While I agree with what you're saying, I think that the main issue here is that the US does not have a sense of humor. This is a major disappointment for upcoming comics hoping for a cushy job with the Fed.
Seriously though, what they said was stupid, and obviously not protected speech (if said here in the US), but it seems a bit overzealous to ban them from the country based on a bad joke. This, to me, seems analogous to those unfortunate people who mention 'bomb' or something while in line at the TSA - usually saying something to the effect of, 'I really can't take my cupcake through security? It's not like it's a bomb or something.' I think that we should be spending our resources dealing with serious threats, not people with a poor sense of humor.
Seriously though, what they said was stupid, and obviously not protected speech (if said here in the US), but it seems a bit overzealous to ban them from the country based on a bad joke. This, to me, seems analogous to those unfortunate people who mention 'bomb' or something while in line at the TSA - usually saying something to the effect of, 'I really can't take my cupcake through security? It's not like it's a bomb or something.' I think that we should be spending our resources dealing with serious threats, not people with a poor sense of humor.