Reply #11: Not snapping at you mate! [View All]

[Nihil]

The point I was making is that - as far as I could tell - there was no
"rule" that had been broken. It's not as if the guy had made a false
statement on a visa application or had bought his ticket on a stolen
credit card. He'd been accused (not yet proven) of a civil problem.
(If there is more info on this, I may change my mind but nothing read
so far suggests it is more than one man's word against another.)

I've been stopped at "Customs" in many places (most recently in Belfast)
simply because I'm six foot tall and long haired. The delay for the
examination of papers, the pat-down search and the additional questions
is simply an unfortunate though unsurprising inconvenience.

The additional risks of irrational, illogical, illegal treatment due to
the paranoia of untrained US officials mean that I would have to be
seriously persuaded to go to the US these days (my last visit was in
December 2001) - like "you go or you're out of a job" persuasion - and
I would not entertain taking my family over for a holiday while this
administration is in power. I have met many super Americans (and would
love to meet some of you folks too!) but while the US/UK still operate
an indeterminate detention without trial policy, no thanks.

Nihil