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Should This Kid Have Been Expelled/Deported?

The Neo Nerd

The Neo Nerd

Well-Known Member
Father of exchange student accused of writing anti-American phrase comes forward to share son's story | exchange, phrase, son - News - Northwest Florida Daily News

An Israeli student dismissed from his foreign exchange program after reportedly writing an anti-American phrase on a Niceville High School classroom board was sent home Friday evening.

The 15-year-old student is accused of writing “Death to Americans” in Arabic on a classroom board during a discussion with classmates.
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I'm of two minds on this subject.

On one hand it looks like a practical joke. Perhaps he was making fun of himself and his culture. Whilst not a very funny or wise joke it isn't worth deportation

On the other hand this could well be a an indication of his true beliefs. This could have been a sign to the others in his class that he holds this belief. If this is the case, get him out of the country as quickly as possible.

-Q
 
Renji

Renji

Well-Known Member
Depends. We should know his intent of writing that (death to Americans), whether it is a joke or a serious thing, as mentioned above. They should let the kid explain.
 
Renji

Renji

Well-Known Member
Quaxotic said:
Would the kid EVER admit to it being serious?
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I have 'wronged' myself several times for making 'jokes' that 'failed' and ended up offending other people unintentionally... I'm not really after making him say his intent directly through his mouth, "for a thief never admits that he robbed something" as they say, but, my point is, we or rather, they can observe the kid for making such thing...
 
Nerthus

Nerthus

Wanderlust
Not a very funny joke is it. I can't see why he would have intended it that way, but there is always the possibility. In my opinion, yes he should have been sent back. Even if it was a joke - he needs to learn that something's won't be taken that way.
 
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Madhuri

Madhuri

RF Goddess
Staff member
Premium Member
Why would he want to do exchange in America if he hates America?
I think its highly unlikely that the kid was serious.
 
Renji

Renji

Well-Known Member
continuation to my post: Who knows, the kid might have a bad or traumatic experience with someone who is an American, making him say such a thing, so on. Instead of deporting him, why not counsel the kid? That could be more helpful.
 
Sajdah

Sajdah

Al-Aqsa Is In My Heart.
Mahameed said the message of understanding between cultures is one that his son has advocated, no matter how difficult for himself, since he was about nine years old. The teenager’s family members are Muslim Arab Palestinians forced, Mahameed said, to leave their homeland a generation ago. They now travel and teach other Muslims and Arabs about the Jews as they advocate a message of peace.
Mahameed has been featured in a number of news articles for his work, including a piece in Time Magazine.
“Tomorrow I lecture 50 students in the West Bank and tell (them) about how American values have to be implemented in all the world,” Mahameed said. “What do we get in return? We get that we are described as terrorists. I am shocked.”
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He should be thankful that his son hasn't been jailed, anyway that was a practical lesson for him about the American values he is lecturing!!
 
Sunstone

Sunstone

De Diablo Del Fora
Premium Member
Sajdah said:
He should be thankful that his son hasn't been jailed, anyway that was a practical lesson for him about the American values he is lecturing!!
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Due process of law is as much an American value as any other. It does not seem to have been followed here. The folks at the exchange program who made the decision to send this kid back without a hearing -- or, apparently, even without much of an investigation into his side of it -- have some explaining to do.

A lot depends now on whether the kid's father hires a lawyer. If he does not, he's not got as much chance of a favorable outcome as he will have if he hires a lawyer.
 
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croak

croak

Trickster
He's accused in the article of saying "Death to Americans", but the actual dismissal letter says "Death to America". Maybe a typo in the first case. And the reason he was deported is because he was expelled; it sounds like he was on a student visa that was contingent on his attending this school.

But should he have been expelled? I don't think so. I can personally see it as a joke. I can imagine him pretending to be a terrorist and saying, "Death to America" in an exaggerated accent. Maybe another student was curious as to how you would write that in Arabic, so he showed him.

I remember kidding that I was a terrorist at my old school. Obviously, I sounded sarcastic. I was making fun of the fact that some people think all Arabs are terrorists.

Considering a bunch of fellow classmates are standing up for him, I think that would be the case.
 
bobhikes

bobhikes

Nondetermined
Premium Member
That letter just does't look real and why was it put there.

Some inconsistancies

According to the priciple the Incident was reported a couple of days after Thanksgiving. I would assume that would mean school days which means it was reported on the 29th or 30th. The letter is dated the 30th. For an organization in CA to work that fast and have the letter to the kid the same week is incredible to say the least.

The report is issued Dec 3 10:34 am. Yet is saying the kid was deported Friday evening. Did he have a time machine to write the report.

In all this short time period a local News paper is Going to be able to contact the father in Israel. Rember he's a transfer student his Father is not here and may not even be able to speak english.

Pretty sure its a Hoax
 
croak

croak

Trickster
bobhikes said:
That letter just does't look real and why was it put there.

Some inconsistancies

According to the priciple the Incident was reported a couple of days after Thanksgiving. I would assume that would mean school days which means it was reported on the 29th or 30th. The letter is dated the 30th. For an organization in CA to work that fast and have the letter to the kid the same week is incredible to say the least.

The report is issued Dec 3 10:34 am. Yet is saying the kid was deported Friday evening. Did he have a time machine to write the report.

In all this short time period a local News paper is Going to be able to contact the father in Israel. Rember he's a transfer student his Father is not here and may not even be able to speak english.

Pretty sure its a Hoax
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I'm not sure about the time, but his father does speak English, I assume, and I'm quite sure the exchange program asks for a phone number in case of emergency or the like.

I call not hoax, at least on the general details.

FARK.com: (5800768) Not News: Teen writes offensive phrase on board, gets punished. News: teen is a foreign exchange student and is being sent back to his country. Fark: the phrase? Death to America Some people who say they're from Niceville, including a member of the host family, have posted on the issue.
 
bobhikes

bobhikes

Nondetermined
Premium Member
croak said:
I'm not sure about the time, but his father does speak English, I assume, and I'm quite sure the exchange program asks for a phone number in case of emergency or the like.

I call not hoax, at least on the general details.

FARK.com: (5800768) Not News: Teen writes offensive phrase on board, gets punished. News: teen is a foreign exchange student and is being sent back to his country. Fark: the phrase? Death to America Some people who say they're from Niceville, including a member of the host family, have posted on the issue.
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There's a lot of other things as well. The orginization is responsible for the kid and would have to purchase a ticket for the kid to send him home. They would get the money from the father. They did all this from Nov 30 to Dec 3.
 
Tarheeler

Tarheeler

Argumentative Curmudgeon
Premium Member
Terrywoodenpic said:
Huge over reaction.
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I don't think so, or at least not in a particular case.

What he did is considered making a "terroristic threat" by most school systems.
The punishment is usually automatic expulsion, and many American school kids are expelled every year for it. They're expelled for drawing pictures, making statements, or writting notes that even vaugley hint at harming faculty or students. No one asks if it a joke or investigates it any further. It's a zero-tolerance policy, just like guns on campus. No one cares if you forgot it was there or if you intended to anything with it; if you brought it to school, you're gone.

While the rule and punishment might go a bit far in an overall sense, I don't see anything suggesting this kid was singled out because of his nationality. It seems he was treated like every other American student. And I always though that was kind of the point.
 
Terrywoodenpic

Terrywoodenpic

Oldest Heretic
Tarheeler said:
I don't think so, or at least not in a particular case.

What he did is considered making a "terroristic threat" by most school systems.
The punishment is usually automatic expulsion, and many American school kids are expelled every year for it. They're expelled for drawing pictures, making statements, or writting notes that even vaugley hint at harming faculty or students. No one asks if it a joke or investigates it any further. It's a zero-tolerance policy, just like guns on campus. No one cares if you forgot it was there or if you intended to anything with it; if you brought it to school, you're gone.

While the rule and punishment might go a bit far in an overall sense, I don't see anything suggesting this kid was singled out because of his nationality. It seems he was treated like every other American student. And I always though that was kind of the point.
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So the famous freedom of speech does not extend to school kids.
Nor is zero tolerance with out trial Justice.
 
Tarheeler

Tarheeler

Argumentative Curmudgeon
Premium Member
Terrywoodenpic said:
So the famous freedom of speech does not extend to school kids.
Nor is zero tolerance with out trial Justice.
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Very true, but then again most constitutional rights have not been extended to minors. Particularly when those minors are in a government institution. The law in question operates on the "yelling fire in a crowded theater" principle.

It's nothing new. Nor is the absence of due process in administrative proceedings or in dealings with organizational statutes.

Now if the boy was charged with a crime, then he would be given full due process under the judicial system.
 
N

Nothing

NONE
Should this kid be expelled/deported? No. Treating one ignorant behavior with another ignorant behavior is absurd. It was reported that the kid wrote his hatred upon the board during a discussion. Sadly, the teacher missed a golden opportunity to incorporate the kid's sentiment into the discussion. It is very narrow minded to punish the opinion of a child rather then discuss it. Open discussion may have helped the kid realize that his hatred had no substance. Punishment will only solidify his hatred.
 
bobhikes

bobhikes

Nondetermined
Premium Member
Awaiting their reply


Based on your explaination I may plan to report it to the proper autorities and AYUSA.

(UPDATED) Niceville foreign exchange student sent back to Israel (DOCUMENT)

According to your report the Child was sent home friday evening, yet the report is updated Friday morning at 10:34 am

The letter is dated 11/30/2010 and I guessing overnighted to the Child because He was shipped back 12/3/2010. An incredibly efficient organization.

The principal states that they only reported the incident a couple of days after thanksgiving. At best 2 days that would be 11/29/2010. The organization managed to decide to deport the kid and write him a letter to do so in 1 day.

This is obviously a hoax at worse an attempt to spread discontent and fear. I am hoping your web site was hacked and this is not proof of your intelligence.

Please remove it from your web site.

Respectfully,



Robert Dombroski
[email protected]
 
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