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  #1  
Old 09-22-2012, 11:44 AM
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Welcome to East Germany ... American style

I was in Montreal this week, and I came back via the Alburg, VT border crossing yesterday. Prettier drive via the 2 and US-7 than taking the freeway all the way down to NYC.

I have to say, I've never experienced such a nosy, power-hungry, yet polite asshat, even when I was traveling abroad as a foreigner. He basically treated me as a visitor rather than as a citizen who had a RIGHT to re-enter his own country. Disgusting.

Get to the border crossing -- the light is red, and there is a car with Quebec plates waiting in front of me. No car is being inspected. Finally after about 5 min, the Canadian car is allowed through. The border cop looks in the cargo area and lets them through.

I'm next, speak to Officer Wooster, give him my passport.
"How long have you been in Canada?"
"Couple days, came in on Wednesday morning."
"What were you doing in Canada?"
"Visiting Montreal, beautiful city, and meeting a friend."
"What is your occupation?"
"Self-employed consultant."
"What kind of consultant?"
"Engineering and technology."
"Have you ever been arrested?"
"Once in college for disorderly conduct, but I wasn't convicted... ... ..."
"Sir, I need the keys to your car."

(guy checks a bunch of things and makes phone calls)

"This friend, is she your girlfriend?"
"Whom I'm sleeping with is frankly my business, Sir."
"What's your friend's name?"
"I don't have to answer that." (She's an American expat.)
"I need to look in your trunk, can you release it from the inside."
"No, you need the key."
"Here's your key, show me how."

(I walk around the car, open the trunk.)

"Sir, get back in the car."
"If you're going through my personal luggage, I'd appreciate a chance to watch, so nothing goes missing."
"You need to get back in the car."

(Wooster does his thing without my watching for a few minutes, then tells me I'm free to go. At the Canadian border going the other way, they generally REQUIRE people to watch while they're checking the car, which seems much more fair and likely to keep honest people honest.)

"What's the number of your boss? I've never been treated with such suspicion coming into my own country, and I found your line of questioning inappropriate." -- he writes it down (without area code) and hands it to me. "What's the area code, Einstein?" "802. I forgot." (yeah right) "Write it down!"

I call the number -- the automated system doesn't know the boss-man's name, but I get through via the border police operator. Filed a report about the personal questions and the search without my being able to see. Thing will probably get round-filed, but one more complaint going on the guy's record won't hurt anything.


Last edited by spdrun; 09-22-2012 at 12:05 PM.
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  #2  
Old 09-22-2012, 01:45 PM
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It was Bush's fault. He was just trying to keep you out of the country until after the election.
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  #3  
Old 09-22-2012, 01:57 PM
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epic fail. Or not.

You must of failed the "attitude test" here. (Or maybe you were dark- skinned, swarthy, middle eastern looking, nervous looking, eyes darting all around, or you were clicking a ball point pen over and over, and muttering "Allahu Akbar" under your breath? )


If you were any "nastier" he might of worked you over with the stick, and after he played it on your head like a marimba,, "YOU" would of got arrested for "resisting" .

Consider yourself lucky.

Welcome back to America.
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  #4  
Old 09-22-2012, 02:03 PM
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Funny thing is that it's always the land border agents who fark with you (both at the unconstitutional internal checkpoints in CA/AZ and at the border itself). The Customs people at JFK generally do as follows - "Passport?" "Anything to declare?" "Have a good day."

As far as attitude, I'm probably a lot more stressed after a 10-hour flight than after driving for an hour or two.

Coming back from Canada shouldn't be treated as a crime.
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Old 09-22-2012, 02:42 PM
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Here's my best MTI imitation ...
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  #6  
Old 09-22-2012, 03:03 PM
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Maybe somebody informed them about all your internet postings about how "stupid" Americans are. Or, perhaps your dual citizenship you claim to have is from a country that doesn't like Americans (which is all of them, according to you). I think I'll contact Officer Wooster's superiors and recommend him for a promotion as he obviously has good instincts.
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  #7  
Old 09-22-2012, 03:03 PM
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I'm not sad. I'm ****ing enraged at what this country is becoming.
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  #8  
Old 09-22-2012, 03:09 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by spdrun View Post
I'm not sad. I'm ****ing enraged at what this country is becoming.
i thought you disliked this country anyways.
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  #9  
Old 09-22-2012, 03:16 PM
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I guarantee that it wasn't your positive attitude and sunny disposition that caused the issue at the border...
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  #10  
Old 09-22-2012, 03:20 PM
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This story reminds me of my brother. He is bitter about damn near everything. Gets into arguments and gets screwed over nearly every time he does something. His attitude sucks and he expects to get screwed so he does. He expects to get into an argument and he does. He is never disappointed by his expectations.

I asked him if he knew his attitude come through in his personality and he said it does not. Then I asked him if that was the case why do I get free stuff and great service from a majority of the people I have dealings with as opposed to his stinking luck. He said it was because people don't like him. When I asked him why people did not like him I got a empty stare.

Some people just do not seem to get it.

Spdrun, you come across on this site as a royally pissed off person. I suspect that I am not the only one who sees this. I also suspect that as much as you may want to deny it, it come across in person as well. Something to consider.

I have been stopped by LEO's quite a bit (lead foot). Never been treated with anything other than respect. Been let off a few times I think because I was nice and made them laugh. I have traveled internationally a whole bunch. Never had an issue with Customs whether I was coming from Canada, Europe or S. America. Never had an issue with the 'illegal' food/plant inspectors crossing the AZ/CA border. Drove that a whole bunch when I lived in Tucson for 7 years and my folks lived in LA.

I do not think luck has crap to do with it. I think it all has to do with attitude.
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  #11  
Old 09-22-2012, 03:21 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by spdrun View Post
I'm not sad. I'm ****ing enraged at what this country is becoming.
These 'Merican god damn it!


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  #12  
Old 09-22-2012, 03:45 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kmaysob View Post
i thought you disliked this country anyways.
I hate (not dislike) what this country was turned into after 9/11, largely because of a military-security complex who saw money in paranoia, and a public too stupidly uneducated to think before voting.

I may add: I hope that Quebec finally succeeds in seceding. It would be nice to have a fourth option in N America that's not as tainted and poisoned by the Anglo media as the US and Canada, yet not as corrupt and unsafe as Mexico.
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  #13  
Old 09-22-2012, 04:44 PM
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Yeppers, sounds to me like maybe Officer Wooster was familiar with some of your rants on here ...........
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  #14  
Old 09-22-2012, 04:49 PM
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Doubt it: border agents at airports have access to same info. I've also heard of others having the same issues.
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  #15  
Old 09-22-2012, 04:58 PM
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He was merely doing the job he was paid to do.

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