# Dumbasses in Ponder Texas **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 2, 1999, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumbasses-in-ponder-texas/3090 "1999-11-02T15:51:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![jab1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ee7513/32.png) [@jab1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jab1)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 1999, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumbasses-in-ponder-texas/3090/21 "1999-11-02T23:13:00Z")
I’m from Texas too and grew up in a small town like Ponder. I am not surprised. The best part about living in a small town is that it’s easy to escape. BTW, WFAA is the same station that refused to show NYPD BLUE during its first season. Who are they for reporting on someone else’s over-reaction? * * * Those who do not learn from the past are condemned to relive it. Georges Santayana ---
**Author:** ![threemae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f9b8f/32.png) [@threemae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/threemae)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 1999, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumbasses-in-ponder-texas/3090/22 "1999-11-03T01:21:00Z")
I had a 5th grade school teacher who did the exact same thing with his fellow teachers and his students, including me. He called me a, “nerdy dork,” and I died after being electrocuted by a computer keyboard. I hated that teacher. * * * You know, doing what is right is easy. The problem is knowing what is right. –Lyndon B. Johnson ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 1999, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumbasses-in-ponder-texas/3090/23 "1999-11-03T03:33:00Z")
In 9th grade (1980-81), I wrote two stories in which two of my classmates were supervillain aliens. In these stories, I defeated each of them in a duel-to-the-death with mental powers. I guess I would’ve been jailed had I read these stories aloud… ---
**Author:** ![JGStewart9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a698b9/32.png) [@JGStewart9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JGStewart9)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 1999, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumbasses-in-ponder-texas/3090/24 "1999-11-03T15:44:00Z")
The kid got out of stir last night. The Denton County DA says he won’t prosecute. Prosecute? Prosecute for what? The kid’s lawyer has said a lawsuit is being considered. Normally I hate lawyers and lawsuits but in this case nail their hide to the wall. WFAA does run NYPD Blue now. I don’t see how the decision of several years ago not to run Blue should affect the station’s news coverage. ---
**Author:** ![E1skeptic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3da27b/32.png) [@E1skeptic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E1skeptic)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 1999, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumbasses-in-ponder-texas/3090/25 "1999-11-03T22:59:00Z")
How is it that the authorities could put him in jail? How can you get in jail without having commited a crime? Who decided he commited a crime? The police? Is that how things are in America? This is outrageous! ---
**Author:** ![E1skeptic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3da27b/32.png) [@E1skeptic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E1skeptic)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 1999, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumbasses-in-ponder-texas/3090/26 "1999-11-03T23:15:00Z")
Ok, I found out **who** ordered his detention. Talk about paranoia. From [CNN.com](http://CNN.com), > [@](#): > > Denton County Juvenile Court Judge Darlene Whitten ordered Christopher detained for **10 days** after reviewing his school disciplinary records. (my emphasis) Scary. This kid now has a REAL horror story to tell. ---
**Author:** ![Persephone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@Persephone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Persephone)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 1999, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumbasses-in-ponder-texas/3090/27 "1999-11-04T01:47:00Z")
I was going to start a thread of my own about this one, but I got busy watching what’s going on in Seattle. This kid gets an assignment to write a horror story. Horror stories are generally about stuff that’s scary. School shootings are scary, and no doubt the boy had that in mind when he wrote his story. It would seem that his only error was using the names of people he knew, thus making some people think it was an actual threat. They overreact, and the boy gets arrested _for doing his homework._ I’m still scratching my head over this one. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 1999, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumbasses-in-ponder-texas/3090/28 "1999-11-04T03:25:00Z")
If anyone is interested in the actual essay, here it is. Now, as you read it, keep this in mind–regardless of all the hockey that was raised over it– **the kid was given an A**. _My flashlight went out and I heard someone right behind me and I turned in a very slowly scared way and boom the lights came on and the door bell rang. I walked very slowly and creepy and turned the knob ding dong the door bell went again. I said just a minute and I will be right there and I looked through the little hole in the door and Robin said Boo. I told him to come in and have a seat and we both wated and wated for Ismael because he was supposed to bring the (ounce) so we could get high but half an hour later still no Ismael so I got the idea of freeon and we grabbed a bag and a knife and ran out back to the airconditionar. We througth the bag over the nostle and covered it tightly and used the knife to press the volv. We started to hear something after we got high so we ditched everything we quickly run to the door to see who it was and there wasn’t anybody there then we heard someone at the back door to see who it was I thought it was a crook so I busted out with a 12 guage and Ismael busted out with 9 mm and we step off the porch and this bloody body droped down in front of us and scared us half to death and about 20 kids started cracking up and pissed me off so I shot Matt, Jake, and Ben started laughing so hard that I acssedently shot Mrs. Henry. Ismael saw somebody steeling antifreeze so Ismael shot over ther near the airconditonar and hit somebody (indecipherable word) also scattered out and went home and my mom drove up and everything was back to normal but they didn’t have any heads._ ---
**Author:** ![Satan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Satan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satan)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 1999, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumbasses-in-ponder-texas/3090/29 "1999-11-04T07:58:00Z")
He got an A for THAT?!?!? I wrote better in the fourth grade! Though I must admit, having the balls to pout a pot reference in a school assignment does get a little extra credit from me… * * * Yer pal, Satan ---
**Author:** ![skupla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@skupla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skupla)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 1999, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumbasses-in-ponder-texas/3090/30 "1999-11-04T15:04:00Z")
Why is it that stuff like that happens all the time in the States? I just don’t get it, it’s the land of the free isn’t it? Why can stupid people achieve positions of authority there and get away with this kind of behavior without loosing it. ---
**Author:** ![Crystalguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dbc845/32.png) [@Crystalguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crystalguy)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 1999, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumbasses-in-ponder-texas/3090/31 "1999-11-04T21:48:00Z")
I was born in Dallas and lived there until shortly after the JFK murder. During my tenure in the Dallas school system, I had one teacher who was a teacher. The rest were more like minimum wage rent-a-cops or maybe civilian prison guards. I hope I never encounter another group of such self-righteous, sanctimonious, holier-than-thou weazels than I did in the Dallas school system. I moved from Dallas to Santa Cruz, California and have never looked back. It was like being released from prison. As you might guess, I am the anti-texan. ---
**Author:** ![JGStewart9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a698b9/32.png) [@JGStewart9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JGStewart9)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 1999, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumbasses-in-ponder-texas/3090/32 "1999-11-04T22:10:00Z")
Hey Satan, I agree with you, "he got an “A” for that? ---
**Author:** ![Kakkerlak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bb73d2/32.png) [@Kakkerlak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kakkerlak)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 1999, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumbasses-in-ponder-texas/3090/33 "1999-11-05T03:50:00Z")
Well, at least the little tyke still thinks you can get high from Freon. I guess if the Superintendent showed any tolerance, then it wouldn’t be a ZERO TOLERANCE policy, would it? I’m trying to think of a way to write a popular slogan _against_ minimum sentencing rules and zero tolerance policies. “Hey, take a joke!” ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 1999, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumbasses-in-ponder-texas/3090/34 "1999-11-07T00:11:00Z")
## The kid didn’t get an A for that essay…he scored 100 out of a possible 300 points. The 100 points was the max allowed for reading the essay aloud in class. He was not graded in the other two areas. Lynn the Packrat ---
**Author:** ![The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f8ce5/32.png) [@The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Peyote_Coyote)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 1999, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumbasses-in-ponder-texas/3090/35 "1999-11-08T01:24:00Z")
I’m glad to hear he didn’t get an A, Lynn. My first thought upon reading that bilge was: “Don’t they teach punctuation and grammar anymore?” ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 1999, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumbasses-in-ponder-texas/3090/36 "1999-11-08T14:51:00Z")
“Mom” was the one who said that he had received 100. She apparently didn’t know what the 100 was for. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 1999, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumbasses-in-ponder-texas/3090/37 "1999-11-09T00:40:00Z")
Maybe what we saw was a transcript of his _spoken_ presentation, not what he wrote down for the assignment. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 1999, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumbasses-in-ponder-texas/3090/38 "1999-11-23T21:40:00Z")
> [@](#): > > I wonder if that kid is going to have any faith left in the system when he gets out Probably not, and better that he doesn’t. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumbasses-in-ponder-texas/3090.md?page=1)