Robert Fisk knows how to tell a joke (and mean it):
…My favourite memory was at San Francisco International Airport, where Homeland Security spotted all the pariah visas in my passport.
“Have you ever met a terrorist?” one of them asked me with a frown. Yes, I said. I met Osama bin Laden and I met Ariel Sharon. They were concerned about the bin Laden admission. But they were terrified of the political implications of discussing Sharon and terrorism. “Have a nice day, Sir,” the guy with the frown said. And stamped me through in three seconds. There must be a lesson there somewhere…