I am in America now. As I went through immigration in Atlanta, I get this business:
Q: Are you coming from Seoul?
A: yes
Q: Is this trip business or pleasure?
A: My father died and I’m here for his funeral
Q: What do you do in Korea?
A: Blah, blah, blah
Q: Where does your father live?
A: I don’t know. Heaven I hope.
This moron was an immigrant, on top of this idiotic exchange. I really do not feel any safer with this homeland crap either.
60 Comments
ROFLMAO! Talk about attentiveness.
R. Elgin,
My condolences to you and your family.
I’m sorry for your loss, but it’s good to see that you’re still up for a quick comeback - man, that’s funny!
American immigration is
usuallyalmost more retarded than Korean immigration.Condolences, Rob.
But of course they just ask those questions robotically — which is why its mostly worthless / ineffective.
American Immigration and Customs has gotten just plain silly. Especially Atlanta. I went to ATL last year to see my folks at Christmas. Coming off the long 16 hour direct flight from Incheon, we were all screened coming OFF the plane. We had to remove our belts, shoes and everything in our pockets for a security check even before we could enter the terminal and get our luggage. Our carry on bags/luggage were also screened. What did they think we were going to do…come all the way from Korea with a shoe bomb and then go out and hijack an Atlanta taxi????
Adding a ridiculous extra layer of red tape like this does nothing to improve security. It’s just a major inconvenience that accomplishes nothing except give the first impression to the world that Americans are idiots.
My condolences too, Rob. Sorry for not mentioning this early on in my previous post.
My condolences. It’s too bad the officer in question couldn’t have treated you with a little more compassion at such a difficult time.
My condolences.
“This moron was an immigrant, on top of this idiotic exchange.”
Hey, nothing wrong with that. After all, your ancestors were immigrants, too.
#6,
Follow the red tape and you’ll find that someone is profiting from that extra layer of security…plus it reinforces the notion that you’re at war (Oooooh! ‘War on Terrorism’. I’m getting goosebumps).
Just to clarify, the poster wasn’t me. It was Elgin.
And my condolences, Elgin.
what the hell does the person being an immigrant have anything to do with anything? who’s the real moron?
@ 11: I think he meant that sometimes something as great as America gets reduced to set of rules.
This moron was an immigrant, on top of this idiotic exchange.
Ugly.
Elgin,
Sorry about your dad, but was the immigration official really a moron for asking, “Where does your father live,” instead of “Where did your father live”? Wasn’t the question just meant to find out where you were planning to travel?
It is easy to bad mouth immigration officials, but they are just doing their job, which is an important one. Not everyone tells the truth when they go through immigration. Anyone, even a terrorist, can claim that his or her dad died, but a simple follow-up question may be enough to determine if the person is lying or telling the truth.
By the way, Elgin, after my sister died, I wrote a poem asking, “Why do we live and die,” so maybe you were serious when you asked the question, “Where is heaven?”
The TSA is a joke do you really feel safe with high school drop outs screening out potential explosives and terrorists?
LA and Atlanta are two very bad representations of America for foreign visitors. They are extremely rude. I was traveling with two small children and my wife and they were very standoffish, and ignorant, not helpful at all.
One young lady (of ethnicity I won’t say) asks “Have you ever done this before sir?”
I come back and said “Have you ever traveled outside of the city of LA, you idiot?”
DHS asks for travelers to be patient and expect delays, but when you are greeted by asses like the TSA, it is almost impossible.
My last trip to Dulles in July, I go up to the immigration desk and give up my passport to the dude, and I get “What is the purpose of your visit to the United States?”
Now since I gave him a freakin US passport, I could not resist the opportunity to say “I just gave you a US passport, do I need a reason to visit?”
And, someguyinkorea
Once again your blind ignorance to the facts of the world are comical.
First and above all, condolences on your family’s loss, so close to the great US family holiday of Thanksgiving.
Atlanta is notorious, but I’ve had needlessly stupid run-ins with TSA jackasses in Washington, DC.
The thing worth remembering is that they can wield power over you all out of proportion to their competence and intelligence, so it pays to resist the temptation of zinging them and bite your lip and move on.
I was leaving from Logan International one time and this guy came up to me who couldn’t figure out how to use the ticket kiosk, as he only spoke Spanish. I asked some airport security personnel who were bumming around if they could get someone to help him, and they pretty much told us to jog on. I had to find an airline agent and explain to her that he not only couldn’t speak English but that he also had an exit row seat.
#16,
And what facts are that? That there is terrorism? Terrorism has been around for thousands of years. It’s not a novel idea and neither is the fact that some governments use fear and xenophobia to manipulate their citizens.
First, I hope your father is heaven. I know the feeling. Both my grandparents died within the last 3 years.
2nd, I think he was trying to ask you where your destination was, nothing more than that.
3rd, TSA employees are probably underpaid, and thus they aren’t going to get someone who could do better. However, TSA works. Absolutely works. No 911 since. Only people with tickets can enter. In the past, family and friends could hang out all the way out to the boarding gate. You could literally run and catch your plane. Not anymore. You gotta pass TSA first. You leave a ton of crap out of air travel, such as beverage bottles, nail clippers, swiss army knives, any good knife, etc. Sure, you can try to smuggle them in, and some journalists have done it, to make a story, but
TSA works.
America is safer.
Keep up the good work, G.W. Bush.
Yeah, it’s definitely all bushy boy’s fault for the TSA being inept at just about everything.
Definitely.
And as for terrorism being around for thousands of years, are you one of those freedom fighter crackpots like Cindy Sheehan?
You probably define any act of war as terrorism to sympathize with the loons who plot to kill people everyday.
Yeah, it’s all Bush’s fault since it’s been around for 1000 years.
Are you claiming Americans are xenophobes since 9/11 and we are all brainwashed and manipulated by the Bush admin?
You’re a gd moron, dude!
People, such as “WJK” should note that the use of the tragic events of 9/11 to justify any and all incompetence and thoughtless acts is just pure stupidity and inexcusable.
There is no justification for questioning my actions or asking me where I am going, since I am an American citizen and, as a citizen, we are not given to justify why we want to go somewhere or where we are going. If you or any one else is so witless to suggest that this sort of trend bodes well, then I seriously suggest you migrate to England.
My comment regarding the fellow who was clearly an immigrant to the U.S. is simply to highlight the strangeness of someone who was born and raised in the U.S. suddenly having to justify their comings and goings to someone who was not and now seems to have a petty power over them.
Thank you all for your condolences as well. It does not make for a good visit but I’m here anyhow.
In the 9/11, over 3000 people died. Not 300. 3000!
You cannot even bear a little inconvenience?
Next attack may be bigger than the 9/11.
It could be at Atlanta.
You’d better thank that immigrant for protecting you, your family and other citizens. For slave wages!
3000!
“some governments use fear and xenophobia to manipulate their citizens”
Something no government of the left would ever do. No leftist would whip up hysteria and fear-mongering regarding global warming. After all, the fear-mongering and panic is justified as the earth is nearly past the tipping point and all will be lost unless we take drastic measures.
hey, man. It’s okay to call me names.
May he rest in peace.
My condolences.
I’ve always been of the opinion that it never pays to be snarky to a person who, with a wink and a nod, could order a full cavity search. But yeah… TSA is annoying, possibly incompetent, and at the very least understaffed and overworked. At least they keep us safe from all those crafty terrorists with nail clippers though.
Let me also offer my condolences. It certainly is hard living here away from ones family. Back home people die and one may feel guilty they weren’t there to spend the final days together, or people marry and one might regret not sharing in the happiness. I wish I could say something more cheerful, but just know we understand, and we all more or less experience it.
as for entering the US, I always end up feeling more welcome in Canada than my native United States… I’m greeted with a smile and a glance of my passport, whereas stateside where I have all the Homeland Security BS. Then again I always pass through Alberta… I hear in Vancouver, now they taze you to death now if you can’t speak English: http://www.liveleak.com/view?i.....75&p=1
#21,
“And as for terrorism being around for thousands of years, are you one of those freedom fighter crackpots like Cindy Sheehan?”
No, not at all. The thing is, unlike you, I haven’t been lulled into a false sense of security, not that I think that a terrorist is lurking behind every corner.
“You probably define any act of war as terrorism to sympathize with the loons who plot to kill people everyday.”
I was a soldier. What about you? I have no moral qualms about killing someone in self-defense. Heck, I’ll even kill someone if I think they are out to hurt you.
But, what I’m saying is that you need to put things in perspective. 3000 deaths is a terrible thing, don’t get me wrong, but there are far greater tragedies occurring as we speak in your own backyard. How many Americans have since died at the hands of other Americans since 9/11? How many have died because they were denied health care because they weren’t covered…or worse, despite the fact they were covered? How many have died because of road traffic accidents? Heck, how many have died in Iraq and Afghanistan (and how many of the wounded got a pittance in disability pension from your government)? All preventable tragedies, no?
“Something no government of the left would ever do. No leftist would whip up hysteria and fear-mongering regarding global warming. After all, the fear-mongering and panic is justified as the earth is nearly past the tipping point and all will be lost unless we take drastic measures.”
Global warming is occurring. There is plenty of evidence supporting that assertion (not that it wouldn’t eventually occur without the help of humans).
I am a strong supporter of actual security and security procedures. But “pretend security”–useless rules, regulations, time wasting, and treating everyone equally like criminals–inhibits actual security.
Upon U.S. reentry, I will cooperate fully for a couple of minutes, which is all the time required for a reasonable person to determine that I am not a threat to anyone. After that, I am being fucked with and will respond accordingly. I will not accept incompetence in my own country.
And for the smug, I don’t mind having my anal cavity searched, it’s for my own protection crowd, I point out once again that when it comes to overzealous, treat everyone equally as criminals “pretend security,” the punishment is built into the crime. Business people, students, and tourists will simply go elsewhere.
Sorry to hear of your family’s loss, Elgin.
So you’re saying that you wouldn’t support a manned mission to Uranus? My god, what kind of terrorist are you? 9/11! 9/11!
someguy, there is nothing outstandingly important in Canada to terrorize, bomb, steal.
I won’t discuss in this thread anymore, and cease to anger R. Elgin for whatever reason.
@ 31
Insert obligatory comment about Canucks, the French, drinking the Kool-Aid and/or eating pancakes here.
someguy how about all the assertions that global warming is not as bad as the left makes it out to be???
Sincere condolences to you and your family.
To play the devil’s advocate here, the “officer” may have been trying to throw you off guard to make sure you were telling the truth. If you said, “Scarsdale, he runs his own non-union carpenter gig for private clients”, the officer would have had reason to doubt your story. And it’s also good to know that smooth stories don’t result in immigration waving people through customs.
My condolences.
I feel for you. I hope you and yours are doing well.
My heartfelt condolences go out to you all.
My condolences. Losing a beloved parent is something we are never prepared for.
I think that excessive hysteria and fear-mongering related to terrorism is a problem. I also believe that having low paid and/or poorly qualified security/immigration officials to counter potential terrorist threats is also a problem. Anything contradictory or inconsistent in that? (How has this turned into a left vs. right issue?)
GVI, We all have passed through the “Gates” of insecurity. We all come from the same place. We are not going far, time and space aside, we all return home together secure or not. Again, my condolences.
i severed as well so please dont preach to me about service to country
see someguy and all the others like him want it both ways its interesting to note that now they are all considerate of traffic accidents in the united states which comparing deaths by automobile accidents and war is so fucking stupid its laughable
however since you are so concerned with so many deaths caused by different means
planes, trains, auto, cancer what have you
i guess i will entertain
why no concern with the hundreds of thousands that saddam killed under his regime? never a mention from the libs about those people just the innocent
as for fear-mongering how many muslims have been beaten or killed in the united states as s direct result of 9/11? how many hate crimes on record? and no flushing a koran down the toilet is not a hate crime.
oh sorry guys (muslims) yeah now we take a little longer look at you when you come thru airport security I wonder why?
how many terrorists attacks have occured around the world since 9/11, how many plots foiled, how many bin laden videos claiming death to all americans, and their allies?
oh wait yeah all BS, all CIA and bush admin conspiracies they are all fake and made up, nothing tangible to support any of the FACTS
yeah its all fear mongering
and who is brainwashed?
“Global warming is occurring.”
So is terrorism.
Again, the deeper heartfelt meaning, my condolences.
Condolences on your loss.
I was stopped for an illegal U-turn in Busan the other day. The cops let me off. Even drew a little map to help me find the highway. Cosmic balance restored?
Sorry to hear about that R. Elgin, hope you have a safe trip back.
Sad, sad news, R. Elgin.
After a couple questions, an immigration office once said to me, “Welcome back.”
That made all the difference.
#29, For what it’s worth, the last time I reentered Canada from South Korea, the customs agents were most definitely not smiling at anyone. Quite a sad moment.
–
My condolences to you, Elgin.
my condolences to R Elgin for his loss and mistreatment at the hands of the post-9/11 police state.
government-sponsored terror such as the Russian apartment bombings, attacks of 9/11, and the London bombings, have been used to subjugate the domestic population, enhance tyranny, and channel spending into war. those who know this, won’t be fooled again.
“government-sponsored terror such as the Russian apartment bombings, attacks of 9/11, and the London bombings, have been used to subjugate the domestic population, enhance tyranny, and channel spending into war. those who know this, won’t be fooled again.”
I want to be a tree.
My condolences to you and your family.
The point I was making about global warming is that if global warming wasn’t occurring now, it might happen in a couple of hundred years anyway. Sure, some species of animals and plants will become extinct and on an ethical standpoint it is a terrible thing, but if you look at it from the point of view of science, it’s a very natural thing, call it competition between species if you will (ours against all the other ones). Beside, there have been far worse mass extinctions throughout earth’s history. As a matter of fact, it’s estimated that 99% of all species that have ever existed are now extinct and there is a greater biodiversity now than ever before. So, you want to protect ‘better evolved species’. In fact, they are just evolved differently. Many of the species that exist now would have a hard time surviving if they were sent back in time to millions of years ago.
R. Elgin
“since I am an American citizen and, as a citizen, we are not given to justify why we want to go somewhere or where we are going.”
YOU, couldn’t be more wrong. The ‘fellow’ has a job to do. YOU, don’t know his job. He CAN ask you a question if you want to enter the U.S. If you can’t answer a question then you shouldn’t be allowed to enter the U.S.
AND, he is NOT an immigrant. Following 9/11, the TSA took over the contracted companies. At that time all immigrants were not allowed to be TSA employees. Do your research, unless they changed that YOU are WRONG!
When I entered the US from Canada last year I encountered a TSA officer who spoke with a heavy Chinese accent, and appeared to have been born outside the US. I assumed that he was a US citizen. tbone did you mean to say that a non-citizen cannot work for the TSA? It would most likely be illegal to discriminate against naturalized US citizens.
Yes, the guy has a job to do. But, I, too, don’t understand why the guy’s job should require such pointless questions. Business or Pleasure? What’s a funeral, pleasure? Where are you going? Why does he need to know that? I’d like to know the purpose behind the questions.
Oh, and tbone, how would you like to receive lots of messages when your family member dies like “YOU are WRONG?” Have some sense.
My condolences on your loss.
“tbonetylr” I very much disagree with your groundless commentary and my remark regarding this stupidity stands. I have a passport and am a citizen. I get no questions when I return to Korea — as I did today — but now I have to justify my desire to return to my country and give an address!? The implication seems to be that Americans that live overseas are somehow less American than others that don’t leave home.
You also did not listen to this man’s English. He was obviously not educated in the U.S. and looked as if he might well be of foreign extraction. I met another older nice lady there who spoke Chinese and looked Chinese. Again, she had what sounded like a foreign accent to me and I have heard quite a few by now. These people were with immigration as well and not homeland security but do seem infected with the same mindless zest for sniffing butts. I guess I did not make that clear enough for you.
Thank you everyone, again, for your kind thoughts.