You can sneak across the U.S./Canadian border

[Locutus]

...with a duffle bag full of weed, or plutonium, or widgets, or beer, or fridge magnets or...

Really? Holy crap. You always could. And vice versa. It's been in the papers before. You know, the longest undefended border in the world.

But, this was exposed in a 13 page report by undercover American investigators. Ooooooooo. The border is 8,891km long (including waterways). There are 2,477km alongside Alaska alone. Most of this border is in unpopulated areas. Wilderness. What a shock. How many soldiers does it take for the yanks to guard the entire length of this border? Keep Americans afraid and they'll listen to you more readily it seems.

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2007/09/27/border-security.html

 

[lone wolf]

...with a duffle bag full of weed, or plutonium, or widgets, or beer, or fridge magnets or...

Really? Holy crap. You always could. And vice versa. It's been in the papers before. You know, the longest undefended border in the world.

But, this was exposed in a 13 page report by undercover American investigators. Ooooooooo. The border is 8,891km long (including waterways). There are 2,477km alongside Alaska alone. Most of this border is in unpopulated areas. Wilderness. What a shock. How many soldiers does it take for the yanks to guard the entire length of this border? Keep Americans afraid and they'll listen to you more readily it seems.

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2007/09/27/border-security.html

I wouldn't want to be the customs guard who tried to stop any member of several treatied First Nations bands at the border. That line doesn't apply according to those Treaties.

Wolf

 

[Tonington]

Yah, where is their priority? Less than 1000 American customs officials on our border, over 12000 on the Mexican border. It's not our job to catch people leaving our country, that falls on the <1000 border cops.

 

[MikeyDB]

Many years ago I was driving from central Ontario to Winnipeg. It was winter so I avoided the Trans Canada and went through the U.S. I reached a boder crossing in Wisconsin I believe that was just six orange cones across the pavement with a little itty-bitty shack on one side of the border and another on the other side. I learned these little cubby holes were where the "border and security" folk stayed out of the wind....

At 1:00 AM. the border was "closed" and signs indicated that the border would reopen at some time...can't remember what time, but after driving for hours, and in the middle of nowhere...I simply pulled around the cones and kept on driving....

I made sure on my return to go back the same way and when I got there I was stopped by the authorities and my vehicle was inspected. Making casual conversation I asked what the penalty would be if someone were to oh say just drive around the cones early in the morning when the "border crossing" was "closed"...

Huge fine and potential jail time I was told and assurred the fine officers that I wouln't dream of doing anything of the kind....

When does common sense necessarily play second fiddle to "security"? If I'd been a "terrorist"...mind you this was long before "terrorism" was an issue outside of Ireland....there was nothing but my personal sense of justice and willingness to obey the law that kept me sleeping in my car....in the middle of winter...at 40 below zero....I think not....

I wasn't a criminal or a terrorist and the world didn't come shuddering to a halt because I drove around those cones on the middle of the road....

I wouldn't try that today mind you!

The point is, something has breathed life into our anxiety and our discomfort with even the idea of security....

Maybe it's the way it is because we let it get this way......?

 

[Ten Packs]

What amazes me is that some Americans will find a way to blame US for this test...