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Zola once wrote a searing letter to the president of France to voice his displeasure with certain decisions they made. He did not hate France for things he outlined in the letter, instead he wished to change it. Similarly, I do not hate the US, but would love to see a return of the particular amity that once existed between it and my native Canada. I will not pretend I have the skill of Zola or the ability to see that this is ever read by President Obama, or even Janet Napolitano. Instead, I see this as an intellectually beneficial way to vent.

First let me be clear, on the morning of Thursday, July 30, 2009, at the Pacific Highway border crossing, in Surrey, BC there was a prostration of justice. I was denied entry to the US, when my only sworn intention was to drop my American wife and kids off at Settle airport, so they could go to a funeral of a beloved relative. I have no criminal record of any kind in any country. I checked this, and I've committed no "moral turpitudes" either. The whole reason for refusal was that I missed an immigration hearing in June 2008, and was summarily "removed." In other circumstances, that term would be hilarious since I had not been a resident of the US since 2004. I had no notification of said hearing and no desire to be a US resident again. I was treated like a common criminal (ostensibly) because I did not bend to the idiosyncrasies of their law after I believed the law did not apply to me.

But there is more - the Department of Homeland Security actively fosters an environment of intolerance, insensitivity, ignorance, and (like every other Federal Agency) ineptitude and inefficiency. And so, I make the following accusations:

1. I accuse the Department of Homeland Security of being insensitive to my goals that day. I only wanted to take my family to the airport and return home to Canada. It should be obvious that I have no desire to live or work in the US. That kind of inflexibility should not be an attribute painted on the front door of the US. The Department of Homeland Security seems unable to show any sort of empathy. They also offer cash prizes to Officers who reject more people.

2. I accuse Officer Winfield of racism, ineptitude and inefficiency. Officer Winfield is an African American. I could tell from when I first started talking to him that he had his back up against me. His tone was confrontational and condescending. I lived long enough in the Deep South to know how it feels to have an African American get their back up when they know they have power over a white man. It took him almost three hours of checking and fumbling around their system to arrive at the decision I described above. If he knew his job at all, I could have made other arrangements for my wife to get to the airport on time. But whatever the outcome, I'm quite certain that it didn't matter - he was out to get me.

3. I accuse the colleagues of Officer Winfield of gross cowardice. All the other DHS employees were white. They also looked petrified of contradicting him, or even accidentally speaking over him. I know that others wanted to show empathy for my case, but could not as they have given in to the culture of race fear.

On the bright side, I didn't get shot, tasered, or pepper sprayed. That's because I kept my calm. I didn't give them the reason they were looking for. I wouldn't be tasered in front of my children.

I am a law-abiding, good person, from a friendly country. All I want is to be able to visit the US from time to time, as I did before. Is that too much to ask?

Current Mood: infuriated

“Each day on the Internet views are discussed and debated in an open forum without fear of censorship or reprisal.” - Hillary Clinton.

Censorship AND reprisal?

Is that what the first amendment was designed for? Should those be the goals of a command-in-chief - to limit the free speech of the citizens she represents by means of fear? When did words become crimes?

All ideas should be discussed without fear of censorship or reprisal. All forms of expression must be legal and protected.

And of those who would limit freedom of expression, their fate must be severe, since to do so is tantamount to murder; but in this case, murder of the human spirit.

Please never allow this.

Current Mood: angry

getting nervous
getting nervous
as he walks towards her house
the night caving in on the roof of his head
the flowers are getting heavier
and his legs are trying to turn around
and go the other way instead
we are getting very small
we are getting very small
we are getting very small
very small we are
we are fading into the background

we are fading into the background

roses are red and violets are blue
we are coming out in purple
roses are red
these violets are blue
tonight we are coming out in purple

okay we're back and we have resumed
we have resumed walking down the street
we have decided to think about something else
when we get there when we get there then we can think about what we are doing
think about what you are doing, what you are doing
there is, there is, there is a telephone pole in front of you
just go around it
just, just ease yourself around it
it's not as hard as it looks
it's not as hard as it looks
yeah, it's not as hard as it looks
it's not as hard as it looks
we are, we are fading into the background
we are, we are backing into the foreground
we are, we are thinking about something else
we are thinking about something else
think about something else just think about something else


violets are red and roses are blue
we are coming out in purple
violets are red
these roses are blue
tonight we are coming out in purple

four phone calls
count 'em, twelve
they wanna know why
she's going out with this guy
they are seriously threatening to never to speak to her again
never again
never again
you know, you know the blow dryer won't work
and she can't find, she can’t find the matching shirt
we are beginning to doubt this
we are beginning to doubt
precious like a tidal wave
the doorbell rings
her mother waves her down to answer for it, answer for it
we, we are accountable for our own actions by the way
we have to answer for it, answer for it
we, we're gonna answer for it
for once you're gonna answer for it

answer for it

answer for it

he leans the flowers against the door
what just happened he's not sure
but he hopes she's feeling better
we are fading into the background
we are fading into the background
cut

-----

This is the best song by one of the best artists to ever come out of the GVA (greater vancouver area). It's actually quite an old song that was never recorded by a label; instead, it was distributed on tapes back in the day. Matt Good and his label have no connection to it anymore.

I once had the mp3, but it went missing. If anyone has it, please tell me and we can arrange a suitable mp3 trade.

If you've heard the song, you'll instantly understand why I like it so much.

Current Mood: relieved

Voltaire had little regard for France's North American holdings. He was so dismissive of their value that he wrote in Candide, "You know that these two nations are at war about a few acres of snow somewhere around Canada, and that they are spending on this beautiful war more than all Canada is worth."

I have see a few acres of snow in one part of Canada or another. I have seen what it contains both above and below its surface. It is a marvel. It is worthy of an ardent defense.

Presently, their is a dispute brewing near waters that are not that far away from where I just was. It's an issue that is a direct result of global warming. The arctic sea ice is not expected to block the inside passage anymore. That means that a number of countries will try to claim as international waterways, what are clearly within the territorial boundaries of Canada.

"Now comes the hour where we will measure strength against strength" wrote Andrew Jackson on the eve of the Battle of New Orleans. Such is the resolve we require - not to provoke a war but defend what is ours.