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 ...
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.
Probably that one. It isn't the first time I wasn't completely clear and it likely won't be the last.
:-(
Absolutely no sarcasm - which proves the point that no human can read a tweet or a post and see that the tweeter or poster meant no harm. Apologies totally accepted.
Check again, my FRiend. You are correct in fact, but wrong in assumption and conclusion. It was not the "communication system" that threw these innocent people in jail and forced these innocent people (of the allegations) on a plane out of this country.
It was assertive HUMAN and AUTHORITARIAN DECISION-MAKING APPROVAL THAT USED "communications system" information-gathering data. If you can't tell the difference, then you also help me make the point that I was trying to make with that gentlelady.
Tweeting “I’m going to destroy America,” is absolutely crying “Fire!” in a crowded theatre - as those two learned to their detriment. If you read the comments following the article, you will see that their fellow citizens agree with US!
No right is absolute.
Your “Fire” comparison is not anywhere close to being correct or sufficiently adequate to support your approval of government control over a ‘tweet’. I am glad you are not my attorney.
It’s amazing how quickly and easily you are willing to destroy the First Amendment to criticize a baseless and harmless tweet that had no foundation in fact.
You have all the facts at your finger tips so it’s easy to say these two snarky brats were innocent (rather than incredibly stupid, spoiled and arrogant). I, on the other hand, understand that that ominous tweet needed to be investigated. As I said to someone else, I’m convinced you’d be the first to complain if this damned kid had created any havoc aboard that plane or in California.
I swear, these people think Mohammed Atta would have Tweeted, “Gotta go, gonna fly an airplane into the WTC now, wish me luck.”
Please explain to those of us who do not understand, how that tweet was harmless. I do not mean the Marilyn reference.
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