I know who to blame. I think I know exactly what protocol they were shaking down on this guy because my passport was flagged on a similar list after fighting in a Syrian militia for a US ally that US government employees often support. Which isn't illegal, but for whatever reason seems to have pissed off CBP.
The point is you're dealing with a hostile agency that hates Americans. You can't control what unaccountable tyrants do, only what you do.
The sad part is that most of us would be like that. I know I am.
I don't say this with pride, mind you. But it annoys me to no end when people LARP as if they would be like the ones who helped Jews hide in places occupied by Germany when things were getting ugly in late 1930s. Those people are rare.
You see, it takes a lot of fortitude to stand up to tiranny. You are effectively putting the well being of you and yours on the line. Especially now that I have a child, I am very sure I would look the other way in that scenario, hoping I was not the next.
The mistake is taking one incident and attributing it to an entire class of people. Just because one man has been a creep in the past doesn't mean that all men are creeps/one woman has acted crazy in the past doesn't mean that all women are crazy.
Attorney client privilege means something, and a different attorney in the same situation would have acted differently.
The point is you're dealing with a hostile agency that hates Americans. You can't control what unaccountable tyrants do, only what you do.