58 
In a fun convergence of dumb social media behavior and bureaucratic ineptitude, two Brits were detained by armed guards at Los Angeles International Airport for incredibly dumb (but totally harmless) tweets about “destroying America” and “diggin’ up Marilyn Monroe.”
Leigh Van Bryan and his friend Emily Bunting were held because Leigh had (weeks prior) tweeted at a friend “free this week for a quick gossip/prep before I go and destroy America? x”. He claims it’s totally innocent British slang, but the Department of Homeland Security was unconvinced, noting that the Irishman had also “posted on his Tweeted website account” that he was going to exhume Miss Monroe. That’s apparently a Family Guy reference, which doesn’t make it any less annoying. Naturally, DHS checked the pair for spades.
Everything about this is hugely stupid and annoying, and I’m totally okay with refusing entry to the US based on idiotic Twitter parlance. But still, it’s a little amazing and a lot disconcerting that the DHS mess up your holiday because it never learned its context clues. [The Sun via Hacker News]
A family guy reference? I’d refuse them entry for that reason too.
Also people might call this dumb, but remember this is America and they have every right to be wary and keep their security up.
So The Sun says their tweets were picked up by the US anti-terror police, so what? At least they were doing their job correctly and rather than risk it as a joke, they acted upon it. Slang terms or not, things are going to get lost in translation and using terms like destroy is just such a term to avoid when it comes to flights and America in general.
Agreed. The Irish chap should have been more thoughtful.
While I’ve every sympathy for the DHS in their job of securing their country (usually from itself), they do have a bit of a reputation as a twitchy lot when it comes to foreign nationals on their soil.
Sorry, what?
How is this ok?
Fuck this, and fuck homeland security.
You can’t apply absolutes to everything. A little context is all that’s needed.
I hate these border-controlfreaks.
Freedom of speech, uh? I see dawn of the online social media aproaching fast. I still think those 2 pals were dumb to Tweet public
Ever since they missed Emperor Hirohitos 1941 tweet “Gonna totally pwn Pearl Harbour tomorrow, lolz” they’ve been very cagey about this sort of thing.
Too Soon
“US doesn’t understand joke” would be a more appropriate title, even if it was poor humour.
Message to terrorists: Keep your Tweets private.
Message to tourists: Regardless of race, creed, color or national origin, entry is not a right. If border agents are bored and want to flex their muscles by harassing a poor tourist schmuck, they will, on the flimsiest of pretexts. (“Were you going to dig up Marilyn before or after you destroyed America?”) So always anticipate indignity, loss of rights and absence of common sense at the border as a cost of your vacs.