Coming to America? Warning! You May Be Banned for Wrong Headed Tweets
The articles hit the newspapers and blogs and Technorati in January, but the surveillance had been reported in November by the Department of Homeland Security. Most probably for some time before that, without average Americans knowing it, their social media accounts were being monitored. The more canny readers and networked have known the potential for social media sites to be easily put under surveillance for years, and some believe that is why such sites were initially engendered. Yes. Some believe that sites FB and Twitter are a wonderful way to view and keep Americans in NSA's radar sights. Have fun conspiracy theorists. To really know for sure, "they" will have to dispense with you. Is that how the joke goes?
Well, unbeknownst to two unwitting, callow and unread travelers from Ireland not up on this stuff, on the prowl, Homeland Security pounced! Electrifying their silly sensibilities with toxic tweet shock, Homeland Security officials banned Leigh Van Bryan and Emily Bunting from America's shores. Their tweets had been red flagged during monitoring. Did the tweets exemplify danger to America and its citizens, despite the innocence, silliness and inanity of the tweeters? You be the judge.
Bryan, a 26-year-old bar manager and Irish national wrote a message to a friend on Twitter: "Free this week, for quick gossip/prep before I go and destroy America." Bryan and his friend Emily Bunting arrived at Los Angeles International Airport and were detained and questioned by officials, according to The Sun.
"The Homeland Security agents were treating me like some kind of terrorist. I kept saying they had got the wrong meaning from my tweet, but they just told me 'You've really f***ed up with that tweet, boy'."
Bryan and Bunting were held by armed guards and interrogated for five hours before they were handcuffed, put in a vehicle with illegal immigrants and detained in an overnight lockup. The illegals were allegedly Mexican drug dealers. After the two spent 12 hours in separate holding cells, they were then put on a flight home.
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