels like the
>> >>>>>>> > swing
>> >>>>>>> > in the other direction has been more than a return to rest or even
>> >>>>>>> > an equal
>> >>>>>>> > sort of pendulum-swing, but has been additional enmity and
>> >>>>>>> > attention, also
>> >>>>>>> > coming before all the facts are known, maybe.
>> >>>>>>> >
>> >>>>>>> >
>> >>>>>>> >
>> >>>>>>> > On Fri, Dec 11, 2015 at 11:41 PM, Steven Koteff
>> >>>>>>> > <steviekoteff at gmail.com>
>> >>>>>>> > wrote:
>> >>>>>>> >>
>> >>>>>>> >> Do you think there is room for both parties to have somehow acted
>> >>>>>>> >> wrongly?
>> >>>>>>> >>
>> >>>>>>> >> I.e. Ahmed and his father were being deliberately provocative (to
>> >>>>>>> >> the end
>> >>>>>>> >> of money and attention or whatever else) in Ahmed's bringing the
>> >>>>>>> >> clock to
>> >>>>>>> >> school and repeatedly calling attention to it,
>> >>>>>>> >>
>> >>>>>>> >> but also that the teachers and/or police (who as should be noted
>> >>>>>>> >> knew
>> >>>>>>> >> Ahmed much better than we do) were, at some turn, possibly less
>> >>>>>>> >> generous
>> >>>>>>> >> than they could've been? Let's say Ahmed is routinely a pain in the
>> >>>>>>> >> ass and
>> >>>>>>> >> the source of small-scale mischief (that is, suspendable and
>> >>>>>>> >> outrageous
>> >>>>>>> >> offenses but something short of taking lives) and possibly a bad
>> >>>>>>> >> kid, like a
>> >>>>>>> >> true-blue asshole. This seems true if he is guilty of deliberately
>> >>>>>>> >> inciting
>> >>>>>>> >> panic or whatever. (And if we can use the egregiousness of the
>> >>>>>>> >> lawsuit to
>> >>>>>>> >> retroactively inform our judgment of his character at time of
>> >>>>>>> >> clock-display,
>> >>>>>>> >> then we can also use keep going, by a sort of syllogism, to
>> >>>>>>> >> retroactively
>> >>>>>>> >> use it to assume that maybe he was just an obvious asshole from the
>> >>>>>>> >> start.)
>> >>>>>>> >>
>> >>>>>>> >> If that's all true, then the teachers are possibly collectively
>> >>>>>>> >> sick of
>> >>>>>>> >> his shit. Maybe one or several of them are having particularly
>> >>>>>>> >> rough days
>> >>>>>>> >> and so their patience is thin (this seems to be a fair possibility
>> >>>>>>> >> in the
>> >>>>>>> >> case of high school teachers who have to deal with dozens of
>> >>>>>>> >> students like
>> >>>>>>> >> Ahmed a day). And so maybe, despite having never actually thinking
>> >>>>>>> >> it is
>> >>>>>>> >> anything more dangerous than a clock that looks like an explosive
>> >>>>>>> >> device,
>> >>>>>>> >> they flex just a bit more bureaucratic muscle than they needed to.
>> >>>>>>> >>
>> >>>>>>> >> (We think that race/religion are the only things that can guide
>> >>>>>>> >> decisions
>> >>>>>>> >> like this, but in the case of a student and his school's faculty,
>> >>>>>>> >> likely
>> >>>>>>> >> their personal biases toward him are just as influential [though of
>> >>>>>>> >> course
>> >>>>>>> >> those are guided by any biases they might have toward his
>> >>>>>>> >> race/religion,
>> >>>>>>> >> etc.]).
>> >>>>>>> >>
>> >>>>>>> >> Maybe there are one or several points at which someone could've
>> >>>>>>> >> just said,
>> >>>>>>> >> "Ahmed, you're being an asshole, give me the clock, I'm putting it
>> >>>>>>> >> in my
>> >>>>>>> >> desk until the end of the day." But then, given the zero tolerance
>> >>>>>>> >> thing,
>> >>>>>>> >> there is a point at which this thing has too much momentum to just
>> >>>>>>> >> let go...
>> >>>>>>> >>
>> >>>>>>> >> I don't know. I mean that sincerely--I really don't. I think the
>> >>>>>>> >> account
>> >>>>>>> >> of things you posted indicates that Ahmed and his father acted
>> >>>>>>> >> wrongly. I
>> >>>>>>> >> also think there is room in there for the teachers and police not
>> >>>>>>> >> just to
>> >>>>>>> >> have been victims but to have been sort of...punitively
>> >>>>>>> >> trigger-happy. I say
>> >>>>>>> >> this as someone who also went to junior high, and to high school,
>> >>>>>>> >> in the
>> >>>>>>> >> 21st century, in a Union state, and who witnessed open enmity from
>> >>>>>>> >> teachers
>> >>>>>>> >> toward particular students for reasons like: A) the kid is black,
>> >>>>>>> >> B) the kid
>> >>>>>>> >> is not smart, C) the kid is hyperactive, D) the teacher seems to
>> >>>>>>> >> have an
>> >>>>>>> >> unhappy disposition as is, E)tc.
>> >>>>>>> >>
>> >>>>>>> >> I think, as a society, we are not well equipped to deal with
>> >>>>>>> >> situations
>> >>>>>>> >> this nuanced--in which multiple parties might have acted wrongly.
>> >>>>>>> >> Of course
>> >>>>>>> >> many such situations are probably like this to an extent. There
>> >>>>>>> >> are, I'm
>> >>>>>>> >> guessing, several minorities who were acting like assholes,
>> >>>>>>> >> possibly very
>> >>>>>>> >> high, being violent and unpredictable, making threats, handling (if
>> >>>>>>> >> not
>> >>>>>>> >> using) weapons, who were killed by police officers, who might not
>> >>>>>>> >> have been
>> >>>>>>> >> killed had they been white.
>> >>>>>>> >>
>> >>>>>>> >>
>> >>>>>>> >>
>> >>>>>>> >> On Fri, Dec 11, 2015 at 11:22 PM, Mark Thibodeau
>> >>>>>>> >> <jerkyleboeuf at gmail.com>
>> >>>>>>> >> wrote:
>> >>>>>>> >>>
>> >>>>>>> >>> >You've emphasized twice that the sources are 'mainstream.'
>> >>>>>>> >>> >Why is that? To indicate that it is an unbiased take (as opposed
>> >>>>>>> >>> >to a really political, say, blog) or to imply that it is more
>> >>>>>>> >>> >stringently fact checked or...
>> >>>>>>> >>>
>> >>>>>>> >>> I mention it because, as someone who was "internet famous" between
>> >>>>>>> >>> 1999 and 2006 (peak years 2000-2003) as sole author and content
>> >>>>>>> >>> provider of a quite successful proto-blog email newsletter (The
>> >>>>>>> >>> Daily
>> >>>>>>> >>> Dirt), I am intimately aware of and particularly sensitive to the
>> >>>>>>> >>> (ahem) "liberties" taken by the reactionary right-wing side of the
>> >>>>>>> >>> blog-and-comment-o-sphere. I spent much of my seven years as Jerky
>> >>>>>>> >>> LeBoeuf (coinciding as they did with the Dubya preznitcy)
>> >>>>>>> >>> debunking
>> >>>>>>> >>> and fact-checking the likes of Drudge Report, Fox News, Rush
>> >>>>>>> >>> Limbaugh,
>> >>>>>>> >>> Free Republic, Little Green Footballs, and all the rest of the
>> >>>>>>> >>> then-nascent ultra-conservative first-gen blog-rolls. So I would
>> >>>>>>> >>> hate
>> >>>>>>> >>> to be mistaken as one of those. On the other hand, I am currently
>> >>>>>>> >>> on
>> >>>>>>> >>> the edge of despair due to so many of my former friends, readers
>> >>>>>>> >>> and
>> >>>>>>> >>> other allies behaving as left-leaning versions of the assholes I
>> >>>>>>> >>> mention above, ever ready to assume the worst of any institution
>> >>>>>>> >>> (or
>> >>>>>>> >>> cis-gendered white male), accept any and all claims to victimhood
>> >>>>>>> >>> as
>> >>>>>>> >>> valid, and basically display the same kind of ravening,
>> >>>>>>> >>> drool-flecked
>> >>>>>>> >>> howling, pack mentality, as if they've torn a page from the main
>> >>>>>>> >>> stylebook of the turn-of-the-millennium Conservative
>> >>>>>>> >>> Movementarians.
>> >>>>>>> >>>
>> >>>>>>> >>> >It's hard, in something this complicated, to rely on second-
>> >>>>>>> >>> >(and third-, and...)hand reportage. When everyone involved
>> >>>>>>> >>> >has so much at stake now (even if the teachers acted 100%
>> >>>>>>> >>> >rightly, they're now in a situation where they are probably
>> >>>>>>> >>> >compelled to act and testify in their own self-interest, just for
>> >>>>>>> >>> > protection).
>> >>>>>>> >>>
>> >>>>>>> >>> Yes. And that's why I always try to reason these things out for
>> >>>>>>> >>> myself, with as cool a head as humanly possible. In this case, for
>> >>>>>>> >>> instance, I asked myself, would it be REASONABLE for a teacher to
>> >>>>>>> >>> believe that someone who brought such a thing into class was up to
>> >>>>>>> >>> some kind of mischief? As soon as I saw the "clock" in question...
>> >>>>>>> >>> it
>> >>>>>>> >>> was clear to me that, OF COURSE the teachers were right to be
>> >>>>>>> >>> suspicious. The thing could not possibly look less like a clock.
>> >>>>>>> >>> The
>> >>>>>>> >>> only way it could look more like a cliche'd action movie bomb was
>> >>>>>>> >>> if
>> >>>>>>> >>> it was a bowling ball with a firecracker sticking out of the top.
>> >>>>>>> >>> So,
>> >>>>>>> >>> next step for me, if the teachers were correct in SUSPECTING
>> >>>>>>> >>> POSSIBLE
>> >>>>>>> >>> BAD INTENT, then were they right to call in the police? It turns
>> >>>>>>> >>> out,
>> >>>>>>> >>> considering the school district's zero tolerance policy, they
>> >>>>>>> >>> probably
>> >>>>>>> >>> didn't even have a choice. Same as if they'd caught him with
>> >>>>>>> >>> booze, or
>> >>>>>>> >>> a joint, or if he'd pinched a female student's bottom and she'd
>> >>>>>>> >>> complained... the authorities HAD TO BE called in. And they were.
>> >>>>>>> >>> Now,
>> >>>>>>> >>> that leads us to the question of whether the authorities did
>> >>>>>>> >>> anything
>> >>>>>>> >>> wrong by taking Ahmed into custody, or putting him in handcuffs,
>> >>>>>>> >>> or
>> >>>>>>> >>> keeping him from his parents for an hour and a half. And you know
>> >>>>>>> >>> what? There is NO legislation that prevents police from detaining
>> >>>>>>> >>> or
>> >>>>>>> >>> handcuffing a 14 year old. This should be patently obvious to
>> >>>>>>> >>> anyone
>> >>>>>>> >>> who went through junior high school (as it was to me, as I myself
>> >>>>>>> >>> have
>> >>>>>>> >>> personally witnessed teacher and police behavior towards 13/14/15
>> >>>>>>> >>> year
>> >>>>>>> >>> olds that was FAR more egregious and unjust than what poor Ahmed
>> >>>>>>> >>> went
>> >>>>>>> >>> through). But apparently most of the members of the media who have
>> >>>>>>> >>> been reporting on this story were hot-house flowers who grew up in
>> >>>>>>> >>> social justice enclaves where they were taught (hahaha) that life
>> >>>>>>> >>> should be "fair" or something, or that if you have a problem with
>> >>>>>>> >>> authority, you can always sue the bastards. Well, maybe that's
>> >>>>>>> >>> true. I
>> >>>>>>> >>> certainly hope it isn't, because for the Muhammed family to get
>> >>>>>>> >>> one
>> >>>>>>> >>> thin dime out of this would be a travesty of justice and a blow
>> >>>>>>> >>> against common sense, in my opinion as an anti-racist,
>> >>>>>>> >>> anti-fascist,
>> >>>>>>> >>> authority-skeptic liberal of long standing.
>> >>>>>>> >>>
>> >>>>>>> >>> Sincerely;
>> >>>>>>> >>> J
>> >>>>>>> >>>
>> >>>>>>> >>> On Fri, Dec 11, 2015 at 11:52 PM, Steven Koteff
>> >>>>>>> >>> <steviekoteff at gmail.com>
>> >>>>>>> >>> wrote:
>> >>>>>>> >>> > I don't mean to imply anything. Just thanking you for doing the
>> >>>>>>> >>> > research--I
>> >>>>>>> >>> > am in that gray area of being curious enough to want to know the
>> >>>>>>> >>> > timeline
>> >>>>>>> >>> > without being curious enough (or having enough time) to do much
>> >>>>>>> >>> > digging
>> >>>>>>> >>> > myself.
>> >>>>>>> >>> >
>> >>>>>>> >>> > And also, because you seem much more up on this than I am, I am
>> >>>>>>> >>> > curious
>> >>>>>>> >>> > to
>> >>>>>>> >>> > hear your takeaway.
>> >>>>>>> >>> >
>> >>>>>>> >>> > I think if everything in that article is right then it kind of
>> >>>>>>> >>> > seems
>> >>>>>>> >>> > like it
>> >>>>>>> >>> > was at best incredibly ignorant and irresponsible on the part of
>> >>>>>>> >>> > the
>> >>>>>>> >>> > dad and
>> >>>>>>> >>> > the son. At worst (and the direction it seems to lean, if the
>> >>>>>>> >>> > article
>> >>>>>>> >>> > is
>> >>>>>>> >>> > right) possibly a deliberately provocative act on the part of
>> >>>>>>> >>> > the
>> >>>>>>> >>> > father. To
>> >>>>>>> >>> > what end? Is it just about money and attention? I actually
>> >>>>>>> >>> > think, if
>> >>>>>>> >>> > the
>> >>>>>>> >>> > provocation is deliberate, it betrays not just run-of-the-mill
>> >>>>>>> >>> > selfish
>> >>>>>>> >>> > motives but also personal disturbance on the part of the father,
>> >>>>>>> >>> > and
>> >>>>>>> >>> > the kid
>> >>>>>>> >>> > too.
>> >>>>>>> >>> >
>> >>>>>>> >>> > But all that comes with the caveat that the account is true.
>> >>>>>>> >>> > You've
>> >>>>>>> >>> > emphasized twice that the sources are 'mainstream.' Why is that?
>> >>>>>>> >>> > To
>> >>>>>>> >>> > indicate
>> >>>>>>> >>> > that it is an unbiased take (as opposed to a really political,
>> >>>>>>> >>> > say,
>> >>>>>>> >>> > blog) or
>> >>>>>>> >>> > to imply that it is more stringently fact checked or...
>> >>>>>>> >>> >
>> >>>>>>> >>> > It's hard, in something this complicated, to rely on second-(and
>> >>>>>>> >>> > third-,
>> >>>>>>> >>> > and...)hand reportage. When everyone involved has so much at
>> >>>>>>> >>> > stake now
>> >>>>>>> >>> > (even
>> >>>>>>> >>> > if the teachers acted 100% rightly, they're now in a situation
>> >>>>>>> >>> > where
>> >>>>>>> >>> > they
>> >>>>>>> >>> > are probably compelled to act and testify in their own
>> >>>>>>> >>> > self-interest,
>> >>>>>>> >>> > just
>> >>>>>>> >>> > for protection).
>> >>>>>>> >>> >
>> >>>>>>> >>> > I read that article saying that the police said something, but
>> >>>>>>> >>> > at least
>> >>>>>>> >>> > half
>> >>>>>>> >>> > of me is thinking I should be asking, "But who says the police
>> >>>>>>> >>> > said
>> >>>>>>> >>> > that?"
>> >>>>>>> >>> >
>> >>>>>>> >>> > On Fri, Dec 11, 2015 at 10:38 PM, Mark Thibodeau
>> >>>>>>> >>> > <jerkyleboeuf at gmail.com>
>> >>>>>>> >>> > wrote:
>> >>>>>>> >>> >>
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> Here's a handy timeline from the ArtVoice blog. The facts all
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> check
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> out (meaning the author hasn't misrepresented the mostly
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> mainstream
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> articles to which he refers):
>> >>>>>>> >>> >>
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> On the morning of Sept 14, Mohamed El Hassan Mohamed drove his
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> son
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> Ahmed to school and at that time, according to NBC
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> Dallas/Ft.Worth,
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> Mohamed "encouraged him to demonstrate his gift of technology"
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> at the
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> school. He was referring to a small plain metal case, inside of
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> which
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> contained the hastily arranged and unshielded electronic
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> components of
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> a 1980's Micronta digital alarm clock. A device Ahmed would
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> repeatedly
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> insist he threw together the night before in just 15 minutes
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> from of
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> "scraps" laying around his house, a device that he himself
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> considered
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> to appear suspicious and threatening.
>> >>>>>>> >>> >>
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> Defying common sense, it appears that Mohamed, the man who runs
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> the
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> National Reform Party of Sudan, who is considered an
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> enlightened
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> scholar in Sudan, who ran for its presidency twice in the last
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> 5
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> years, whose daughter was suspended from school for a bomb
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> threat,
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> whose son was detained and suspended for multiple disciplinary
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> problems and electronic pranks, in a town recently rocked by a
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> double
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> murder honor killing and lies 25 minutes from the Garland TX
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> Jihadi
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> attack, on the first day back to school after the anniversary
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> of 9-11,
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> encourages his son to bring in a nondescript metal case with a
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> timer
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> and loose wiring inside without being asked to by any teacher,
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> a
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> device even his son admits looked threatening and suspicious.
>> >>>>>>> >>> >>
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> Next we are told by Ahmed that he shows the device to his 1st
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> period
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> Science teacher who sensitively and politely tells him the
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> device is
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> "nice" but it looks like a bomb and so he should put it away
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> and not
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> take it out and show it to anyone else at school.
>> >>>>>>> >>> >>
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> According to Mark Cuban who spoke with an Irving resident who's
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> friend
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> is a teacher in Mac Arthur H.S., Ahmed proceeded to show off
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> the
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> device to each teacher all the way to 6th period where in
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> English
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> class, Ahmed claims to have plugged the device into the wall
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> outlet
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> and set the alarm to go off in the middle of class "to show a
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> friend".
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> When the teacher reacted to the disruption he "unplugged it
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> right
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> away". After showing the English teacher what caused the
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> disruption,
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> the teacher told him it looks like a bomb, that it is making
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> her
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> nervous and would make others nervous, and to put it away in
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> his
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> backpack, to which Ahmed said "I don't think it looks like a
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> bomb". At
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> the end of class the device was confiscated and the Principal
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> alerted.
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> The Irving school system adheres to a zero tolerance policy
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> regarding
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> threatening devices, and being that the possession of such a
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> device
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> with intent to alarm others is a criminal offense in Texas, the
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> police
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> were called to question Ahmed and determine what his intentions
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> were.
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> Later 3 teachers would sign a complaint to the police about a
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> hoax
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> bomb, as the Principal decided to contact the police on the
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> issue.
>> >>>>>>> >>> >>
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> The police arrived at school and entered the conference room
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> where
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> Ahmed was detained and one officer claimed "that is who I
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> thought it
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> was". Likely referring to Ahmed's past troubles and his
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> family's
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> notoriety. The police questioned Ahmed, and claimed he was not
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> forthcoming, passive aggressive, and would not directly answer
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> their
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> questions. They decided to arrest him for possession of a hoax
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> bomb
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> and bring him to the police station where they would continue
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> their
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> investigation to determine whether he intended to raise alarm
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> with his
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> device, a Class A misdemeanor.
>> >>>>>>> >>> >>
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> Somehow or other it appears Ahmed's 18 year old sister Eyman
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> found out
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> that Ahmed was being taken to the police station. There is an
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> iconic
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> photo of Ahmed in handcuffs taken by Eyman, and some captions
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> under
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> that photo indicate it was taken at the police station. This
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> implies
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> his sister arrived shortly after Ahmed arrived, because he
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> would not
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> have been in handcuffs after he was released without charge an
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> hour
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> later. There is also speculation Eyman took the photo as Ahmed
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> was
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> leaving the school in handcuffs.
>> >>>>>>> >>> >>
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> Ahmed's father claims the first he heard of his son's problem
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> was from
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> a phone call from the police. We do not know if he arrived with
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> or
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> separate from Eyman. It is hard to believe Eyman heard about
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> the
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> incident and arrived at the police station to take that photo
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> and
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> never alerted her father. If Eyman only knew through her
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> father, this
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> would mean they both arrived at the station in time to see
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> Ahmed
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> before he went in a private room for questioning. Improbable
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> but
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> possible. The father's account follows.
>> >>>>>>> >>> >>
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> **The first he heard of it was when he received a call from
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> police,
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> who said his son was being charged with having a hoax bomb,
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> Mohamed
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> said.
>> >>>>>>> >>> >>
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> He rushed to the police station, where he saw his son
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> "surrounded by
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> five police and he was handcuffed," the father said. Ahmed told
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> his
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> father he'd asked to phone him but the police told him he could
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> not
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> because he was under arrest, Mohamed said.
>> >>>>>>> >>> >>
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> "I asked if I could talk to or speak to my son and they told
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> me, 'No,
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> not right now' because they were taking his fingerprints and
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> asking
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> him questions," Mohamed said. "I asked if I could see the thing
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> they
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> were calling a bomb. The police never let me even see it but I
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> knew
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> what my son brought to school. It was an alarm clock that he
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> made. He
>> >>>>>>> >>> >> wakes up with it most mornings. **
>> >>>>>>> >&
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://waste.org/pipermail/pynchon-l/attachments/20151212/c74cadb2/attachment.html>