Abdur-Rahim Jackson's islamic sounding name gave him problems at Ben-Gurion airport.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldne ... -them.html

On the one hand, I think this is appalling; on the other hand, I understand the Israelis' point-of-view.

An AP story on the subject includes an interview with Jackson. The Boston Globe was among the papers printing the article: US dancer decries treatment by Israelis

The SF Bay Area papers printed this too, but you all beat me to it. Methinks this story proves that airport security people are jerks no matter what country you are in.

What possisble Israeli "point of view" could justify such racist treatment on the part of Israeli airport authorities? If Jackson had been a surgeon instead of a dancer, what drill would they have chosen to put him through to vet his credentials? This is eight counts away from what happened at Abu Graib IMHO.

I suspect that incidents such as these are more the fault of an over-zealous, power-hungry, under-educated, peon security agent than an actual policy put in place by airport authorities.

Salzberg wrote:

"On the one hand, I think this is appalling; on the other hand, I understand the Israelis' point-of-view."

Pity he wasn't a violinist and then they could have asked him to play his fiddle.

They certainly would have made certain that the violin was, indeed, a musical instrument, containing nothing other than air.

Having one's children blown apart in pizza parlors does that to one.

Having their citizens murdered, for no reason other than that they breathe.

Actually Jeff, I was thinking back to the related episode of a Jewish violinist stopped at a checkpoint in the Warsaw ghetto.

Refresh my memory, Stuart; was there a long track record of Polish Jewish terrorists murdering German children for no reason other than that they were German?

The sad fact is that Palestinian terrorists often don disguises in order to gain access to their victims. Israeli security is within their rights to -- indeed, would be irresponsible not to -- ascertain that people are who they claim to be.

To be fair, any country has the right to do that.

Apparently, not Israel. The UN has labeled Israel's defending its citizens as "brutal oppression".

This will change, but only briefly, as soon as the terrorists commit another large-scale atrocity.


A story:

I wasn't there, but I'm told that on November 22, 1963, the evening newscaster on the radio station in the town in which I later went to college announced:

"President Kennedy was assassinated today in Dallas," and then, without pausing for breath, continued:

"The price of hogs. . . ."

No indication that this was an event of cataclysmic dimension. No acknowledgment that the world would be forever changed. No sign that something very horrible had occurred. Just:

"President Kennedy was assassinated today in Dallas."

...And then. . . .

"The price of hogs. . . ."


Recently, in Mumbai, religious extremists carried out murderous attacks. People of many religions were killed: Hindus, Christians, Muslims. . . .

...But only one of the targeted sites was specifically affiliated with a single religion: the Chabad Jewish center.

As with Munich in 1972, the rest of the world bemoaned the tragedy. They said how terrible it was.


...And then. . . .

"The price of hogs. . . ."

This topic was temporarily locked. I've unlocked it now so that those who might wish to continue the discussion -- as it applies to dance -- may do so.

This, of course, applies to me, too.

Not sure how I'd prove I'm a lighting designer -- I'm pretty sure they wouldn't let me boot up the laptop to show them plots and paperwork, nor would they even know what those things are. I suppose they could do a web search and see my credits, but I doubt they'd do that, either.