Not Releasing Posts
Just a note that I won’t be releasing posts. I didn’t buy into either side of the argument. Some people wanted them released so “the truth” about things could be told. Those people tended to believe the US is an evil fascist empire (to varying degrees).
I have no motivation for helping or hindering that cause.
Other people wanted it released to somehow “prove” that I wasn’t lying and wasn’t being an ass. Sorry, I can’t prove that anymore than I can unequivocally prove I have a wife and children.
At the end of the day, people will always believe what they want to believe. For some readers, they want to believe that there are evil border guards. And, as with every profession, there probably are. That doesn’t mean the ones I met were, it could mean they actually thought there was a real threat. Because I can’t do a post-mortem with them I really don’t know.
But, some want to believe that there’s no way a border guard would do this.
Right now, I’m trying to put this behind me. If that means I need to “grow a pair” then so be it. And, bite me. For those who felt I answered questions badly, and feel they’d do better I wish you all the best. These situations are designed to disorient you, emotionalize you and break you. Everyone thinks they’ll do well, but the truth is we’re rarely as strong as we think we are. At least that’s what I realized.
If you want to know what happens, there are caches of the posts on Bloglines and on Google.
I’m not hiding what happened, but I am putting this behind me. If you have some agenda or curiosity which will be helped, hindered or sated by hearing my emotional minutes-after posts, feel free to read them. Feel free to mirror them. Feel free to post them on Slashdot or Boing Boing.
I don’t mind.
I’m not trying to hide, I just don’t want to be part of spreading anything further. I’ll be turning down further interviews as well. My family just did a major move, I’m starting my book this week and I have better things to worry about than US border security.
If this bothers you, you’ve probably never been through a similar situation. There’s a time to be an advocate, and there’s a time to live your life.
This is my time to live my life.
Enjoy.
POSTED IN: General
16 opinions for Not Releasing Posts
sassycat
Mar 19, 2005 at 3:04 pm
I think you should do whatever makes you comfortable, after a situation in which you must have felt very compromised.
If letting it go is the best thing for you, do it.
I’m sure there are a few out there who will tell you not to censor yourself, but I would do the same thing if I were in your position. All you need is to have your name arbitrarily thrown on some watch list.
I have to admit that I’d love to hear more critiques of the US Customs officers and their practices, but I don’t that you have to be the one to take up the torch.
Mikhail Capone
Mar 19, 2005 at 4:28 pm
I agree. Do whatever you feel is right and forget about the people who try to tell you what to do.
The only “public interest” consideration could be that this story serves as a warning to other people travel as pro-bloggers, and I think it already did that.
BHR
Mar 19, 2005 at 4:49 pm
Good decision. Ignore the hype created by what is essentially a blogging-interest story and focus on doing what’s right for you. You’ll have to deal with the consequences, not your readers.
Best wishes as you try to get past this rough experience.
/pd
Mar 19, 2005 at 5:55 pm
Good for your dude.. treat it as tumbleweed, it will drift away.
YOu have incrediable integrity, strength and perservence.
Drei
Mar 19, 2005 at 6:56 pm
I can’t imagine what a bad experience this was, and I have to say the fact of what happened really pisses me off no end. The whole story worries me also because I’ve always generally disliked going through border checkpoints, airport security, etc. anyway, not to mention that after this and and a few other stories I’ve heard about people getting hassled for no acceptable purpose by US border security, it makes me very hesitant to travel to the US for reasons of tourism and visiting old friends, which might otherwise be pretty cool, because I haven’t been there in a long time anyway.
All the same, one philosophical angle on this might be “what does not kill us makes us stronger”.
Maybe the USA is heading into an age of moronic, pseudo-totalitarian absurdism, or maybe in the future, bloggers will not be able to travel unless accompanied by a lawyer, and bodyguards.
You always have the option in the future of hunting down and ruining the lives of all those responsible through the international courts, or of channeling your energy into politics and human rights, because in the end, it’s all about human rights.
Blog on bro’
Drei
Made In Canada
Mar 19, 2005 at 10:14 pm
(un)Welcome to the “new” United States …
Don’t enter their land and, more importantly, think twice before buying their products. That’s the most useful way one can state his opposition to US policies, while boosting local economy.
No need to track “bad” brands, just look at the package, and if it’s “Made In USA”, buy something else.
Sean
Mar 19, 2005 at 11:20 pm
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
Anon
Mar 20, 2005 at 4:15 am
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.
Bill
Mar 20, 2005 at 7:56 am
Such maturity! Ah, but you’re from Winnipeg. That explains it!
-a Fort Rouge Blogger
goodsnake
Mar 20, 2005 at 10:30 am
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.
Patrick
Mar 20, 2005 at 3:42 pm
You handled it well, Jeremy.
borderguy
Mar 21, 2005 at 1:04 pm
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.
Jeremy C. Wright
Mar 21, 2005 at 1:11 pm
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.
Jeff
Mar 21, 2005 at 8:46 pm
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.
Jeremy C. Wright
Mar 21, 2005 at 8:48 pm
Still waiting for these “lies” everyone keeps telling me about to be pointed out to me.
David Hume
Mar 22, 2005 at 4:13 am
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.