'I'm going to destroy America and dig up Marilyn Monroe': British pair arrested in U.S. on terror...

[cory777]

Daily Mail

Two British tourists were barred from entering America after joking on Twitter that they were going to 'destroy America' and 'dig up Marilyn Monroe'.

Leigh Van Bryan, 26, was handcuffed and kept under armed guard in a cell with Mexican drug dealers for 12 hours after landing in Los Angeles with pal Emily Bunting.

The Department of Homeland Security flagged him as a potential threat when he posted an excited tweet to his pals about his forthcoming trip to Hollywood which read: 'Free this week, for quick gossip/prep before I go and destroy America?'

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'I almost burst out laughing when they asked me if I was going to be Leigh's lookout while he dug up Marilyn Monroe.

Full Article Here - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2093796/British-tourists-arrested-America-terror-charges-Twitter-jokes.html

Activist News - http://activistnews.blogspot.com/

[Ecumenist]

1. What...dig up Marilyn Monroe?!! LMBAO!!!! REALLY??!! TERRORSTS?

You're kidding right? Dig her up from a crypt? and how was he going to do this? LOL!!

[GodlessBiker]

2. Well, now I feel less safe because it is clear the lunatics are running the asylum at DHS.

[lonestarnot]

3. Is that it? That's all one has to say to be classified a terraist?

No I didn't go there, so there's prollee more to this story, no?

[Nevernose]

4. Was Marilyn Monroe buried in a Neil Young t-shirt?

N/t

[provis99]

5. any excuse for more fascism from DHS.

how are they any different in conception than the Gestapo.

[FiveGoodMen]

27. How are they different? Why, they're OUR fascists, of course!

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

6. All two of them?

Absurd.

[christx30]

7. How wonderful that

they have people being paid to surf the Internet and get on Twitter to look for random tweets by nobodies in other countries. Sounds like a good use of taxpayer money.
If we had anyone useful at DHS or TSA, they would have given these two a smack upside the head and sent them on their way.

[octothorpe]

10. I wonder if some iBrownshirt reported them after reading the tweet.

[christx30]

23. Honestly don't know

which possibility is more chilling. A someone reading the post and reporting it, or that they are monitoring all communication, all the time.
Reminds me of a certain family member I dislike... Big Brother.

[no_hypocrisy]

8. Monroe is entombed in a marble mausoleum.

Would that be a tip-off it was fascetious?

[octothorpe]

9. How the hell did that even get on the DHS' radar?

[truebrit71]

13. THAT is the question everyone needs to be asking...

...I'm not going to explain/apologize for my fellow countrymen's words, they were obviously just having a laugh, but the really worrisome aspect to this is just how the fuck did the DHS find out about what was said on those Twitter accounts in the first place...

[ronnie624]

16. Network monitoring software.

The term "destroy America" would surely attract attention.

Whoever decided this merited a response from DHS, did so with the intention of 'teaching' him a 'lesson' and making an example of him.

[truebrit71]

17. So they are monitoring the entire planet now?

...that's comforting

[ronnie624]

18. Twitter, for sure. n/t

[octothorpe]

24. The problem is that 'destroy america' could mean anything and be used in many different contexts

"It will destroy America if we XXXXXXXXX taxes"

"Bush/Obama/Whoever is going to destroy America"

"I was playing civlization 4 and I destroyed America with nukes"

"These wars are destroying America"



Even if those were a key words that some system picked up on, the context was pretty obvious. I should probably avoid flying after writing so many variations of "destroy america" in one post.

I don't really see how anyone could think this would make an example of anyone, or that there is even something to make an example of. I'd think if that was their goal, then they would have went after someone who was an outspoken critic of the US (not that it would be right) Going after this guy just makes them look like a bunch of incompetent jackasses.

[ronnie624]

29. Nevertheless,

it's likely his phraseology triggered a program that eavesdrops on communications on Twitter's network. To me, the over-reaction seems contrived as a means of warning people to watch what they say.

[Bo]

11. Well the Corporate Dictatorship is working just fine...billions of tweets and they find 2

I do say they are working well in Britain Isn't that DATA MINING system NSA uses based there?

[mainer]

12. He never said "I'm going to destroy America."

That's re-phrasing it in the most threatening way. The real tweet, "Free this week, for quick gossip/prep before I go and destroy America?", clearly makes it sound like a joke.

[mwooldri]

15. Just like painting the town red.

Would it be possible for me to literally and physically paint a town red on my own? Awful lot of paint...

Would also take a lot to "destroy America". Canada wouldn't be pleased either.

[mwooldri]

14. Sounds like someone lacks a sense of humour and common sense.

Either that, or they got a quota of people they have to kick out of the country and will use anything - literally anything - to meet that quota.

[octothorpe]

25. Aye... Someone trying to justify their job.

[yellowcanine]

19. "Dig up Marilyn Monroe?" Well shouldn't they get credit for creativity at least? In addition to

the color codes, maybe we need a ranking/awards system for terrorists - actual and wannabe.

[yellowcanine]

21. If this is not on "Wait Wait Don't Tell Me" this week there is something wrong.

They always do an exercise on actual news items and this one is a keeper.

[tawadi]

20. Some people just don't get that dry British humour

[yellowcanine]

22. Heh. Check this out!

'It got even more ridiculous because the officials searched our suitcases and said they were looking for spades and shovels. They did a full body search on me too."

Maybe they thought she was hiding a hand spade in her butt cheeks?
I am so proud to be an American.


Seriously though, is this what we have come to? A couple of British young adults just clowning around on their tweets and they get the third degree and deported? Is this really how we want to treat visitors? Does common sense ever prevail? Forget the legal mumbo jumbo and what we CAN do. Doesn't mean we SHOULD do it. These two young people meant no harm, clearly. And now because of a couple of Keystone Cops with hat size smaller than shoe size they get tossed out of the country and have their vacation ruined. If there is any justice the State Dept should right this wrong - issue a no holds barred apology and bring these two young people back to the U.S. for a nice vacation at our expense. It is the least we can do.

[LanternWaste]

26. We may safely rest assured that if X-ray scanners do not pick anything up

We may safely rest assured that if X-ray scanners do not pick anything up, we still have the monolithic bureaucrats from the Department of Homeland Security as an additional security measure to secure ourselves and our posteriors from the evil machination of the Ministry of Silly Walks...

[mainer]

28. For those wishing to avoid arrest, a quick wrap-up of US vs UK slang

although they left out a really vital one: "On the job."

US meaning: at work. UK meaning: having sex.

Ripe for BIG misunderstandings.


http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/cross-cultural/intercultural-communication-translation-news/2012/01/31/destroy-america-american-and-british-words-with-a-difference/