America's got the FEAR!

Walt occasionally refers to the U.S.A. as the Paranoid States of America. IMHO Americans are scared of everybody: terrorists (imported and domestic), kneegrows, Hispanics, furriners and, of course, Muslims. Especially Muslims. Like this kid.

He's Ahmed Mohamed, 14 years old, a Grade 9 student at MacArthur High School in Irving TX. And, in case the name didn't tip you off, he's a Muslim. Perhaps that explains the over-reaction of Authorities when he took the electronic clock he's holding to school to show his teacher. He made it at home, you see, all by himself, and he was proud of it.

It probably never occurred to young Ahmed that his clock might be mistaken for a bomb. But it was. Officers of the Law were dispatched in force to the school, where they promptly cuffed and arrested the boy, hustling him off to juvy so fast that his feet didn't even touch the ground.

Although they acknowledge that Ahmed had insisted to teachers, the school principal and to them that it was only a clock, they said he could face charges of making a hoax bomb. After the laughter subsided, they let the boy go, without charges being laid. But... get this... Ahmed has nevertheless been suspended from school for three days.

But (as Vince Offer sez) wait! There's more!

The Principal of MacArthur High, Dan Cummings, sent a letter to all parents of kids in his school. Here's part of what it said:

"I recommend using this opportunity to talk with your child about the Student Code of Conduct and specifically not bringing to school items that are prohibited. Also this is a good time to remind your child how important it is to immediately report any suspicious items and/or suspicious behavior they observe to any school employee so we can address it right away. We will always take necessary precautions to protect our students."

There now. Isn't that reassuring? Don't you think the good burghers of Irving will feel better knowing that their kids are under the watchful care of folks like Mr. Cummings (even if he gets only a "B" in English).

Walt feels the key word, "necessary", deserves some examination. Have the Authorities not exercised an over-abundance of precaution here? Could they not have given the "suspicious item" to the janitor to dunk in a bucket of water? Did the cops really have to slap the cuffs on the kid to prevent him -- all 100 pounds or so of him -- from overpowering them? I think -- and I am not alone -- the whole thing was ridiculous. But hey, this is the U.S.A. in the 21st century. Or, I say again, P.S.A. -- the Paranoid States of America.