Boy with the clock; Bergdahl case; Trump in Dallas; bike path?

Boy with the clock

The “clock case” involving 14-year-old Ahmed Mohamed at MacArthur High School in Irving would not have happened if a parent had called the teacher and asked if it would be OK for the son to bring the clock to school. (See Thursday news story, “Teen in clock case will meet Obama.”)

So, once more communication is so very important.

As a mother, that is what I would have done, and I have done that.

That could have been a very important lesson. And the child would have been rewarded with praise.

— Lois Campbell. Hurst

As a parent and grandparent, I’m thankful for how the “clock” situation was handled by the school staff and the response of the police department.

Did this student let his teacher know he was working on his invention or that he was going to bring it in?

The student is intelligent enough to realize the consequences of his actions.

We ask our schools and police to keep our schools and public spaces safe.

It’s better to be cautious than risk life.

I disagree with the media on this issue, and with President Obama, who, I feel, should stress security and safety.

The teen may be smart but lacks common sense.

— Deborah Williams,

Grand Prairie

I’m sure that all school personnel are trained to report any suspicious items.

This teacher did exactly that, and I commend her for doing so.

This young man should take some responsibility for bringing this unexpected item to school and causing the problem it did.

Now he gets a trip to Washington, D.C., to meet the president.

Go figure.

— Nelda Thompson, Colleyville

If the kid with the clock had tried to take it through a Transportation Security Administration checkpoint at an airport, would he have been stopped?

Would it have been flagged if it was seen in his luggage on an X-ray?

After 9-11, how much money has been spent by government telling us to keep our eyes out for anything suspicious, report it to the authorities and let the “experts” handle it?

What the school did was right in calling the cops.

Did the cops handle this properly when they got there? Probably not, or we wouldn’t be talking about it.

So after all of the activists get done screaming, the cops will be sent to more “sensitivity training.”

— Tim Marron, Grapevine

The Irving Police Department should be applauded for arresting and handcuffing this juvenile who knew full well the seriousness and consequences of this action.

He is being portrayed as a hero by the liberal media, along with the idea that he wants to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

— Leland Daniel, Fort Worth

Bergdahl case

The military hearing in San Antonio in the case of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl will, hopefully, uncover every aspect of his prolonged, unauthorized absence from duty in Afghanistan.

Equally important to America should be that hearing’s discovery of how, and by whose authority, Bergdahl was promoted from private to sergeant in absentia with no examination of his qualifications.

Also, why in those multiple processes his discharge from the Coast Guard was not considered.

Seniority promotions, especially under Bergdahl’s circumstances, are a dishonor to that ancient and honorable rank of sergeant.

They demean every sergeant who has actually earned the stripes, and our own memories of that rank.

— Jim Atkinson, Fort Worth

Trump in Dallas

Watching Donald Trump’s speech in Dallas on Monday, I was reminded of the Beatles song I Me Mine, which seem to be his three favorite words.

— Robert Goode, Fort Worth

In Donald Trump’s full-hour speech in Dallas, reporters seemed to hear him talk only about border walls, his hair and his big lead in the GOP race — mostly silly stuff.

They also said the rally was attended by only 15,000 people, when every available ticket was given out (with some being hawked online for up to $200 for those who missed the free giveaway) and the stadium full in most areas.

And the estimate of 1,000 protesters was way off.

After their march, we couldn’t spot more than about 50 protesters waving Mexican flags and screaming anti-Trump slogans, even though some were bused in from out of town.

— Ken Berridge, Southlake

Bike path?

Don Gerik wondered in a Friday letter why a sidewalk is being built along West Vickery Boulevard from Hulen Street to Clover Lane.

It’s not a sidewalk, Don.

It’s another example of Mayor Betsy Price’s personal crusade to spend money on bike paths.

I agree that the money could be spent to improve the poor condition of the road that runs parallel to this track.

But I guess Betsy Price just needs another underused path more than repairing the major thoroughfare out of southwest Fort Worth.

— Charles Andrews, Fort Worth

This story was originally published September 18, 2015 at 8:00 PM with the headline "Boy with the clock; Bergdahl case; Trump in Dallas; bike path?."