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

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

[nightdriver]

''The prince and his bodyguard felt they should not be subjected to the screening, but if they do not have an escort from the State Department or the Secret Service, it is required,'' Stover said. ``It's the law.''

Hell yes!

If it's required for the rest of us it is required for these people too, THE ESCORTS FROM THE STATE DEPT. AND THE SECRET SERVICE, TOO, dammit!

[Archangelsk]

The Prince:

His bride to be:

Beautiful couple indeed.

[Right_in_Virginia]

Whether the prince gave U.S. diplomatic officials enough notice of his arrival is at the heart of the problem.

If a future king is going to take public transportation...he should know the rules. It's his mistake if he (or his "people") do not alert authorities and make alternative arrangements.

[csvset]

They speak Norte Americano Spanish.

When I was in the Navy, I worked with a "Texican". We had a port call in Spain. When he spoke to some local ladies; they busted out laughing.

He was quite embarrassed, he said the women said his "Spanish" was "savage" and they referred to him as an "Indian".

[Truth29]

The problem of TSA not profiling is caused by our PC political leadership, including Cngress, not TSA.

[livius]

It was probably very badly handled. We'd feel upset, too, if somebody important in our government were searched by some low-level employee at some foreign airport.

It says that the Spanish group didn't give enough advance notice, but I don't see why 6 hours notice was not enough for the airport people to get their "high level screeners" to the airport and ready to meet this group.

Part of the problem, however, was in transferring from a charter plane to a commercial flight, something that always seems to confuse airport personnel. Furthermore, Iberia is a horrible airline that probably did nothing to assist the situation, and may even have dropped the ball. Iberia must have known about the Prince's travel plans; why weren't they scurrying around trying to get things in place?

Still, I hope we smooth their feathers, because Felipe and his bride-to-be are very popular in Spain. They are both American-educated and I do not think they are known for being anti-American themselves.

[mewzilla]

So much for noblesse oblige. Guess he skipped that day in king class.

[Archangelsk]

The airport in question:

The airline:

TSA Screeners:

[Calvin Locke]

I liked the line ... into what went wrong.

The bureacracy finally does what it's supposed to do, and it gets grief from a pandering pol.

[JasonC]

Flushing something from that purse in the "powder" room, perhaps? lol.

My initial reaction is a longing for a judge to declare, "baliff, kick these two nuts in the butt".

As for protocol, Spain can kiss it. As for their airline, nobody needs it.

As for profiling, I'd love to see tons more of it, but to grill suspicious Arab men, not to spare royalty. Sparing people is not why I'd profile, catching people is.

[ARCADIA]

And it was pretty gutless of Penelas to apologize.

Penelas has no spine.

[Young Rhino]

he said the women said his "Spanish" was "savage" and they referred to him as an "Indian".

The Spaniards are as snobbish as the Limeys when it comes to "their" language and race.

1. Language. The majority of the world does not speak Spanish as if they suffer from a speech impediment (that ridiculous theta sound).

2. Race. Spaniards who pride themselves as pure blood Europeans look down their noses at anyone with mixed ancestry from Latin America. Somehow the Moors' conquest of Spain seems to be forgotten...even by those curly-haired Spaniards.

[BluH2o]

... he said the women said his "Spanish" was "savage" and they referred to him as an "Indian".

I've traveled Spain fairly extensively and came away with one impression ... the Spaniards are the least linguistic in terms of other languages in all of Europe. Perhaps because they're on a peninsula, and somewhat isolated, not sure, but most Europeans in other countries are multi-lingual.

[LoudRepublicangirl]

Did we not tell him that we think monarchies are real stupid-especially ones that are upheld by socialists?

[Archangelsk]

The Don Juan of Miami, Mayor Alex Penelas

South Beach, where everything is hot, hot, hot:

[LoudRepublicangirl]

an insult to the royal family of Spain.


Screw the royal family of Spain. They are no better than the rest of us!!!!

[dawn53]

Didn't Franken throw a similar fit a few months ago when he had to wait in line like the rest of the "masses" at an airport?

[JesseHousman]

Did we not tell him that we think monarchies are real stupid-especially ones that are upheld by socialists?

Spain, like the UK, has a constitutional monarchy.

Monarchies are toppled by socialists (another term for communists) and royal families are butchered by them.

I have changed my political affiliation to Monarchist, but for the life of me I can't decide who should be America's king.

[JesseHousman]

...they can bloody well stay home!

And indeed they will. Unfortunately for America the wrong ones will stay home and many of the millions of illegals that are esconsed in our nation will stay hidden.

[JesseHousman]

No, but America's intelligence network does.

That was an interesting question you posed NHD. You'd would be more than a little surprised if you knew who I am.