On 3/2/14 5:45 PM, Home Guy wrote:
nestork wrote:

That's a fuzzy idea that does not speak to the fundamental issue here.
The US thinks it's a fortress - even in terms of it's "friendly
neighbor" to the north. I know what it was like to cross the border
before 9/11. There was talk of having a single facility at every
crossing, jointly staffed by both countries, to handle cross-border
traffic. You could drive into the US just by showing a birth
certificate (with no photo!) and just say you were going shopping for
the day, and you weren't asked if you were carrying more than $10k worth
of currency and other bull**** questions.

The border has "thickened" since 9/11. It's been well documented.


I can't comment on crossing the Canadian, U.S. border or on flying
after 9/11. Some of the security measures seem silly and pointless.
They're more an intrusion of privacy and just for show from what I've
read.
Add to that the warrantless snooping going on. In addition to the
Bill of Rights we also have what Chief Justice Brandeis called "the
right to be left alone". From Wikepedia:
http://tinyurl.com/argddd
My one experience with security checks was at the Gateway Arch in
St. Louis, MO. There was a line outside the Arch of fifty people or so
waiting to get safety checks. A couple guys with guns or bombs
could've easily gotten a bunch of us. I don't remember if it was
possible to drive a vehicle close to it.
The security people had a couple take their baby out of the
stroller. They checked my shoes which had metal shoe string loops.
The only advantage to the charade was the dying and wounded people
wouldn't have been bleeding inside the building.