You have GOT to be kidding me

Brian · June 8th, 2005, 04:02 AM

God forbid we offend somebody's sensibilities. In my opinion things like this are the inevitable endstate of we, as a nation, becoming more and more scared of lawsuits, violating somebody's civil rights, or not wanting the PC police to be called.

Does anyone honestly think this would have happened in the 50's? We have progressed for the better in many ways since then, but our fear of rebuttal isn't one of them. America has lost it's collective backbone.

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maddogkf · June 8th, 2005, 08:41 AM

wow. I don't know what else to say. He looks freaky.

Dback Jon · June 8th, 2005, 08:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarleyRider

God forbid we offend somebody's sensibilities. In my opinion things like this are the inevitable endstate of we, as a nation, becoming more and more scared of lawsuits, violating somebody's civil rights, or not wanting the PC police to be called.

Does anyone honestly think this would have happened in the 50's? We have progressed for the better in many ways since then, but our fear of rebuttal isn't one of them. America has lost it's collective backbone.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...G&SECTION=HOME

Sounds more like the border guards just not doing their job. Bloody chainsaw? How do you get blood on a chain saw LEGALLY?

Pariah · June 8th, 2005, 09:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dback Jon

Sounds more like the border guards just not doing their job. Bloody chainsaw? How do you get blood on a chain saw LEGALLY?

Slip. Don't pay attanetion. Be an idiot. There are plenty of legal ways...most of them involve stupidity.

I think it sounds like the guards did everyhting they could. Like the guy says in the article, you can't detain a guy for being bizarre.

I'm surprised that you think he should have been arrested, Jon, based on some of the views you've put forth on the P&R board. I'm saddened that this guy committed the crimes he did, but you couldn't hold him based on what the border guards knew. That would be a pretty big violation of rights.

Dback Jon · June 8th, 2005, 09:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pariah

Slip. Don't pay attanetion. Be an idiot. There are plenty of legal ways...most of them involve stupidity.

I think it sounds like the guards did everyhting they could. Like the guy says in the article, you can't detain a guy for being bizarre.

I'm surprised that you think he should have been arrested, Jon, based on some of the views you've put forth on the P&R board. I'm saddened that this guy committed the crimes he did, but you couldn't hold him based on what the border guards knew. That would be a pretty big violation of rights.

Not arrested, but at least rejected from crossing the border. If he had cut himself, he would have wounds apparent. Since he was fine, where did the blood come from??

Brian · June 8th, 2005, 09:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pariah

Slip. Don't pay attanetion. Be an idiot. There are plenty of legal ways...most of them involve stupidity.

I think it sounds like the guards did everyhting they could. Like the guy says in the article, you can't detain a guy for being bizarre.

I'm surprised that you think he should have been arrested, Jon, based on some of the views you've put forth on the P&R board. I'm saddened that this guy committed the crimes he did, but you couldn't hold him based on what the border guards knew. That would be a pretty big violation of rights.

I guess my take on it is this, if I were having a party at my house and I said "everyone's invited" and allow the whole stinkin' neighborhood in (trying to draw a linear comparison to current immigration policy) and this guy shows up.......well, he's not coming in. Period. He can feel offended all he wants to.

Besides, even if they didn't detain him, at the very LEAST he should have been told no and had the Canucky authorities alerted.

What's he gonna do? Get pissed off and say "that's not fair"? Oh well.

Pariah · June 8th, 2005, 11:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dback Jon

where did the blood come from??

maybe it wasn't his injury. Maybe it was from an accident a year ago. or, maybe...

Quote:

Originally Posted by article

Anthony conceded it "sounds stupid" that a man wielding what appeared to be a bloody chain saw could not be detained. But he added: "Our people don't have a crime lab up there. They can't look at a chain saw and decide if it's blood or rust or red paint."

I'm all for having a tighter border, but until we implement laws and policy that enforce that it's not enough just to not like the looks of someone. It's a slipperly slope. What if one of the guards doesn't like the looks of someone because they're black or openly gay? They might think, "hey, I don't want someone like that in my country," and there would be a precident for that being okay.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not defending this particular wacko. I'm just looking out for rights of non-criminal wackos everywhere. There was no way to know this guy was a criminal. He has the same rights as anyone else.

Brian · June 8th, 2005, 01:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pariah

maybe it wasn't his injury. Maybe it was from an accident a year ago. or, maybe...

I'm all for having a tighter border, but until we implement laws and policy that enforce that it's not enough just to not like the looks of someone. It's a slipperly slope. What if one of the guards doesn't like the looks of someone because they're black or openly gay? They might think, "hey, I don't want someone like that in my country," and there would be a precident for that being okay.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not defending this particular wacko. I'm just looking out for rights of non-criminal wackos everywhere. There was no way to know this guy was a criminal. He has the same rights as anyone else.

Pariah,

Forgive me but I think you are reaching here. I understand clearly the point you are trying to make, and I agree with some of it, but your post is EXACTLY what I was referring to in my first post. From the inventory of what the guy was trying to WALK across the border with, my 8 year old boy would say "Dad, this guy's nuts".

Show him the door and don't be afraid to offend someone. Hell, I'll do it. If I'm wrong than I'll apologize, but if I'm right, I'm a "vigilant security guard who should be commended."

Pariah · June 8th, 2005, 01:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarleyRider

Show him the door and don't be afraid to offend someone.

I'm certainly not afraid to offend anyone, and I agree that they should be able to stop him. But, until those laws are on the books it's not the guards fault. They knew something was up--they contacted all sorts of athorities. Not one said to detain him or deny access.

Hell, I'm all for all but closing the border. It's WAY too leaky. This isn't about that, though. This is about a weirdo who crossed legally and was later found to have committed a crime.

Brian · June 8th, 2005, 01:36 PM

:startsfranticallychangingthelawsonthebooks:

Pariah · June 8th, 2005, 01:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarleyRider

:startsfranticallychangingthelawsonthebooks:

I wish they would.

We bust down the door of an accountant in Cali because she's using prescribed weed and yet we look the other way when hundreds of tons of the stuff is carried over the mexican border every year.

Our border policies are screwy at best.

CardLogic · June 8th, 2005, 02:38 PM

Quote:

"On April 25, Gregory Despres arrived at the U.S.-Canadian border crossing at Calais, Maine, carrying a homemade sword, a hatchet, a knife, brass knuckles and a chain saw stained with what appeared to be blood.

... Despres hitchhiked to the border crossing."

Who the heck would give this guy a ride!!!
Somebody with this bumper sticker...