WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A Wisconsin man who wrote "Kip Hawley is an Idiot" on a plastic bag containing toiletries said he was detained at an airport security checkpoint for about 25 minutes before authorities concluded the statement was not a threat.
Ryan Bird, 31, said he wrote the comment about Hawley -- head of the Transportation Security Administration -- as a political statement. He said he feels the TSA is imposing unreasonable rules on passengers while ignoring bigger threats.
When I first read this, I just sat still in front of the computer wondering whether I should laugh hysterically or just cry... For all the trouble VOA (Voice of America) goes to, to spread propaganda about the superiority and harmony of the American way of life, this incident totally negates it.
Looking and hearing about all of this from outside the US, one gets to hear a lot of talk about the various amendments in the US constitution which guarantee freedoms which supposedly, the lesser 'non-Americans' can only dream of. Putting this incident on one hand and putting all those claims on the other hand presents a stark contrast. Then again, this isn't the first time such a thing has happened and probably won't be the last.
This goes to prove that the post 9/11 world is a very different place when compared to pre 9/11 times. It's strange how one incident can change the world so abruptly. As young teens, America was supposedly the ultimate place to be... a rosy picture of the best the world had to offer. Now it is exactly the opposite for these same pre-teens who have grown up around the 9/11 incident and its impact on the world. This is especially true for people in Muslim majority countries.
The upcoming elections in the US will surely present a very interesting drama on the US political front. I wonder what cards Bush has up his sleeve to reveal near the elections since public polls show his increasingly diminishing prospects. Perhaps, Iran will be getting some unwanted attention from monkey-face... again.
30/09: TSA plays the 'idiot' game
Astounding.... One is lead to wonder where the much vaunted American freedom has disappeared.CNN has this to report over the incident (just the first few lines):
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A Wisconsin man who wrote "Kip Hawley is an Idiot" on a plastic bag containing toiletries said he was detained at an airport security checkpoint for about 25 minutes before authorities concluded the statement was not a threat.
Ryan Bird, 31, said he wrote the comment about Hawley -- head of the Transportation Security Administration -- as a political statement. He said he feels the TSA is imposing unreasonable rules on passengers while ignoring bigger threats.
There is a long thread about this on flytalker forums. Right now, it is 65 pages long.
When I first read this, I just sat still in front of the computer wondering whether I should laugh hysterically or just cry... For all the trouble VOA (Voice of America) goes to, to spread propaganda about the superiority and harmony of the American way of life, this incident totally negates it.
This goes to prove that the post 9/11 world is a very different place when compared to pre 9/11 times. It's strange how one incident can change the world so abruptly. As young teens, America was supposedly the ultimate place to be... a rosy picture of the best the world had to offer. Now it is exactly the opposite for these same pre-teens who have grown up around the 9/11 incident and its impact on the world. This is especially true for people in Muslim majority countries.
The upcoming elections in the US will surely present a very interesting drama on the US political front. I wonder what cards Bush has up his sleeve to reveal near the elections since public polls show his increasingly diminishing prospects. Perhaps, Iran will be getting some unwanted attention from monkey-face... again.
Karma: 429 [Add to karma]