US bars friends over Twitter joke

[Dogstile]

All the sources listed are shady tabloids, not really sources of any sort of accurate news. If you think FOX news is accurate, then these are remarkably less than satisfactory in comparison.

regardless...

You think it's funny to be a dick and joke about digging up dead bodies? People dig up dead bodies, and it's a sick and twisted event.

You think it's funny say you want to destroy a country?

Your idiot words can, and will, be heard by others when you send them out onto the world.

Why can't people realize that once they type something, it becomes immortalized in cyberspace forever?

Stop being spoiled brats, and start becoming responsible adults that are held accountable for your words.

They joked to eachother. Publicly yes, but I tell stupid jokes in public to my friends too. Being held accountable is one thing, but barring them? Its an overreaction. Especially seeing as being a dick isn't a crime.

(There, argument for them that didn't involve free speech. Fun fun)

Edit: If anythings more disheartening, its the people saying "well this would be wrong, but they seem like douchebags so its ok". What the fuck? Really? Saying an unfair punishment is fair simply because you don't like someone is completely crazy.

Edit Edit:

Actually go read what he said

Seriously people, the language he used is actually typical of an English "lad". Its a saying that doesn't mean what you think it means, that is all.

 

[Substitute Troll]

It's that easy!?

Hey, America! I'll bring a bomb, and I'll blow you up!

There, and nothing of value was lost to me.

 

[Dandark]

It seems America can always be relied on for comedic stupidity and paranoia. This will be on a cracked article one day.

 

[MetalMagpie]

EDIT: I am not familiar with UK news sites. So, I don't know which are 'respectable'. But it seems, from the posts here, The Sun has a bad reputation. Well, let me link a few more news sites then...

Daily Mail [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2093796/British-tourists-arrested-America-terror-charges-Twitter-jokes.html]
The Register [http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/01/30/tweet_deportation/]
The Blaze [http://www.theblaze.com/stories/report-dhs-expels-2-brits-from-america-over-destroy-america-tweet/]
Huffington Post [http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/01/30/leigh-van-bryan-and-emily-bunting-banned-from-entering-us-after-twitter-joke-about-destroying-america_n_1241104.html]

The Daily Mail is just as bad as the Sun! (And the two often feed off each other.)

The Register and the Huffington Post are only news aggregators. One of them is re-reporting the story from the Sun, and the other is doing it from the Daily Mail.

Never heard of the Blaze before. But the key line in their article is "according to the Daily Mail". So - again - they aren't actually verifying the story themselves, just re-reporting it.

Basically, this looks like some nonsense the Sun and the Daily Mail have concocted.

(FWIW: The standard reliable UK news site is the BBC [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news].)

 

[BiscuitWheels]

EDIT: I am not familiar with UK news sites. So, I don't know which are 'respectable'. But it seems, from the posts here, The Sun has a bad reputation. Well, let me link a few more news sites then...

Daily Mail [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2093796/British-tourists-arrested-America-terror-charges-Twitter-jokes.html]
The Register [http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/01/30/tweet_deportation/]
The Blaze [http://www.theblaze.com/stories/report-dhs-expels-2-brits-from-america-over-destroy-america-tweet/]
Huffington Post [http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/01/30/leigh-van-bryan-and-emily-bunting-banned-from-entering-us-after-twitter-joke-about-destroying-america_n_1241104.html]

The Daily Mail is just as bad as the Sun! (And the two often feed off each other.)

The Register and the Huffington post are only news aggregators. One of them is re-reporting the story from the Sun, and the other is doing it from the Daily Mail.

Never heard of the Blaze before. But the key line in their article is "according to the Daily Mail". So - again - they aren't actually verifying the story themselves, just re-reporting it.

Basically, this looks like some nonsense the Sun and the Daily Mail have concocted.

The Blaze is Glen Becks' newsletter, I believe. All in all, sounds like a bit of an overreaction and sensationalism all around.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

EDIT: I am not familiar with UK news sites. So, I don't know which are 'respectable'.

Rule of thumb: None of them.

BBC/Guardian are more truthful than the tabloids, but both have heavy biases. Al Jazeera is probably the best at the moment, but that's likely to change.

 

[Mr.PlanetEater]

Frankly if you make a terrorist joke about destroying the U.S. or any country for that matter you probably deserve to be barred from entering said country. Similar to making a Holocaust joke when you're about to enter Germany or Israel. :/

That said if they had mentioned destroying the south specifically no one would give two shits...and in fact they'd probably supply them...not that I know anything about that.. >.> <.<

 

[WickedFire]

It's on the BBC now: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16810312

Also it was a figure of speech that basically means going and partying, getting drunk etc. Not a threat or a joke, just a figure of speech that apparently isn't around in america.

 

[MetalMagpie]

Frankly if you make a terrorist joke about destroying the U.S. or any country for that matter you probably deserve to be barred from entering said country. Similar to making a Holocaust joke when you're about to enter Germany or Israel. :/

That said if they had mentioned destroying the south specifically no one would give two shits...and in fact they'd probably supply them...not that I know anything about that.. >.> <.<

You joke about killing my family you can bet you aren't going to be invited to my house... especially if of recent someone in my family has been murdered and there are people out there still seeking to attack us.

I can see the same principal applying with any country.

He wasn't making a terrorist joke. Or even a threat.

In this country, saying you're going to "go out and destroy [insert name of location]" means to go out and get staggeringly drunk there. Much like "paint the town red".

It can be seen as quite a laddish (or even aggressive) phrase, much like "I'd rag that 'til it bled" (which means "I'd be very happy to have sex with that woman" - in case you don't have that one either). But it isn't intended to be malicious and it certainly isn't intended to be taken as a serious threat!

 

[SonOfVoorhees]

There is free speech, you are free to say and joke about what you want, but there is also the consequences of free speech. Yes, they may have over reacted but are within there right to ban you from their country. Why dont people realise that writing something on the net, free for every one to view, is a bad idea. They could have listed it privately to just their friends only. Idiots.

 

[4RM3D]

The Daily Mail is just as bad as the Sun! (And the two often feed off each other.)

The Register and the Huffington Post are only news aggregators. One of them is re-reporting the story from the Sun, and the other is doing it from the Daily Mail.

Never heard of the Blaze before. But the key line in their article is "according to the Daily Mail". So - again - they aren't actually verifying the story themselves, just re-reporting it.

Basically, this looks like some nonsense the Sun and the Daily Mail have concocted.

(FWIW: The standard reliable UK news site is the BBC [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news].)

I see. Well, TBH, I just did a quick Google because people were disliking The Sun. But as another user has pointed out, the article has also appeared on the BBC now. Problem solved.

EDIT: I am not familiar with UK news sites. So, I don't know which are 'respectable'.

Rule of thumb: None of them.

BBC/Guardian are more truthful than the tabloids, but both have heavy biases. Al Jazeera is probably the best at the moment, but that's likely to change.

BBC, biased? Like I said, I am no expert, but I haven't heard bad things about the BBC (yet).

 

[MetalMagpie]

I see. Well, TBH, I just did a quick Google because people were disliking The Sun. But as another user has pointed out, the article has also appeared on the BBC now. Problem solved.

Yeah, I scanned the BBC article. Fuss about nothing really. I doubt the decision is serious enough to stick. The guy was using quite laddish language (which some people dislike), but he wasn't actually joking about attacking the US. He just wanted to go out and get drunk.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

BBC, biased? Like I said, I am no expert, but I haven't heard bad things about the BBC (yet).

Auntie Beeb has a whole host of skeletons in it's closet - and does report in a way more likely to be friendly to its viewers. Allegedly.

I think I'd be pushing litigation getting into details (*cough* Moira Stewart being canned for being too old *cough*), but of the UK news, it's one of the least overtly biased.

 

[MetalMagpie]

There is free speech, you are free to say and joke about what you want, but there is also the consequences of free speech. Yes, they may have over reacted but are within there right to ban you from their country. Why dont people realise that writing something on the net, free for every one to view, is a bad idea. They could have listed it privately to just their friends only. Idiots.

They probably just didn't realise people might take it that way. In "laddish" circles, the phrase "to destroy" a place means to go and get drunk there. On a similar vein, "I'm gonna destroy that woman" means to have sex with her.

 

[CheckD3]

Sighhhhhh......I'm sorry anyone who's not from the US, our country is quite fucked up.

I guess free speech only works for those who live here...plus the stuff old fucks who still don't know to learn slang or get the with the times just make things worse for everyone

 

[Thaluikhain]

Eh, well, look at it from the US security point of view.

The US spends massive amounts of money on anti-terrorism and homeland security stuff. The FBI spends more than half its budget on it, meaning common or garden crimess that actually happen all the time don't get enough resources, organised crime is on the rise again etc

So you're looking for something to do to justify yourself. Firebombing due to ideological reasons? Nah, it was abortion related, can't call it terrorism, normal police get that. Planting a bomb with shrapnel covered in anti-coagulants in a parade? Whoops, it was a MLK day parade, that's a race thing, can't call it terrorism, normal police get that.

Bunch of foreigns that don't speak proper American talk about destroying America? It's on! Finally something to do.

Also, they're British. If you remember your history, the last time Britain tried to conquer/destroy the US, they were defeated by the mighty nation of France. Nowdays, France isn't that mighty a nation, and they are friends with Britain, they even have a tunnel linking them and everything. If America doesn't take action now, they'll be made to speak English within 45 minutes.

This is serious business.

 

[Henkie36]

Well, I'll tell you. mid-summer 2011 we had some idiot who started shooting people in a shopping mall. He killed six people before he shot himself. The day after that a 17-year old tweeted that he would do it again. Police busted his door down and if I'm not mistaken he spent a few weeks in jail. This is not the sort of stuff to joke about.

Although I do have my doubts about these kind of people, secret services have to be alert. They always say it: ''Terrorists only have to get it right once. We have to be right all the time.''