For years, Bush officials and their supporters equated opposition to their foreign policies with support for the terrorists and a general hatred of and desire to harm the US. During the Obama presidency, many Democratic partisans have adopted the same lowly tactic with vigor.
[...]
Imran Khan is, according to numerous polls, the most popular politician in Pakistan and may very well be that country's next Prime Minister. He is also a vehement critic of US drone attacks on his country, vowing to order them shot down if he is Prime Minister and leading an anti-drone protest march last month.
On Saturday, Khan boarded a flight from Canada to New York in order to appear at a fundraising lunch and other events. But before the flight could take off, US immigration officials removed him from the plane and detained him for two hours, causing him to miss the flight. On Twitter, Khan reported that he was "interrogated on [his] views on drones" and then added: "My stance is known. Drone attacks must stop." He then defiantly noted: "Missed flight and sad to miss the Fundraising lunch in NY but nothing will change my stance."
The State Department acknowledged Khan's detention and said: "The issue was resolved. Mr Khan is welcome in the United States."
Glenn Greewald
[...]
Imran Khan is, according to numerous polls, the most popular politician in Pakistan and may very well be that country's next Prime Minister. He is also a vehement critic of US drone attacks on his country, vowing to order them shot down if he is Prime Minister and leading an anti-drone protest march last month.
On Saturday, Khan boarded a flight from Canada to New York in order to appear at a fundraising lunch and other events. But before the flight could take off, US immigration officials removed him from the plane and detained him for two hours, causing him to miss the flight. On Twitter, Khan reported that he was "interrogated on [his] views on drones" and then added: "My stance is known. Drone attacks must stop." He then defiantly noted: "Missed flight and sad to miss the Fundraising lunch in NY but nothing will change my stance."
The State Department acknowledged Khan's detention and said: "The issue was resolved. Mr Khan is welcome in the United States."
Glenn Greewald
After we jerk him around enough to show everybody who's boss.
Customs and immigration officials refused to comment except to note that "our dual mission is to facilitate travel in the United States while we secure our borders, our people, and our visitors from those that would do us harm like terrorists and terrorist weapons, criminals, and contraband," and added that the burden is on the visitor "to demonstrate that they are admissible" and "the applicant must overcome all grounds of inadmissibility."
Apparently, being opposed to our drone strikes in your country makes you suspect.
Greenwald also points out that a similar fate was met by Shahzad Akbar - a Pakistani lawyer who represents drone victims in lawsuits against the US. He was initiallly denied entry but an international backlash pressured the US into reversing that decision. Muhammad Danish Qasim, a Pakistani student who created a film about the effects of drone strikes on the Pakistani people, won the Audience Award for Best International Film at the 2012 National Film Festival For Talented Youth but could not go to Seattle to receive that award because he was denied permission to enter the US.
These folks ought to be very careful. We have two words for them: disposition matrix.
PS: Read here a thoughtful response to Obama's drone joke: http://open.salon.com/blog/libbyliberalnyc/2012/06/12/obamas_two_words_for_us_predator_drones
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