homeland security

Hi,
I need to rant. That's not unusual, but this time I'm really mad.

Marshall & I just came back from Merida, Mexico. It wasn't a vacation trip, it was to help my mom get through a medical procedure and take some of the stress off my dad. That all went fine. My parents are back in Florida and we were glad to be able to be there to help out.

My issue is with our trip home from Merida, Mexico to Newark airport. We had to stop and switch planes in Houston. I will never fly through Houston again. The customs official was very nice but said that my finger prints weren't coming up in her system. As a 'permanent resident' I have to produce my green card (which is not green anymore just in case you were wondering), but they also check my finger prints and take my picture when I come back into the USA. It feels like getting a criminal one-over, Yucky! I then got separated from Marshall and put in a room to wait until Homeland Security is able to 'clear me'.

Do you want to hear what your tax dollars are doing? NOTHING! What a waste of money. There were 13 useless jar-heads in this office, strutting about, working slower than molasses on a cold day. I sat for almost 2 hours watching them move paper from one folder to another and drink a lot of coffee. There were about 20 travellers hauled into this waiting room. An East Indian woman in a wheel chair who looked about 124 years old, a kid from China, 3 business people from Mexico and assorted other men and women, plus me. We were a motley crew who didn't look anything like Osamin Ben Ladin but that's how you get treated. Trust me, there wasn't a terrorist in the bunch.

Why did I get pulled out? Because in 2005 I was turned away at the Detroit border. If you don't remember this episode, call me and I'll remind you, but the whole thing was a moot point the following day and I crossed the boarder into the USA.... Marshall married me to make me 'legal' in the States and I've gone in & out of the country for the last 5 years without a problem. This event was flagged in Houston for some reason and therefore I got held. When the pea-brains finally got to my folder I was told I was free to enter the USA. "Welcome home". I asked what the problem had been and the Homeland guard said I was 'deported' in 2005 so they had to check me out. I wasn't 'deported', I wasn't let in for 12 hours but I was never deported. I didn't want to argue with this peon, he was not worth another second of my time. Now I have to figure out how to get my name off this 'deported' list or I fear I will have this problem every time I come back into the States. What a useless waste of time and money. If you could see the single digit IQ's they have working at the Homeland Security Department in Houston you'd start planning the revolution now.

The whole airport theatre of scanning, & searching, & stripping, & no liquids, & no shoes or belts, & no pocket knives is utterly ridiculous. They aren't catching any bad guys, they're just pissing off travelers. If some nut bar wants to blow up something here there are plenty of targets to hit and they won't bother with major airports. There are easier places to wreck havoc if you are so inclined. I'm not, but I can see how someone else might be.

Penn Jillette (of Penn & Teller magic fame) was on CNN with his own personal rant about Homeland Security and airport B.S. I like him, he's well spoken, talented and a bit wacky. At 6'6" I wouldn't want to be the one stuck patting him down in an airport. His thing is to have copies of the US Constitution to hand out to the security people to let them know they have just defiled his constitutional rights. Even thought I have no constitutional rights as a resident I wish I could be behind him in line at the security check. I'm with him on this issue. The faster we realize what a waste Homeland Security B.S. is the faster the USA will get back on track. Big Brother is a moron.

I feel better now for raving. Thanks for listening.

xox
m