Hi everyone, I hope you’re all well.
So, last week, there was a little bit of somewhat alarming activity at the US border.
And for once, we’re not talking about Mexico.
We’re talking about LAX; or Los Angeles International Airport, for anyone who doesn’t
know.
Generally, people who come through LAX are entering the country legally.
And the instance I’m talking about involved two people who were very much attempting to
enter the USA legally.
I’m talking, of course, about Australian YouTubers Sydney Watson and Avi Yemini.
For those who don’t know; Sydney is an Australian-American conservative commentator and journalist, who
famously and commendably organised the March for Men last year.
She was, of course, slagged off by Australian feminist demagogue Clementine Ford for doing
this because how dare Sydney care about men…so she and I had a joint crack at Clementine
on Twitter for her troubles.
Because conservative women, unlike feminists, actually like each other, rather than having
self-esteem that’s so low they rely on other women being even more insecure than they are
in order to feel even slightly good about themselves.
Avi is Jewish and notably pro-Israel.
As such he calls himself an Ozraeli, and is noted for his criticism of the big bad “I-word”,
which has made him a favourite target for virtue-signalling regressive leftists everywhere.
Like Comedy Central’s Jim Jefferies, who recently blatantly defamed Avi in an interview
by making him look like a white supremacist
This
was despite the fact that the interview was filmed months ago, so obviously had zero to
do with what happened in New Zealand.
But because it was convenient for their narrative, Comedy Central decided to fabricate a bit
of fake news by tying the interview and the incident together.
Never let the truth get in the way of a good story.
Now Avi, sensible man, had the presence of mind to do what literally every single conservative
personality nowadays should always do when filming anything that isn’t live, and secretly
filmed the entire interview on his phone.
So, not only was he able to prove that Comedy Central had not only taken him out of context,
but chopped and changed his answers around, he was also able to reveal this
Now, whether Jim Jefferies made those comments to get a rise out of Avi and encourage him
to say inflammatory things, or because he actually means them which would be very awkward
given his branding, I don’t know.
Either way, the raw footage was a rip-roaring and very embarrassing expose of Jim Jefferies
and Comedy Central.
Avi needless to say made sure this remained in the internet cultural news cycle for weeks,
releasing the footage bit by bit in order to get the word out.
Nevertheless, Comedy Central and Jim Jefferies have made zero comment on the issue, and have
instead tried to shut down anyone who talks about it.
Typical lefties.
Which is how we get to Sydney, Avi, and what happened at LAX.
Avi had planned a trip to the USA to, among other things, confront Jim Jefferies and Comedy
Central about their behaviour, with Sydney accompanying him to conduct some on the ground
journalism.
This was obviously promoted and made very public, and of course Comedy Central would
have heard about it.
Anyway, long story short; when they arrived at LAX and scanned their passports, they were
both detained and questioned not by ICE or any kind of border protection specific organisation,
but the FBI.
FBI agents were literally waiting at the airport for them, not because either of them has a
history of violence or criminal record, but because Comedy Central had made a complaint
to the FBI that Avi was coming into the USA and they feared for their safety while he
and presumably Sydney were there.
Because this looks like a hardened criminal, amirite?
So what evidence did Comedy Central use to prove that Avi’s agenda was to raze them
to the ground?
Well, it turns out, not much.
Except for this photo, which was taken when Avi was in the military, but Comedy Central
felt it could mean he wanted to obtain guns and hurt them.
Anyway, after being detained for 15 hours, Avi was eventually deported.
Not because the FBI decided he was a credible threat, quite
the contrary.
The deportation was because of a technicality on his visa application, a mistake he’d
made which rendered the document null and void.
He was told the process was to go back to Australia and apply for a visa, which would
presumably get approved.
Now, whether that was actually the case for his deportation, or whether the FBI was just
looking for an excuse to get rid of him, we don’t know.
That will be revealed when Avi launches his new application, pending whether it’s approved,
which is should be, or its denied for some obscure reason.
We shall see.
Either way, whether directly or indirectly, Comedy Central was responsible for him getting
kicked out of the USA, simply because they are refusing to face the fact that they messed
up big time, and are being held accountable.
So where was Sydney through all of this?
Well, she was interrogated by the FBI as well, separately from Avi, for a few hours, which
started when she scanned her American passport instead of her Australian one.
This was because until recently, she had not renewed her US passport, she is a dual citizen,
so her Aussie passport was the only one she could actually use.
Nevertheless, this sudden switch in passports was the excuse used by border officials to
call her into the interrogation room.
She doesn’t believe was actually the reason they flagged her, and neither do I, particularly
given the line of questioning she was eventually subjected to.
It is far more likely that Comedy Central, given the publicity surrounding Avi’s tour,
gave both his and her name to the FBI, since they knew she would be travelling with him.
So even though they scanned through their passports separately, authorities were still
able to ping both of them, which was, I think, probably the FBI’s intention from the start.
Anyway, once they realised they couldn’t get her for anything, and also given the fact
she is a US citizen, they had to let her go.
But since they hadn’t let Avi go, she had to wait at LAX for another six or so hours
I think with no information, no way of obtaining information, and nobody to help her, all the
while lugging three bags around and missing her connecting flight.
LAX is the place dreams go to die at the best of times.
It’s a horrible place, the staff there are notoriously rude and aggressive, which is
understandable given the nature of their workplace, and the default position of everyone is “I
am not going to help you”.
Getting assistance there is like trying to squeeze blood out of a stone.
I’ve been at LAX travelling alone a number of times, it is a nightmare to navigate when
you’re having a good trip, so holy wow, I just feel so sorry for Sydney having to
deal with that.
I really hope she’s starting to feel better.
Now, the point Sydney makes, is that this incident sets quite a dangerous precedent
There is a distinct possibility that Comedy Central’s success in getting Avi kicked
out of the USA will embolden other media outlets or left wing organisations to do the same
or similar for other people who criticise them.
It’s important to remember here that whatever you think of Avi, he has done absolutely nothing
wrong in this situation.
It is Avi who was defamed by Jim Jeffries and Comedy Central.
All he did was turn up for an interview, and they ignored all his requests for protocol,
and knowingly behaved in a way that was totally unscrupulous and showed a complete lack of
integrity and just basic professionalism.
But instead of defending themselves with words, they’re going to extreme lengths to shut
down any discussion of what happened, which, honestly, probably indicates that they are
fully aware they are in an indefensible position.
I’ve linked both Avi and Sydney’s videos in the description, I encourage you to watch
them both.
Also, take note of the fact that they both said they are not complaining about border
security, or the fact the authorities were thorough.
They are both proponents of strong borders and strict immigration policy, as am.
Of course if the FBI gets a complaint like that, they have to investigate, and they have
to assume the worst.
It is vital that a nation has strong borders, and that potential threats are taken seriously...although
in this case, these two people are definitely not potential threats.
The point is that we have now seen the extent an organisation like Comedy Central will go
to in order to deflect any criticism, however justified.
As Sydney said, it leaves the door wide open for other organisations to do the same.
On a slightly brighter note; Sydney and I are both speaking at the Friedman Conference
this year, which is an international Libertarian event and the largest freedom-focussed conference
in the Southern Hemisphere.
It’s from the 23 to 27 May in Sydney, I encourage anyone who is able to attend, it
is a really fun event.
I’ve put the link in the description, along with a code you can use to book tickets, which
should work, if it doesn’t, you can just book tickets normally.
I’m looking forward to hanging out with Sydney in May, and I hope to see some of you
there as well!