www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Not sure if this in the right category, but I'll try it here.

I would appreciate some help. First some background. I'm mid 50's and single. I'm a normal guy just having fun seeing legal age women why I also tour other countries. began travelling to tour and see girls in the obvious countries about five years ago. I've now been to many southeast Asian countries topped by my visits to Thailand about 8-9 times.

After my first trip to Thailand, I did a dumb thing and talked to an undercover cop in the San Fran Bay area posing as a street walker. I pleaded down and was convicted of disturbing the peace. So, the second time I returned from Thailand I was sent to secondary screening and given the third degree. They asked all about every note I ad, etc and and kept me for an hour or more, etc. I did have some notes about women and bars, etc. But no pics since don't take girl pics at all.

The following trips out of SFO I was only sent to secondary screening once and the past three or four trips not once at all.

I just returned for the first time from CR and flew Frontier through Denver where I just got through with being sent to secondary screening and given the third degree again. Tons of questions and searches and asking about every single piece of paper, etc. I purposely try and get rid of everything about girls for that purpose....

So... I need some help. are they screening me at secondary screening because of a past disturbing the peace conviction I plead down?? Is it because Im single and travelling alone? is it just Denver airport? I'm to the point where I don't even know if I want to travel to see girls anymore....

Any advice given will be gently appreciated!!

I'm no homeland security / immigration expert, but the CBP guys at the airports have a new system that ties together a number of LE, Intel and USCIS databases together very rapidly. I just saw this in action at FLL last Monday... it was their first day with the "new system."

Yeah, you are probably on someone's radar scope. Our government puts a lot of effort into protecting us from ourselves (eg prostitution).

_________________
Blue Devil

Pura Vida...enjoying life to the fullest...

I went through the body scan today, but they gave up when I started singing, "doncha wish yer boyfreind was hot like me, doncha wish yer boyfriend was freak like me."

Yes, I suspect it's the reduced "disturbing the peace " conviction from soliciting or perhaps my demographics and trips to southeast Asia or both , but it wasn't fun and I had no pics at all or anything written or anything. I did have the gringo gulch map CRT had and I'd only circled the Dunn Inn and La Armistad and he grilled me for a few minutes about each of these. He even threatened to strip search me and x-ray me!!

So... Does anyone know of it's technically illegal to go to, say, CR or Thailand and see girls or are they now going to try for arrests on soliciting charges? Or is ot the pedophiles they are only interested in ( which I hope they catch and do what they want with)??

Thanks for any help. Kind of perplexed and affected by this!!

Nope....

It is not illegal to go anywhere you go for your own personal pleasure. It is not really their business on that matter, unless you are involved with women under the age of 16 or 18 depending on which country you go to. Other than that, there is nothing they can really hold you if you are a valid US citizen in the first place. Just TSA is bunch of jack ass police policies that Prez Bush cooked up which is just about stupid, and extended further by Obama and all of those politicans, who don't know how it feels to be groped and fingered in all places, because they are politicians, and they are excepted from that rule in the first place.

Thanks for the info. The funny thing is that I don't think the guy had a clue. He knew nothing about Costa Rica or San Jose. I think he was fixated on finding some kind of chip. he kept talking about that. Hell I had no pics! Kept asking about my map! It was a damn map with two hotels circled!!

Looked at my damn $7 cassia watch for some sort of chip!

Anyway... I guess just don't have anything at all and I didn't !!!!

I live in Costa Rica. I feel more freedom here. I hate the direction that the USA has gone towards. It is no longer the "land of the free". There is more government intrusion into the lives of the average American on a daily basis than I am subjected to here in a year. I can't change what is happening in the USA, I gave up and left. Everyone feels what is happening, resents it, but puts up with it because fighting will get the full weight of the government thrown at you. The Constitution was thrown out the window when they enacted the Homeland Security Act. You are not protected against unwarranted search and seizure. They need no probable cause to search you, they search everyone. The probable cause is you wish to travel on public transportation. What they are doing makes as much sense as putting scanning machines in front of your house and making you submit to a search before you walk down the sidewalk or drive your car out of the garage. 1984 is here. Big Brother is watching you. The technology exists where they can monitor every step you make. The only thing they can't completely control is how you think and they work everyday to overcome this obstacle. What brother Redfield went through is just the start. It will get worse. It has gotten worse everyday of our lives. I am paranoid and pessimistic. I hold no hope that things will improve in the USA. The government of Costa Rica is no better than that of the USA. Given the chance they will intrude into the lives of their citizens. The difference is they have not achieved the degree of efficiency that the American government possesses. One of our forefathers said something to the effect that "Governments that governs least, governs best". Good luck, Americans, I'm afraid we all will need it.

The goverment would like to make you think that it is... but it isn't. It's a shame that an American citizen would even think this... but in today's environment, it is quite understandable. The government will do its best to make you feel guilty and ashamed, though. Why?... because it can.

Like Pops, I feel more freedom in most of the so-called backward, thirdworld countries I have visited, too. But that's just me... YMMV.

_________________
Blue Devil

Pura Vida...enjoying life to the fullest...

some of he older posts have some answer and solutions to the TSA. A few I remember are
1) what where you doing? Nothing that was Illegal
2) what where you doing Meeting with anther TSA agents wife
3) on member who got the body cavity search every time , stopped wiping his ass a day before he left. said he has not had anther body search after that

As a person who has got a lot of steel stuck in his body , I get hand patted down every time for years. So when they start feeling me up I me I say " You are not nearly as cute as that 21 year Columbia lady who does this in Medellin, some times I got back through he line 4 -5 times just for the pat down" " and by the way she does a lot better job with fingers in"

Get some laughs, one guy in Houston asked me why I was in Medellin after that and I told him to party , he looked at his co-worker and said " That"s where we are going next."

if you are worried about photos, email them home to you the day before you leave then wipe camera clean.. Was told by a couple of guys that Kennedy NY is big on photos and inspect for that. other guys say their airports are searching for some thing else and only look for that, and never look for photos , My photos are alwasy with clothes, so I do not worry. Lots of cop work is based on some big "arrest" made by agent years before, and that becomes folk lore in that group, the guy who did the big arrest got promoted and between living in the past and the ass kickers around him a unit can develop tunnel vision and then only do the same thing over and over. missing a lot of other stuff. Just human nature, what worked yesterday gots to work today -- so you might be coming into a airport that super bust of a C**** abuser coming in from over seas was made years ago.

_________________
My best friend was the clock on the wall, and he turned out not to be much of a friend in the end

Here is the issue, you have a conviction on your record and every time you go through screening the conviction most likely shows up and that is probably why occasionally, you get seconded. Go to the SF Public Defenders Office and tell them you want to apply to have the conviction dismissed. They have to put a packet together and apply to the court, but it is possible.

Next, Avoid giving trite or flippant answers to ICE; they love wise-guys. As example, I have a buddy that decided he was going to tell ICE, it was none of their business what he was doing down range; Bad mistake, two hours later after every thread of clothing and sundry items was thoroughly searched, he was allowed to go and has been seconded several times after that.

There is a movement afoot to find sexual tourist that have sex with Ch*ldren, so the methods they employ are to undercover these criminals.

You should alway employ a simple cover story; Make it plausible, simple and believable:
1) I was scuba diving, but be aware that some agents do dive and they may ask you follow up questions; one did with me and luckily, I have gone diving a few times in CR.
2) I went fishing, again, there may be some agents that do that.
3) I was visiting a friend in CR, have a name you can use;
4) looking for a place to retire.


Be polite, smile and treat the guys and gals like the officials that they are and you will be on your way w/o problems. One other aside, a agent once asked me what the purpose of my trip to CR or Panama was and I simply said "pleasure", he replied, "did you have fun pleasuring yourself in Panama" I just laughed and said I did, and was on my way.

_________________
“Good people sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.” And we are the guys that keep them in Eggs & Grits

[quote="Xman00"]some of he older posts have some answer and solutions to the TSA. A few I remember are
1) what where you doing? Nothing that was Illegal
2) what where you doing Meeting with anther TSA agents wife
3) on member who got the body cavity search every time , stopped wiping his ass a day before he left. said he has not had anther body search after that

quote]


Thanks for the ideas and wisdom based on your experience. I don't want to let this get me down to the point I don't travel to fun places anymore because I don't want to put up with the secondary screening. It maybe be because of my one snafu where I pleaded down to a disturbing the peace after an undercover cop asked me to roll down the window while driving by (the whole story was fabricated but that's probably normal)..other than that I have a wet reckless from over 20 years ago. So, why should a good guy who just wants to have some fun travel and who decided a few years ago to travel twice a year or so?

It may be because of my mid 50's age and profile of travelling twice a year the past five aeyrs to SE Asia with no travel abroad prior to that to that area. I dunno.

I had absolutely nothing of interest (by design) in my suitcase or carry on or person. All he even found was a map of downtown SJ that I printed out from the CRT site and I don't even think he knew it was San Jose. The dummie kept asking my why I circled the Dunn Inn....duh, because it's my first trip to SJ and I wanted to know where it is? (I responded nicely throughout, however)...

I guess maybe in Denver they have a different emphasis or something. The first guy in the immigration desk scanned the passport and he was big and gruff and said, "You're coming with me!!"..then asked how old I was (56) why I was travelling alone, etc...blah blah...

I just find it puzzling because the last three times coming back from SE Asia, immigration at San Francisco waved me on through despite being sent to secondary one or two other times before...go figure...

I guess all I can do is keep travelling and have nothing in the suitcase and don't admit to seeing women in other countries...just saw buddies I met previous times, etc...is it even bad if they ask to admit seeing somen you know? I'm not sure how to answer their 100 stupid questions. "Why do you have these blank cards. What is this? What is that? Why this, Why that? Geez.

[quote="Pops"]I live in Costa Rica. I feel more freedom here. I hate the direction that the USA has gone towards. It is no longer the "land of the free". There is more government intrusion into the lives of the average American on a daily basis than I am subjected to here in a year. I can't change what is happening in the USA, I gave up and left. Everyone feels what is happening, resents it, but puts up with it because fighting will get the full weight of the government thrown at you. The Constitution was thrown out the window when they enacted the Homeland Security Act. You are not protected against unwarranted search and seizure. They need no probable cause to search you, they search everyone. quote]

Thanks, Pops. And thanks for showing me around SJ and CR while I was there. I guess I can always say from now on "I'm going to visit my friend, Pops, who lives there and gave me a tour the first time and we've become friends. "

Ok, I feel better now.. a little...;0

I hope you are well, friend.

For those who are interested about their rights against TSA and suing Airlines for refunds for TSA denied entries, here is two links which is good reading for those who want to push back against TSA.

Traveler's Bill of Rights against TSA
http://www.papersplease.org/wp/2010/11/ ... e-airport/

Getting Refunds from Airlines and Suing if they refuses

http://www.papersplease.org/wp/2010/11/ ... f-groping/

also maybe get the the Fast Pass ( forgot the real name) to go to the head of the line at immigration, They then do a complete investigation and if you get that then they should for the most part stop bothering you. And if you do not get the pass, then can ask them why and find out whats on your papers. Unless it just your turn as one guy told me the agent said to him and you are betting the odds, then I by some lottery tickets...

Also do not be afraid to look the agent in the eye when you answer questions, looking away is a sing they look for, being really nervous, fidgety or cowardliness towards them may be is tipping them off to maybe to ask more questions, but granted getting taken down several times could really make one nervous, kind of a chicken and egg problem... and real criminals are good at that game

Then again you could be lucky and some body is using your name or has used your name to commit some bad deeds and it got stuck on your record -- so I ask them next time, and tell them why your asking...multiple trips to Room 101 and they never find any thing so WHY

_________________
My best friend was the clock on the wall, and he turned out not to be much of a friend in the end

I had the head Asshole Customs agent in a white shirt in dallas(sanchez i think) point his finger at me and scream "i don't care if you are in a goddamn wheelchair it's your ass you smuggler. You might as well tell us where it is."He took my dr. license and then tried to keep it and when i asked for it back he threw it at me. He even frisked the K*D pushing my wheelchair. Gave me shit for about 30 minutes and i never let him get me riled. They want to get you mad so they can keep you off your flight.. In Houston they even felt inside my mouth. Piss them off etc and get the finger wave.