whilst inquiring into the cost of stained plaster in pittsburgh
I discovered a great op-ed piece in the pittsburgh tribune (while looking for an article on the cost of a jesus stained piece of bathroom plaster - the ebay post features great questions and answers including:
Q: Yunz ain't really from Picksburgh, are yunz? Why would Jesus come dahn tahn? I bet yunz is near that brew pub that use to be a church. I don't know if that's Jesus but I know yunzs' shawer needs red up.
Jun-15-05
A: ... Hauscome Jesus come dahntahn n'at? Fer an ice cole arn, an Isaly's chipped chopped ham sammitch, anna Donnie Ahrs concert!)
and how, now onto the original secondary item of interest:
White skin: The no-hassle passport
(by mike seate)
One glance at the bug-eyed stare and the weird, devil-lock haircut should have been enough to let U.S. border guards know there was something wrong with Gregory Despres.
Despres, 22, made it through the U.S.-Canada border on April 25, carrying a now-infamous cargo that included a bloody chain saw and a shirt that looked like Hannibal Lecter's bib.
Depres' ability to enter the country with blood on his clothes splashed egg on the faces of the border guards after news surfaced that Despres was wanted in connection with an assault on Frederick Mowat of New Brunswick, Maine.
Our eagle-eyed guardians would further learn that Despres also is suspected of slicing and dicing Mowat's grandfather, Fred Fulton, and his common-law wife, Verna Decarie.
Authorities say they had no reason or evidence to hold Despres as he waited 15 minutes to cross the border. No evidence, that is, aside from the bloody chain saw, two pairs of brass knuckles and Despres' statement that he is "a trained assassin with over 700 kills."
The Despres case raises a critical question: If a guy who looks like a prop from a Metallica video shows up at the border with a sack of swords, knives and blood, and can get through, what chance is there of stopping a bona fide international terrorist from entering the U.S. via Canada?
Not much, I'm afraid.
Being a frequent traveler, I'm here to regretfully inform you that Despres was able to enter the U.S. without much hassle because he arrived at the border with the one important qualification:
He is white.
I know, I know; I'll be accused of playing the race card during a discussion of national security. But ask almost any black person who's traveled overseas, and he'll offer stories of being stopped, stripped and searched.
Border security is all about race cards. How much scrutiny the agents choose to give an individual traveler has everything to do with how much he looks like one of bin Laden's homeboys.
Take my travels on Sept. 13, 2001, for example. With the federal government canceling all flights, my family vacation to Europe turned into a drive to Toronto.
At the border, I was escorted from the car and held in a detention center for several hours. Why?
As one agent said, I "looked suspicious."
Meanwhile, as our car was searched, I watched two truckloads of white men, each carrying a field pack, hunting rifle and wearing camouflage, get not only a green light at the border, but a chat with several guards about the best hunting spots in Ontario.
For the sake of security, let's hope any terrorists who cross over from Canada are black. If they're not, chances are the doors into this country will swing wide open for them.
Maybe they already have.
Q: Yunz ain't really from Picksburgh, are yunz? Why would Jesus come dahn tahn? I bet yunz is near that brew pub that use to be a church. I don't know if that's Jesus but I know yunzs' shawer needs red up.
Jun-15-05
A: ... Hauscome Jesus come dahntahn n'at? Fer an ice cole arn, an Isaly's chipped chopped ham sammitch, anna Donnie Ahrs concert!)
and how, now onto the original secondary item of interest:
White skin: The no-hassle passport
(by mike seate)
One glance at the bug-eyed stare and the weird, devil-lock haircut should have been enough to let U.S. border guards know there was something wrong with Gregory Despres.
Despres, 22, made it through the U.S.-Canada border on April 25, carrying a now-infamous cargo that included a bloody chain saw and a shirt that looked like Hannibal Lecter's bib.
Depres' ability to enter the country with blood on his clothes splashed egg on the faces of the border guards after news surfaced that Despres was wanted in connection with an assault on Frederick Mowat of New Brunswick, Maine.
Our eagle-eyed guardians would further learn that Despres also is suspected of slicing and dicing Mowat's grandfather, Fred Fulton, and his common-law wife, Verna Decarie.
Authorities say they had no reason or evidence to hold Despres as he waited 15 minutes to cross the border. No evidence, that is, aside from the bloody chain saw, two pairs of brass knuckles and Despres' statement that he is "a trained assassin with over 700 kills."
The Despres case raises a critical question: If a guy who looks like a prop from a Metallica video shows up at the border with a sack of swords, knives and blood, and can get through, what chance is there of stopping a bona fide international terrorist from entering the U.S. via Canada?
Not much, I'm afraid.
Being a frequent traveler, I'm here to regretfully inform you that Despres was able to enter the U.S. without much hassle because he arrived at the border with the one important qualification:
He is white.
I know, I know; I'll be accused of playing the race card during a discussion of national security. But ask almost any black person who's traveled overseas, and he'll offer stories of being stopped, stripped and searched.
Border security is all about race cards. How much scrutiny the agents choose to give an individual traveler has everything to do with how much he looks like one of bin Laden's homeboys.
Take my travels on Sept. 13, 2001, for example. With the federal government canceling all flights, my family vacation to Europe turned into a drive to Toronto.
At the border, I was escorted from the car and held in a detention center for several hours. Why?
As one agent said, I "looked suspicious."
Meanwhile, as our car was searched, I watched two truckloads of white men, each carrying a field pack, hunting rifle and wearing camouflage, get not only a green light at the border, but a chat with several guards about the best hunting spots in Ontario.
For the sake of security, let's hope any terrorists who cross over from Canada are black. If they're not, chances are the doors into this country will swing wide open for them.
Maybe they already have.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home