As a former young'un, I was once in school and my academic inclinations were geared to history, English and literature — not science and math.

That's why I'm always fond of reading stories about young'uns completely my opposite who epitomize the great spirit of American ingenuity.

The one who comes to mind right now is Ahmed Mohamed, who made a clock, got arrested and was then freed when it was realized it was just a clock and not a bomb made by a young'un who was completely my opposite.

Unlike this brilliant 14-year-old in Texas — a state where it sometimes seems if they had their way they would hang anyone not wearing Stetsons, not speaking with a drawl or not having a neck burned red, high on a stake in Dealey Plaza — my science projects consisted of recycling my arrowhead collection, which got me through those classes with acceptable grades.

So here comes Ahmed, a young'un raised by a pretty average American family.

His parents have lived in the same house for more than 30 years and this young'un who is growing up in this typical American house wants to show his teacher a clock he made all by himself — not a bomb, but a clock, something I wish I could have made if my academic propensities had been different.

My one attempt at trying to do a science project that didn't consist of arrowheads unearthed from the rich, fertile soils of my father's home place in Northampton County was utter disaster and fortunately I got a Mulligan and resorted to my arrowheads and a spearhead thought to be from around the Ice Age.

I'm certainly happy when I went to school my teachers didn't think bringing in arrowheads was some vast conspiracy to stage a coup against the administrative staff and I was some deranged terrorist trying to make a statement against the system by wielding an arrowhead in the lunchroom.

No, I was essentially a young'un from a pretty average American family whose parents at that time had lived in the same house for almost 30 years and wanted to get some sort of passing grade in a class I detested.

Unlike Ahmed, I just didn't have those scientific or mechanical gifts, which is why I eschewed any thought of becoming an engineer or physicist. It just wasn't in my make-up.

It probably didn't hurt I was white, protestant and grew up in a time when the only enemy was the Reds, not the ball team in Cincinnati, but the ones hanging out at the Kremlin.

That's not to say my family didn't know prejudice with my grandfather being an Albanian immigrant. Fortunately, the prejudice was only relegated to a few hateful words and was never acted upon, especially not with arrest like some highly intelligent young'un who only displayed his academic and mechanical talents to his school.

About the only time I was embroiled in false accusations at school was in third grade when my parents bought me multi-colored markers, the same kind the teacher had. She accused me of stealing them, confiscated them and later had to issue an apology in front of the entire class.

I'm sure if this happened in our post-911 mentality of fear and loathing anyone not of the same skin tone or religion as the rest of us and having to take our shoes off at airports, I would have been accused of making a Magic Marker bomb or at least using them to write anti-American sentiments on bathroom walls because, the whispers would go around, my grandfather “won't really an American.”

Like my teacher, who had to swallow her pride and deliver an apology, one needs to be made to young Ahmed, who did nothing wrong but show off his amazing mechanical and scientific skills — a young'un who has fixed his dad's car, according to a New York Times article, and even built the quintessential America vehicle — a go-kart.

All this is written to say you can't define patriotism by race or religion or by where you are scholastically — a scientific idiot like me or a bright young kid like Ahmed.

The whole Ahmed debacle isn't even about patriotism. It's about what's right or wrong and so what if the president has invited him to the White House? Young'uns like Ahmed need to be recognized or do you not realize how far this country is falling behind scientifically?

This isn't even a political issue. It's about fear mongering. It's about seeing our racial hatred surface and denigrating anyone who happens to live in this country, a country that was once the great melting pot, based on the color of their skin or their religion, instead of their character and what gifts they can contribute to society.

If we keep standing in the mire of our bigotry, its quicksand is going to suck us downward into the depths of further hatred and paranoia.

Coming from a person who was once a young'un like Ahmed, I wish my inclinations were geared to science and math, but since they weren't, I can only write about how we need more young'uns like him, a typical American kid displaying the beautiful gift of American ingenuity — Lance Martin