Above is the only image that I and others in this forum had to associate with the topic issue -- a very ordinary circuit board. Certainly nothing to feel intimidated about.
This morning a local news channel ran this story and showed a very different picture of what this boy presented to his teacher. I don't have a copy to show but what he brought to school is an attache case with a rather large circuit board inside along with a lot of wiring. There is no question that such a rig might seem intimidating to someone who has absolutely no familiarity with electronics or explosives.
I don't think too many teachers or the cops who were called believed the device was in any way dangerous. But in keeping with today's political atmosphere it certainly does occur as an implicitly menacing joke, which, especially coming from a young Muslim, is not the least bit funny. In fact it calls for a kick in the ass.
I offer no apology for my response to an over-reaction to what initially was presented to me (and others here) as a perfectly harmless circuit board. The actual device, while also quite harmless, presented a distinctly more insidious impression.
The bottom line is this kid needs to be taught a hard lesson about why his smart-ass effort is other than smart.
