U.S. journalist grilled at Canada border crossing

[CHIMO]

Source: CBC News

U.S. journalist Amy Goodman said she was stopped at a Canadian border crossing south of Vancouver on Wednesday and questioned for 90 minutes by authorities concerned she was coming to Canada to speak against the Olympics.

Goodman says Canadian Border Services Agency officials ultimately allowed her to enter Canada but returned her passport with a document demanding she leave the country within 48 hours.

Goodman, 52, known for her views opposing the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, told CBC News on Thursday that Canadian border agents asked her repeatedly what subjects she would cover at scheduled speaking engagements in Vancouver and Victoria.

Goodman said she told them she planned to speak about the debate over U.S. health care reform and the wars in Asia.



Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2009/11/26/bc-amy-goodman-border-incident.html

---

Last Updated: Thursday, November 26, 2009 | 5:01 PM PT


U.S. broadcaster and author Amy Goodman said she is concerned a journalist would have to undergo an interrogation while trying to enter Canada. (CBC)

[havocmom]

1. The world has gone fascist everywhere, evidently

sorry, just out of patience for the crap going on.

[TheMadMonk]

6. Or maybe it's a just a little tit-for-tat. nt

[me b zola]

37. --or Canada's prime mister Harper is a neo-con

~and yes, Harper is a neo con.

[ensho]

61. true

nt

[cyclezealot]

62. Email Canada's Members of Parliament.

It's not just harassment of Goodman. But, such laws are really an attack on a country's citizens. It's censoring a message the government will not permit it's citizens to hear. I emailed a Windsor New Democratic Party MP...

[sattahipdeep]

18. Jeremy Scahill

Jeremy Scahill comes out and explicitly says that he felt that a call he received from the office of Admiral Mike Mullen, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was "an act of intimidation"

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) is by law the highest ranking military officer in the United States armed forces, and the principal military adviser to the President of the United States, the National Security Council, and the Secretary of Defense.

Amy Goodman & Jeremy Scahill :patriot:

[saigon68]

105. The face of fascism

[chill_wind]

2. K & R. Very disturbing.

[sattahipdeep]

19. Searched car, computer and notes

Goodman said her car was searched and the officials demanded to look at her notes and her computer.

"I am deeply concerned that as a journalist I would be flagged and that the concern – the major concern – was the content of my speech," said Goodman.

[dgibby]

3. No doubt she is still on Darth and Dubya's hit list. n/t

[Libertas1776]

4. God,

if this is what having the Olympics does to you, then boy am I glad it went to Rio. Obviously it didn't help to pacify Berlin.

[CHIMO]

7. It's Not The Olympics

But the arm of Fox, the religious right and the penis envy attitude of the governing party(small man syndrome).

Just look what happened in Britain.

It was all about Blair

The evidence on Iraq is now clear. The former PM was dizzied by Bush, and misled gullible MPs
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/nov/26/chilcot-inquiry-iraq-blair-goldsmith
We have just another of the Chicago school want to bees.

[Bozita]

5. CBC's 'The National' begins in about 12 minutes.

And, today is not a holiday in Canada.

[cyclezealot]

8. It's not Canada's doing.

The US provides Canada with it's "Watch List." That list will get you harassed by the TSA.. Not the first time Goodman has been harassed . Seems I recall reading a story at the Bangor ,.Maine airport, if she'd just have an electronic monitoring device inserted into her arm , she no longer be stopped... It's easy to get on the Watch List.. Ted Kennedy was repeatedly stopped by TSA for that reason.. Likely his vote against Dubya's war..

[Bozita]

11. Thanks

Forgot the shared watch list.

[Canuckistanian]

12. She was detained at the GOP convention last year as well

No reason. She was accredited and showed them her credentials. She was taken into custody anyways.

This is why American Journalistic freedom is rated so low in the world.

[Bozita]

13. "Detained" is too polite a word. She was ARRESTED in MN.

[cyclezealot]

27. Not only arrested.

. But threatened with criminal charges.. Do we remember when we were called upon to call the Ramsey Sheriff to tell them , free our journalists.

[pengillian101]

33. Please explain, would you? I have forgotten. And thanks.

Please explain, would you? I lived in the TC area for 25+ years and don't recall. And thanks.


Posted by cyclezealot

"Not only arrested.

"But threatened with criminal charges.. Do we remember when we were called upon to call the Ramsey Sheriff to tell them , free our journalists."

[cyclezealot]

36. from editor and publisher.

He said seven of the 56 people arrested could face felony charges. More arrests were expected, he said. One officer was punched in the back, Harrington said.

Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner said she expected her office to consider charges, including possible felonies, on Tuesday against those arrested. She said she couldn't speculate on how long they would be held before having a chance to post bail.


http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003844608

[FiveGoodMen]

83. "Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner said she expected her office to consider charges"

Remember that, everyone, when you get her fund-raising emails. (She wants to be the Gov)

[cascadiance]

47. Here's a youtube I put up right after she was released from Free Speech TV...

... where she describes just what she had been through...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THMVJQUGJLM

[PatrynXX]

70. I'll never forget that incident.

We lost America during that convention. It happened some in Colorado too, but no where near that bad. Basically as in other countries, the Military or police staged a temporary coupe of the Twin Cities. With beating people up (including Amy Goodman and her cameramen etc) And just to be fair and balanced :P they even beat up some right wing media covering the event. So Glenn Beck can go noodles all he wants, but if he doesn't acknowledge what happened last year, he's a moron.

And I'm not entirely sure we've gained anything back. Just look at Berkley. They beat up some students and the faculty is demanding an investigation

[OnyxCollie]

63. Was it the GOP convention?

Because she was dragged off while interviewing Rep. John Lewis, and I'm not sure why he would be there. Unless I'm thinking of another fascist occurrence.

Shameful.

[dotymed]

65. I agree, American Journalist (not many left)

freedom is strictly controlled. Something that is never mentioned is the freedom of America's poor to leave its borders. If you owe back child support, or if you do not have the money to pay for what is, to impoverished Americans, exorbitant passport fee's and exit visas then you are a prisoner of the U.S.

[Oregone]

24. Regardless, Vancouver has gone nutso over the Olympics

New bylaws state you cannot even have an anti-olympic yard sign on your house (though the police wont enforce it)

[me b zola]

38. This has nothing to do with the Olympics.n/t

[Oregone]

40. "by authorities concerned she was coming to Canada to speak against the Olympics"

You sure?

Lemme tell you, its all nuts right now. In my town, when the torch came through, there were two cops at least on every street corner, helicopters circling the sky, boats stationed at every bridge, motorcade patrols all over the place. The city shelled out $140K in overtime for a single day. This whole Olympics thing is making people irrational on security.

[Better Believe It]

85. What? On Obama's watch? I don't believe it. How shocking.

Sarcasm.

[pundaint]

9. I don't get it - Is there some controversy going on about the '10 Olympics?

[me b zola]

39. No. This is about North American neo-cons wielding control of "their" continent.

Goodman is a truth teller. There is no telling what they are trying to keep her away from. Perhaps the health care debate? Harper is undermining Canada's public health care system (sick freaking neo-con that he is), maybe this is why they are harassing Amy.

[HEyHEY]

44. What?! There is MASSIVE controversy

Vancouver 2010 could be a fucking riot, man. And, no I am not being sarcastic. Massive corruption, overspending, lies, attempts to quell free speech. There WILL be trouble.

[pundaint]

60. thanks, that explains the questions

[Canuckistanian]

10. Jesus Christ

Amy Goodman is no threat to Canada. Hell, she's probably less controversial than our own CBC journalists working on hot subjects.

It's the fucking Harper government doing this or else the fascist Gordon Campbell government of B.C. (Liberal in name only).

This is embarrassing. We're sorry, America.

[Posteritatis]

22. The border police up here have a proud history of powertripping

They got in the news the other day for confiscating a bunch of movies intended to be played at a GLBT film festival, which is just the latest "keep teh ghey out of the country" schtick they've pulled in the last few years.

[snagglepuss]

14. I hope Stewart and Colbert hear about this. Canadian Parliament contact info.

Below is information to contact the Canadian ministers responsible for Border Services and the Olympics. Also included are the names of Opposition members assigned to be critics of those two portfolios. Opposition members can raise this issue in Parliment and demand an answer.


Canada Border Services is handles by Peter Van Loan, Minister of Public Safety,

Telephone: [phone]
E-Mail: [email protected]


The Opposition Critic of Border Services and Public Safety is Brian Masse, NDP
Telephone: [phone]
E-Mail: [email protected]




The 2010 Olympics is handled by James Moore Minister of Canadian Heritage:
Telephone: [phone]
E-Mail: [email protected]



There are two Opposition Critics for the Olympics:

Peter Julian, is the NDP Critic for Olympics, he can be reached at
Telephone: [phone]
E-Mail: [email protected]


Joyce Murray, Liberal Critic for Olympics she can be reached at
Telephone: [phone]
E-Mail: [email protected]



http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Parlinfo/Compilations/HouseOfCommons/MinistryMembers.aspx






I am totally disgusted by this story.

[CHIMO]

16. A Couple More

Contacts in the opposition.

Mr. Mark Holland
Constituency Address:


92 Church Street South, Suite 106
Ajax (ON) L1S 6B4
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

Ottawa Address:


House of Commons
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6
http://www.liberal.ca/en/team/mp/12845_mark-holland

Maria Mourani
Adresse :

Bureau 709, Édifice de la Justice
Ottawa, Québec
K1A 0A6

Téléphone : 613 992-0983
Télécopieur : 613 992-1932
Courriel : [email protected]
Adresse :

9880, rue Clark, bureau 100
Montréal, Québec
H3L 2R3

Téléphone : 514 383-3709
Télécopieur : 514 383-3589
Courriel : [email protected]
http://www.blocquebecois.org/depute.asp?ID=123

[Arrowhead2k1]

15. Canada has a minority neocon government right now.

So this isn't entirely surprising.

[glinda]

30. True. They are trying to take over.

[G Gordon Libby]

82. "Neocon" up here...

...is still to the left of the Obama administration. Cut your own grass.

[Arrowhead2k1]

95. That's why Harper gave a big speech(Stolen from the neocon PM of Australia) of why Canada should

join Bush in the Iraq war in 2003 when he was opposition leader?

You might not see him as a Neocon now, but when he finally gets a majority, look out!

[LarryNM]

17. Corporatism Is Like That

Can you imagine the response from the MSM if this happened to Beck, Limbaugh et al.

[XemaSab]

20. Since when did Canada become a fascist state?

x(

[Oregone]

25. Just since the Olympics came to town, and its not all of Canada

[WriteDown]

21. This is nonsense. I've heard from several DU posters that...

the Canadian border is not enforced at all. It's one of their justifications for why the Mexican border should not be. This story must be made up.

[mudplanet]

91. Unfortunately, this story is true. Canadian customs has been

increasing its harassment of US citizens for a number of years. A friend of mine ten years ago was on a day trip to Vancouver and was pulled aside at the border and questioned. They asked her if she had ever been arrested and she thought for a minute and recalled having been arrested for some minor violation years back (lapsed auto insurance, I think) and they refused her entrance and put her on a list to be refused entrance for ever and ever.

Reasons:
US treatment of Canadians at crossings?
US influence on Canadian police practices?
Nazis in Canadian govt.?

Probably a little bit of each.

[slackmaster]

23. Darn, I thought this would be yet another Canadian cannibalism story

:argh:

[pengillian101]

31. HA!

Darn, I thought this would be yet another Canadian cannibalism story.

[boppers]

26. A bad journalist makes themselves the story.

I've been grilled and detained at that border entrance, as well (before 9/11, no less). Anybody trying to sneak in (and possibly live/work illegally) sometime has all their documentation looked at quite extensively.

[Go2Peace]

29. And I suppose the 48 hour ultimatum to leave is also a "story"?

I would say that is fairly unusual.

[boppers]

32. I was asked to not overstay my intended time as well, in both Mexico and Canada.

You see, nations have problems with people coming over to work "briefly", and then over-staying their permits and Visas.

It's not that unusual, at least, not in my travels.

[Go2Peace]

34. Think about what your are saying. She is a journalist with Press credentials

Your response doesn't make sense.

[boppers]

35. Journalists don't get a free pass to ignore immigration and labor law?

I'm not sure where you're coming from. She's going to a foreign country, to do some work, and was thus told to leave the country after doing the work.... same as any other trade....

What am I missing in understanding your persepctive, here?

[Ken Burch]

42. Why would you possibly defend the immigration Gestapo on this?

There was never any possibility that she'd overstay her scheduled time in Canada anyway. And you know it.

Did Amy gore one of YOUR oxes at some point? Don't tell me, let me guess, you're still mad because she didn't genuflect to the Big Dog in that Election Day 2000 interview on Democracy Now!

[HEyHEY]

43. I think it's just a case of a border guard asking a question that could be considered facist

I doubt the CBSA has been told to not let foreign reporters in. That kind of cancels the entire purpose of having an event to showcase your city to the world.

[boppers]

48. Gestapo papers were about "in country" travel.

This is not "in country".

This is a foreign agent, going to another country.

If you want to make a principled stand that travel between countries should not be regulated, I'll be at your side.

I will not, however, raise a stink because travel between countries has been regulated, and some person found themselves regulated, and thus thinks this is unusual, or even remotely note worthy. It's fake news, poutrage, and blatant ignorance of the last 900 years of history.

[muriel_volestrangler]

49. 'Agent'? Wow, that's a biased use of language there

An 'agent' is working for someone, and when you prefix it with 'foreign', you're implying they are working for a foreign government.

She's a journalist, not an 'agent', and had the normal papers to show this. It doesn't take 90 minutes to check them. And yes, it is unusual to be detained for 90 minutes at a border crossing. It's enough to incovenience people (eg make them miss a connection, or an appointment). That they have a paranoia about poeple saying bad things about the Winter Olympics is noteworthy too.

[boppers]

50. Have you heard Amy?

To imply that she has no agenda, no agency, baffles the mind.

To assume that all people with such an agenda are state actors further baffles the mind.

[muriel_volestrangler]

52. Having an agenda does not make one an agent

Again, an agent is someone who works on behalf of another person, or a group. You're the one who called her a 'foreign agent'. That implies she's working on behalf of a foreign group, which since she's American, would seem to be the US government, since you haven't specified any other group. Here's a typical use of the phrase 'foreign agent': http://www.justice.gov/criminal/fara/

If your purpose was just to point out she's not Canadian, then you should have said "foreigner".

[boppers]

73. "Agen"....

Might their be a root word involved here?

[Ken Burch]

72. Why do you "has an agenda" the way the right uses it?

The woman has a political perpective. So what? She wasn't going to Canada to STOP the Olympics, and it would have been none of the business of the Canadian government if she had.

What is your issue with people of the left? There's nothing we do that's any more evil or scary than anything anybody else does.

[boppers]

74. People of the left? Huh?

People with axes to grind, on all sides of the spectrum, should expect to be treated in response to their actions, and agendas.

[Go2Peace]

92. um, you are the one with an "agenda" and an axe to grind. You can't even seperate your loathing from

common sense. I don't care if she was a fox news whore, they went overboard. Why can't you just admit that? You don't have to agree with her politics to do that.

[Ken Burch]

99. What, as you see it, is the axe that Amy Goodman has to grind?

You seem to think she had this coming. Why shouldn't she have been treated as an honorable and nonviolent person who was just doing her job?

Just come out with it...what is your beef with Amy anyway? What did she ever do to you? You are taking the side of the border guards of a government of right-wing extremists.

[boppers]

112. Amy's a Paris Hilton of the left.

Anything to get her press, and poutrage without it.

Up next: The oppressiveness of spell check, and how proper spelling.... is bourgeoisie.

In 5 episodes.

[Ken Burch]

115. Bullshit. Amy isn't a brainless, selfish bimbo.

There isn't any reason to compare her to Paris Hilton.

You just hate the woman for no reason. She never did anything to you.

[boppers]

119. The only person to call either woman "a brainless, selfish bimbo" is you.

They both cultivate their media, quite well, which makes them not brainless.

[Ken Burch]

121. Brainless shallowness is you're insinuating with the Paris Hilton comparison.

That comparision insults any other woman to whom it is applied.

There's no reason for you to be dismissing this as a publicity stunt. Amy Goodman is against any obviously harmless and innocent person being treated this way by border guards.

Without her, we'd have had nobody in the media critiquing what Bush was up to between 2000 and 2005. At least nobody who had a daily broadcasting presence. Why are you dissing a hero? Progressives would've been nowhere without Democracy Now! in that period.

You have a completely irrational contempt for a person who stood up for all of us on the outside in those years.

[Flaneur]

84. Why the fuck are you even here, anyway?

Slagging progressive journalists, supporting right-wing coups...

[WriteDown]

87. He does make a decent point....

Once your work visa expires, you've got to get out of town regardless of who you "are." Her treatment was a bit excessive though.

[Go2Peace]

93. If you are not **Residing** in Canada, but doing **business** in Canada there are no restrictions

for Americans. Other than having a letter from your employer and following the business laws of the land. No visa is required.

When you see someone who has an axe to grind and is obviously not using reason the web is your friend ;)

This whole discussion is idiotic

[boppers]

97. Here ya go:

Read up:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/EnGLish/work/index.asp

"A work permit is needed for most temporary jobs in Canada, though for some positions and business people it is not necessary."

[cascadiance]

66. Would Katie Couric be grilled the same way and told to leave in 48 hours? SAME difference!

If she did, someone there would catch holy hell from network and other American government officials. In my book, I put Amy Goodman right up there as at least equivalent to Katie Couric in the way she should be viewed as a visitor to Canada in terms of credentials, etc.

This is clearly targeted abuse by some individuals up there. Hoping it's not larger than more than a few individuals outside the organization up there, but the other post I have in this thread might indicate that there's potentially a pattern here when people cross the border up north of here in British Columbia, which saddens me, because I don't think of a majority of Canada or Canadians supporting this sort of crap.

[boppers]

76. Hell, I was grilled. So, if Couric treated the same way....? Well, why not?

She isn't magical, she's a reporter (both Amy and Katie). They're just people.

Maybe they've forgotten that.

[Ken Burch]

100. Amy wasn't asking for special treatment

Almost everyone at the U.S.-Canadian border just gets waved through after a couple of minutes. I myself have gone through any number have times and nobody ever asked anything about my politics when I went through. Why do you think she DESERVED this? Do you accept the idea that they have the right to try and intimidate people from talking about the Olympics.

You make it sound like she was going up to Vancouver to overthrow the Canadian government, and was wearing bandoleros as she crossed the border.

[boppers]

109. She's complaining about not getting special treatment.

Therin lies the issue.

[Ken Burch]

116. She wouldn't defend ANYBODY being treated like that at a border.

Why can't you accept that?

[Ken Burch]

71. "poutrage" is a right wing code word

Please don't use it here.

It's a LEGITIMATE issue when independent journalists are intimidated by border guards. That should never happen to anyone entering what is supposed to be a democratic country. You know perfectly well there was no reason to treat this person like that and that it was totally inappropriate for the border guards to try to stop her speaking on any subject.

[boppers]

77. "They tried to stop me from playing music!"

You have to get a work permit to travel to Canada and play music.

I didn't use that as a reason to get press for myself, though.

[nashville_brook]

88. there it is again -- you're dying for us to recognize your super-importance of being flagged at

the Canadian border. so, tell us all about it, please? did your band get harassed by The Man?

[boppers]

96. Super importance? No, super mundane.

The check *wasn't* important, I *wasn't* important.

I didn't choose to blog about it, or whip up media frenzies, perhaps, because I don't think of myself as being some kind of super-star above everyone else, and thus, above mundane border checks.

[Ken Burch]

101. It's not like Amy Goodman was saying that she should get it easy and everyone ELSE should get grief

It goes without saying that she would be against what happened to you as well.

You're assuming that she was asking for special treatment when there is no evidence to support that at all.

And the labor law issue would only come into play if her presence in the country was going to put a Canadian journalist out of work. We all know that wasn't going to happen.

[boppers]

108. You see it differently.

I see a woman who thinks she is above the law.

edit:typo

[Ken Burch]

103. Giving lectures isn't work.

It's not like she was going to go to CBC Vancouver and wrestle the anchorman out of his chair.

BTW, if you were hassled, you shouldn't have been. And Amy would probably have been on your side. So it's wrong for you to act like she was asking for special treatment. She obviously wasn't.

Border guards only protect the people who live off of other people's labor. They don't do anything that actually helps workers.

[boppers]

114. Talking to workers isn't work....

Uhm....

[G Gordon Libby]

81. Gee, how's...

...the view from the Mount Everest of pompous, self-congratulatory moral high ground? The guy made a valid point. Don't give us this "and you know it" nonsense either.

[Ken Burch]

102. There was no validity to his point at all.

It's wrong for border guards to treat an obviously harmless person like Amy Goodman was treated. There was no reason for them to act like she was a freaking terrorist.

Border policies like that only serve the rich anyway.

[Ken Burch]

75. BTW, why are you even bringing LABOR LAW into this?

Those guards knew Amy wasn't planning to MOVE to Canada and take work away from CANADIAN independent journalists(not that the border guards would have cared about the jobs of independent journalists in their country anyway, since all border guards everywhere have hard-right politics).

Why would you defend this when it would never be done to, say Christiane Amanpour or Katie Couric?

[boppers]

78. Because she was WORKING.

This should be done to Christiane, Katie, and me. Press credentials aren't an excuse to ignore law.

"all border guards everywhere have hard-right politics"... nice brush you got there. Sure it's broad enough?

[Ken Burch]

98. What's the deal here...do you think they were RIGHT to treat Amy Goodman as a threat?

You do sound like you've got some sort of beef with her.

[boppers]

107. I have a "beef" with folks who take every minor drama and make it about something else.

It's all about them.

[John Q. Citizen]

90. When my daughter and I went to Quebec last Summer we weren't given a 48 hour

ultimatum.

Every time I've traveled to Mexico I asked for and have gotten a 6 month visa.

This extremely unusual, in my experience.

Has Canada demanded you leave in 48 hours before?

They have never done that to me.

Canada doesn't require a permit or a visa for Americans to visit. So I don't think tyou know what you are talking about.

[boppers]

113. Were you "working" there?

Vacations are easy.

[Canuckistanian]

53. Nobody was trying to "sneak in"

Goodman is a journalist and well known, even in Canada.

We don't have a history of detaining journalists, searching their possessions and limiting their stays.
That's what 3rd world countries do.

This is a big deal.

[nashville_brook]

86. wow, aren't you special!

[a la izquierda]

89. My husband was a tour manager for a long time

and was once detained at the border crossing near Buffalo (IIRC, could have been the crossing near Detroit). He's never been arrested for anything (hence, no felonies to prevent his entry). His paperwork was tip-top, as always, because he'd been crossing in and out of Canada for years. Yet, he was denied entry and told to go back into the US. He was not given a reason, the Border Patrol simply told him he wasn't getting into Canada this time. The band went into Canada, he sat in a hotel room with several other tour employees who'd been denied entry for one reason or another.

On a totally weird side note, I've been grilled returning to the US from Mexico.

[boppers]

110. Borders are messy.

Amy Goodman is no exception.

[Blue_Tires]

28. what the shit??

what justifies that behavior?? i'm thinking someone may have phoned in an over-the-top, "no matter what story she tells you, she is carrying a BOMB!!!11!!" type of tip to the border patrol...

[HEyHEY]

41. A bit of perspective before you all freak out.....

First off as a Vancouverite I first and foremost hate the fucking Olympics.

With that disclaimer out of the way.... I don't think this is that big of a deal. Border guards use all kinda of tricks to try and trip up a suspect. He could have just been trying to befuddle her for some reason, as is his job.

That said he could just be an asshole, I hate VANOC the Cons and the BC libs, but I can't see them putting out a directive asking border guards to weed out reporters talking about the olympics... they know they couldn't get away with it and they know it would blow up in their faces. I believe this guy acted alone.

[Robb]

54. I spent a damn lot of time sitting at that border BEFORE 9/11.

And I'm not particularly cagey. Can only imagine how much fun it is now.

I never go that way if I can avoid it. The mind games take too long, because my natural gabbiness tends to make them take forever. :D

[snagglepuss]

104. The fact that even one border guard feels comfortable grilling a journalist

speaks volumes about his superiors and his training. This should be immediate grounds for dismissal.

[boppers]

111. So, drug runners should totally become "journalists", right?

Stating a job description means you're above the law, right?

[Ken Burch]

117. How can anybody who claims to be in any way progressive

defend arrogant right-wing border guards? Guys like that never protect anybody like US, dude.

[snagglepuss]

118. That is utter nonsense.

The guards weren't searching for drugs or other contraband, they were grilling her about her opinions and then told her she could only be in Canada for 48 hours.

[Loudmxr]

45. Well if he did act alone he sure F'd with the wrong person.

[cascadiance]

46. I remember in 2008 when they hassled Ann Wright trying to get into Vancouver too...

Ann Wright was trying to attend a conference on women war resistors along with Dianne Wilson and Medea Benjamin and all had major hassles trying to get be allowed to enter Canada there then around late May early June in 2008.

http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/06/09/9509

I remember I just happened to be going to the DOXA documentary film festival in Vancouver that same weekend, and had an extra ticket to see the long version of "Kill the Messenger" (Sibel Edmonds film which is impossible to find anywhere now, the long version that is). I was thinking I would give Ann an extra ticket I had access to to go had I known in advance she was coming, as she actually had scenes in that film too, and would have been good to talk at that film since the filmmakers didn't attend that showing.

http://sibeledmonds.blogspot.com/2008/05/sibel-edmonds-kill-messenger-at-doxa.html

Hmm. This is a weird pattern of abuse here. It's obvious that in many of these cases there are many in Canada that have scheduled events, etc. that these women want to go to, but for some reason the government wishes to deal with it by keeping them away in the border rather than trying to control it internally.

Hope I don't get hassled in the future going to DOXA or other activities like that up there. But I probably am not a beacon for those guys to go after like these well known women are.

[EFerrari]

51. I'm thinking there's a degree of collaboration on this harrassment.

Ann, Medea, Amy -- how influential are they in Canada?

[Robb]

55. Or maybe it's just a PITA to cross the border there.

Doesn't have to be some conspiracy.

[EFerrari]

57. They asked her about the content of her presentation.

[Robb]

58. I imagine they asked her a lot of things.

Many of them, twice, to see what she said the second time. It's part of the process. :shrug:

[EFerrari]

67. Well, you may be right about that. It could sound a lot more sinister

than it was. Although, I haven't felt the same about Canadian border agents since Maher Arar was sent to Syria for torture.

[Robb]

80. Fair point. nt

[EFerrari]

94. You know, Robb, that's what eight years of BushCo has done --

traumatized people enough that we look for patterns to detect risk or harm from officialdom when anything sounds a little off. It's going to take a long time before that impulse dies down. :(

[Ken Burch]

122. We shouldn't WANT it to die down.

Vigilance against any sign of oppression is a good thing.

[robo50]

56. I love Amy Goodman, she is one of the few honest

intellectual journalists around in the world.

I'm sorry my cable company doesn't cover her channel, but my sister's does, and I try not to miss her shows when I go there.

The US and Canadian governments should be ashamed of what they are doing to Amy, while they let Michelle Bachman, Gov. Sanford, and Sarah Palin, Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, and all the other fools fly anywhere they want.

Canada should have stopped George W Bush at the border, and arrested him for war crimes.

Disgraceful to stop a journalist of Amy's integrity.

[kpete]

59. U.S. journalist (Amy Goodman) grilled at Canada border crossing

Source: CBC

U.S. journalist grilled at Canada border crossing
Officials demanded to know what she would say publicly about 2010 Olympics

U.S. journalist Amy Goodman said she was stopped at a Canadian border crossing south of Vancouver on Wednesday and questioned for 90 minutes by authorities concerned she was coming to Canada to speak against the Olympics.

Goodman says Canadian Border Services Agency officials ultimately allowed her to enter Canada but returned her passport with a document demanding she leave the country within 48 hours.

Goodman, 52, known for her views opposing the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, told CBC News on Thursday that Canadian border agents asked her repeatedly what subjects she would cover at scheduled speaking engagements in Vancouver and Victoria.

'You're saying you're not talking about the Olympics?'—Canadian border agent

Goodman said she told them she planned to speak about the debate over U.S. health care reform and the wars in Asia.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2009/11/26/bc-amy-goodman-border-incident.html

[HughMoran]

64. Perhaps they should have broiled her instead

Less fat that way I think.

This is asinine what the Canadian government did :wtf:

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

68. So she just found another subject to do a report on.

Go get 'em, Amy! :headbang:

[cascadiance]

79. That's the irony of this. The border guard is likely CREATING an issue rather than preventing any!

What is their objective? Is it to keep criticism from happening against the Canadian government? Well their actions are likely going to do the opposite. I'm sure if they'd nicely asked Amy what she was doing there, and didn't do anything unless they had STRONG evidence that she was going to do something that they feared, nothing would have happened at all. If they had strong evidence against her, then Amy would know to keep her mouth zipped. I don't believe Amy would be there just to "raise the rabble" anyway, despite what some right wing "tipsters" might have told the border guard to check for when she entered the country.

I wonder if just like Ann Wright being on a "watch list" for being arrested in other protest events in the states was a flag to stop and detain her, if Amy's BOGUS arrest with the Republican convention also put her on this list and that was the source of the problem. One more reason why that arrest should have been contested and the government sued for overstepping their responsibilities then.

[L. Coyote]

69. "I'm going to speak about how long I was detained and questioned at the border!"

would have been my reply.

[TexasObserver]

106. WTF is wrong with Canada?!

I've flown there on business from 3 days to 3 weeks many, many times, and never been hassled coming or going.

[Name removed]

120. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.