Having just written obout the Abu Qatada deportation fiasco in the UK this story tells a different tale. One to the other extreme. It offers a warning I guess to those who may be looking to visit the US. Be careful what you tweet before you embark on your journey.
Watching that Sunday Night show, last night Monday February 6, yes I know but do not go there, a young couple were on the show to tell their story.
Leigh Van Bryan and Emily Bunting were looking forward to their US vacation. Excited Leigh tweeted on Twitter. Unfortunately he tweeted jokes which were taken rather seriously by US authorities. The pair were met by burly US security personnel, held for 12 hours, and then deported back to the UK. So what had the pair tweeted?
Leigh had previously tweeted about his forthcoming trip to LA, "Free this week, for quick gossip/prep before I go and destroy America?" He had also tweeted that he was going to “dig Marilyn Monroe up” which apparently is an in quote from a show.
Emily? Well Emily was asked if she was there to be his lookout whilst he dug up Marilyn. She said that she nearly burst out laughing. Well you would, wouldn't you?
The couple were held in separate cells. Their luggage was searched for spades and tools that would have been needed to dig up Ms Monroe's corpse. They were back home in the UK, gobsmacked, as quick as a flash.
Opinion: This case raises many issues and plenty of laughs. Yes the couple were probably foolish but it just shows that we should all be careful what we share with the world. We all tweet our opinions and views, often not considering who may be reading them. Obviously homeland security in America at least are tuning in. That is worrying, isn't it?
We also often forget that what is plainly seen as a joke, when we are face to face, may not be when it is seen as hard text.
Perhaps the best lesson is to think very carefully about visiting the US. They want you to be a tourist and spend money but this couple, for example, have been left seriously out of pocket. Whilst this blogger is a law abiding citizen it does make her wonder if any of her tweets may have been logged and stored for future use. That said why risk it? Choose to take your vacation elsewhere.That seems the only sensible solution.
Watching that Sunday Night show, last night Monday February 6, yes I know but do not go there, a young couple were on the show to tell their story.
Leigh Van Bryan and Emily Bunting were looking forward to their US vacation. Excited Leigh tweeted on Twitter. Unfortunately he tweeted jokes which were taken rather seriously by US authorities. The pair were met by burly US security personnel, held for 12 hours, and then deported back to the UK. So what had the pair tweeted?
Leigh had previously tweeted about his forthcoming trip to LA, "Free this week, for quick gossip/prep before I go and destroy America?" He had also tweeted that he was going to “dig Marilyn Monroe up” which apparently is an in quote from a show.
Emily? Well Emily was asked if she was there to be his lookout whilst he dug up Marilyn. She said that she nearly burst out laughing. Well you would, wouldn't you?
The couple were held in separate cells. Their luggage was searched for spades and tools that would have been needed to dig up Ms Monroe's corpse. They were back home in the UK, gobsmacked, as quick as a flash.
Opinion: This case raises many issues and plenty of laughs. Yes the couple were probably foolish but it just shows that we should all be careful what we share with the world. We all tweet our opinions and views, often not considering who may be reading them. Obviously homeland security in America at least are tuning in. That is worrying, isn't it?
We also often forget that what is plainly seen as a joke, when we are face to face, may not be when it is seen as hard text.
Perhaps the best lesson is to think very carefully about visiting the US. They want you to be a tourist and spend money but this couple, for example, have been left seriously out of pocket. Whilst this blogger is a law abiding citizen it does make her wonder if any of her tweets may have been logged and stored for future use. That said why risk it? Choose to take your vacation elsewhere.That seems the only sensible solution.
RSS Feed