Maher Arar

November 6, 2003 9:39 AM

A Canadian passes through Boston. I was pulled aside at immigration and taken to another area. Two hours later, some officials came and told me this was regular procedure -- they took my fingerprints and photographs. ... [A] man from the [US Immigration and Naturalization Service] came in and told me they wanted me to volunteer to go to Syria. I said no way. I said I wanted to go home to Canada or be sent back to Switzerland. He said to me, "you are a special interest." They asked me to sign a form. They would not let me read it, but I just signed it. I was exhausted and confused and disoriented. ... [W]e flew to Portland, to Rome, and then to Amman, Jordan. ... It was like a grave. It had no light. It was three feet wide. It was six feet deep. It was seven feet high. ... I spent 10 months, and 10 days inside that grave.
posted by Marquis (24 comments total)

Posted yesterday.
posted by orange swan at 9:44 AM on November 6, 2003

Dude!
posted by UncleFes at 9:44 AM on November 6, 2003

Oops, should have scrolled down a bit before posting.
posted by scottymac at 9:45 AM on November 6, 2003

I'm sorry, but I could just not make myself finish reading that.
Maybe I'll try again after a few drinks.
posted by crunchburger at 9:46 AM on November 6, 2003

Please take a look at this post from November 5th (i.e. yesterday).
posted by anastasiav at 9:46 AM on November 6, 2003

Boston? Wasn't he detained in NYC?

</pileonMarquis>
posted by Johnny Assay at 9:49 AM on November 6, 2003

What, AGAIN? This guy has the worst luck!
posted by mr_crash_davis at 9:50 AM on November 6, 2003

read mefi much?
posted by quonsar at 9:51 AM on November 6, 2003

I spent 2 seconds inside that search engine...it was like a grave. It had no light.
posted by drinkcoffee at 9:51 AM on November 6, 2003

fuckfuckfuck. sorry! (this is why i opposed the removal of thread-comment searching [a search on Maher Arar returned no results]. but i should have scrutinised the front page much better, obviously.) pile away.
posted by Marquis at 9:52 AM on November 6, 2003

What, AGAIN? This guy has the worst luck!

Well, that pretty much made the thread worth it.
posted by Cyrano at 9:58 AM on November 6, 2003

What, AGAIN? This guy has the worst luck!

Thanks you mr_crash_davis for the best laugh of a very long day!!
posted by kenaman at 10:05 AM on November 6, 2003

Honest mistake I think. Yesterdays article had no mention of Canadian, deported, Syria, USA, INS, or myriad other thing you might have searched on.

If ones pattern matching didn't pick up on his last name and you don't have time to read every posting you could miss yesterdays easily. I often wish posters would be a little less clever. Postings like yesterdays and others like:
You want me to stick what, where? [via Gizmodo]) OR
This is the coolest flash animation I've seen in a while...

Don't give you much idea of what is being linked let alone being easily searchable.
posted by Mitheral at 10:19 AM on November 6, 2003

What, AGAIN? This guy has the worst luck!
Mr_crash_davis for President. Damned funny.
posted by Outlawyr at 10:29 AM on November 6, 2003

i agree mitheral.
posted by centrs at 10:34 AM on November 6, 2003

I often wish posters would be a little less clever. Postings like yesterdays and others like:
You want me to stick what, where? [via Gizmodo])

Hey, if you're going to pile-on me at least you can do it in the comments to my post! ;-)
posted by anathema at 10:38 AM on November 6, 2003

Ok mitheral, but it would take the fun out of some posts (like anathema's), no?
posted by tr33hggr at 10:47 AM on November 6, 2003

pike!
posted by shoepal at 10:58 AM on November 6, 2003

Metafilter: What, AGAIN?
posted by sigma7 at 11:25 AM on November 6, 2003

This thread just went stern up. We're slipping beneath the waves.
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 11:30 AM on November 6, 2003

:::strikes up "Nearer, My God, to Thee" on the kazoo:::
posted by Johnny Assay at 11:38 AM on November 6, 2003

I for one welcome our new double-posting overlords.

Can you imagine a Beowulf cluster of double posts?

1. Get deported and tortured
2. Double post about it
3. ???????
4. Profit!
posted by Ryvar at 11:40 AM on November 6, 2003

A movement pass through my bowel.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 11:47 AM on November 6, 2003

Well put mr._crash_davis, LOL.

Here I was thinking, Ottawa does seem a little behind the times. Their article was only published today? No wonder the country's in the shits.
posted by alicesshoe at 11:56 AM on November 6, 2003