Posted on 05/19/2010 5:52:40 PM PDT by Beloved Levinite
thatstheguy07 — May 17, 2010 — Since this video has been getting so many views, and ppl have been asking the same questions, I figured Id explaion a ciuple things here. This video was sent to me by someone on facebook. I dont know who the guy is, what the aftermath was, or which crossing this was at.
(Excerpt) Read more at youtube.com ...
People going to a Mall should never be asked what store your are going. That is a trick question. I can’t remember what stores are in a mall if you ask me. I just don’t care to memorize the names. Who would care that much? I F’n don’t care that much about any group of mall stores.
And law enforcement officers with attitudes have just made it much harder for other law enforcement officers without attitudes to get cooperation and convictions from private citizens. I have some potential jury duty coming up later this year. I will certainly be less likely to be trusting of any law enforcement officer making an accusation of "obstruction of justice" or "assault" after hearing the standards used here. This video already has almost 100,000 viewings. The net effect of this incident will be far worse for law enforcement than for Canadians.
Other videos posted by the Youtuber thatstheguy07:
9/11: Collapse of the twin towers IMPOSSIBLE
Chemtrails: the Layercake
Israeli bombardment of Gaza protest
Halifax police best up drunk kid
I only include this to point out that this guy is likely not just a random Canadian traveller who just happened to tape his crossing.
I have been through the border crossings in Vermont and Maine about a dozen times and I have never had a hard time. If you give respect, you will receive respect. Heck it works with interactions with you waiter or dry cleaner, too.
I've never met a rude agent on the Canadian side. In fact quite to the contrary, they're usually very friendly. They've engaged me in casual conversation, even to the point of joking "well you're not a terrorist, are ya, eh?" It's also always very quick - I think the longest I've ever been interviewed by the Canadian guards is about a minute before being politely waved through.
The New York side is a completely different story. 9 times out of 10 the guy has been a complete and absolute @$$hole. Usually it's absurd probing questions about where you are going, most of them asked simply because the guy can. The worst - and I've had it 2-3 times - is when they pick you out for a "random inspection." I drive up, roll down the window, hand them the passports of everyone inside and before I can so much as say hello out comes some @$$hole with a thick New York accent screaming "Your vehicle is being subjected to a random inspection! Pop your trunk. Are you carrying any firearms, explosives or illegal substances! Is there anything in this trunk that may harm MY officer?"
There's something seriously wrong with our country when it's more of a hassle for an American citizen to RETURN HOME to the United States than it is to travel as a guest into another country when leaving it.
I've been through this exact same border crossing many times and the U.S. guards there *are* complete @$$holes. It doesn't matter where you are from or how polite and cooperative you are. They like their authority and they use everything as a pretext to exercise it for the sake of exercising it. A little "hello, and welcome to the United States? May I ask the purpose of your visit today?" would go a long way.
US law enforcement have full authority to searches and seizures for anyone entering the country as a condition to their entry
Just because they have that authority does not mean they have to exercise it like complete @$$holes every time they meet with an irate traveler. Part of the trick of detecting threats is being able to use common sense and discretion.
If you work at a border post where hour-long waits in lines of cars to cross the bridge are commonplace, you're gonna inevitably end up dealing with irate travelers. It sucks, and maybe they don't "deserve" to be treated politely, but it's part of the job. If the BP agent can't deal with that, and thinks a frustrated traveler in a minivan on the way to the outlet mall should be given the Osama bin Laden body cavity search treatment, then he doesn't have the temperament for that job. Period.
I've been across the US-Canada border dozens of times at multiple different places ranging from the east coast to the Pacific northwest. There are places where the US side of the border patrol is polite and equipped to deal with irate travelers. It's almost always a hassle at that New York crossing though, which tells me there is something wrong with the way border patrol operates there even though they usually are no problem at the other places.
If the border cops would stop Muslims instead of married white guys, they would stop a lot more terrorists.
That's the real issue here. But the gods of Political Correctness demand we give the Osama treatment to the suburbanite housewife in the minivan.
Agree 100 percent with all of your posts here.
As a friend and frequent visitor to the United States, the answers of many FReepers on this thread doesn’t make me want to visit again any time soon.
A little common sense would have sorted out the situation in minutes, made America safer, made the working day of the border agents more pleasant (Unless they are complete sadists - which some of them, alas, quite sounded like).
I have traveled around the globe - Asia, Australia, Europe and America. Nowhere have I been treated worse than when landing at Newark or JFK. New Yorkers, eh :-P
Cheers.
Guy sounds like a spoiled brat to boot. And frankly, I've never met a Canadian with this type of attitude - ever.
Most, if not all of them fear all authority and submit like little sheep. (And yes, I do enjoy the company of Canadians)
I did not find his attitude to be particularly rebellious.
To me it rather sounds like someone who regards “authorities” as friendly/allies and is not used to be treated as a lowly serf. His wife having something of a nervous breakdown seems to confirm this. She went into a shock from the bullying they were not at all expecting or used to.
Most people in western nations are not used to this sort of thing, believe it or not.
At my last flight out of Oslo heading to the UK, I was picked out at random for a security probe. It never feels great, but I do really appreciate how the security officer was at pains to explain why I was picked out, to make an inherently unpleasant situation more bearable - for the both of us.
A little common sense goes a long way.
I guess I have used a similar tone of voice meeting border agents in NY getting similar questions. Though I always try to answer at the best of my ability, even though the answer might be, “I have no idea mate.”
America IMHO has enough real enemies in the world. Why antagonize your allies without sound reason?
Cheers.
You think that they’ll ever get close to this level of intensity at the southern border?
When dealing with these types it is best to just answer their questions and “Yes Sir & No Sir” them.
I’ve been through plenty of traffic stops and with the exception of 1 black cop in Atlanta I’ve never even been ticketed much less searched and my car gone through.
If you question their authority they give you special attention. You do not want “Special” attention.
BTW spelchkur iz ur freind.
This case was pure harassment imho, not about security or intencity.
They got a kick of the power they had. Listen when they “announce” they guy is in trouble. I have heard bullies. That is how bullies act - “Do you know you are in trouble?” and kept that spiel going.
Not very Christian.
I agree.
But, is it right that they give you “special” attention only to gratify their own egos.
Disclosure: Traveled globally without any trouble, but have had a scary scary encounter with domestic “law enforcement” ha.
“I certainly didn’t spend 9 years in the Army to allow the police/border-patrol to ignore the Constitution I swore to defend.”
they’re foriegners and have no rights!
Thank you.
And, you wonder why some people start to wonder about the “friendly” intentions of the United States.
Do you think Jefferson would have approved? Just abuse their natural rights because they do not share your passport,
Is this freerepublic? Have you read the founding fathers? Have you read Locke? Tocqueville?
Tocqueville loved America, but he warned about what he called democratic despotism.
Looks like we have arrived. Fasten your seat belts. Lock and load - as it where.
Though as Tocqueville warned in his writings. None of this will happen, because the community of America will be destroyed so there is no antibodies left to stop the soft despotism. You are turning into European serfs, and you like it.
They should make a movie about it.
>>“I certainly didn’t spend 9 years in the Army to allow the police/border-patrol to ignore the Constitution I swore to defend.”
>
>they’re foriegners and have no rights!
Incorrect. There ARE such things as human-rights, no? (If you disagree then I ask you to defend the “Crimes Against Humanity” charges in Nuremberg.)
Also, Constitutionally speaking, the rights acknowledged by the Constitution are generally qualified as to things the Government is kept from doing:
The First Amendment does NOT say “Congress pass no law establishing religion, except for foreigners[...]”.
The Second Amendment is arguable because of the reference to the militia in conjunction with “the right of the people”.
The Third Amendment does not exempt the homes of resident aliens.
The Fourth Amendment does not secure the [supposed] right to have a warrant “Particularly describing the person or things to be seized” to Citizens only, but establishes that burden-of-responsibility to lie squarely on the proper officials REGARDLESS of the accused’s nationality.
The Fifth and Sixth Amendments do not exclude foreigners from seeking relief in our court systems, either criminal or civil.
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