I was coming back down from walking around a quiet town in Canada.
I had sunshine, rain and snow. I had it all for a day.
I drove down to the Canadian border and paid my toll to pass through the tunnel. The border agent was wearing a light jacket and his shirt was open.
Then I went across the border back to my homeland.
The United States of America.
There was a guard wearing heavy body armor. Across from me I saw another guard wearing a helmet and so much body armor that I had pushed him over in a snow pile he wouldn’t have been able to get up, let alone handle a weapon with ease and skill.
I produced my driver’s license but something went wrong.
The guard got on the phone and said, ‘I’ve got a bad number.’
The camera they used to take a picture of my license plate number malfunctioned.
It missed the zero at the end of my plate.
The guard immediately became animated and asked for the keys to my car.
He then asked me to pop my trunk and he searched it. Then he opened the rear door of my car and searched my car. Then he opened the canvas sack I had my clothes and toothpaste in and he searched that.
I had my birth certificate with me but these guys didn’t want to make sure I was an American - they just wanted to violate just about every freedom I have been guaranteed.
What if their equipment had malfunctioned and they tagged me, an American whose settler family ancestry in this nation dates back to 1621 and whose Native American ancestry dates back much farther than that, as a terrorist?
What if they had shot and killed me instead of searching my vehicle?
My wife would have gotten a phone call and they would tell you they did the right thing.
Would you question the motives of man dressed in combat gear and carrying heavy weapons at the border? If you don’t question it now they will end up on your street corners taunting your children and searching your wife.
I’ve had just about enough.
Well, how about you?

Sorry, but this doesn't really make sense to someone whose never crossed the border. What was the "malfunction"? Who took a picture of your license plate? Is that customary? Do you really have a problem with the National Guard actually "guarding" our borders? And other than what sounds like a minor inconvenience what was the big deal? I got nearly that much grief just trying to write a check at a new store in my hometown the other day.

I have not had that much problem crossing the border so I do not know the circumstance. I do fly often enough I do not mind all the security. It makes me feel safer.

"Sorry,"
Why are you saying, 'Sorry' - what did you do?

" but this doesn't really make sense to someone whose never crossed the border."

Tell me about it.

"What was the "malfunction"?"

You think I was going to ask a guy with a submachine gun why his other machine wasn't working? I'm no fool.

" Who took a picture of your license plate?"

The border patrol.

" Is that customary?"

At least at this crossing. The Canadians have been doing it for sometime. The American border patrol used to use mirrors and they had to read license plates backwards and type in the numbers themselves.

" Do you really have a problem with the National Guard actually "guarding" our borders?"

It's not the National Guard. It always amazes me when someone like you takes umbrage - you seem so silly in face of the fact that you don't seem now to know what you are talking about.

" And other than what sounds like a minor inconvenience what was the big deal?"

5 million illegal aliens slipping across the border and terrorist murderers and drug dealers entering the country without a blink of the eye is not a minor inconvenience. Are you American?

" I got nearly that much grief just trying to write a check at a new store in my hometown the other day."

Well - considering what you wrote here you are lucky they accepted your check and they will probably pay for it later, I'm sure.

Cranston, look these days we all have to deal with tightened security, if you don't want to be bothered then don't travel.

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If Montreal had airplanes fly into its tallest buildings you can bet your bippy that the guards would have submachine guns as well

My apology was in advance of pissing you off, which apparently I did by merely asking a couple of legitimate questions.

Tell you about what? Your description of the incident was confusing, to say the least.
Your clarification is no better. If there was a problem with a piece of equipment I don't see any reason why you wouldn't ask about it. Good grief, you make it sound like the fact that the guy had a weapon in his hand made him less human.
Finally, a straight answer; thank you
Good, I hope they're using up to date systems at all our crossings now, despite any glitches from time to time.

Thank you for taking a legitimate discussion to the lower level of personal attack. I never claimed to know anything about this and in fact admitted I didn't. If you would be a bit more clear about what actually happened and why you're so bent out of shape about it instead of turning the dialogue into a personal attack, perhaps those of us who don't cross the border on a routine basis would be more informed.
More personal attacks? As I said, this sounds like a minor inconvenience for an American citizen who can prove who they are. Especially considering the millions of illegal aliens slipping across the border and terrorist murderers and drug dealers entering the country. So in answer to your question, yes I am a citizen of this country and my ancestors too were here LONG before it was called the United States of America.

Thanks for the rude response to what was a sincere request for information. I'll know better than to ask you anything else.

By the way; what I could piece together from your fractured description of this incident makes it sound like they're starting to handle border security the same way they handle security at most military installations in the U.S. If so, I'm personally glad to hear that. And if I ever find a need to cross the border and I'm stopped in the way you describe, I have serious doubts that I'll be whining about it later.

Good response Kix. Personally I believe the original poster was more interested in attacking the United States then in actually reporting an issue. I found it especially interesting that he would question your nationality while seeming to totally disregard this country was attacked by terrorist, the same groups that daily tell the world they will destory the United States. Apparently some people need to be constantly reminded that our Constitution and its freedoms are not a suicide pact

Wasn't it the National Guard who shot the kids at Kent State? It sounds to me like some of you are saying, " It was only the National Guard. There o.k."

heyjude122, seems to me that you are wanting to put the national guard down. Yes the guard were the ones that shot the students at Kent state, but the guard has become a very professional fighting force in the last 20 years.

__________________
An informed voter scares the Goverment lackeys.

An American first and always a Conservative.

Go Sooners