It's not new, it's not about islam and its' not about 911. I am a British researcher working in an American institute on a joint USA-UK project. I visited our research site in Antartica and when I arrived back in the USA I simply wasn't allowed back in.

The minimum wage moron (MWM) on the desk said my visa should have another piece of paper attached - he was wrong, but you can't appeal, you can't question, you can't see his superior. Fortunately my institute is famous enough (and my project has Nasa/goverment/military links) that they managed to get a letter from Washington confirming I worked there. Then I just had to arrive at the INS office at 5:00am queue all day to be shouted at by another bunch of MWM because there was nothing wrong with my Visa and I should have had it stamped at the airport.

But it has put me on some sort of list - which means an extra search and bag check now whenever I fly in the US.