Comments on: Spelling mistakes

By: guild ludd

guild ludd — Tue, 28 Sep 2004 21:38:53 +0000

Don’t forget Bernadette Devlin McAlister, a hero of the Northern Ireland civil rights movement, thrice firebombed at her home, barred last year from entering the U.S. Her sin? – probably that she was the youngest person ever elected to the British Parliament as a Liberal.

By: ian

ian — Tue, 28 Sep 2004 12:04:28 +0000

Can you imagine how many “Yosuf Islam”s there are in the world? Yeah, let’s just hope the day never comes when they all decide to take the same flight to New York, or the whole US security system might collapse under the strain! Sounds like a neat piece of civil disobediance if it could be managed!

By: akikonomu

akikonomu — Tue, 28 Sep 2004 10:48:41 +0000

Two words: Harry Tuttle!

By: mona

mona — Tue, 28 Sep 2004 09:37:58 +0000

Want to know what gets me mad? Tens of thousands of people dying of AIDS in Africa, Rumenian children forced into prostitution, Colombian field labourers exploited by drug barons, etc. sure they’re not Americans either, but they clearly suffer more than one rich has-been singer dumb enough to pick a name that belongs to a terrorist. He asked for it. Why should it bother me? it’s not like it’s about more than the person involved and affects wider crucial issues of security, politics, legal principles, in which I as any voting citizen should be interested in anyway.

By: Steve

Steve — Tue, 28 Sep 2004 03:25:00 +0000

But not some has-been singer being sent home because he’s got the same name as a suspected terrorist. Have a sense of perspective, people! My “sense of perspective” is still preoccupied with wondering how many “Yusuf Islam’s” are probably rotting away in Gitmo right now on the basis of similar bad faith and/or incompetence. And I have to say that unlike you, Brett, I don’t find that thought any easier to take just because the people in question aren’t US citizens.

By: Poemu

Poemu — Tue, 28 Sep 2004 01:10:34 +0000

The discussion about whether the no-fly list would be easy or hard is kind of intriguing, but isn’t the most likely answer “It would be hard and expensive to do it properly, but since they aren’t (D. Nelson? T. Kennedy? Y. Islam? Why not just ban all names with vowels in them and save time?), we are justified in assuming that they are doing a cheap, half-assed job”? F’rexample, you talk about “maintenance”—WHAT maintenance? Name goes on, name never comes off (unless you’re Ted Kennedy)—given what we know, we’re quite justified in assuming that this is all the “maintenance” this list gets.

By: Brett Bellmore

Brett Bellmore — Tue, 28 Sep 2004 00:10:08 +0000

“Interesting reasoning: The gov’t couldn’t be lying about this…everybody knows they save their lies for when they’re really necessary, like for duping the country into a war.” Nah, the government could very well be lying about this. I just worry less about whether the government has a good reason to do something, when it’s doing something very mild to somebody who’s not a citizen anyway, instead of something serious to a fellow American. Want to know what gets me mad? Tens of thousands of people rotting in prison for victimless crimes that are none of the government’s goddamn business. Basic civil liberties being grossly violated on an everyday basis. WITH the ACLU’s smiling endorsement, yet! A Ponzi scam shoved down our throats in the guise of a retirement program. But not some has-been singer being sent home because he’s got the same name as a suspected terrorist. Have a sense of perspective, people!

By: Steve

Steve — Mon, 27 Sep 2004 21:52:42 +0000

I guess it depends on how much of a presumption of good faith/competence you extend the government. On the basis of the record since 9/11: none whatsoever. In cases like this, which involve merely expelling a non-citizen, I extend somewhat more than I’d be inclined to offer for more dire penalties, particularly if directed at citizens. Interesting reasoning: The gov’t couldn’t be lying about this…everybody knows they save their lies for when they’re really necessary, like for duping the country into a war. Sigh.

By: bryan

bryan — Mon, 27 Sep 2004 21:19:43 +0000

“No-one, but no-one, could construct a defence of keeping Tom Jones out” it is well known that Mr. Jones is a lascivious foundling of a decidedly low moral character.

By: bryan

bryan — Mon, 27 Sep 2004 21:11:26 +0000

Tom Jones(additional): To jones is to have an addictive craving for cocaine. Maradona could be supplying this guy. Also Dick noted at the last meeting in case nobody else noticed it that this guy has an awful lot of hair. I agree, he’s a bastard.

By: bryan

bryan — Mon, 27 Sep 2004 21:07:24 +0000

“Also, plays for Real Madrid. Spain, socialist government, pulled out of Iraq.” pulling out is a well-known form of birth control. jesus, do we even want to let this guy drive?!?

By: bryan

bryan — Mon, 27 Sep 2004 21:05:04 +0000

“Maradona has Castro’s face tattooed on his leg. He’s a no-fly alright.” also above the legal weight limit. cocaine smuggler. not in our pay. met him in a bar once, when I raised my glass to toast evil the swine puked on my shoes.

By: dsquared

dsquared — Mon, 27 Sep 2004 20:37:10 +0000

No-one, but no-one, could construct a defence of keeping Tom Jones out Given the standard of accuracy this database apparently works on, they would presumably note that he robbed the orchard and picked Master Blifil’s pocket?

By: mona

mona — Mon, 27 Sep 2004 20:36:56 +0000

“Has played around on his wife, we need to keep marriage sanctified.” Worse than that, he’s been on the cover of gay magazines, in all his naked pecs glory. If let in the US, could incite unconstitutional gay marriage spree. Which in turn would facilitate terrorists. Also, plays for Real Madrid. Spain, socialist government, pulled out of Iraq. The guy is a walking anti-american threat. I volunteer to detain him indefinitely and torture him for information.

By: abb1

abb1 — Mon, 27 Sep 2004 19:43:20 +0000

Maradona has Castro’s face tattooed on his leg. He’s a no-fly alright.