In the brave new world of homeland security Joseph
Hagedorn, Leslie Shank and the couple’s 6-year-old daughter, Olivia Hagedorn, were heading to Mexico as part of their
Worry-Free Tour when they were asked for more
documentartion for the child. The child, it turns out, was adopted from China, and the hard-nosed folks at the gate
must have thought the parents were part of that vast child-smuggling ring whereby Americans deliver Chinese babies to
Mexican familes via US cities like St. Paul, MN.
So they asked for more documentation certifying that the child belonged to the mom, as their names were different.
Alas, the couple did not bring the chiild’s birth certificate along with them (don’t you always travel with your birth
certificate?), so they were denied access to the flight. Finally, after lots of complaining, they got on their way the
next day, but the whole episode just goes to show how ridiculous some of this new homeland security stuff can
be.