Protecting the United States

Having been subjected to the abject cheesiness and mind-blowing silliness of Indian mainstream cinema while growing up, there is a part of me that understands why Homeland Security might see Bollywood as a threat. But, come on, did they really have to detain Bollywood icon and superstar Shah Rukh Khan at Newark airport for "secondary questioning" for two hours? I mean, was he threatening to start a non-sequitur, perfectly choreographed and lip-synced dance sequence or something?

According to Khan, his only possible crime was having the last name "Khan." I guess having the name Khan might be construed as sign of a possible threat, you know, if you were Captain Kirk or something. But guys, this is Shah Rukh Khan! All Homeland Security had to do was google the man's name to know who he is and what he looks like. Hell, they could have just gone out and asked some of the cab drivers waiting outside the airport to ID the man!

I'm not saying that an actor - any actor - is above the law or rules and regulations. However, it is a little scary when the Department of Homeland Security's information gathering is so poor that they can't correctly identify the biggest actor in India - especially in less than two hours.

Epic fail guys.