4 replies to this topic

[questionmark]

www.nytimes.com said:

Everything seemed set for the American debut last month of Pitingo, the rising young flamenco singing star: the Grand Ballroom at Manhattan Center had been booked, tickets and program prepared, a publicity budget spent, nonrefundable airline tickets purchased. But when he went to the United States Embassy in Madrid to pick up his visa, he learned that his name was on the "no fly" list.

Embassy officials knew that Pitingo, whose real name is Antonio Manuel Álvarez Vélez, is not a terrorist, and that the real target was someone else who shared his very common name.

Read more...

  
How was that? Who gives up a little liberty for a little security will loose a lot of entertainment?

Edited by questionmark, 11 April 2012 - 02:57 PM.

[OverSword]

On the up-side, I doubt if most of the people on this site would purchase a ticket to see him.

[questionmark]

OverSword, on 11 April 2012 - 03:03 PM, said:

On the up-side, I doubt if most of the people on this site would purchase a ticket to see him.

It is not only him, whole orchestras will not come because they claim that somebody is on a non-flight list. Some classical assembles don't even bother to try anymore.

[OverSword]

Well thank goodness homeland security is defending us from these vicious musicians.  I feel safer already.

[Taun]

OverSword, on 11 April 2012 - 04:35 PM, said:

Well thank goodness homeland security is defending us from these vicious musicians.  I feel safer already.

Hey!  Have you ever seen what a Flamenco Dancer can do with his shoes?...

I feel much safer now!  Homeland Security is just another government agency/department that has grown cancer like to occupy all available space...

HS should be downsized drastically and then the role it SHOULD have been filling all along... serving as the advisory board to help local law enforcement/Security forces to protect the public, by standardizing processes, assiting in acquiring resources and coordinating data...  The FBI/NSA should identify the possible threats, HS should ensure the info is diseminated and support the local LE agencies (Police, Security, etc) in screening/protecting...  A HUGE savings in the budget - and probably a much safer public as well...


All that aside - perhaps all he needs to do is to show that he is not the guy they banned...

edit: my bad - he's a singer not a dancer... oh well...

Edited by Taun, 11 April 2012 - 04:51 PM.