I am a bad person, but this is complete BULLSHIT.

[chaotic_nipple]

One of the reason's I am bad, is because my first thought about reading this:

Dr Peter Watts, Canadian science fiction writer, beaten and arrested at US border.

Was "Wow, that's just like a scene from one of his books! Eerie." He is a notoriously depressing writer, you see.

It's bullshit because we, as a nation, are becoming the sort of authority worshiping sheep that many assholes' first reaction is to assert he MUST have done something to deserve it; and many non-assholes will complacently accept that even if he didn't do anything legally/morally wrong, the border guards, just like any other Officer of the Law, still have a purely pragmatic "right" to treat civilians as they damned well please, secure in the knowledge that they'll never be punished, so it's better to just keep your eyes down and say "Yes Sir". Not "Yes, Massa" though. As appropriate as it might be, such sarcasm will get you an assbeating-and-resisting-arrest charge too.

And the biggest bullshit is that, as things stand, thee complacent masses are right. Even if he beats the charge of assaulting a thug's jackboots with his face, they probably won't be held accountable. This is the America that pants-wetting hysteria about the "War on Terror" and "Being Tough on Crime" have made. We asked for it, so we'd better enjoy it.

Edited for grammar and spelling, 2 hours later.

Comments

[kakiphony.livejournal.com]

There are some major systemic problems with the way the border crossings are handled in Port Huron (where this happened) and Windsor/Detroit. (Probably in other areas two, but being from Michigan and having crossed at those borders multiple times in the past ten years I can vouch that they are fuxored.) I'm actually a wee bit hopeful that if Dr. Watts can afford to fund a good case and if the sf fandom can keep the awareness of it/press coverage high, then maybe some things can change or be brought to light.

My favorite border crossing story is how my uncle was thisclose to being arrested because he couldn't hand his ignition key to an agent. He was driving a Prius. His key was in his suitcase in the back seat. The guard had apparently escalated to the point where he had a gun pulled despite both my aunt and uncle calmly trying to explain the situation. My aunt diffused the situation by having my uncle hand the guard his house key. The guard was dumb enough to think they'd finally "cooperated."

I've had my car searched on several occasions and had the guards (I think) deliberately break a vase I was bringing home from a craft show because they couldn't find any contraband in my car and were upset by that fact. Of course, complaining got me nowhere.

[ceanncait.livejournal.com]

I agree with you on all points.

That said, there was one huge red flag for me when I read that story. This happened at a border checkpoint *leaving* the US. I have never been stopped, nor seen anyone else stopped, leaving the country on the US side. In fact, at many US/CA border crossings, there isn't even a checkpoint on the departure side. You don't stop at all, just drive on until you stop at the checkpoint to *enter* Canada, where it's Canadian border guards.

V. strange.

[kakiphony.livejournal.com]

At both Port Huron and Windsor you stop at both sides because you cross over via a bridge (so you stop, pay a toll, drive over, then stop again on the other side to talk about what you might be bringing into the country). I thought that the searches usually occurred on the side you were entering by customs agents, but I haven't done the PH crossing in years. From the fact that he is charged in a Michigan court the incident must have happened on the MI side of the bridge.

I wonder who owns the Blue Water bridge? I know Mattie Maroun still owns the Ambassador in Detroit. (He actually just sued the state because they still have off-ramps leading to it closed even though construction is done.)

[seawasp]

It's not complacency for me. It's practicality. Most security people, cops, whatever, are reasonable people just doing a job. But some of them are jerks, or worse. Being unfailingly polite and doing what they tell you, even if it's annoying (as long as it's not dangerous or clearly illegal in and of itself), will make the good ones' job easier, and hopefully keep you off the firing line of the jerks and worse.

If I had the power to CHANGE stuff like this, that'd be different, but barring that, it would be stupid -- and dangerously irresponsible -- to espouse any OTHER course of action.

[ceanncait.livejournal.com]

This. While you're standing outside your car at the border crossing being searched is *not* the time to stand on principle. Write a letter or something once you're safely home.

[(Anonymous)]

I agree with you. The one thing I do want to see is if there video of the incident to see we can better determine what the actual facts in the case are.

[chaotic-nipple.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'm all for that. In the freakishly unlikely case that he took a swing at them, then I'd apologize for besmirching their good names. But I don't think that's terribly likely.