Of Coasters and American Idiots

[marguerite_krux]

Ezydvd is selling BSG themed coasters along with the fourth season part 1 dvd set. Any ol' gimmick just to make a sale, huh?

I'm obsessed, but in a more fangirly way that means I'd totally buy it for coasters with Mary McDonnell on them, but random insignia? Does not rock my world. Try pictures of pretty people, advertising execs, it's not that hard to figure it out.

They have no problem using Six as the cover art model. Why is it always Six, on her own, or one of a few? Haven't they figured out BSG is an ensemble show? Roslin's never been on the cover [Australian, anyway], damn it.

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In other news, AMERICA SUCKS. A lot. My grandmother got a letter from Celine Keil, a friend of the family, saying her husband, Joe, was arrested by the Immigrations Customs Enforcement in Missouri. Apparently his crime was illegally procuring and travelling with a US passport- listen to this 'logic'; because he had both a Samoan and American passport, one of them HAD TO BE FAKE. Now, Samoa is a lovely tolerant country, it doesn't mind you being a citizen of other countries- I think I still have my own Samoan passport somewhere, although I had to give up my Fijian passport when I turned 18 and chose to retain my Australian citizenship. Dual citizenship is not unheard of, it's hardly a rare phenomenon. Joe has some American ancestors, which is why he was acknowledged as an American citizen, given a US passport and then he SERVED IN THE FRAKKING US AIR FORCE FOR FOUR YEARS. So he was good enough for them then.

But after 40 years of travelling through the US with that passport, suddenly the immigrations people decide to forcibly arrest him, making a humiliating scene in public; they didn't even have a warrant for his arrest or for searching and seizing his possessions, but no, that didn't stop them from putting him in a prison jumpsuit and chains  and shackles and LOCKING HIM UP FOR NINE DAYS. He wasn't even allowed visits from his family for a week.

What makes this awful story even worse? He's the Chief Negotiatior for the Pacific Islands, he's a DIPLOMAT returning home from a mission in Europe, and he showed them his diplomatic credentials which according to the Vienna Convention is supposed to offer diplomats protection and safe passage, but no, they take his credentials away and imprison him for no good reason. The guy hasn't committed a violent crime like rape or murder but he gets the death row prisoner star treatment with chains and all.

After nine days, he's finally out, albeit on bail and having to post a $10,000 bond. His personal effects are missing- passports, licence, social security card- and he's told he can't leave Missouri. Talk about adding insult to injury. Frakking idiots. Rather than getting an apology, he's facing court for a crime a 5 year old could tell he didn't commit!

Seriously, WTF?

Comments

[alyssa22.livejournal.com]

WTH? When I travel overseas, I take both my British and Australian passports. The fact that this happened makes me very nervous... maybe I should just take one in future...

[borg-princess.livejournal.com]

It's best to just use one, I guess. I never thought it would be a problem before, but with everyone on heightened alert these days, anything could be taken as a threat, you know? It was hilarious when my family was travelling together- my grandmother and my cousin are both Annie Meredith and when we were going through the checkout, there was some major hassle going on because the airport people were like, wtf, why are there two people with the same name going through?! OMGTERRORISM! >_<

But yeah, I think racial profiling is alive and well- Joe's got a mixed background, I think there's like German and Chinese mixed in there with his Samoan, so you know, he LOOKS like a suspicious foreigner from some country no one's really heard of

'Samoa? Is that the same as Fiji?'.
'Oh, yeah, totally, except for having a different language, different customs and traditions, different history altogether...'

Whereas a little blonde blue-eyed harmless looking female from Australia or another friendly country might not trigger any overzealous action. :P

[alyssa22.livejournal.com]

Samoa? The same as Fiji? Hahaha. OMG. The ignorance of some people astounds me.

They really don't know anything outside their own country, do they?

[sapphs.livejournal.com]

Ok I'll have to pre-order BSG now *le sigh*

Also? If he has diplomatic credentials that actually include immunity (not all of them do) then he needs to get consulate on their asses and bust them down for absolutely everything - no warrant for starters!

[borg-princess.livejournal.com]

he needs to get consulate on their asses and bust them down for absolutely everything - no warrant for starters!


I KNOW, RIGHT? But because he was using his American passport *headdesks* and provided his diplomatic credentials second, there's some loophole that means they get to toss him in jail anyway. Ugh. I guess he figured he's a citizen of America, he served in their Air Force, he's one of the good guys and he's travelling on personal business to visit family so why use the diplomatic thing, yeah? It sucks so badly.

And before he can bust their asses, he needs to PROVE HIS FRAKKING INNOCENCE first. I don't know when his court case is, but his life is on hold til he can show he had a right to use his own passport. Freaks.

Ok I'll have to pre-order BSG now *le sigh*

Hee, their ploy succeeded! I get so irritated sometimes, it's like, I can see right through your transparent attempts to sway me into purchasing something from your store but damn it, that's a cool incentive and I might just succumb despite my cynicism. But a friend of mine gave me an IOU for BSG season 4 and I'm not allowed to buy it myself...I think she was planning on getting it through ebay, but...they're not going to include the coasters, are they? *pouts*