Crossing the Canada/US border.

[kj924]

So, I went to pick up my skid plate this afternoon down in upstate NY at a local UPS store. As I entered the US customs entry point, I stopped at the little hut and was met by the most pleasant border guard. This guy had all the personality of a rock pile. First thing out of his mouth in a very snarky attitude was "loose the sunglasses" ...so I took them off. Then he started drilling me with questions of where I live, where I work, what is my purpose of the US visit, what I was picking up , what the skid plate was for?? So, being a good little citizen, I answered all his idiotic questions and continued on my way.

Now, on the return trip across the big dotted line, I was confronted by a female Canadian border guard. These two guards must have been brother and sister because she was every bit the a-hole the guy was. As soon as I pulled up to the window, she says to me in a weird way.." huh sunglasses..smoking a cigarette...and loud music(which was just pounding ..but not when I was pulling up though ). So this really irritated me, and I had to fire back. "So, is that against the law?" No she replies, but the smoke will bother me, the sun glasses I need you to take off, and the music I could here from 50 feet away. Well I replied, "that's too bad, I can take off the glasses, the music I didn't know was bothering you, and the smoke....well you will have to live with that cause I am not putting it out for you." She did not look impressed, but I didn't really care at that point. These border guards have just a bit too much of a chip on their shoulder....I mean a hello wouldn't hurt them. People who flaunt their authority in such a rude and ignorant manner will always get the same attitude right back at them from me.

Sorry just had to rant a little....must be the heat.

 

[05Sport]

OK with the rant. I hate people like that too. A little hello goes along way. People are more apt to work with eachother. Life is too short also.

 

[HoosierJeeper]

OK with the rant. I hate people like that too. A little hello goes along way. People are more apt to work with eachother. Life is too short also.

x2!!!!

 

[Dave]

Those people must be special. Give them a little authority and they have to be nasty to everyone all of a sudden.

I have been stopped by the border patrol in a roadblock 2x when I was 50 miles south of the border. I think they were lost.

Pretty soon we will probably need passports. A lot of people here used to go to Montreal at the drop of a hat since it is not that far. No more. Just too much of a hastle with crazy border guards. Too bad.

Dave

 

[LibertyFever]

I learned long ago not to wear sunglasses when crossing at an international border point. The border guards must have been trained to make eye contact to see if we're being truthful or not.

Also I find the smaller and less busy the border crossing the more thorough they are. I make a point to empty my vehicle of everything non-essential to lessen the likelihood of an arguement.

A few years ago I happened to cross the Canadian/USA border entering at northern New York State. It was before passports were required and all I happened to have was my driver's license photo ID. The US border guard said directly to me "anybody with a turban can get a driver's license"
He let me pass because he couldn't really find a valid reason to a cavity search Wow1.gif

 

[kj924]

I learned long ago not to wear sunglasses when crossing at an international border point. The border guards must have been trained to make eye contact to see if we're being truthful or not.

Also I find the smaller and less busy the border crossing the more thorough they are. I make a point to empty my vehicle of everything non-essential to lessen the likelihood of an arguement.

A few years ago I happened to cross the Canadian/USA border entering at northern New York State. It was before passports were required and all I happened to have was my driver's license photo ID. The US border guard said directly to me "anybody with a turban can get a driver's license"
He let me pass because he couldn't really find a valid reason to a cavity search Wow1.gif

Oh yeah the border is a great place to make friends...the shades I forget all the time, but the smoke "deal" was a little much for my pallette....grrrrrrrrr She didn't have to be a (*^7 about it. That still boils my blood when I think about that.

Turban? What the hell did that have to do with that? I understand the training these guards go thru, but some people are only people at the end of the day....catch them on a bad day and you will get a cavity search....Wow1.gif

 

[oddball]

So, I went to pick up my skid plate this afternoon down in upstate NY at a local UPS store. As I entered the US customs entry point, I stopped at the little hut and was met by the most pleasant border guard. This guy had all the personality of a rock pile. First thing out of his mouth in a very snarky attitude was "loose the sunglasses" ...so I took them off. Then he started drilling me with questions of where I live, where I work, what is my purpose of the US visit, what I was picking up , what the skid plate was for?? So, being a good little citizen, I answered all his idiotic questions and continued on my way.

Now, on the return trip across the big dotted line, I was confronted by a female Canadian border guard. These two guards must have been brother and sister because she was every bit the a-hole the guy was. As soon as I pulled up to the window, she says to me in a weird way.." huh sunglasses..smoking a cigarette...and loud music(which was just pounding ..but not when I was pulling up though ). So this really irritated me, and I had to fire back. "So, is that against the law?" No she replies, but the smoke will bother me, the sun glasses I need you to take off, and the music I could here from 50 feet away. Well I replied, "that's too bad, I can take off the glasses, the music I didn't know was bothering you, and the smoke....well you will have to live with that cause I am not putting it out for you." She did not look impressed, but I didn't really care at that point. These border guards have just a bit too much of a chip on their shoulder....I mean a hello wouldn't hurt them. People who flaunt their authority in such a rude and ignorant manner will always get the same attitude right back at them from me.

Sorry just had to rant a little....must be the heat.

Good for you. (biggthumpup)

 

[kj924]

Oh I could have had her in a Serena styled meltdown if I had choose to..just I needed to get home cause I was starving. It's amazing how many people could use an attitude adjustment.

Funny thing was, the longer and madder she got, the funnier I found it...actually laughing at her...wish I could have known her blood pressure at that moment...hahahaha

 

[jnaut]

So, I went to pick up my skid plate this afternoon down in upstate NY at a local UPS store. As I entered the US customs entry point, I stopped at the little hut and was met by the most pleasant border guard. This guy had all the personality of a rock pile.

Welcome to the United States. We have a constitution here. We just ignore it. And there's nothing in the Constitution about being friendly anyway.

First thing out of his mouth in a very snarky attitude was "loose the sunglasses" ...so I took them off. Then he started drilling me with questions of where I live, where I work, what is my purpose of the US visit, what I was picking up , what the skid plate was for?? So, being a good little citizen, I answered all his idiotic questions and continued on my way.

You got off easy. Skid plates are known terrorist devices. You were lucky you weren't pulled over for an 'enhanced' screening. Cavity searches all around...and go deep.

Now, on the return trip across the big dotted line, I was confronted by a female Canadian border guard. These two guards must have been brother and sister because she was every bit the a-hole the guy was.

Sorry to hear that. I make fun of (give gentle ribbing to...) Canada all the time. But I've never faulted Canadians for their politeness. They're always very polite on their border crossings, even while they're snapping on the rubber gloves for the 'enhanced' security screening.

So this really irritated me, and I had to fire back. "So, is that against the law?" No she replies, but the smoke will bother me, the sun glasses I need you to take off, and the music I could here from 50 feet away.

You're a brave man. There are fewer people more anti-authoritarian than I, but while crossing any border, customs agents pretty much can do whatever they want, including dismantle your car to look for drugs they're just sure are hidden in there somewhere, then hand you a wrench and tell you to please assemble back quickly because they'll have all the parts removed if you don't.

Well I replied, "that's too bad, I can take off the glasses, the music I didn't know was bothering you, and the smoke....well you will have to live with that cause I am not putting it out for you."

*averts eyes from rest of message* there's a rubber glove in your very near future... I'm sure of it.

Sorry just had to rant a little....must be the heat.

We feel your pain, brother. 19 guys got lucky on an airplane with some boxcutters, and now I'm routinely searched and questioned wherever I go, because the terrorists "hate our freedom". And some people think we're winning the war on terror...

 

[jnaut]

Oh, and that smiley signature icon firing the .50 cal? I'm afraid that's an aggressive image showing free-flowing hostility. *snapping on rubber gloves* If you could just step aside over here behind the security screen and disrobe, that'd be greeeeaaaat.

 

[jnaut]

A few years ago I happened to cross the Canadian/USA border entering at northern New York State. It was before passports were required and all I happened to have was my driver's license photo ID. The US border guard said directly to me "anybody with a turban can get a driver's license"
He let me pass because he couldn't really find a valid reason to a cavity search Wow1.gif

Border guard is an obvious idiot, completely ignorant of world events, and must have been born after 9/11/2001. Terrorists can get passports, too. Fancy legal ones. The kid down the street born and raised domestically is more likely to not have the proper ID than a well organized, well-funded group of terrorists. No one in the U.S. government seems to 'get that'. The kid down the street who plays XBox and smokes weed? He lost his drivers license at lalapalooza. The clean-cut terrorist wearing the polo shirt, dockers, loafers and carrying a briefcase aboard a plane in Logan Airport? All of his papers are in order, legal, stamped and legitimate. Y'see, that's just how this thing works.

 

[kj924]

Border guard is an obvious idiot, completely ignorant of world events, and must have been born after 9/11/2001. Terrorists can get passports, too. Fancy legal ones. The kid down the street born and raised domestically is more likely to not have the proper ID than a well organized, well-funded group of terrorists. No one in the U.S. government seems to 'get that'. The kid down the street who plays XBox and smokes weed? He lost his drivers license at lalapalooza. The clean-cut terrorist wearing the polo shirt, dockers, loafers and carrying a briefcase aboard a plane in Logan Airport? All of his papers are in order, legal, stamped and legitimate. Y'see, that's just how this thing works.

Exaaaaaaactly! They need to know who the good ole boys are and aren't.

 

[LibertyFever]

While we're on the subject...kinda
Can anybody tell me what's the idea behind the famous "no fly list"???
Do they really think that the terrorists are going to use their real names? They'll likely fly under their convincingly real John Smith passports.

Did you know that the singer Cat Stevens is on the "no fly list"? Actually it's his Muslim name Yusuf Islam that's on the list.

 

[kj924]

How interesting...:-s

 

[Dave]

Oh, and that smiley signature icon firing the .50 cal? I'm afraid that's an aggressive image showing free-flowing hostility. *snapping on rubber gloves* If you could just step aside over here behind the security screen and disrobe, that'd be greeeeaaaat.

...ooooooooooo...a little more to the left........oooooooooo....now a little higher......aaahhhhhhhhh you got it.......

Dave

 

[jnaut]

While we're on the subject...kinda
Can anybody tell me what's the idea behind the famous "no fly list"???
Do they really think that the terrorists are going to use their real names? They'll likely fly under their convincingly real John Smith passports.

Did you know that the singer Cat Stevens is on the "no fly list"? Actually it's his Muslim name Yusuf Islam that's on the list.

The government won't say who's on the no-fly list. They won't say how you get on it, and and there is no process to get off it. But if you're on it, flying becomes nigh impossible.

 

[kj924]

Oh, and that smiley signature icon firing the .50 cal? I'm afraid that's an aggressive image showing free-flowing hostility. *snapping on rubber gloves* If you could just step aside over here behind the security screen and disrobe, that'd be greeeeaaaat.

Whatever floats their boat.but....I would have a nasty surprise for them in the end...(whistle)

 

[Luke]

Whatever floats their boat.but....I would have a nasty surprise for them in the end...(whistle)

Ooooooh ... that was a stinker!

 

[kj924]

Ooooooh ... that was a stinker!

 

[tommudd]

I must be on someones no fly list,
I got pulled out of the line going through customs in Zurich on the way to Tanzania. Shoes already off, had to take my socks off, unbotton my shirt, jeans down to my ankles, ran the scanner all over , told me to get dressed and wait.

Got dressed, started out of the curtained "box" and some woman yelled " GET BACK IN THERE RIGHT NOW!!!!!! Made me feel really good as everyone looked my way!

Next thing another guy came in, same thing! After a while someone comes up to the door and says " I guess you can go now!"

Walk out and there is my hand luggauge, camera , laptop, billfold, Passport, money all laying out scattered out on a table with people walking by it and no one looking to make sure nothing was being taken while I was detained.

What jerks!!!!

I told them to have a nice day as I walked away no one smiled or said anything so 40 foot away I yelled it at the top of my voice! The woman did a small wave! *itch