There is a reason that we hire school administrators to run the schools in a reasonable way. Throw out reason means we should throw out the unreasonable people as well.

I wonder how many professional educators are taking psychiatric medications. I wonder how many more should be.

Way too many of those people cannot tell the difference between right and wrong.

That little girl would be better off if they suspended her permanently.

That is it! I give up on you Americans. FUUUUUCCKKKKKK. That's me going over the edge. If a five year old is interrogated for saying something silly or stupid BY adults. Repeat Adults! For a 3 hours. By Adults. 5 years old. Hello Kitty .... bubble ... gun? What the ....! Argghhh. Mnd blowing stupidity.

God, I deal with 6 year old and up kids. They say and do childish things all the time. Well because they are children. Sometimes I need to have a talk to or a word with. Yet most of the time I can figure out and understand the problem in a few minutes. Plus in add in a language barrier.

I threatened before and whined about giving up on the US of A. But, I think at this point, I have to get off the pot. Sorry the US has gone over the edge. THE USA is now stupid.

The only reason for this kind of stupid move is well most Americans once again must be stupid. Or idiots. Or devolving. The evidence keeps piling up. Every day another stupid move is printed out, in black and white. Yes stupid things are done by people all the time all over the world. When it is done by some hillbilly or ghetto trash or a teenager that is the norm. It happens with those groups. When stupid is done by officials and government, that is too much for me. When a TSA official can not figure out a fucking cupcake is NOT a bomb. You are stupid. If a teacher needs to talk to a 5 year old about shooting people with a HELLO KITTY BUBBLE gun, you are fucking stupid. Sorry it becomes official if it is done by officials. The stupidity has now ingrained in the American psyche.

This Canuck was one of the few Canadians who had no chip on his shoulder about yanks. Really, no chip! I would be the one that would not get pissy if an American started talking politics or anything. I practically thought myself as American, as I have family there. I now must go find a chip to prop up on my shoulder. Might need some tape to keep it there.

Please to those smart Americans, your country needs help now. You need to have an intervention. Maybe the clue bat needs to be used more often.

Rant over. Will likely change my mind if a couple of days.

Good lord. My 3 year old deserves the chair, then apparently, as many people as he's "killed" in various ways.

I always wonder if people who use the term hillbillies know what that actually is.

When I was a teenager and about to move out of state, a preschooler I babysat a LOT told me he was going to eat me up and keep me in his tummy. I thought it was sweet he wanted to keep me with him. Apparently, I shold have alerted the police to a cannibal.

No, wait. I was right the first time. It was sweet.

I threatened before and whined about giving up on the US of A. But, I think at this point, I have to get off the pot. Sorry the US has gone over the edge. THE USA is now stupid. -- John Paulson at January 20, 2013 2:19 AM

I don't blame you at all. I'm about ready to give up too; and I'm an American.

"Ficker said the girl mentioned that she was going to shoot one of her friends and then herself with the bubble gun, so that they could all be together. Then, she was going to shoot herself again when she got home."

I don't know. If I heard that, I'd be pretty concerned. Not that necessarily that the little girl is going to hurt someone with bubbles, but where she got the idea that "I'll shoot all of you and then myself so we can all be together." That doesn't sound normal.

>>I always wonder if people who use the term hillbillies know what that actually is.

A cross between a redneck and a hippie!

That's my point. *She* may not understand it, but who/ what is she imitating? Pretending to shoot other people is common, pretending to shoot oneself is slightly less common, but I've never heard a kid pretend murder-suicide. It's certainly not part of kids' entertainment the way that shooting, karate, and swordfighting are.

Now maybe it was a not-so-fantastically-articulated idea on her part ("We go inside bubbles and then we float to Hello Kitty land and this bubble creation device I have is the most convenient way of doing so."), but the story as Fiker presented it - the best case scenario is that she likes Law and Order reruns. Worst case scenario is a clinically depressed parent telling her that as a bed-time story. In any case, if I heard it from a kid, I'd want to find out what else is going on.

That's a good point Elle. But, I've got a 5 year old nephew that pretend shoots himself in the head. He got that idea when his gma let him watch Titanic. So yes, maybe finding out where that wording came from. In a gentle and non intrusive way. But I'd still lay odds on it being just something a kid said that sounds weird to us.

Three hours trying to get her to say something that would incriminate the parents, looking for a boogieman. School Admin just need someone of whom they could make an example so they could show they take the job seriously. They want us to know they are so very, very serious.

It's not working.

That's my point. *She* may not understand it, but who/ what is she imitating?

Maybe her grandmother died last month and her quasi religious parents rather than explain how death works told her she 'went' somewhere and 'they'd all be together again one day'

If that were my kid I wouldnt just file the mother of all lawsuits I'd file a kidnapping charges agaisnt the school officals and when they police refused to do anything I'd sue them too

Let's not forget the other side of this. What is their punishment for a REAL "terroristic threat"? Ten days suspension. OOOooooooooo! Hopefully, that punishment would be moot as the perpetrator would be in jail.

The only way we're going to find out if she's really a terrorist is to waterboard her in Guantanamo.

It's not torture.

Uh, do any of you know, or remember, "kids say the darndest things."

Sure, I agree with those who says this needs to be "checked out."

And, yes, kids, do and say all sorts of silly things.

But, questioned her for three hours? and then suspended her?

This makes zero sense, zero.

To borrow a phrase from educators - there was a "learning moment" there - and they failed!

Killing to be together forever: Romeo and Juliet.

The storyline is not too hard to come by.

"Three hours trying to get her to say something that would incriminate the parents, looking for a boogieman. School Admin just need someone of whom they could make an example so they could show they take the job seriously. They want us to know they are so very, very serious."

Despite what we usually assume, evil seldom arrives in the persona of Lord Voldermort. It far more often comes in the form of Dolores Umbridge.

Despite what we usually assume, evil seldom arrives in the persona of Lord Voldermort. It far more often comes in the form of Dolores Umbridge. -- Cousin Dave at January 20, 2013 4:38 PM

I don't care if it is the persona of the tooth fairy.

Interrogating a five year old child for three hours is not acceptable.

If she was the sole escapee from a busload of children talking to her for details for an hour or two might be acceptable. Interrogation for three hours for a relatively off-hand comment is not anywhere in the realm of reality.

"Interrogating a five year old child for three hours is not acceptable."

Exactly. Any run-of-the-mill public school teacher or administrator should be able to beat a confession out of a five year old girl in ten minutes. An hour if the Thought Leader was really enjoying it.

Three hours is just ridiculous.

Time to look into home schooling. It's not just for religious fanatics anymore. This is officially sanctioned child abuse.

You might not know everything, but Khan Academy can help with that.

I'm going to copy and paste my response from the other thread: I think this kind of behavior should be regarded and prosecuted as child abuse - abusing your position of power to unnecessarily torment and victimize an innocent child.

At least we can all agree and be relieved that this little girl wasn't subjected to the abuse and deprivation of home schooling.