Canadian SF Author beaten and arrested at Border Crossing.

[cleverlymadeup]

Its a very biased article, but all forms of US security, whether it be at the borders, airport security, immigration desks or Embassy's is SO tight that it's a little scary.

how is it biased? i really think everyone in this thread should look up the definition of the word bias. bias has nothing to do with americans made to look bad, it seems every time someone points out how bad the american system is, they are being biased. the same thing happened with the american girl who was found guilty of murdering the british girl in italy, the italian legal system was called biased as well.

giving a demonstration of how bad the border guards is, is NOT bias. it's pretty well known that they subject people to horrible treatment and it's been pointed out many times.

the thing is the US border guards should not have even been searching him at all, he was going to Canada not the the US. so really they had no business searching him at all. it's a clear case of the border guards stepping way over their jurisdiction.

i'm really going to love it when the get the video of all this and show it to the judge, maybe something at that point will change. unless they try and pull some crap about national security, which it's not at all

 

[Amnestic]

American Law Enforcement/Security Forces overreacting? Ya don't say. Never would have guessed.

So are we allowed to bring lipstick and bottled water onto planes yet?

 

[Aphroditty]

i'm really going to love it when the get the video of all this and show it to the judge, maybe something at that point will change. unless they try and pull some crap about national security, which it's not at all

Assuming that any evidence when it appears will automatically corroborate your viewpoint is not good critical thinking.

In any event, it is a biased article. I have yet to see anyone saying that it's actually wrong (mostly because the article presents presents no compelling evidence other than what the victim himself said), but the article itself makes absolutely no attempt to be objective. Saying this anecdote is not biased because it supports your point-of-view is the same thing as claiming that an article is biased because it doesn't support your point-of-view, so I'm going to go ahead and call you on that.

 

[Wayte]

We're running the kind of operation where you keep your mouth shut and your head down. Where obedience to the state trumps individual liberty, where corruption and power grabs are blunted by the influence of prolefeed on the electorate.

In other words, no place you'd ever WANT to travel to.

Pretty much this. Every form of authority here has a huge problem with questions. Parents, government, teachers. I don't know about elsewhere, but in America authority comes packaged with an ego.

 

[Blimey]

Everytime I start to think law enforcement officers are okay, they pull stupid shit like this and I revert back to thinking they're nothing but high-school jock washouts with massive insecurities and an intense desire to try and prove that they have power. And the courts back them up every crack-snorting motherfucking time. Fucking justice system only exists to screw over innocent people.

 

[Amnestic]

Why does it seem to me every other country is a shit hole but Canada? Britain is Orwellian, the States are a corporate-run police state, and Australia has that fucking neanderthal Atkinson. Canada has the Conservative party and Harper, but that is at least more tolerable than the rest. Of course, everybody has a bias view for their own nation, but I honestly think the only other place in the world I would rather live is Sweden. Anyone else feel this kinda way about their nation?

I'm pretty sure if we ask Khell he can find plenty wrong with Canada. He has a few choice words to say, especially about the politicians, last I checked.

 

[Phototoxin]

but how many terrosrists have they stopped?

probably none... getting out of your car...oooh scary. America grow some ****ing balls.

 

[Zemalac]

Its a very biased article, but all forms of US security, whether it be at the borders, airport security, immigration desks or Embassy's is SO tight that it's a little scary.

how is it biased? i really think everyone in this thread should look up the definition of the word bias. bias has nothing to do with americans made to look bad, it seems every time someone points out how bad the american system is, they are being biased. the same thing happened with the american girl who was found guilty of murdering the british girl in italy, the italian legal system was called biased as well.

giving a demonstration of how bad the border guards is, is NOT bias. it's pretty well known that they subject people to horrible treatment and it's been pointed out many times.

the thing is the US border guards should not have even been searching him at all, he was going to Canada not the the US. so really they had no business searching him at all. it's a clear case of the border guards stepping way over their jurisdiction.

i'm really going to love it when the get the video of all this and show it to the judge, maybe something at that point will change. unless they try and pull some crap about national security, which it's not at all

Of course it's biased.

From Marriam-Webster: [http://m-w.com/dictionary/bias]
Bias
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Form(s): bi·ased or bi·assed; bi·as·ing or bi·as·sing
Date: circa 1628
1 : to give a settled and often prejudiced outlook to
2 : to apply a slight negative or positive voltage to (as a transistor)

Definition number one is what we're looking at here. In reality, everything ever written is biased in one way or another, simply because of the fact that it is written by a person with preconceived views on the issue. In this case the bias is very obvious due to the article beginning with "My friend, the wonderful sf writer Peter Watts was beaten without provocation and arrested by US border guards on Tuesday." Note especially the words "My friend, "wonderful sf writer," and "without provocation."

Bias: it is everywhere. This article is more biased than most, yes, but that does not necessarily make it wrong. The border guards could indeed have acted out of line, or they could be justified in their actions. I'm inclined to believe the former, but that might be because the article only gives one side of the story and that's all the information I have.

So, to answer your original question: it is biased because it gives one side of the story in a very inflammatory and nonobjective way.

 

[Internet Kraken]

Is there some other source I could read about this incident? Frankly, this one sounds to biased for it to be credible. The author openly admits to being close friends with the victim.

Considering how many Canadians travel into the USA without experiencing this kind of problem, I find it hard to believe that Peter Watts did not bring this upon himself. Even if it was unjustified, this is just the actions of one corrupt border guard. So there is no reason for comments such as these;

but how many terrosrists have they stopped?

probably none... getting out of your car...oooh scary. America grow some ****ing balls.

America: Still having the balls to wonder why the world doesn't like them.

Isn't it more stereotypical to find these kind of jumped-up redneck waste-of-oxygen dipshits in the American south and not the Canadian border?

Musta been a terrorist. Obv.

I mean if I'd been given a shitty education, I'd believe it too.

I had enough of a reason to hate Americans for their utter bullshitting of history, and now this?

 

[quiet_samurai]

but how many terrosrists have they stopped?

probably none... getting out of your car...oooh scary. America grow some ****ing balls.

That was actually rhetorical.

Actually, there are alot of cases where terroritsts have been stopped at the Canadian Border. Maybe you should know what your talking about before you say something, you don't want people to think you don't know what you're talking about now. Also, if a police officer or any form of law enforcement tells you not to get out of the car...and you do, that's non compliance, which is a crime. They didn't arrest him because they feared he was a threat, they probably told him to get his ass back in the vehicle and he refused. But like I said, it's a pretty one sided story. I'm sure there is more evidence to go over if it goes to trial that will shine more light on the truth.

 

[Spaghetti]

Its a very biased article, but all forms of US security, whether it be at the borders, airport security, immigration desks or Embassy's is SO tight that it's a little scary.

how is it biased? i really think everyone in this thread should look up the definition of the word bias. bias has nothing to do with americans made to look bad, it seems every time someone points out how bad the american system is, they are being biased. the same thing happened with the american girl who was found guilty of murdering the british girl in italy, the italian legal system was called biased as well.

giving a demonstration of how bad the border guards is, is NOT bias. it's pretty well known that they subject people to horrible treatment and it's been pointed out many times.

the thing is the US border guards should not have even been searching him at all, he was going to Canada not the the US. so really they had no business searching him at all. it's a clear case of the border guards stepping way over their jurisdiction.

i'm really going to love it when the get the video of all this and show it to the judge, maybe something at that point will change. unless they try and pull some crap about national security, which it's not at all

"noun 1 inclination or prejudice in favour of a particular person, thing, or viewpoint." From the Oxford English Dictionary. Now I'm not saying the border guards were wrong. Yes the man shouldn't have gotten out of the car and the officers were right to react. But not in the way they did, they totaly over-reacted. However, this opinion is based on an article written by a friend of the person in question. They even said so in the article. The author had an inclination in favour of Dr. Peter Watts. I myself am inclined to agree with the author, but I don't yet have all the facts, only an article on a website I had never heard of untill now.

Anyway, I'm not defending the American system. I've seen it first hand as an immigrant and I know it needs fixing, I'm just saying that the article is a little one sided in favour of Dr. Watts

 

[Wildrow12]

You don't get out of car when confronted by law enforcement. Ever. It doesn't matter where.
It doesn't matter when. You stay in your vehicle, hands on the wheel and stay calm.

 

[Amnestic]

Why does it seem to me every other country is a shit hole but Canada? Britain is Orwellian, the States are a corporate-run police state, and Australia has that fucking neanderthal Atkinson. Canada has the Conservative party and Harper, but that is at least more tolerable than the rest. Of course, everybody has a bias view for their own nation, but I honestly think the only other place in the world I would rather live is Sweden. Anyone else feel this kinda way about their nation?

I'm pretty sure if we ask Khell he can find plenty wrong with Canada. He has a few choice words to say, especially about the politicians, last I checked.

I don't know who Khell is, but I would agree with him. Our politicians are about half back-benchers, a quarter suck ups, a fifth high ranking party members and the rest are good. Linda Duncan, my MP, is an example of a good MP. Duncan is not a career politician, and THEY are our real problems. Canada would benefit from electoral reform, senate reform, and term limitations.

Our very own Khell_Sennet [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/profiles/view/Khell_Sennet]

To this day I still have no idea what his name is about. I should really ask at some point.

 

[garjian]

lol...

This does WONDERS for my xenophobia,
keep it up guys!

 

[ProfessorLayton]

There's always two sides to every story... That's all I have to say.

 

[Phototoxin]

In sweden they do make bombs which are illegal for them to use but ok for the US to use according to a journalist bloke I met in the EU once.

Also in response to balls : terrorism is bandied about by the US so much it has no meaning. My country was liberated by 'terrorists' so I don't have a lot of sympathy for americans fearing terrorists

 

[LCP]

the lack of details makes me think the article is heavily biased and there is no proof of what happened, something cameras should clarify

 

[Omikron009]

I'm not sure if I should be glad that I live in Vancouver, Canada, a wonderful place where the worst cops do is taze a polish immigrant to death at the airport, or afraid to travel to the US ever again. I always said, those neighbours of ours are going to do something crazy, stay away from them kids, BUT DID THEY LISTEN?

 

[deleted_scifidownbeat]

DELETED

 

[LCP]

He must have done something. Maybe he got out of the car, which he should have known not to. And i am starting to hate all this anti america talk over here. From a 3rd person point of view it's the guy's fault maybe he was cocky or something and everyone jumps on the conclusion it was the police's fault.