In a message dated 9/20/03 10:36:31 PM Eastern Daylight Time, timcmay@got.net writes:
Me, I don't fly on Jet CIA Blue or Delta Delta Operations, or any other of the Big Brother-controlled airlines. (And now they are financially suffering and want citizen-unit taxes to bail them out...
Any prediction when the police state fascism of the air will be exported to the interstate highway system? Personally I won't fly either, as I want to be treated as a customer and I refuse to be treated as a suspect. As a suspect the airlines can eat my seat. However, I refuse to be hog-tied so I travel around the US on the ground- I've encountered two travel concerns- One on I-10 outside of El Paso at a border patrol checkpoint- The Border Patrolman wanted to know where I had been and where I was going and what I had been doing...In short, intrusive none of their business questions. That time I was traveling from Phoenix to the French Quarter of New Orleans- The Fed wanted to know why I was using the southern route, so I said why not? At the time they were searching some hapless teenage boy's pickup so they waved me through. Interestingly I visited Mexico that trip and when I reentered the US I didn't even have to show ID. The guys at Customs and Immigration just waved me through after asking me where I'm from, albeit I look American. The other was at a Canadian border crossing on my way to Montreal. The Maple leafers have a database of American gun owners, as the customs guy asked me "You have a pistol?" to which I replied no. He asked again not believing me "You don't have a pistol???" Upon which I replied that is correct I don't have a pistol, I have pistols plural. My buddy traveling with me announced in a loud voice so the entire station could hear, of course we have pistols, and rifles too- That's what free people have and that's one of the reason's I'd never move to Canada. Naturally my car got searched with a fine toothed comb, but I added I wouldn't be stupid enough to bring my pistol. I spent considerable effort cleaning my car of any stray ammo, thinking what sort of post 9/11 hell I'd me in if they found a .308 or errant 9 mm. Speaking with Canadian customs however I discovered that I could have legally imported 5,000 rounds of ammo. Apparently people do so for hunting trips. Noteworthy is the unguarded St. Lawrence River with unguarded boats moored alongside the shore. We traveled alongside it on both sides of the border and thought how trivially easy it would be to cross undetected. It's not like the government efforts have to make sense. Regards, Matt Gaylor-