Posted on 01/06/2003 12:50:31 AM PST by ATOMIC_PUNK
By MEGAN LEVY
January 6, 2003
THE mother of a 20-year-old woman imprisoned in a Texas jail under new anti-terrorism laws has made an impassioned plea to US President George W Bush asking him to free her daughter.
Ulladulla's Antoinette Stapleton said she had not heard from her daughter, Megan, since she was detained by United States authorities on December 27 for breaching immigration conditions.
Mrs Stapleton said she was "out of my mind with worry" and fears her daughter could be in jail for up to five weeks before she is deported to Australia.
As a last resort, Mrs Stapleton sent an email to Prime Minister John Howard yesterday afternoon, urging him to contact Mr Bush to negotiate her release.
Megan, a Sydney TAFE student pursuing a career in cinema special effects, arrived in the US with a friend in October, and they later split up to tour the country.
Under the US government visa waiver program, she did not need to obtain a visa if she was travelling for up to 90 days.
However when the 90 days expired, Megan wanted to stay on.
"When I'd spoken to her a few weeks ago she hadn't quite finished what she'd wanted to see in Texas, so she travelled to Mexico (to get a re-entry permit), which is common practice but is not condoned since September 11," Mrs Stapleton said
(Excerpt) Read more at illawarramercury.com.au ...
I try very hard not to do that.
If Chairman thinks I was over the top, I will apologize.
But I would especially appreciate an apology to my dear friend KAYAK.
She is such a dear lady......and you, Byron, called her names.
If Megan truly is the innocent in this, you didn't help her cause by implying our country is run by a Fascist ruler.
Those are fighting words to many, many of us....
...and I can't figure out how you thought that would help Megan's plight.
We love our country dearly.
We love our President dearly.
We support him, and our beloved military who are about to be in harm's way.
Our country is on the brink of war.....we're very sensitive to it's vulneralbilities.....
...Surely you knew we would defend our country and President.
I can't stop what you say.......
..I am only accountable for what I say.
I hate what you posted on #4......it was meant to be inflammatory, I'm sure.
Well, you succeeded.
I will have to answer to God for what I say & do.
I apologize for any name calling on my part....
...but I will still defend my President when someone starts slapping him around.
You do realize who the government considers the "threat" to be, don't you? (I'll give you a hint: it ain't Abdul)
Not a single law passed after 9/11 would have prevented the attacks of 9/11. Just like the previous "anti-terror" bills did not stop it.
Consider these facts:
Our borders are still open to third worlders, while the government harasses Medal-of-Honor recipients at airports.
There has been no effort, by either party, to repeal unconstitutional, outdated, or dumb laws that would free up law enforcement to pursue real terrorists. (A proposal like this makes a lot of sense, because 9/11 could have been prevented if law enforcement had followed up on tips from flight schools. Apparently they were too busy infiltrating "militia" groups.) Quite the contrary, even more silly laws are being passed.
There has been no independent investigation of the events leading up to 9/11. The closest thing we've had is a proposal consisting of career politicans, with dubious ethics, such as George Mitchell and Henry Kissinger. No private investigators. No retired police detectives. Just a bunch of corrupt politicians. What does that tell you?
Instead, we have a convicted felon (Poindexter) proposing tracking all Americans with computer databases. We have at least one state (Oregon) proposing to track all vehicles via GPS and tax them accordingly. We have politicians telling us to surrender liberty to achieve security. We have increased checkpoints on the roads. We now have no Rights whatsoever recognized at the airports.
It's pretty obvious what the real agenda is here.
Cute response. If you're serious, you need to wake up.
Only five years ago, anyone that talked about biometrics, gov't databases, checkpoints, Nazi tactics at airports, and implantable microchips was laughed at.
What do you think it's going to look like in another 5 years?
They are working towards an end to national sovereignty, and the emergence of a New World Order.
That's mighty gracious of you, partner. You sound like that little control freak in Shrek who is more than willing to make any sacrifice it takes, as long as it's someone else doing the sacrificing. Sorry, studly, but our Constitution does NOT go out of fashion just to suit your ilk. You remind me of this:
Make sense now?
And do you think that's the way it should be? Is that what we were told, when these outrageous and shameful laws were brought in? No. We were told that Homeland Security would use them against terrorists. Not use them to throw students from Australia into jail. Not use them to strip search grannies from Wisconsin at airports. Not use them to take toy rifles from GI Joes.
No, Coop. You're not at war.
Even if you were, it wouldn't excuse this.
Oh yeah. 'Just possibly.'
By the way Dighton, this story is now breaking out into the major media here, and all the America bashers and assorted leftists will now have a field day with it, while America supporters like myself will once again be dismayed and undercut by the callous stupidity of the way your domestic WoT is being conducted.
===========================================
Aussie tourist falls foul of US visa laws
By Vanessa Wilson
January 7 2003
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAT) will send a diplomat from Washington to Texas later today to visit 20-year-old Australian citizen Megan Stapleton, detained in a prison for breaching her travel visa by two days.
Megan's mother, Mrs Antoinette Stapleton, has had no contact with her daughter since her arrest in Austin, Texas 12 days ago.
A DFAT spokeswoman confirmed that Miss Stapleton is being held in a dormitory cell inside the 337-bed Cormal County Jail but could not comment further on her physical and mental condition.
The US Consulate in Sydney has refused to comment on the case.
Megan Stapleton travelled to the United States under a visa waiver program which allowed her to stay in the country for 90 days.
According to the Stapleton's Australian lawyer, Mr Ben Slade, Megan decided to travel to Mexico within that period.
On her return to the US and she was allowed by border immigration officials to re-enter the country for a further days 30 days.
Two weeks later she spoke to her mother and told her she would be home in time for her 21st birthday on January 26, as well as a knee reconstruction operation.
She voluntarily attended the US Immigration and Naturalisation Service office in response to a query about her visa where she was immediately placed into custody.
"The condition of the 90 day waiver is that the person must waive any right to review or appeal an immigration officer's decision as to either admissibility or removal," Mr Slade explained. "You are not consenting to arbitrary detention in a jail."
Mr Slade and Mrs Stapleton were interviewed by a US consular official for 20 minutes after holding a media conference in Martin Place today.
Mr Slade said the officer was: "concerned and polite but didn't make any any promises to improve the situation".
According to the DFAT spokeswoman, delays in processing Miss Stapleton's deportation were due to the Christmas/New Year holiday period.
"The US takes a dim view on immigration breaches, especially since September 11," the spokeswoman said. "In circumstances like this there is a limit to what consular officials can do, she said. "The matter in now in the hands of the US authorities.
Miss Stapleton is expected to remain in custody for 3 to 4 weeks while the deportation process continues.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/01/07/1041566403087.html
============================================
Let's hope none of the knuckledraggers laughing at Megan's expense have the hypocrisy to show up on one of those 'why does the rest of the world hate us?' threads, eh?
That's untrue.
I don't support the way the war is being conducted.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.