Immigration and Naturalization "Service"
The travails of a New Zealand woman at LAX again illustrates how we may lose the war against real threats. This woman, who is in fact guilty of overstaying her visa by eight days in 1998, was treated worse than a common criminal. Had she been a member of any of the favored ethnic groups, she would likely have become a cause celebre (I can almost see Ibrahim Hooper frothing at the mouth if one of those ohsopeaceful Islamokillers had been looked at crosseyed).
The story, reported in the S.F. bay area Mercury News, is, in so many words, a false positive; i.e. the mental midgets of the INS saved us from a person posing absolutely no threat. Worse, it took essential resources away from actually protecting our ports of entry and rooting out the many thousands of potential evil-doers in this country from watch-list countries such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia who have outstayed their official welcome by months if not years.
INS, if you have people able to read English, here's a hint: Look hard for nationals from watch-list countries; ignore all but the most egregious offenses from citizens of places such as New Zealand, Canada, or the U.K.. And for those who may pop up and remind me that Richard Reid the tall'n'stupid shoe bomber was from the U.K., I'd say, that would only make a difference if the INS was at the 99.9 percentile in dealing with those not legally in the United States. Sadly, they're more likely at the 20 percentile level, i.e. have only kept track of 20 percent or so of illegals -- if that many.
To the victim, Ms. Anderson: In the unlikely event you read this, my apologies on behalf of some ignorant Americans.
The travails of a New Zealand woman at LAX again illustrates how we may lose the war against real threats. This woman, who is in fact guilty of overstaying her visa by eight days in 1998, was treated worse than a common criminal. Had she been a member of any of the favored ethnic groups, she would likely have become a cause celebre (I can almost see Ibrahim Hooper frothing at the mouth if one of those ohsopeaceful Islamokillers had been looked at crosseyed).
The story, reported in the S.F. bay area Mercury News, is, in so many words, a false positive; i.e. the mental midgets of the INS saved us from a person posing absolutely no threat. Worse, it took essential resources away from actually protecting our ports of entry and rooting out the many thousands of potential evil-doers in this country from watch-list countries such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia who have outstayed their official welcome by months if not years.
INS, if you have people able to read English, here's a hint: Look hard for nationals from watch-list countries; ignore all but the most egregious offenses from citizens of places such as New Zealand, Canada, or the U.K.. And for those who may pop up and remind me that Richard Reid the tall'n'stupid shoe bomber was from the U.K., I'd say, that would only make a difference if the INS was at the 99.9 percentile in dealing with those not legally in the United States. Sadly, they're more likely at the 20 percentile level, i.e. have only kept track of 20 percent or so of illegals -- if that many.
To the victim, Ms. Anderson: In the unlikely event you read this, my apologies on behalf of some ignorant Americans.
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