Posted on 01/30/2012 11:40:27 AM PST by billybudd
Two British tourists were barred from entering America after joking on Twitter that they were going to 'destroy America' and 'dig up Marilyn Monroe'.
Leigh Van Bryan, 26, was handcuffed and kept under armed guard in a cell with Mexican drug dealers for 12 hours after landing in Los Angeles with pal Emily Bunting.
The Department of Homeland Security flagged him as a potential threat when he posted an excited tweet to his pals about his forthcoming trip to Hollywood which read: 'Free this week, for quick gossip/prep before I go and destroy America?'
After making their way through passport control at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) last Monday afternoon the pair were detained by armed guards.
Despite telling officials the term 'destroy' was British slang for 'party', they were held on suspicion of planning to 'commit crimes' and had their passports confiscated.
Leigh was also quizzed about another tweet which quoted hit US comedy Family Guy which read: '3 weeks today, we're totally in LA p****** people off on Hollywood Blvd and diggin' Marilyn Monroe up!
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Stupidity has consequences. We ALL have to be circumspect about the things we say or do, regardless. As the result of terrorism and 9/11, communications of all types are being monitored.
The Brits may have been "joking", but they were "joking" in VERY poor taste. What would happen if 2 Americans went to Britain and tweeted that they were going to "destroy Britain and dig up Churchill"? Does anyone think that Scotland Yard wouldn't be waiting to greet them at the arrival gate?
The two are idiots and were treated appropriately. This issue is the same as the "joke" of yelling "Hi, Jack!" in an airport. The TSA will be on you faster than a buzzard on a garbage wagon!!
Words fail me.
Oh good grief.....
Well I sure feel safer, don’t you?
Let me guess what happens next: The DHS calls in the FBI, and the FBI sends in a forensics team which spends 15 hours searching the guy’s hotel room and rental car looking for evidence that he is in possession of Marilyn Monroe’s mortal remains?
In the meantime, let’s let all the Mexicans keep crossing our borders, AND DONT DARE ‘ASK’ THEM IF THEY ARE HERE ILLEGALLY BECAUSE “THAT’S RACIST”!
No, it isn't.
I found it encouraging that we’re actually detaining Mexican drug dealers!
Who knew that protection of Marilyn Monroe’s corpse fell under TSA’s purview?
I guess they have to justify 110,000 unionized TSA employees somehow.
Yeah, I think it is.
And work with you!!?? Not a chance!!
And work with you!!?? Not a chance!!
-"The two are idiots and were treated appropriately.
The "idiots" are the ones who took them seriously for such a harmless tweet. Along with anyone else who thinks accordingly.
This is not the America that I want for my children. If you believe that this is justifiable behavior by our government, then you have just given up your right to the first Amendment for a very cheap price.
Any self-respecting investigator, and superior official, should have quickly realized that this was a harmless joke.
Anyone who dismisses this type of action by the highest officials in our government, is giving in to the enemies of this country who want to instil fear and division in our society.
I killed a 12-pack once—Red, White & Blue beer—just to watch it die.
In Reno?
Everyone knows Laz has them..wait, what?
Well, I guess we’ll just have to ‘agree to disagree’ on that one.
After hours at the Sunset Zoo in Manhattan, KS. I shared with some baboons and the ungrateful bass-turds refused to join-in when I began singing the national anthem.
In fact they bared their teeth at me. Disloyal apes. I regret not reporting them to the proper authorities.
Well, my buddy’s being doing it right. He tweets everytime “Obama is a douchebag” but at least he doesn’t tweet “I hope Obama d***”.
wonder what the Israel Border Police would do if they showed up at Ben Gurion having tweeted about “destroying Israel”. I think it would result in a similar fate befalling these two genii.
Spoken like a good German.
I’m thrilled that two stupid, snarky, low-brow Brits got nailed for humorlessly tweeting “I’m going to destroy America.” Apparently, “destroy” is slang for “having a good time” and the brats are annoyed that no one at Homeland Security understood that or knew much about the sitcom “Family Guy.” And they say American teens are dumb!
What nonsensical wusses we've become in this country.
I am utterly amazed at how many Freepers are making light of this. People who have no qualms supporting our best and finest to fight and die for our right to say what we please, have no problem with people getting thrown in jail by an ever freedom-encroaching and tyrannical Administration over a harmless tweet.
We should be throwing in jail the real people that are now actively and truly DESTROYING this country who actually LIVE HERE and call themselves AMERICAN CITIZENS!!!
He should have some funny stories to tell his buddies at home about his trip to America.
“...and then this big burly dude with TSA says, ‘Bend over and spread, funny man.’ Then I got to spend some time with an Engish speaking Mexican who had been framed for smuggling heroin in to the US via his digestive track....”
And how were the agents to know the tweet was “harmless”? Did you read the article that has photos of the tweet? Didn’t look particularly harmless to me. In fact, it looked ominous.
Most freepers were thrilled that Alec Baldwin got arrested for not turning off his cell phone on a plane but these two brats are innocent victims?! Get real.
All your Tweets are belong to us!
They should have said that they were Muslims and that they were being discriminated against.
Like the Secret Service, DHS does not have a sense of humor.
What bothers me is how an obscure Twitter post (what exactly is the purpose of Twitter?) was flagged and connected to these two. So, I assume every communication including phone calls are being examined by the NSA’s colossal computer network??? Rather scary.
Totally agree. Chilling. I would say more but who knows, on my next flight back home I may get detained and disappear.
Totally agree. Chilling. I would say more but who knows, on my next flight back home I may get detained and disappear.
I will not hold back on this. Not one minute. This issue is too important. If this is not important, then nothing else is, because it goes to the core of our ability to survive in our country - BASIC FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION! Go to CUBA and see how well they're doing! So, I don't give a crap who I 'offend'.
Get Real???
You get real. I know law enforcement. They have untold data base from which to gather information to quickly validate any threat or potential threat from any individual. Your comments show your complete lack of understanding of law-enforcement. So, best to comment - but please comment INTELLIGENTLY, or else you do more harm than good to the cause.
Two completely different issues. One has to do with "speech" and one has to do with "technical" operation of the aircraft to avoid any disruption in communications that may jeopardized the safety of the aircraft. If you don't know the difference between the two issues, then our country is in much worse shape than I even want to imagine, because thinking like yours is going to embolden the government into encroaching on our freedoms even more.
Oh, calm down. 2 brats from England get nailed and you’re ready to go to war. The brats were thrown in jail for less than 24 hours and sent packing to England. We haven’t exactly turned into Iran.
I still don’t think you’ve read the original article. Not that you would change your mind, I fear...
They said that they were searched for shovels? This sounds bogus, since Marilyn Monroe is in a crypt. I’m sure the DHS would know that.
So, you think that the tweet “I’m going to destroy America,” isn’t a red flag?
Why do I think if that brat had committed an evil act on American soil (or within the aircraft), you’d be the first to complain?
And no need to get personal.
Not me, but someone will.
What nonsensical wusses we've become in this country.
I agree. But this is the state that we have allowed our LEGISLATORS to create for us!! It isn't MY idea, it is the Congress, the DHS and the Terrorists who have brought this upon us. It also Norman Minetta who was Bush 43's Transportation Secretary and decreed that we would NOT profile the people who want to kill us!!
Thank all of them.
If this is a warning as to what will merit a homeland security detention, we are all screwed. The Gestapo is upon us.
You mean, Barack Hussein Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Eric Holder...
You mean, Barack Hussein Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Eric Holder...
US government communication monitoring systems are programmed to look for certain words. "Destroy" is among those words. They don't look for context or slang, they are just computers monitoring for certain words. When those words are detected, it sends an alert that gets other people excited and ends up (as in this case) with an arrest!
It isn't MY system, it is the government's "cradle-to-grave" nanny-state system. If you want to blame someone for this, blame Obama, Bush, Clinton, the Congress and Norman Minetta who refused to allow the TSA to profile the terrorists who want to kill us!
Danke schoen. Now, go read my responses to some of the other folks who also didn't like my comment and educate yourself.
Hey, I’m on your side! Read my comments in context.
I don’t “blame” anyone for this except the murdering bastards of 9/11. And I ain’t cryin’ that two spoiled kids from Great Britain got sent back to England. In fact, I’m cheering.
Fair enough. However, before you go off thinking I'm some kind of a dolt, please go read some of my responses to a couple of the others on this thread who also didn't like my comments.
Then you can decide if I'm really that big of an idiot.
I think a lot of us misread your original post (or you did not make yourself clear?) I believe the FBI did the right thing on snagging these two. They are now safely home in England badmouthing our country.
Au contraire, my FRiend. US government communication monitoring systems are programmed to look for certain words. "Destroy" is among those words. They don't look for context or slang, they are just computers monitoring for certain words. When those words are detected, it sends an alert that gets other people excited and ends up (as in this case) with an arrest!
It isn't MY system, it is the government's "cradle-to-grave" nanny-state system. If you want to blame someone for this, blame Obama, Bush, Clinton, the Congress and Norman Minetta who refused to allow the TSA to profile the terrorists who want to kill us!
I did and they came off with some sarcasm. Here's part of what you replied: Apparently, “destroy” is slang for “having a good time” and the brats are annoyed that no one at Homeland Security understood that or knew much about the sitcom “Family Guy.” And they say American teens are dumb!
The last line makes it sound as though you might be suggesting that the TSA was dumb. Sorry if I jumped without looking, but that's how it came across to me. Please accept my apologies.
The First Amendment provides and protects our right to free speech. What it does NOT do is excuse us from the CONSEQUENCES of exercising that right. You know the story about yelling "Fire!" in a crowded theater where there is no fire. That's free speech. Being arrested and tried for doing so are the consequences of exercising one's free speech rights.
The fact is that rights are a two-way street. It's kind of like Newton's 3rd law of gravity: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
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