Play in the pig sty - expect to smell like the pigs

[EagleKeeper]

Link

CAIRO – A Virginia man, stuck in Egypt for the last six weeks living in a cheap hotel and surviving on fast food, said Wednesday his name was placed on a U.S. no-fly list because of a trip to Yemen.

Yahya Wehelie, 26, who was born in Fairfax, Virginia, to Somali parents was returning with his brother Yusuf from 18 months studying in Yemen, when Egyptian authorities stopped him from boarding his flight to New York saying the FBI wanted to speak with him.

Wehelie said he was then told by FBI agents in Egypt that his name was on a no-fly list because of people he met in Yemen and he now cannot board a U.S. airline or enter American airspace. His passport was also canceled and new one issued only for travel to the United States, which expires on Sept. 12. He does not have Somali citizenship.

...

Officials at the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which sponsored the news conference, said they are aware of at least two other cases where American citizens who are Muslims are similarly denied return to the United states.

CAIR's executive director, Nihad Awad, said the organization understands the need to question travelers and the need to protect national security. But he said the no-fly list is being used as a weapon to punish American Muslims without providing due process.

Yemen is a hot bed for AQ.
Some people in Yemen are know to associate/work with AQ.
Associate with those people.
Expect to not get tagged as a result

Priceless:\

 

[Genx87]

My question is who is putting him up in a hotel and feeding him? I certainly hope not the taxpayers.

 

[KlokWyze]

My question is who is putting him up in a hotel and feeding him? I certainly hope not the taxpayers.

Well it sounds like he is, or was an American taxpayer.

 

[MotF Bane]

Why the fuck is the government keeping a citizen trapped out of the country, without even any charges? Let him come back home. He even said to bring him with marshals and cuffs.

"and denied access to an American lawyer his family hired for him."

And another WTF.

 

[MotF Bane]

My question is who is putting him up in a hotel and feeding him? I certainly hope not the taxpayers.

Read the article, it's in there.

 

[nonlnear]

Why the fuck is the government keeping a citizen trapped out of the country, without even any charges? Let him come back home. He even said to bring him with marshals and cuffs.

"and denied access to an American lawyer his family hired for him."

And another WTF.

Agreed.

On a lighter not there is a lot of comedy in this when you step back from the horror of the personal story. After all, wasn't Obama supposed to save us from the evil civil rights violations of Herr Bush? Fast forward a year and a bit into his presidency and we see civil rights being eroded even further - and for citizens no less. It wasn't that long ago that due process violations were being dismissed by Bush's dick hangers as meaningless because at least it wasn't happening to US citizens. Now we hear them cheering this on as a major triumph of common sense. The insanity is obvious on both sides now - in case it wasn't before.

 

[Linflas]

So basically he has to find a ship to sail here on. I suspect this will end up being an interesting test case before it is all said and done. As unpopular as I know this opinion will be he is an American citizen and as such is entitled the the full protections guaranteed to him under the Constitution.

 

[Schadenfroh]

He is a US Citizen, let him in, but keep an eye on him due to his "connections." He might lead the people observing him to other "questionable" characters.

That being said, he should have seen this coming.

 

[PokerGuy]

I can see how associations with such people would make him subject to more scrutiny, but as a citizen he should be afforded full rights like any other citizen, which certainly includes the right to come back to your country. You'd have to twist yourself into a logical pretzel to logically justify keeping him out of the country.

 

[rudder]

I can see how associations with such people would make him subject to more scrutiny, but as a citizen he should be afforded full rights like any other citizen, which certainly includes the right to come back to your country. You'd have to twist yourself into a logical pretzel to logically justify keeping him out of the country.

He can come back. The FAA doesn't want him on any airplanes. He has a few months to find a boat ride. He can fly on another country's airlines to get closer to a port with more ships heading to the U.S.

 

[woolfe9999]

Agreed.

On a lighter not there is a lot of comedy in this when you step back from the horror of the personal story. After all, wasn't Obama supposed to save us from the evil civil rights violations of Herr Bush? Fast forward a year and a bit into his presidency and we see civil rights being eroded even further - and for citizens no less. It wasn't that long ago that due process violations were being dismissed by Bush's dick hangers as meaningless because at least it wasn't happening to US citizens. Now we hear them cheering this on as a major triumph of common sense. The insanity is obvious on both sides now - in case it wasn't before.

We could have a thoughtful discussion about the politics of the "war on terror" in this context, but on this board, that is unlikely to happen.

- wolf

 

[Atreus21]

...Bush's dick hangers...

I've been sitting here for 10 minutes, and I still can't figure this out.

 

[nonlnear]

He can come back. The FAA doesn't want him on any airplanes. He has a few months to find a boat ride. He can fly on another country's airlines to get closer to a port with more ships heading to the U.S.

Whether that is an option depends on the precise meaning of this:

His passport was also canceled and new one issued only for travel to the United States, which expires on Sept. 12.

The article isn't precise enough to make sense of exactly what that means, so without more details it's hard to say whether he would be able to fly into another country - especially a country that might cooperate with the US in compiling their no fly lists.

 

[nonlnear]

I've been sitting here for 10 minutes, and I still can't figure this out.

The folks who embraced Bush's security blanket measures carte blanche. Granted there were plenty of people in the GOP who had serious reservations. I wouldn't include them.

 

[PokerGuy]

He can come back. The FAA doesn't want him on any airplanes. He has a few months to find a boat ride. He can fly on another country's airlines to get closer to a port with more ships heading to the U.S.

That doesn't make any sense either. Basically, you're saying that without any review or due process, a US citizen can permanently be denied a right to travel to the US by air. That should not be tolerated.

 

[Linflas]

That doesn't make any sense either. Basically, you're saying that without any review or due process, a US citizen can permanently be denied a right to travel to the US by air. That should not be tolerated.

This. I could see them taking all the precautions necessary to ensure he has nothing on him that would allow him to disrupt a flight but the idea they can ban him from flying without due process should disturb anyone that claims to believe in constitutional government and rule of law.

 

[Circlenaut]

That doesn't make any sense either. Basically, you're saying that without any review or due process, a US citizen can permanently be denied a right to travel to the US by air. That should not be tolerated.

The guy can't get on an airplane and his passport only allows him to directly enter the U.S. How's he supposed to come back? Are there even ships that go directly from Yemen to the U.S.and how long would the trip take? America really screwed this one up.

 

[Thump553]

That doesn't make any sense either. Basically, you're saying that without any review or due process, a US citizen can permanently be denied a right to travel to the US by air. That should not be tolerated.

Since when did we have a RIGHT to travel by air?

Somali--Yemen raises a whole lot of red flags for me, I wouldn't want him on my flight.

I'd like to see a further explanation of his allegation that the FBI won't allow him to consult with his attorney, especially as how he has been wandering the streets of Eygpt for weeks now-and not in custody.

This makes a whole lot more sense than putting people like Ted Kennedy and Cat Stevens on the no-fly list.

There is a number of practical solutions for this situation but his one-sided story has a lot of holes in it. It's like he has taken a wholely unreasonable course of action and then plays the victim of the government bureaucracy card.

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

Fuck, Fly to mexico, and cross the border. Problem solved.

 

[Circlenaut]

Fuck, Fly to mexico, and cross the border. Problem solved.

If you read the article you'd realize he can't.

 

[theeedude]

Fuck, Fly to mexico, and cross the border. Problem solved.

His new passport only allows him to go to the US directly.

 

[CLite]

Well the article says he is on the no-fly for "people he met in Yemen." If he sat face to face with an AQ recruiter or something I could see them not wanting him to fly. However, this whole new quasi-legal "purgatory" land of law enforcement bothers me to some degree. It's like revoking someone's license without charging them with anything.

I say give him a few full body cavity searches, sit him next to an FBI agent who happens to be flying back to USA in the next few months and then watch his ass to try and root out any networks if we have strong proof.