Having spent time around the Stanstead, Quebec -
Derby Line, Vermont area last September, I can tell you that the climate on
border is much more serious. Sure, the goofy crossings exist, but the INS,
Customs and Border Patrol folks are in no mood for fooling around.
The US agencies can be ranked in order of
seriousness: Customs, INS, Border Patrol. I won't relate again the
experience that Mike and I went through with 3 Border Patrol officers...
but it was a waste of time, especially since we had clearance!
Or the times I went to check with Customs/INS to tell them I was going to be snapping
pictures for research for a TV series -- I STILL got the third degree. I
was already in the US and even though I
approached them, I was under suspicion. Add lack of inter-departmental
communication, and the frontier is no-fun zone. And I guess it should
be: it is the international boundary between to nations. Not a
playground for border freaks!!
:(
That said, I agree that the Canadian guy that
crossed the border to get gas was a moron. Having a rifle in the back seat
of the car and crossing the border is just plain stupid.
There has been a lot of finger pointing by
Americans (Pat Buchanan for one) at Canada for being a base for
terrorists. Soviet Canuckistan was is term. I love that!!
(I hope I get a new passport with embossed with the image of a curling broom and
a bowl of Poutine.) I won't comment on
Pat (you can guess my response) -- but it is an example of how tender the
whole issue of the border is. In normal times it would be stupid
to cross the border with a gun. In these kooky days full of fear and
paranoia, he deserves to go to jail simply for being an idiot. (And made
to listen to Celine Dion for 3 days straight!)
HOWEVER... I think the length of time in jail
is a little unfair. After all, he was just stupid, not a terrorist.
There's been a lot of overreacting since 9/11. Too bad, because we used to
have this really cool border, with lots of oddities surrounding it. Now,
the mood has changed. No surprise.
I still think the answer is a simple one:
Canadians and Americans work together to guard North America (excluding Mexico)
-- and simplify border crossings for Canadian and American citizens. That
would be so much easier. And, I would think, cheaper.
Those are my thoughts, some 45 miles north of the
border...
Doug
Doug Murray Productions / Border Films
CBC
Infomatrix / CBC POV Sports
Vancouver BC
SOVIET
CANUCKISTAN
Best Vancouver excuse for being late for
work:
"A movie was being shot and they detained me for
continuity."
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, November 01, 2002 2:14
PM
Subject: [BoundaryPoint] Re: CANUS - Gas
Guy: More
Hi,
Mike, I must say I agree
with you.
When I first read the story I thought: Oh my, those
Americans, don't
they have other problems than harassing innocent
Canadians?
But following the story, this guy has a load of blame to
take himself!
I myself, from repeated travels to the US, know that the
INS and the
border guards are to be taken VERY seriously, no mistakes
allowed!
Once - when crossing from Canada to the U.S. - I was almost
arrested
for having a $20-bill tucked in between the pages of my passport
(I
used to keep one there for emergencies). The border guard thought I
was trying to bribe him! Luckily he was a fan of "The Sound of Music"
and let me travel on (I'm from Austria).
So if you have
1) a
criminal record,
2) a gun in your car crossing the U.S.(!) border,
3)
been warned several times (according to the TV report),
don't be surprised
if you're arrested!
Now, of course, it IS excessive to put this guy in
jail, he
definitely did just want to pump gas and head home, but don't say
that he wasn't warned and didn't take HUGE risks! Come on, as an
alien
I would even dare to THINK about a weapon while crossing the
U.S. border,
let alone have one in my car!
And besides that, there is still a
possible tax issue involved, which
Len pointed out quite rightly.
I
agree, although the story is interesting, it sounds like
routine.
Greetings,
AntonZ
--- In BoundaryPoint@y...,
"acroorca2002" <orc@o...> wrote:
> --- In BoundaryPoint@y...,
"Doug Murray Productions"
> <doug@d...> wrote:
> > The
CTV Television Network has the story and video clips (!!!!)
>
>
whoops
> i already killed my tv
>
> but anyway
>
what is so remarkable about a
> previously warned
> multiple
offender
> illegal alien
> convicted violent
criminal
> with a fresh weapons felony
> needing to cool his heels
in border jail for awhile
> i mean
> anywhere
>
anytime
>
> multiple repetitive messages & exclamation
points
> must add up to something
> but i just dont get it
yet
>
> & dont get me wrong either
>
> i have
gone to border jail several times myself
> 2 of them without even having
crossed a border
> so i am not unsympathetic
>
> but this
> s t o r y
> strikes me as entirely routine & predictable so
far
> unless you can fill in something i may have
missed
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