A friend flew to the US and joked by saying the bomb is in the hold bag - they were sent straight back on the next plane home by US customs and barred from returning to the US - was that reasonable do you think?
by 
Yanstari
ANSWERS: 13
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Yes, with all the terrorist around these days it is a complete horror to joke about it.
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Absolutely...what a fool. It is posted everywhere in airports that any type of remark about bombs will be taken seriously, and the consequences of such behaviour are listed. No room for jokes like that in airports these days!! Your friend was lucky that he wasn't detained and charged.
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Not a very bright person. Yes, send them back. Terror is nothing to be joked about.
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How stupid was that. Has he not herd of 9/11. I say that's one less idiot that the US needs to worry about.
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What an idiot! Send him home and never let him return!!!
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I'm sorry to say that I think your friend is not smart enough to fly. Maybe barring him to return to the US is a little extreme, but I guess it's the price to pay for stupidity.
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Even prior to September 11, 2001, it was very plain that one should not joke about a bomb or a hijack in an airport or on an airplane. When I shipped out of to Ft. Benning for basic training we were briefed on behavior that was not acceptable, and joking about bombs and hijacks was specifically mentioned. This idiot should have been kicked out of the country, just after a few weeks in jail and paying an nice hefty fine.
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He should have said it in Russia to see what would have happened.
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This is absolutely standard practice. If taken seriously, it can cause a huge amount of wasted time and effort, and some genuinely unpleasant moments for people who think, however wrongly, that they are risking their lives with a real bomb. If not taken seriously, it is "Crying wolf", and does the terrorists work by reducing the alertness of the security staff, making it easier to sneak a real bomb in. As well as being sent home, he has probably also got a five-year "keep out" as well - and thoroughly deserved. Airport security, cumbersome and irritating as it may be, is real life-and-death stuff. And you don't joke with life-and-death systems.
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You put your humor on hold when doing the Airport thing. Now they are on a list I am sure will be tough to get off of. Bonehead.
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In isolation, no it's not fair...... but come, on how stupid do you have to be to joke about things like that around Americans?
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No, it wasn't a reasonable penalty (the 5 year banning). If he was genuinely a terrorist, he should have been arrested and investigated properly. If he was not a terrorist, but merely too stupid to know when to stop being clever, he should have gotten a lesser but still painful penalty. But everyone knows that the CBP lacks any sense of humor on this topic, and rightly so. They're not famous for issuing justice, they're famous for saying "go home". He must have been pretty dense not to know that. On the topic of his banning, though -- he can appeal that to the State Department, and I think there's a reasonable chance they will override the local CBP. However, he won't be able to enter on a visa waiver, he'll need to apply for a proper visa to return to the U.S.
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No, I think it was reasonable. Who could possibly say something like that on a plane or in an airport and then be angry when they are punished severely? Of course he should be allowed to return to the US but only after going through some paperwork. Your friend reminds me of a friend I used to have that loved to do the most inappropriate and stupid things just to see what would happen. When it affects other people, it's inconsiderate and should be punished.
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