Police State

i don't look at cops as being any worse than those who do any number of jobs that fuck the rest of us.  The probem is the system and the people who decide what the "rules" are going to be and who they get enforced against.  

At the same time, any job that gives people such violent authority over others is bound to attract people who will abuse it, or who just like the idea of having authority over others.  people like us generally don't become police because to me the whole idea of being a police officer under this set of rules seems wrong.

Effecting a consciousness shift in Ottawa is going to require consciousness-raising and education on a grand scale designed to even make the stooges ashamed and embarrassed at their actions.  That is why I laud Norm Stamper's book, the Democracy Now interview, and even this site, this discussion, as steps in the right direction.  We just need more of them.

Under ideal circumstances, this should not bother us in the least, but so long as paranoia and sheer meanness are the operative terms of our continental security apparatus, this can be worrisome indeed.

Among the highlights of the new "Beyond the Border" plan:

- There will be enhanced tracking of travellers in both countries, and both nations will try to identify threatening people who seek to "enter the perimeter" of both countries so they can be stopped.

- An entry-exit system will be established in which both countries share information on when their citizens have crossed the border.

- Each country will obtain more information, including biometric data, from people in foreign nations seeking to come to the U.S. and Canada.

- Each country will share more information about criminals in their countries who might be seeking to cross the border.

- Police forces and security departments will work more closely to identify "radicalized" people who might become violent.

- Security officials, including armed police officers, will work as teams on either side of the border - with Canadian and American policemen venturing together into the territory of each nation.

- There will be joint screening of cargo coming from foreign countries to Canada and the U.S., so that it is screened just once for both nations.

- Some companies in either Canada or the U.S. that ship goods across the border will be given "trusted" status so that the shipment is pre-screened at the factory instead of the border.

- There will be more opportunities for Canadian travellers to obtain NEXUS cards to get faster clearance at border crossings, and governments will commit more funds to open up more lanes for quick clearance at air and land crossings.

Travellers will voluntarily provide their biometric data of course, just as they submit to body scans, strip searches, and genital fondling at airports.

And Steve will still be allowed to keep his tn visa for when making his way to Warshington to beg corporate America to rob us blind of raw materials and energy, accept marching orders for our military, and to take dictation personally with regard to Ottawa's colonial administrative tasks and duties in general. 

Meh, it's no big deal. The only reason for individuals to cross the border is to drive to Mexico - cheaper and faster to fly. The only reason for businesses to cross is to buy dear and sell cheap. We should import Israel's apartheid wall, thereby terminating two fowl with one boulder.

If you go through US Customs pre-clearance at a Canadian airport remember that you're still in Canada; they can't detain you or search you. They might call the RCMP but you won't end up in a US prison cell. If you pass that point then keep in mind that the security clearance will be done by Canadians, not DHS/TSA goons. The TSA BS won't happen. 

The problems will start when you try to return; you'll be completely under DHS/TSA control, and any thoughts you might harbour about "due process" will be quickly erased.

Good luck!

(Remember, staying in Canada is your safest vacation choice.)

This certainly has to be seen as an unintended consequence of the rise of the surveillance state.  It's doubtful this era of heightened watch over the population was ever meant to reveal the everyday brutality of the police and their accompanying lies and cover-ups.

I didn't keep the link, but this morning I read a post on Facebook that said the Occupy protestors are suing the cities that evicted them (in the USA) claiming their rights to free speech (and other rights) had been violated.

Saboteur

http://dissidentvoice.org/2011/12/saboteur/#more-40690

"An interview with a domestic insurgent.."

but 'Befehl ist Befehl'...

Remember G20 Toronto

From Hiscocks's excellent statement in court:

Ontario's top police complaints watchdog has concluded five officers involved in the now infamous arrest of G20 protester Adam Nobody should be charged with misconduct for using unnecessary force and for discreditable conduct, CBC News has learned.

CBC News has obtained a report produced by the Office of the Independent Police Review Director (OIPRD) on Nobody's violent takedown on the lawn of Queen's Park in Toronto on June 26, 2010.

It's the whole rotting corpse that we refer to as the state; that people keep trying to resuscitate using a variety of methods including mouth to mouth electioneering, which begs for our indifference and a proper burial.