Comments on: Not Releasing Posts

By: David Hume

David Hume — Tue, 22 Mar 2005 10:13:30 +0000

this whole thing is quite strange, rashomon all over again. some people accuse jeremy of lying, based on what, we know not what, while it’s true, i have not seen on MSM newspaper report this story as fact. One paper in Australia did, on google, but it just rip and read from Jeremy’s blog. No two sides of the story, balanced reporting. let’s get the facts someday soon. I think the New York Times is working on a story about this right now, should be in print by Sunday. Should be good reading. I believe Jeremy was mistreated. He might have been tired too, at 3 am. They might have pushed his buttons. Maybe there are two sides to this story. it is certainly not, as the headlines now say in concrete forever in blogland, “Canadian stopped from entering USA for being blogger”

I am sure that was not Jeremy’s intention, but the road to heaven is paved with misdirected intentions.

By: Jeremy C. Wright

Jeremy C. Wright — Tue, 22 Mar 2005 02:48:45 +0000

Still waiting for these “lies” everyone keeps telling me about to be pointed out to me.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Tue, 22 Mar 2005 02:46:12 +0000

There is only ONE SOURCE for this wild story. I don’t believe US authorities in CANADA can strip search a Cananadian. You would think the TV stations were there reporting on this BIG STORY, but this big story comes from only one source and this one source is not believeable. How many blogs has jeremy writen to/on this past week? When your own lies echo back to you, you respond as if they come from another source, but YOU are the one and only source.

By: Jeremy C. Wright

Jeremy C. Wright — Mon, 21 Mar 2005 19:11:07 +0000

Welcome “borderguy”. I’m glad you stopped by so that everyone now knows the truth.

The harsh reality, though, is that the only way to know anything as “fact” would be to have been there. Which you obviously weren’t.

Note to readers: this post was posted from a US government, TREAS IP. Obviously a worker. Hopefully “the truth” (whatever it is) will force some reform in the amount of authority given to DHS and border officials: there needs to be more accountability in this process.

And that’s the end of my advocacy. Because, as I’ve been saying all day to reporters who’ve come calling: I’m trying to put this behind me.

I have no desire to become a spokesperson, martyr, etc. If you do, you’ve likely never been through a similar ordeal.

By: borderguy

borderguy — Mon, 21 Mar 2005 19:04:38 +0000

It’s sad that you can’t face reality. I can tell everyone for a fact that what you described as happening to you never happened. Why don’t you own up to the fact that you were going to work in the US, didn’t have a visa that allowed you to, were not allowed to work illegally there, and be a man about it. Stripsearched? Cavity searched? For anyone who believes this tripe I can tell you it is all lies. If it’s true then why not talk to your member of parliament? File an official complaint if you were so mistreated? You don’t because you know that your entire story is bullshit. Yeah, you were not allowed to go to the US. Why? Because you wanted to work there illegally. That was it. US Customs and Border Protection Officers working in Canada don’t have the authority to do ANY type of personal search at all, let alone a stripsearch or cavity search. The sad part is that all you are doing is perpetuating stereotypes of law enforcement officers, specifically “border guards” or “customs officers”. It’s sad b/c that’s all you got, bro. You got no facts, you got no basis in reality. It’s all fantasy. Your original message about this is also a pretty poor attempt at Hunter S Thompson-esque writing. But you present it like it actually happened to you. But you know it didn’t. But it can’t be that simple, you’re enough of an egomaniac where the whole episode had to be so traumatic and life-shaking that you need others to stroke you and tell you how sorry they are for you. If only they knew you were lying.

Good luck growing up and being an adult.

By: Patrick

Patrick — Sun, 20 Mar 2005 21:42:36 +0000

You handled it well, Jeremy.

By: goodsnake

goodsnake — Sun, 20 Mar 2005 16:30:48 +0000

I went through a similar situation in France before boarding a plane to the US to come home from a vacation. These occurances are not just a purely American thing. There is nothing like being pulled aside informed you won’t be making your flight and that you will be taken away for interogation. This is especially scary when you don’t speak the language and you were only in the country 24 hours. I wrote about my situation on my blog but since I have very few readers I did not get the response you did. I left my post up because I want people to know it does not only happen in the USA. Everyone is edgy about people crossing their borders, not just the USA.

By: Bill

Bill — Sun, 20 Mar 2005 13:56:23 +0000

Such maturity! Ah, but you’re from Winnipeg. That explains it!

-a Fort Rouge Blogger

By: Anon

Anon — Sun, 20 Mar 2005 10:15:55 +0000

Sorry, but I have to post this anonymously.

There are few scarier things for me to contemplate doing than entering the US. The US has some of the most draconian and vicious immigration laws and policies I’ve experienced. Actually, no, it has the most. I had a discussion with some business friends here in the UK, and they agree.. entering the US is a total pain in the ass.

Luckily I’ve never been refused, but it came close last time, when I had to head to the “orange room” for some interregation (by, admittedly, a nice blonde chick with a Swedish accent!!). Yes, their whole process is to confuse and disorient you. After a nine-twelve hour flight, this is not something that is incredibly easy to deal with, but luckily I probably have more resolve for bullshitting my way out of things than most. And, yes, this is what it comes down to. You have to lie! Otherwise they’ll pick up on irrelevant detaiils and try to weave them into whatever they want to bust you for.

I’m not sure what the US has against business travellers. Why can’t I, legally, enter the US for a week, visit a client, and then return home without harassment? Who knows, but perhaps it contributes to the current meltdown of the US dollar.. which, frankly, I am taking advantage of! I also have a company who desperately want me in the US, and are willing to throw good money at it, but despite bringing up even the more questionable techniques.. there’s not really much way of going about it. Oh well And, yes, labor certification is a joke too.

I’d be all too willing to say “f*ck the US” if only there was another big English speaking market out there.. but since there’s not, fuck it, the US rules, stupid laws or not.

By: Sean

Sean — Sun, 20 Mar 2005 05:20:52 +0000

Behaviour like this has been going in long before terrorism entered the equation. Talk to any Canadian who went down South in the dot com boom and I’m sure you’ll get some interesting border crossing stories. A co-worker of mine was denied re-entry to the US because he wasn’t dressed like the “management consultant” his business card said.

Sean