Two news stories caught my attention today:
- It appears that a British citizen of Arabic descent (who also happens to be a member of Parliament) was detained at Dulles Airport and actually had his luggage checked for explosives. The irony here is that he was traveling to America specifically to talk about defeating terrorism, AND was INVITED by the department of Homeland Security!
- Apparently, Finnish folk musicians are a threat to the country as well. At the Minneapolis-St.Paul International Airport, Jukka Karjalainen (the “Bruce Springsteen” of Finland) and two fellow musicians were detained and humiliated for two hours:
An ICE agent approached the long-haired male musician and began jabbing his finger into the poor guy’s face and screaming, “You’re a criminal! Don’t deny it! We know you’re a criminal!” The musician, whose English is limited, tried to explain what he was doing in the country, but to no avail. The agent went on with the tantrum.
But wait — it gets better:
Perhaps the most damning comment on the incident was delivered by the Finn who was strip-searched. On a couple of occasions prior to 1991, he was detained by the KGB and interrogated. Compared to the ICE agents here in the Twin Cities, the KGB operatives, he says, “at least acted like human beings. Not a bunch of animals.”
Look away, Lady Liberty. Look away.