SPAIN'S CROWN PRINCE IN SNIT AT MIA (MIAMI INTERNATIONAL)

Miami Herald ^ | Apr. 10, 2004 | Luisa Yanez,Ina Paiva Cordle

[McGavin999]

Said Stover: ``Had anything happened on that flight to the prince or anyone on that aircraft because we decided to relax our screening processes, that would have been catastrophic and a complete failure on our part.''

This is the entire point. If terrorists had managed to smuggle something into the Prince's luggage, then what?

I am all for showing respect to the Prince because, despite the elections, the royal family has always been strong. The whole thing was poorly handled, but the procedures are correct. Giving proper notice would have stopped the whole problem. Dubya will give the Prince a call and they will all have a good laugh about it, and next time the Prince will have 72 hours notice as required by protocol.

[Publius6961]

and breach of the peace...

You're still beating that dead horse dude.
Throwing a hissy fit and raising a ruckus would qualify in most instances as "breaching the peace".

You must be a bureaucrat; if you can't intimidate us with substance you dazzle us with blizzard of words? Isn't paste and cut wonderful?

[XHogPilot]

Whatever your opinion is of the TSA, they can be avoided. Just charter your own biz-jet.

The mandates of the Department of Homeland Security following Sept. 11 require that all commercial airline passengers be screened -- even the princely ones

[Drammach]

Actually, I hand typed it in from the World Almanac...

[Drammach]

Post #58.. I already picked up on that and admitted my mistake..

Any other problems???

[Chad Fairbanks]

Any other problems???

Uhh... John F'in Kerry? That's a different topic though ;0)

[Drammach]

But how many countries are there? How many just in Africa, and how many in Europe, Asia, Latin America..... and how can anyone recognize all the papers from each individual country.....

Wow.. Is that the excuse you used when you failed geography??
(whine) "but there's too many countries!..." (sniffle)

If the screeners can't cut the mustard, get out and find a job at McDonalds..

[Drammach]

LOL!!!
Yep, diff'rent topic...

I am in an argumentative mood today, and expressing my disgust at the TSA in general, and air screeners in particular..
That such people should be in charge of air travel in, out and within America is an outrage..

I therefore volunteered to be "honorary whipping boy" for this post..
They're Comin' outta the woodwork!!!!

[Chad Fairbanks]

I ain't whippin' no one. I just want to know if, in fact, this Pricnce actually is in the State Department's little blue book of people with Diplomatic Immunity Status. I know heads of state get it just on principle, but he's not a "Head of State" - his daddy is. So, I'm curious if he even has it. ;0)


But either way, I agree with the assessment that he didn't follow established protocol, so he can kiss my rosy red butt, immunity or not...

[RichInOC]

''We're your allies!'' one member of the royal delegation shouted in Spanish to inspectors at a particularly tense moment.

...sounds like somebody needs to pay more attention to what their Prime Minister is saying and less to their own overinflated sense of importance.

[FITZ]

You really want each and every screener at every airport deciding on their own that they do know all the countries and all the royal families so well they can decide on the spot who gets to get no screening before going into the boarding area? Remember --- most of these screeners have a high school diploma which doesn't guarantee they know all the princes and princesses of every country out there.

[Publius6961]

"We who are as good as you swear to you who are no better than we to accept you as our king and sovereign lord, provided you observe our liberties, but if not, not."

Assuming that this line is not apocryphal, would you have this quote in the original Spanish? It is definitely not easily translatable.

[gg188]

Profiling would catch the known terroists---a list of identities that has grown quite large in recent months. It would immediately remove from the equation all known terrorists. Thoroughly vet everyone who LOOKS like a terrorist who wants to board an aircraft. That would severly hamper the ragheads. Profiling would have prevented 9/11, as some of the 19 hijackers were known by government agencies as bad guys.

[FITZ]

Also I didn't fail geography --- but I would likely fail a test on princes and princesses and other celebrities who consider themselves to be important VIPs. I know Spain just elected a leader --- a socialist --- so I really don't know how important they consider their aristocrats to be.

[gg188]

Profiling is the most powerful tool we have, yet it is not used because it is politically incorrect. Insanity.

The left is directly to blame for 9/11 as well as countless acts of street crime in the US by making profiling illegal and unacceptable.

[FITZ]

Seriously --- if you were working as an airport screener, would you have known this Felipe guy was important? The picture posted in #22 is the first I've ever seen of him, and this thread is the first time I've ever heard of him.

[Diogenes]

Unfortunate incident, but inspection of baggage, in today's world, is definitely a must!

I feel sorry for this princely couple, which, though yet unwed, had its romantic interlude in Nassau end with a sour note in Miami! Unless, of course, the prince and his popular fiance were in Nassau grieving for the 200 Spanish citizens murdered by their Arab/Muslim cousins three weeks ago!

[Publius6961]

Using the Saudis as the "norm" in discussing royalty is like using bugs bunny as an African documentary.
If you don't see the difference between the 12000 saudi princes and the royal house of Spain, there's not much point in further discussion.

And you never answered the main question. Does Queen Elizabeth have diplomatic immuninty? And I do agree with you. She probably doesn't have a passport. But she definitely has diplomatic immunity. Of that I have no doubt whatsoever.

[Drammach]

I just want to know if, in fact, this Pricnce actually is in the State Department's little blue book of people with Diplomatic Immunity Status. I know heads of state get it just on principle, but he's not a "Head of State" - his daddy is. So, I'm curious if he even has it.

I did a little surfing, and as far as I can tell, here's the scoop..

Since his father is "head of state", i.e., King of Spain, as a "family member", he has Diplomatic status, and the same Diplomatic Immunity as his daddy...
Unless the U.S. State Department declares him "persona non grata"..
I doubt very much whether the US State Dept. is gonna do that..
The Crown Prince seems to have not only a very good reputation, but apparently is just as important in europe as Prince Charles of England..
I have no doubt he has diplomatic credentials of his own, completely independent of his father's..

He's got a sister (princess-type) that often lives in the U.S. as well.. good looking woman..