Humiliation greets visitor at airport

The Mercury News ^ | August 13, 2002 | Truong Phuoc Khánh

[snopercod]

Every summer for the past 25 years, New Zealand native Maggie Anderson and her American husband have visited their family in Portola Valley.

But never before had her visit begun in handcuffs and humiliation.

Upon landing at Los Angeles International Airport at 11 a.m on July 24, Anderson -- a former flight attendant who had flown in and out of U.S. airports hundreds of times -- was questioned and arrested by federal immigration agents.

[snopercod]

Your papers please

[snopercod]

I feel SO much safer knowing that the sun never sets on low-IQ federal employees with rubber gloves.

[Drango]

Anderson remained in the INS detention room for 21 hours, with the mounted television set on the whole time featuring Jerry Springer, Sally Jessy Raphael and wrestling.

Clearly a violation against cruel and unusual punishment!

[Willie Green]

Sounds like we need to warn our friends the Kiwis to stay away from LAX in the People's Republik of Kalifornia.
Kalifornicators aren't really Americans, and it is likely that illegal Mexicans are still being assigned to perform security.

[freekitty]

This is very sad. I see the real criminals are still getting away.

[snopercod]

Let's see...San Francisco...alleged females in quasi-military uniforms and leather accoutrements. Couldn't be dykes, could they?

[RipSawyer]

I have seen this coming for many years and we have finally reached the point that even the willfully blind will have to see what has happened to us.

[xJones]

But the U.S. governnent give visa express to Saudis and I don't recall the first time a New Zealander ever assulted Americans in America.

[snopercod]

Oops. San Francisco Los Angeles. No big difference.

[Mamzelle]

Or it could be that cow in Florida who snatched Elian...maybe she's found her niche in this new job.

[DainBramage]

``you're not going to have allies and you're going to fight the war on terrorism on your own.''

Yep, We would hate to lose all of New Zealands help. (/sarcasm)

[FryingPan101]

This particular episode disturbs me greatly. I don't know how to feel anymore. You think...well..what if? We were in Atlanta two weeks ago when this same thing happened to the gentleman ahead of us. He was white, about 70, bald, glasses, overweight, wearing a business suit. When he got on the Delta flight we were on, he was openly weeping. His anger was spilling out. He could only manage an "F" over and over again. I watch my husband, white, sixty, always in a suit and tie, undergo this same kind of scrutiny time after time when we travel and I wonder when he might snap and say something....and suffer the consequences. Many of the inspectors are in your face types and I just don't get the attitude.

[xJones]

...it is likely that illegal Mexicans are still being assigned to perform security.

Willie, ever since 9/ll I'm beginning to wake up, along with a whole lot of other people. It may be too late, but it's never too late to try. Pat Buchannan did have his points.

[AFreeBird]

Geez-O-Pete! Doesn't the fact that her husband is American count for anything?

[Argus]

``We have been the subject of very harsh criticism since 9-11,'' said Virginia Kice, spokeswoman for the INS Western region. ``All our employees understand we cannot afford to make any mistakes now, and everybody is very, very vigilant. The stakes in this climate are very high.''

What a load of crap. The INS is brutal to the innocent, and AWOL when the guilty waltz by.

[Vidalia]

HELOOOO? Quit Flying! ... unless it is purely business oriented or you have a family emergency.

No foreign "terrorist" per se will ever win, but the butt-brained local terrorists (a.k.a. "airport security and their ilk") continue to stick their questionable digits into body cavities and force elderly men and women to strip "for the fun of it".

The newly hired government "professional" perverts win, don't they, for you have no recourse...

[headsonpikes]

"Yep"

Never figured you for a goobermint apologist; guess I was mistaken.

[basil]

And there are still people who wonder why our airline industry is down the tubes!

The Israelis have tried to tell us that we are going about this in the wrong way--that we should be searching for terrorists and not weapons, (fingernail scissors, sewing needles, etc.). In other words, we should be profiling passengers, and those who are not young Arabs should be left alone. Maybe I don't agree with all of that, but it sure makes more sense than most of the stupid things occurring at our airports these days.

As for me, I will continue to drive my car to my destination, even if it's a 2 or 3 day drive to get there. Retirement does give us the benefit of plenty of time for travel--LOL!

[j271]

Nineteen Muslim highjackers crash 3 planes into the World Trade Center and Pentagon, killing thousands of Americans.

The federal government's answer?

Strip-search Kiwi farmers.

Considering that a large percentage of the federal bureacracy consists of a mix of low-level sociopaths and the mildly retarded, the notion that these people are developing the power to arbitrarily search and detain is truly terrifying.

[snopercod]

This particular episode disturbs me greatly.

Me too. I won't fly on the airlines any more unless a family member dies and I have to attend the funeral. Maybe not even then.

This is AMERICA, dammit!