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  • 2 Post By docsherlock
  • 2 Post By chris
  • 1 Post By Dazzerrtw
  • 1 Post By markharf
  • 1 Post By brclarke

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  #1  
Old 22 Mar 2013
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Exclamation Trouble at the Border: Going shopping in America.

:confused1:How not to get through a border...In USA.
Watch 2 Canadians Discover That The US Is Now A Police State - YouTube

Last edited by Dave222; 22 Mar 2013 at 21:11.
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  #2  
Old 22 Mar 2013
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Guy started with an attitude and got what an attitude gets you at borders--Canada, USA, wherever. I get that it's offensive, but the guy will be far happier if he grasps the concept of living in the real world. Here in the real world where most of us reside, if you talk back to border guards, you get hassled. If you answer their questions--no matter how absurd--calmly, you get to go shopping at the mall. Simple. Personal choice at its finest.

Caveat: I listened to the first couple of minutes, then got bored. If something markedly different happened during the final portion of the tape, I'll happily stand corrected.

Mark
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  #3  
Old 22 Mar 2013
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Yes, the guy ended up getting arrested, it seems everyone was having a bad day.
Its basically how not to behave.
If the guy was stopped for a traffic offence, he may get off with a caution by grovelling, but if he was confrontational,as here, he'd get a fine, or worse.

However, it escalates from the couple not knowing WHICH store they are visiting, or the address, if you have not been shopping there before, how would you know.? No-one gets off guilt free in this scenario.
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  #4  
Old 23 Mar 2013
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I would have just answered "I don't know." Simple. No confrontation, no backtalk, no arrest. The fact that border guards are often jackasses doesn't alter my response.

I have to wonder what this guy would do at a serious border, with serious jackasses--many places in Africa, a few in Latin America for example. It would be a long trip if you felt the need to get in the face of anyone in uniform who disrespected you.

Mark
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  #5  
Old 23 Mar 2013
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The border guys were pretty OK IMHO.

The Canadian dude is too insular and clearly not used to travel or interaction with customs & immigration.

If you're reasonable with them, like most people, they won't hassle you.
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Old 23 Mar 2013
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I think he may get gangraped in some countries.
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  #7  
Old 24 Mar 2013
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Quote:
Originally Posted by markharf View Post
Guy started with an attitude and got what an attitude gets you at borders--Canada, USA, wherever.
Well, I only heard an attitude by the officer.
Until he ordered them to hand over the key they were friendly.
One sign of a police state is that you cannot talk to officials like a normal person.
I'traveled many borders,but the treatment you get in the USA today is very different to most borders in the world.
But it wasn't always like that.
Back in '97 I crossed the border from Vancouver to Blaine with to girls from Quebec. They were travelling with their driverlicence with no picture on it.
The officer didn't know that this was common in Quebec but after a few jokes they got through.
Today they might get a body search an end up in cuba for trying to cross a border with no photo-ID.
As for the "real world", the USA has taken so much shit since the "dark lord" that they don't remember how it should be.
It's like the frog in the boiling water.....
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  #8  
Old 24 Mar 2013
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By the fact that the Canadian man is miked up I believe he was diliberately behaving like an arse so he could get some footage to post on YouTube in order to get click-through fees on adverts. With 400 thousand plus hits, he's probably making about 200 usd a year in income. (I know this because that's what I earn by having a Google AdSense account with a similarly "popular" video).

PS. I also gave up after 2 minutes of the Canadian's sh!te drivel.
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  #9  
Old 24 Mar 2013
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bordercrossing

Amazing,

Getting across two, the same language speaking and neighbouring countries,not like North and South Korea,and what comes out of it. No wonder so many people in this world,hate the Yanks.
When you travel in Europe from one country to the other,there ain't no border controls any more. Came across many borders in this world,but never experienced a similar thing.
Must admit,I have never been in the USA and will probably be on the list of unwanted persons after my comment.So what.
Border control personal in the USA have a world wide reputation of being extremely rude.Congratulation to this achievement.

Cheers
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  #10  
Old 24 Mar 2013
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Originally Posted by rusty max View Post
Amazing,

Getting across two, the same language speaking and neighbouring countries,not like North and South Korea,and what comes out of it. No wonder so many people in this world,hate the Yanks.
When you travel in Europe from one country to the other,there ain't no border controls any more. Came across many borders in this world,but never experienced a similar thing.
Must admit,I have never been in the USA and will probably be on the list of unwanted persons after my comment.So what.
Border control personal in the USA have a world wide reputation of being extremely rude.Congratulation to this achievement.

Cheers
Well, America hasn't got quite the same problem with Islamofacism that Europe does.... in part because of their border policies.
The US border troop are quite polite compared to the Aussie ones in my experience:

Short, fat, aggressive Aussie Immigration Orifice: So, ya been ta Thailand, huh?
Polite, well dressed, Englishman: Yes
Ozzie: Why did ya go there? (Very loud) Business or pleasure?
Limey: Pleasurable business.
Ozzie: Well why do you want to come here? (Even louder)
Limey: I work here.
Ozzie: So what's the attraction of Thailand? (clearly pushing the point)
Limey: Well, the women are pretty and slim, for one thing.
Ozzie, now incandescent with rage: Hmmph. Stamps passport as work visa in order and throws at Limey (who had in fact been to his buddy's wedding in Bangkok - no hanky panky).

Moral of the story - be cool and calm; you can be acerbic as long as your papers are in order and still get through and the only one with high blood pressure will be the officious official.
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  #11  
Old 4 Apr 2013
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Anyone who thinks the Boarder guards in America or Canada are bad, need to experience the Boarder guards at any of the Central American countries
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  #12  
Old 5 Apr 2013
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Plenty of blame to go round for everyone in that, I feel. The tourist was a bit of an idiot for behaving in that way as opposed to just politely answering and getting on with his day (unless, as has been surmised, he was doing it deliberately) but the guards, every man jack of them, were a bunch of dicks as well, really.
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  #13  
Old 5 Apr 2013
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I've crossed the Canada to the US border probably 50 times in the last 25 years and I have to admit it is getting a little worse with the stupid questions and power hungry guards. Last month going to Great Falls for the weekend was the first time I had ever been asked if I had ever been arrested....no, then she saw the dozens of Central american stamps in the passport and asked me if I had ever been arrested in each of the stamped countries!!! one country at a time!!

I smiled and played the game because she was just trying to trip me up. Also asked where I was going to shop and what I was going to buy. None of your dam buisness was in my thoughts but again just smiled and played the game.

I love going to the States and the people but the people better wake up and see that their rights and freedoms are being erroded.I hope the Dept. of Homeland Security is making everyone feel safe.
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  #14  
Old 5 Apr 2013
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No doubt about it: things are getting worse. Furthermore, absolutely no doubt that border guards are often total jerks.

For historical context, I've been crossing the US/Canada border since I was one year old--from once to dozens of times per year. That's 56 years during which US border guards were often rude, often incompetent, and sometimes downright ornery. I currently live near the border, and examples of their rudeness, incompetence and ill temper are fairly commonplace.

But if you don't like being arrested or turned back, you know what to do, right? Be polite, answer questions, stay calm, don't make jokes about drugs, weapons, or the presumed fascist tendencies of the people questioning you. That's always been true, and it's true all around the world.

The fact that Homeland Security is, in part, an expensive, ineffectual boondoggle doesn't alter the fact that the guy was either woefully ignorant or deliberately provocative.

Mark
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  #15  
Old 5 Apr 2013
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This idiot went looking for trouble, and if you look for something hard enough, you usually find it.

It sucks, but yes, it's best to play the "Yes, officer" game when dealing with people who have uniforms and sidearms.
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