Want to know how to score yourself a lifetime ban from the United States? Luke Angel could tell you.
About a month ago the 17-year-old got drunk and high then fired off an angry email at America’s 44th president. The precise nature of the email is unclear, what is known is that Angel called President Obama a prick. The FBI got involved and young Luke was declared persona non grata.
While it has been widely reported that Angel was banned from the U.S. simply for calling the president a prick, there seems to have been more to the email than a simple invective. Luke explained to Bedfordshire on Sunday that he sent the email after watching conspiracy theory programs about 9/11 and that he had been researching the Illuminati. The “prick” part was what he remembered writing, but Luke conceded that it was likely that he had been more abusive.
Sarah Wilkinson, a spokeswoman from Bedfordshire Police, explained:
The individual had sent an email to the White House which was full of abusive and threatening language.
We were informed by the Metropolitan Police and so we went round to see him.
“He said ‘oh dear’ it was me.”
He was told that he wouldn’t be able to go to America.
Police accepted that it was just a case of a boy being silly and added that there were no criminal charges laid over the email.
Angel expressed his thoughts the situation to Bedfordshire on Sunday:
I don’t really care. My parents aren’t very happy about it.
The police who came round took my picture and told me I was banned from America forever.
At risk of sounding mean, if Luke’s picture is anything to go by, the good folks in the U.S. of A. probably aren’t going to miss him.
I guess they will have to ban 1/2 the people in Europe who did the same to George W. Bush. So much for the champion of individual rights and defender of the constitution, Barack Obama. Free speech is fine with him as long as you are glorifying him and agreeing with him. Otherwise, shut up.
I don’t think Barack Obama had anything to do with the decision. The FBI made a judgment call based on what was in the letter – threatening language, etc. and decided that they didn’t need to take a risk on letting the guy into the country.
Yes, the kid was probably being stupid and was not signaling that he was intent on causing the President harm, but what has he done to deserve the benefit of the doubt? Take all the politics out of it – the young man used threatening and abusive language to address a head of state. It is as good a reason as any to ban someone from a country.
I guess they will have to ban 1/2 the people in Europe who did the same to George W. Bush. So much for the champion of individual rights and defender of the constitution, Barack Obama. Free speech is fine with him as long as you are glorifying him and agreeing with him. Otherwise, shut up.
I don’t think Barack Obama had anything to do with the decision. The FBI made a judgment call based on what was in the letter – threatening language, etc. and decided that they didn’t need to take a risk on letting the guy into the country.
Yes, the kid was probably being stupid and was not signaling that he was intent on causing the President harm, but what has he done to deserve the benefit of the doubt? Take all the politics out of it – the young man used threatening and abusive language to address a head of state. It is as good a reason as any to ban someone from a country.
i doubt he is really banned
No he is, once you’re on the watch list you don’t get off. His name will appear at immigration when they check his passport. They always know everything about your background at those things. He’s banned.