would you rather have an overly protective immigration / Customs officials, or a repeat of 9/11 ?
would you rather have an overly protective immigration / Customs officials, or a repeat of 9/11 ?
These officials tend to get very defensive if you ask them any questions, though this can stretch to anyone in authority. I remember a long time ago at a public event I was pulled aside by an officer, of course I went with no struggle at all and tried to be very nice even though he pulled my arm. Takes me 10 meters to the front of his car and makes me face him. He spoke very rapidly and I asked "wait, what did I do?" to which he responded by unholistering his gun and shouting at me with gun in plain sight. I was kind the whole time and came to realized I had accidentily blocked this kid from getting to the water fountain, I did notice him and move but apprently I still needed to be yelled at.
Anyways long story short, you were right to question why you were being "checked" though that tends to make them mad. Still do it though.
'Twas a cutlass swipe or an ounce of lead
Or a yawing hole in a battered head
And the scuppers clogged with rotting red
And there they lay I damn me eyes
All lookouts clapped on Paradise
All souls bound just contrarywise, yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!
They don't expect you to say yes. They expect that when you're Mr Terrorist and you lie on the form they pull you aside, slap some handcuffs on you and charge you with violating 18 U.S.C. § 1001(a) colloquially known as "making false statements to the feds". Then they get to put you away for five years on a charge that's a slam dunk to prove in federal court.
In '05 I traveled to China for a week. Upon my return, while waiting on the customs line I had realized that I didn't turn my phone back off (I turned it on right after I landed to text my dad that I landed safely). The -second- I got it out of my pocket a TSA guard came over and end to end with no comas or periods kept saying "Sir, put the phone away." She repeated herself about 5 or 6 times before she grabbed for it. I yanked back my hand and got my passport out and showed my US passport to her. Her attitude completely changed and said "Just be aware that cellular devices are not permitted in this area..." It made me think what she would have done had I not been a US citizen...
"Do not only practice your art, but force yourself into its secrets, for it and knowledge can raise men to the divine." -- Ludwig Van Beethoven
When I was driving trucks i thought it would be really funny to answer the question "do you have any illegal persons on your vehicle" with a resounding "a whole trailer full." The first time I actually encountered a CPB checkpoint I very clearly got the vibe that they have no sense of humor. None at all. I tabled that idea.
Get a grip man! It's CHEESE!
Does all that nonsense work, at least ? Do they actually catch some baddies or are they, in the end, paid to waste people's time ?
I've been screened 4 times in the past 2 years just going to Canada. It's ridiculous. I have no criminal record and I am a young man. I don't know why they only stop me amongst the dozens of vehicles, but they do.
American border guards are assholes though; whereas the Canadian ones just look inside my car, make sure my passport is real, and send me off.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
'Twas a cutlass swipe or an ounce of lead
Or a yawing hole in a battered head
And the scuppers clogged with rotting red
And there they lay I damn me eyes
All lookouts clapped on Paradise
All souls bound just contrarywise, yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!
Yea. They were funneling people to some other waiting room because they had 6 767s come in within 20 minutes of each other...
My questions were 'did you have fun on your vacation?' 'yes' and then 'happy birthday' (it was two days away) 'thanks' and then he waved me through. At both MPLS and Pierre, SD (which is literally a barn with a landing strip for an airport) I got 'randomly selected' to be screened. They looked through my bag. Oh no! Don't touch my underwear you dirty bastards!
I'd quess "they" have noticed or learned that this is the most efficient way to do their work. Causing presure and not making it anyhow personal for them or even sympathetic either way round. Or simply there are few rotten apples doing what they think is the right way. Maybe they're doing "science" and scaling the best ways to catch or should I say "break" possible threats this way. Which is morally really disturbing thing ofc. But these are anyway things people should be aware of before stepping into plane toward any country. Meaning you should know about the customs of Australia and something about North Korea before you go there. Same with the USA now days. They have much to fear it seems so "they" sure seems to act like it.
But one simple rule usually works both ways when working with officers = be cooperative and do what they tell you to do and shut the fuck up if they tell you to. Be calm and don't let them manipulate you to change your opinions. Make their work easier and give them honest answers even if they assume you're a threat. If one puts a "yes, I'm a terrorist" in a paper when going to states.. well justice gets served and idiots gets to learn why it's not a joke for yankies. Not saying you or people generally does that mistake, but there are always some jackasses. Not forgetting those officers do make mistakes when profiling and stuff.
ps. worth a read: http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/i...e-of-profiling
Last edited by mmocfd546f5e2f; 2013-01-22 at 06:11 AM.
Then you have no clue why they do it. NEWSFLASH: criminals tend to use your kind of people for smuggling guns, drugs and other forbidden stuff. Women gets their stomach and asses full of drugs and also kids bags, jackets pants, shoes can have anything in them. On borders everyone is a suspect and you can thank the criminals and the laws for it. Think it's like a necessary checkpoint or else you have criminals freely roaming trough lands. Just what's happening in Europe now days when they opened borders to some countries in eastern Europe.
In many ways it's a good thing but unfortunertunally it has it's it bad sides making it unfair for the honest and fair people.
David Drumlin: I know you must think this is all very unfair. Maybe that's an understatement. What you don't know is I agree. I wish the world was a place where fair was the bottom line, where the kind of idealism you showed at the hearing was rewarded, not taken advantage of. Unfortunately, we don't live in that world.
Ellie Arroway: Funny, I've always believed that the world is what we make of it.
Last edited by mmocfd546f5e2f; 2013-01-22 at 07:03 AM.
First off you can't lump border guards and airport security into the same category. Totally differrent job, training, and selection standards. The CPB are highly trained law enforcement professionals. They people that do the job WANT to be there, and go through a fairly long application procedure. So not failed cops.
By airport security I assume you mean TSA. That statement really isn't accurate because TSA provides very little in the way of actual airport security. That would be local law enforcement. The TSA's primary job is screening of passengers for contraband PRIOR to being allowed into a sterile area of an airport deemed as secure. Meh I don't want to lessen what they do...they ARE involved in airport security...the just are not the end all all be all of airport security.
Now you could make the claim that they are failed cops, but that is mostly untrue as well. Their job is largely unskilled, so the barriers for entrance into the occupation are fairly low...ie high school diploma and a pulse. They are not failed anything. Some of them may not be the coldest can in the six pack, if you know what I mean, and some of them MAY get a power trip out of their job, but for the most part they are just guys and gals trying to do a job.
Get a grip man! It's CHEESE!
I think that "counts." I mean it's not the same experience as backpacking around Europe or working for months in Africa or something, but it's still travel to foreign destinations.
---------- Post added 2013-01-22 at 02:49 PM ----------
I'm going to New Zealand (and Australia) in a little under 2 months. Advice?
'Twas a cutlass swipe or an ounce of lead
Or a yawing hole in a battered head
And the scuppers clogged with rotting red
And there they lay I damn me eyes
All lookouts clapped on Paradise
All souls bound just contrarywise, yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!
Well, there's a false dichotomy if I've ever seen one.
---------- Post added 2013-01-22 at 09:50 AM ----------
I wouldn't lump them all into the category of "failed cops", but I would lump them all into the category of "authoritarian personality types that like having power over others".
Maybe. Sure there are many that fit that description but there are many that don't. I've bumped into MANY a TSO by far the majority of them have been solid dudes.
I kind wonder if people have preconceived notions about what a TSO is and then perceive the reality of meeting them in a way that helps to confirm those notions. I'm not saying you are guilty of that. I'm sure you have had a shity experience with the TSA. With that said though, I HAVE seen people go through a checkpoint in front of me, or behind me as smoothly as the system will allow. Only to bitch about how horrible the experience was. I've seen pax get belligerent with TSO and TSOs trying to calmly defuse situations caused not by them only to hear people literally tell them the power is going to their head...while they are on the defensive.
With that said, I've said I've seen the bad they have to offer too. I've seen 80 year olds in wheelchairs selected for additional screening and attention. I've seen a 16 year old in a cast grouped for 15 minutes. I've seen downright rude and obnoxious TSO. These are all the rare cases...the ones or twos out of millions.
Spectral, I feel like we have had this very conversation not to long ago.
Last edited by poser765; 2013-01-22 at 03:24 PM.
Get a grip man! It's CHEESE!