ASIS Director-General Nick Warner cops Mem Fox treatment at US border

[blogslut]

Source: Financial Review

Children's writer Mem Fox made headlines last week as a victim of Donald Trump's tyrannical tightening of the United States borders, having been detained at LAX en route to a conference. Turns out Tony Abbott was right – there is such a thing as a suppository of all wisdom! Presumably it was a random check and customs officials weren't discriminating against her just because she's married to a convicted sex offender. "The treatment of people in that room while I was there, which I observed, made me ashamed," she said.

But if the Possum Magic author feels cheesed by her "terrifying ordeal", spare a thought for Nick Warner, the Director-General of the Australian Secret Intelligence Service. You'd think being the top government spy of a staunch US ally – travelling on a diplomatic passport – would spare you the latex welcome, but no. Not even. Warner got the full treatment last month at LAX arrivals, transferring for meetings in the capital (including, you'd safely assume, at Langley, Virginia). Could you imagine the uproar in Washington if John Brennan or Meroe Park copped a solid frisking at Tullamarine? Yeah right – as if they'd even countenance the indignity of flying commercial!

Read more: http://www.afr.com/brand/rear-window/asis-directorgeneral-nick-warner-cops-mem-fox-treatment-at-us-border-20170304-guqo0z

---

<head/desk>

[BumRushDaShow]

1. "Could you imagine the uproar in Washington"

It's coming...

I remember when Shrub started implementing the passport (or passport card) requirement at the Canadian and Mexican borders to enter/re-enter the U.S. (where previously a driver's license was sufficient) and the "retaliation" was swift.

[matt819]

2. I've said this before - there's a solution to this

If our erstwhile (former?) allies have the balls for it, they need to do the same to American travelers.

Writers, politicians, government officials, business people. Whatever. Given them the same treatment.

Make sure that Americans have "special" immigration/customs lanes that slow them all down with these inquiries, friskings, interrogations. Hell, arbitrarily turn some of them around. Make sure they miss their meetings and conferences. Starting today. This can't be all that difficult.

[FakeNoose]

4. They don't have to retaliate, because it's not happening to them

The Brits, the Germans, the Canadians, pretty much anyone from Europe - those visitors are being treated hospitably at our borders. So why would they retaliate and treat Americans rudely or inhospitably? They want us to come and spend money in their countries.

We're mistreating people from countries where most Americans never go, unless they're on military duty. For the most part those countries are already inhospitable to us in return. Who would go to Iran, Pakistan, Yemen or Iraq if they didn't have to?

[matt819]

5. But they're not

The head of the Australian intelligence service was detained. And we've all seen stories of other allies being treated badly.

It's only going to get worse. ABC there's just so much sand to go around for sticking theirs heads in.

[roamer65]

3. They need to do it to Dump or Dense.