fuzzy wrote: 
What do you want to see my keyboard for!? Let me see a warrant! What do you mean my enter key is looking shifty?

 black321 wrote: 
Everything is unnecessary. Why there is life, in the first place, blows my mind. Your comment was unnecessary. My comment is unnecessary. Why the heck are we doing this?

 fuzzy wrote: 


Well that was unnecessary.

 RichardPrins wrote: 
If they don't bother me or my dogs I don't bother them.

I've been unable to drive for the past year and they've made a hive in my car. Once winter gets here and they're all dead or underground I'll clean away the hives.

Didn't mean to jack the thread... just say'n. 

 islander wrote: 
I've crossed the border many times as well, and have never gotten into trouble either. Not even when on one occasion when I made a wisecrack. Sure, I got it that he didn't like that, which was too bad for him, but that was to be expected. While I don't fear the crossing, there is simply no (longer any) need to undertake those trips.

We get hornets nests every year. They don't bother (or scare) me either. My wife on the other hand is an ecocidal maniac...

 RichardPrins wrote: 

I've crossed the border many times, and had a wide variety of experiences in doing so. I enjoy my trips and I don't fear the crossing. But I do pay attention when I'm there and behave appropriately.

A couple years ago I came out of my  house and found a ~ basketball sized hornets nest under my deck. I had a broom right there, I could have easily knocked it to the ground and immediately ended the challenge to my abode.  I worked around it for the rest of the day though, and while out that afternoon I picked up a can of wasp spray. I waited until evening when it was cool and then took care of the problem without any stings. Many will say I 'rolled over', but I just think I took a more pragmatic approach to the problem. 

 Umberdog wrote:
Non sequitur

 RichardPrins wrote:
 
And we expect you to speak English too... or French.

 black321 wrote:
Non sequitur (logic)

 cc_rider wrote: 
and treat their Mounties like s$#t, I suppose...

 black321 wrote:  Them Canadians expect to be treated differently. With, you know, respect and stuff. Dang furriners.

This reminds me of the end of "12 Monkeys." If you've seen it you know what I mean. I won't spoil it for the rest of you.

The key point that broke everything down seems to be the question "where are you going to shop" 
The citizen took offense to this question.  Why?  Did he have a right to take offense?  What was the intent of asking this question?  Perhaps if he answered "Sears" and the guard knew there were no Sears at this shopping mall, he could be catching him a lie.  At borders Ive been asked what my favorite TV show was growing up, and didnt take offense (Happy Days, the early years). 
The point is, the guard is trained to ask questions and look for clues that reveal a lie.  The citizen couldnt provide a straight answer and got defensive over a stupid question....and only escalated his protests when interrogated further (by the second cop who was giving him every chance to relax and play along), rather than realizing his situation. In most cases, when you have nothing to hide and are asked to get out of the car and come inside...most of us start to act real nice real quick.  This guy didnt. From the border cop's perspective, you need to ask why is this guy so bent out of shape over a stupid question?  I do hope that if he was innocent, the worst he got was a few hours in a cell. 

 RichardPrins wrote: 
Thus spoke the guy with syphilis.

 Servo wrote: 
There's a couple of things that come to mind.

The status quo and the Stockholm syndrome.

The (practices of the) former USSR and its gulags.

He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you ~ Nietzsche

 MsJudi wrote: 
Guilty until proven innocent? I thought it was the other way around. Welcome to the land of the fee. Sit down, shut up, and do what the bullies tell you to do or else! Have a nice day.

 RichardPrins wrote: 
As do I.

The thing is that a lot of innocent people who used to be able to pass freely between the US and Canada probably have things like a nice day of shopping on their minds, and not the wrath of the Department of Homeland Security.  Depending on your perspective, it was their fault for not checking what kind of trouble they might face by entering the new, militarized US-at-war.  Had they done so, they might have changed their minds and decided that going shopping in a police state was too risky.  And then we'd have no audio recording to discuss and at least the couple would be a lot happier.

I'd say that it's just plain common sense to do as little as possible to raise the ire of ANY armed thug who's holding you prisoner.  If you're not in a position of strength, you have nothing to bargain (or complain) with, so it's best to not even try.

Personally I like the idea that there are still communities of people who feel so innocently empowered to talk back to the authorities.  I can even remember when it was possible to do it in the US without getting your head busted and/or disappearing to a concentration camp for the crime of asking why.

 islander wrote: 
Again, that depends on the perspective you choose to take.

Arguably he was put in that spot by someone abusing their authority. Certainly it takes more effort to fight that, and the path of least resistance is always available. However, that can also mean you'll be riding in the back of the bus for the rest of your life, because that's just the way things are.

PS: That's why, pragmatically speaking, I have no desire or need whatsoever to cross the border.

Sorry, I'm on the side of the border cops on this one.  They are doing a job, you just need to let them ask their questions and answer honestly. He could have easily found a better way to answer he was browsing different shops,looking for clothes... without being an ass.  And how exactly was this recorded?  Was it a stunt?

 RichardPrins wrote: 
The guy in the video you posted put himself in just such a spot. He had several opportunities to avoid going there but he just kept laying down paint and backing into the corner.  The whole thing was wrong an stupid. But the only thing he proved was something we knew all along.  Regardless of priorities, he wasted a lot of ammo on a very small battle in the war on stupid.