American student Lily Sussman, 21, likely has a new appreciation for our TSA personnel after encountering the Israel Border Police. Israeli officers allegedly interrogated her after she entered Israel via Taba, Egypt two weeks ago and ended up shooting her Apple laptop computer. It appears that the Border Police are PC people.
Sussman says that officers demanded to know about any boyfriends and whether they were Palestinian or Arab. She was asked why she was visiting Arab areas and not Israel. They went through her personal photos and her personal journal. They then shot her Apple Mac computer. As a Mac user, I find this last point deeply disturbing. It is one thing to shoot a PC (which deserve whatever they get), but a Mac? That is over the top. Of course, given the difficulty that I had getting the warranty honored on my IPhone (here — they eventually did replace the phone), I think that Sussman may have some difficulty at the Apple store when she asks a “Mac genius” to look at problems that she is having with the laptop.
If I were the border patrol, I would be much more concerned about Steve Jobs than any Jihadi. Jobs is known to show no mercy when people mess with the Mac (here).
Sussman said that she was given no warning about the computer execution until a voice came over the public announcement system that said “Do not to be alarmed by gunshots because the Israeli security needs to blow up suspicious passenger luggage.”
She says that an officer then came up to her and said “I’m sorry but we had to blow up your laptop.”
That certainly makes TSA look a look more reasonable.
While Israel obviously faces more severe threats from terrorism than we do, this story is one of many concerning abuses by border personnel. There appears to be no limits or restrictions or balancing in these decisions by border personnel. There has also been no record of a formal objection from our embassy on the treatment of one of our citizens.
For her account on her blog, click here.
For the full story, click here
Carlyle, unfortunately you’re right!
Of course the U.S. makes sure that the IDF have an unlimited supply of weapons and munitions and the means to deliver them.
When Israel is eventually charged with war crimes, the U.S. must be charged as an accessory!
Mespo,
A picture of Glenn Beck would be grounds for any border patrol to take appropriate action.
David G
“At least while they’re shooting laptops, they’re not shooting Palestinian children!”.
I think Israel has plenty of bullets left for Palestinian children.
Obviously the Israeli border guards recognized that this girl was hostile to Israel and a sympathiser with Palestianian terrorists. Guite rightly they punished her by killing her laptop.
From my understanding, the girl was told to leave her bag outside while she was being reviewed by the border cops. leaving an unattended bag outside, particularly at a border point, is a huge no-no. Of course, this seems like the left hand not knowing what the right hand was doing and one of the other border guards saw the bag was unattended and saw to it to make sure it wasn’t a bomb so he had had one of the bomb-robots put a few bullets in it. AT least that’s the impression i’m getting.
At least while they’re shooting laptops, they’re not shooting Palestinian children!
Well, at the time of shots fired! it was a good thing it was not on the top of any lap…
Really…be honest, folks. Who HASN’T wanted to do this to their computer at one time or another?
This is the third account of border patrol officers acting like thugs I have seen in as many weeks; Canadian, Israeli and US.
For those of you that didn’t see this one:
“Dr Peter Watts, Canadian science fiction writer, beaten and arrested at US border”
(Of course, he was charged with assaulting a federal officer thought he and his witness say that he did not.)
“But now Peter faces a felony rap for “assaulting a federal officer” (Peter and the witness in the car say he didn’t do a thing, and I believe them). Defending this charge will cost a fortune, and an inadequate defense could cost Peter his home, his livelihood and his liberty.”
http://www.boingboing.net/2009/12/11/dr-peter-watts-canad.html
It looks like a very dangerous laptop …
“I’m sorry but we had to blow up your laptop.”
When I read quotes, I like to imagine what the person making the statement would have sounded like. the only voice that pops into my head has an Indian accent.
Damn you tech support!
I understand that the screen saver was a head shot of Glenn Beck, and confronted with that visage I think the soldier’s actions are justifiable under the Doctrines of Military Necessity or Proportionality of Response.
I bet ol’ William Tell could have done a cleaner job with his crossbow…
So, we have border patrol folks aggressively and belligerently interogating and demeaning an American citizen while entering Israel. The woman who, judging solely from her name, might well even be Jewish. One doesn’t have to wonder for long how a Palestinian might be treated by these thugs on any given day for any or no reason.
And this would have been one time when a taser would have been the weapon of choice!
I wonder if that’s covered under AppleCare?
I hear Justin Long wants out of his contract.
Given enough time, TSA employees will be just as bad, probably worse.
Just more religious intolerance.
Go Linux.
One Bad Apple.