Canadian SF Author beaten and arrested at Border Crossing.

[Wayte]

America pro-freedom?
Not since the musket stopped being used as the army's weapon of choice, from what I can see.

I'd say America sounds very much like Stalinist Russia, now.
Of course, I don't think Russia had this "suing" culture, which is just a blight on existence.

That's just totalitarianism American-style: We've privatized it. Instead of secret police, we've got lawyers.

Actually, our American lawyers are something we should be rather proud of. No institution has done more to protect American freedoms than lawyers. From Roe v. Wade to Brown v. Board of Education to Lawrence v. Texas, lawyers have fought for and secured most of the civil rights we have today.

Thank goodness for our "'suing' culture".

Ya some lawyers are good, its the tards that sue over things like hot coffee that he's talking about.
What you just did is equivalent to sanctioning a forest fire because we use heat to cook our food.

 

[ElephantGuts]

Based on the fact that this man claims to have been spontaneously assaulted and brutally beaten by border officials for asking a simple question related to their searching of his vehicle, I can't help but get the feeling we're not getting the whole story.

Unless the United States has started employing rabid gorillas as border guards, which I doubt even more.

 

[Mechanix]

As people have said, article is very biased, so we don't know the full story. But I will say this. Americans are very xenophobic and misunderstanding of outside cultures, even ones with small differences to their own. How do I know? I'm Canadian living in America, been doing so for many years.

Most sane people agree there's no physical difference between us.....were just, you know, caucasian mostly I guess. At my school, people crack RCMP jokes, moose jokes, eh jokes, aboot jokes, you name it, I get it. Do I care? Of course not, I don't care. It just surprises me how often they do it. And hell, I'm just Canadian, the indian kids get a lot of it, and we even call this Arab kid Ali.

But hey, maybe this is just teenagers for you. Can't say what the work world is like.

 

[Wayte]

America pro-freedom?
Not since the musket stopped being used as the army's weapon of choice, from what I can see.

I'd say America sounds very much like Stalinist Russia, now.
Of course, I don't think Russia had this "suing" culture, which is just a blight on existence.

That's just totalitarianism American-style: We've privatized it. Instead of secret police, we've got lawyers.

Actually, our American lawyers are something we should be rather proud of. No institution has done more to protect American freedoms than lawyers. From Roe v. Wade to Brown v. Board of Education to Lawrence v. Texas, lawyers have fought for and secured most of the civil rights we have today.

Thank goodness for our "'suing' culture".

Ya some lawyers are good, its the tards that sue over things like hot coffee that he's talking about.

Leaving aside the fact that the hot coffee suit is probably a lot different than you think it is, I don't think that's what he's talking about--can you please point out something he said that makes you think he was? I don't see how ambulance chasing lawyers are comparable to a secret police.

Because I'm pretty sure(I could be wrong though) that a good number of laws can be twisted by a good lawyer to keep corrupt politicians safe. And when politicians can get away with anything, well, it sure as hell ain't a democracy anymore.

Or at least that's what I'm thinkin, it IS late and I am a little distracted, so maybe I'm not making the right sense of this...

 

[Citrus]

Whether there is more to the story or not, I'm fairly confident that nothing that writer did is bad enough to deserve two years in jail.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Unless the United States has started employing rabid gorillas as border guards, which I doubt even more.

Some might say that all it takes is a badge. [http://www.prisonexp.org/]

 

[Wayte]

America pro-freedom?
Not since the musket stopped being used as the army's weapon of choice, from what I can see.

I'd say America sounds very much like Stalinist Russia, now.
Of course, I don't think Russia had this "suing" culture, which is just a blight on existence.

That's just totalitarianism American-style: We've privatized it. Instead of secret police, we've got lawyers.

Actually, our American lawyers are something we should be rather proud of. No institution has done more to protect American freedoms than lawyers. From Roe v. Wade to Brown v. Board of Education to Lawrence v. Texas, lawyers have fought for and secured most of the civil rights we have today.

Thank goodness for our "'suing' culture".

Ya some lawyers are good, its the tards that sue over things like hot coffee that he's talking about.

Leaving aside the fact that the hot coffee suit is probably a lot different than you think it is, I don't think that's what he's talking about--can you please point out something he said that makes you think he was? I don't see how ambulance chasing lawyers are comparable to a secret police.

Because I'm pretty sure(I could be wrong though) that a good number of laws can be twisted by a good lawyer to keep corrupt politicians safe.

Rod Blagojevich would beg to differ, or else he'd like the money he spent on legal representation back.

And when politicians can get away with anything, well, it sure as hell ain't a democracy anymore.

Isn't "What you just did is equivalent to sanctioning a forest fire because we use heat to cook our food." ;-D

I have no idea what that first reference is, which means I officially got no idea what I'm talking about, and concede lol.

Also touche ;P

 

[dalek sec]

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.

This, getting out without them telling you to is a pretty good way to get shot.

 

[lacktheknack]

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 Canadian, and trust me, we Canadians regularly call Canada a hellhole ourselves (though usually not to non-Canadians). I personally don't, but I'm a teen surrounded by other teens who want to be "edgy".

 

[Internet Kraken]

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 Canadian, and trust me, we Canadians regularly call Canada a hellhole ourselves (though usually not to non-Canadians). I personally don't, but I'm a teen surrounded by other teens who want to be "edgy".

Same thing in America. Now I'm wondering if people over in England do this as well.

 

[SimuLord]

America pro-freedom?
Not since the musket stopped being used as the army's weapon of choice, from what I can see.

I'd say America sounds very much like Stalinist Russia, now.
Of course, I don't think Russia had this "suing" culture, which is just a blight on existence.

That's just totalitarianism American-style: We've privatized it. Instead of secret police, we've got lawyers.

Actually, our American lawyers are something we should be rather proud of. No institution has done more to protect American freedoms than lawyers. From Roe v. Wade to Brown v. Board of Education to Lawrence v. Texas, lawyers have fought for and secured most of the civil rights we have today.

Thank goodness for our "'suing' culture".

Ya some lawyers are good, its the tards that sue over things like hot coffee that he's talking about.

Leaving aside the fact that the hot coffee suit is probably a lot different than you think it is, I don't think that's what he's talking about--can you please point out something he said that makes you think he was? I don't see how ambulance chasing lawyers are comparable to a secret police.

You made the critical error of taking me at face value. I was riffing on lawsuit culture and how in Soviet Russia, your neighbors denounce YOU!! and let the KGB sort out the details while in America they just go after your money if they don't like you and want to fabricate an excuse. Ambulance-chasers and the KGB were compared humorously in the "someone's waiting for you to do something so they can get you out of the way" sense.

 

[Dark Knifer]

Glad I don't have to put up with that over here in Australia.

 

[wynnsora]

What a wonderful world we live in now. I see absolutely nothing wrong with what he said or did.

 

[Vuzzmop]

What a wonderful world we live in now. I see absolutely nothing wrong with what he said or did.

Actually, he got out of the car at a border patrol check-point,big no no. To be fair, he should have expected this coming into the states and (considering the bias of the article), possibly riling up an already hot-headed border patrol officer. Why do people assume they'll be treated like humans by US officials?