The Glade 4.0

In the little town where I’m from, Asbury Park N.J., there were no fewer than 3 men who billed themselves as celebrity party crashers. And they were good at it. People would go to their homes to ogle at the hundreds of photographs of these guys standing with every celebrity imaginable, from New York parties they snuck into.

Did they get their picture with presidents? Easy peasy. They all had pictures with presidents. The best “get” I ever heard about was from the master of celebrity party crashers – a cop named Billy Dello. Billy once crashed a birthday party for Dean Martin that was attended by only 12 people and he sat right at their table and had dinner.

Would these guys be impressed with Tareq and Michaele Salahi, who party crashed the White House state dinner? No they wouldn’t, for this reason: The Salahis got caught. Their party crashing days are over. One of the secrets to being a successful celebrity party crasher is to be a familiar face and nothing more – when they learn your name and background is when the host throws you out.

I’ve watched supposed legal pundit after supposed legal pundit on TV address whether the Salahis should be charged with an offense. I laugh at the experts who say “yes” then watch them struggle to say exactly what the Salahis should be charged with.

No crimes were committed by the Salahis. These people didn’t sneak into the building. They didn’t break a window and jump in. They walked right up to the front door and asked to be let in. Then they were let in. The people in control of the property eventually INVITED them in.

Did they lie at the door about having a previous invitation? Probably, but here’s a newsflash: Lying isn’t a crime unless you do it under oath or you are giving a statement to a criminal investigator, and neither was the case here.

Trespass? Give me a break. They were eventually invited in by the people in control of the property.

If some overzealous prosecutor charges them with anything, I dub that person the dumbest prosecutor on the planet. They only way a prosecutor will get a conviction is to play the “overcharge game” -- by telling the Salahis, “You can go to trial on Count 1 and risk 10 years in jail, or plead guilty to Count 2 and pay a $50 fine.” Everybody chooses Count 2.

America loves an underdog, and that’s what these people were when they went to the White House door with no invitation and they beat the system. Let’s not forget the White House is the people’s house, so I’m not going to get upset that two non-celebrities got to party with the president.

It’s also hysterical to watch political and media muckety-mucks get so appalled about mere commoners having eaten at their table, that they would spend the next week discussing whether to arrest them. Royalty much?

I understand the safety implications for that president and the fear of copycats. The fault there lies not with the Salahis -- that’s the Secret Service’s problem. Embarrassing the Secret Service or the administration is not a crime.

The party crashers may have done the Secret Service a favor by making them reassess their procedures. The administration is promising to keep New Yorkers safe during the upcoming terror trials, but they can’t keep that pretty blonde lady from sneaking into a party?

I think the article has it firmly in hand.

And good idea Kaffis but we can probably knock the first gate off there and just call it Crasher Gate.

And good idea Kaffis but we can probably knock the first gate off there and just call it Crasher Gate.

Heh, had to post.

DE - The Secret Service should have stopped them anyway. While they may have lied to get in, and I'll admit you assuredly have a better understanding of the law in that regard, the officers who failed to double check to verify whether they were telling the truth or not, are at fault. The crashers never should have gotten past them.

If they broke the law as you say, definitely, prosecute the attention whores. However, the security measures that failed need to be reviewed and the errant officers disciplined. If those two could defeat the system there is a major problem.

Lying to federal agents..

Facism is not a school of thought, it is a racial slur.

then please.. enlighten us; what are they guilty of?

Honestly, isn't this type of security breach totally inevitable? No low level grunt working a checkpoint wants to be the guy that gave the President of France or some four-star general a hard time.

The security detail for POTUS, I'm sure, isn't "low-level grunts" in the context you're talking about.

The security detail for POTUS, I'm sure, isn't "low-level grunts" in the context you're talking about.