Detained crossing the border

Originally posted by Moiraine: Quote: Originally posted by MagiK: Quote: Originally posted by The Hierophant: Quote: Originally posted by MagiK: You are right, there must be a better way, but untill someone can invent it, there isn't.

It was invented thousands of years ago, it's called showing a little goddam respect to your fellow man![/QUOTE]I thought you were an atheist?[/QUOTE]I am a little confused by this comment - what in the universe being or not an atheist and showing or not respect to your fellow man have to do with each other ? [/QUOTE]Please see red highlited text

[Nachtrafe]

Originally posted by Cloudbringer: Ok, this thread is way off base and starting to smoke around the edges. MagiK, I'm afraid you were making posts that invited rude, or at least rough responses. Telling people who felt they were mistreated in the manner Animal had to endure, that they can 'just not visit' the US because they didn't like customs is flamebaiting and I think you know that. If I were treated in that manner in any other country I'd be livid too! Most of us would. You are entitled to your opinions, but some are best not posted or worded with a lot more tact. To everyone else, please remember that you can report posts that you find exceptionally objectionable and in general if you see threads turning into flame wars or lynchings, warranted or not, please call a mod. As for this thread... keep in mind that Animal posted his story because he felt personally violated and please go back to the topic at hand.

Sorry...shutting up and returning to the topic.

Hey Animal? Any more word on your legal action? Have you heard anything from the US govt? Or the Canadian one?

Cloudy, I was merely responding in kind to all the debasement towards customs officials that were flooding the thread. I took the unpopular side of the argument, and I fully expected people who had nothing useful to add to pop in and take shots thinking it clever or witty.

Animal, Im sorry if you were offended by my taking the other side of the story line, but the responses to your post were all one sided and not really very fair.

[Melusine]

Originally posted by MagiK: Cloudy, I was merely responding in kind to all the debasement towards customs officials that were flooding the thread. I took the unpopular side of the argument, and I fully expected people who had nothing useful to add to pop in and take shots thinking it clever or witty.

Er. That's not what Cloudy was saying, if I'm not mistaken.

Jim, DOH, I think we're actually in agreement. Nowhere have I said anything to the tune of airport security being wrong. In fact, read my posts, I have said several times I am all for it. Of course! Like I said, who isn't? No one here is saying security should slacken so that terrorists and other assorted lunatics can board planes. But sorry, I don't think that excuses rudeness on the part of the custom officials. Another thing, I KNOW the "innocent until proven" thing legally only applies to Americans when you're in America. Does that mean that if a Canadian or Brit visits, it's all right to treat them the other way round, i.e. guilty until proven innocent? If you think so, I wish you a pleasant time in the bunker together with Magik and hope you have enough pics of Cloudy with you there...
Seriously though, even though LEGALLY custom officials may be allowed to treat a Canadian such as Animal as rudely as they want, doesn't mean I don't find it UTTERLY despicable when they do! What if it was Harleyquinn or me with the same story? Would you excuse the same behaviour then? There is absolutely NO NEED for custom people to be rude or mean in order to perform their job, so if they are, I maintain that they're wrong. [img]smile.gif[/img]

Harleyquinn, just to put your mind at ease - I have been on this forum for over two years and that sort of thing is kept at an absolute minimum here. I sincerely doubt you'd ever get such a comment directed at you. Sure, I've seen well-meant compliments and stuff like that, but if someone were to send a female member of the board rude or obscene messages, have no doubt that measures will be taken immediately. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Ronn_Bman]

Animal that sounds awful.

Is the media involved in this? It doesn't sound like the kind of thing they can keep quiet, and certainly sounds like the kind of thing lots of folks would love to put "on the air". This is the kind of story news people fight over. I'm absolutely sure the Donahue people would love to address it.

[ 02-20-2003, 01:07 PM: Message edited by: Ronn_Bman ]

[Yorick]

Originally posted by MagiK: You travel in a $1500 suit? Ick. I always dress down when traveling, keeps the mooches and bums away....any way back on topic..what is wrong with the USA? try: 9/11 I too have metalic hardware holding my shoulder together and also get searched extra vigourously at airports, but to be honest, the only people I have seen who get body cavity searches are ones who are acting like total dill weeds. Im not saying you were, just that the only people who I have ever observed getting hasseled in the manner you describe, were being total dicks. Edit: As for expensive clothing, they routienely have found terrorists with thousands of dollars in cash on them...so they don't all have to dress in camel jokey robes.

[img]graemlins/troll.jpg[/img]

[Djinn Raffo]

hehe

well when i was coming back from Asia in 1996 i had to stop at LAX for a connecting flight to Vancouver. I had several hours so had to hang out at the airport for awhile.

The customs officer asked me what i did for a living. Being a youngish man who did nothing for a living at the time, but had recently finished a five month stint as a treeplanter.. i told him that i was a treeplanter.

"What is that?" he asked.

"It means i plant trees." I answered.

He gave me quite a dirty look and then let me through..

Now the thing is when i arrived in Vancouver.. i discovered that my luggage ended up in San Francisco..

Were the two events related? You be the judge...

[harleyquinn]

Originally posted by Melusine: Harleyquinn, just to put your mind at ease - I have been on this forum for over two years and that sort of thing is kept at an absolute minimum here. I sincerely doubt you'd ever get such a comment directed at you. Sure, I've seen well-meant compliments and stuff like that, but if someone were to send a female member of the board rude or obscene messages, have no doubt that measures will be taken immediately. [img]smile.gif[/img] [/QB]

Sorry for the off topic post. Melusine, based on your post, I've changed my profile to accept PM's. But don't you go sending me dirty PM's now [img]tongue.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/biglaugh.gif[/img] (just kidding)

[Cloudbringer]

MagiK, pointing out that there's another side to any issue is fine. You have every right to assume you've only got one side of the story, it's doing so by posting the equivalent of 'don't let the border hit you on the backside on your way out' is not. That's what I meant. There are polite ways of saying it and ways that evoke the kind of posts you've been hit with here...including ....

Yorick, I just made a post about this thread showing a bit of smoke at the edges, so don't add more tinder.

Can we agree that bickering isn't an option, and go back to discussing the topic of body searches and airport security rationally, or should I just give up and lock this now?

[Timber Loftis]

Hey, ANIMAL:

I know a customs specialist in St. Albans. He teaches lots of classes on this stuff and may have useful info. If you want me to, I'll contact him and ask what, if anything, can be done. PM me if you'd like me to do this - but I may ask you a bunch of questions so beware.