Homeland Security: Keeping America Safe... from Australians

"I can bet if I were a wealthy Australian with $40,000 in the bank to inject into the economy and my own house, this never would've have happened." So says Daniel, an Australian citizen who came to the U.S. for the first time early this month, and found himself in a detention center in Michigan, suspected as a terrorist. He'd saved up for the trip, did plenty of research, and finally made the journey. But when he arrived, he was pulled aside by Homeland Security officers and interrogated for four hours about miniscule details of his life -- emails long ago when he considered legal ways to work in the U.S., an FBI hat in his bag, and, most importantly, a friend's joke on MySpace about how he shouldn't pack a boxcutter. Ultimately he was handcuffed, questioned, endured invasive bodily searches, was sent to Dearborn and then home; he's now banned from travel to the U.S. Here's his story, in two parts. I haven't verified it, but his presentation seems straightforward, earnest and credible.

Thanks for the tip, Wirro Wort.