A True American!

[mrsleeve]

I really don't see what the problem is here...

If you are black, why can't you just agree to meekly sit at the back of the bus with the rest of your people?

If you're Jewish, why can't you just agree to wear this Star of David and allow yourself to be herded into cattle cars with the rest of your people?

If you're a woman, why should you expect to be allowed to vote when other women meekly stay in the kitchen where they belong to leave the voting to the menfolk?

If you're of the wrong gender, why do you think you should be allowed to marry the person you love?

If you're not breaking the law, why would you insist on standing up and rocking the boat, when it's so much easier to simply take the cowardly way out and meekly answer the question? Are you, or are you not, a US citizen?

Just answer, "Yes I'm proud to be an American citizen", and then we'll stop harassing you and let you go on your way. It's as easy as that.

But if you insist on getting all uppity and standing up for your Constitutional rights, then we'll drag you out of your car, kick your sorry ass, and show you what it really means to be an American citizen.

---

Can't you morons see how wrong it is to meekly roll over and allow others to trample over your rights?

Only stupid sheep believe, "if you're not breaking the laws then you don't have anything to worry about."

Courageous people stand up and fight for their rights.

the canuck has a some points.

[Ral]

the canuck has a some points.

So, not answering the question "Are you a United States Citizen?" at a legal roadblock to prove a point is on the same level as Rosa Parks? He's being unfairly discriminated against? Someone tell me how this roadblock in any way, shape, or form resembles Jim Crow laws and Nazi Germany. Wouldn't the fact a white guy is still questioned mean effort was being taken to ensure no one was profiled?

If there was a legitimate constitutional concern then I would agree with you. However, this is a little bit stupid. actually, it's very stupid. How many in this thread on both sides of the issue have read the constitution? There is so much more going on in the world that ignorant children like the guy in the video have no idea about.

[uofom3]

I really don't see what the problem is here...

If you are black, why can't you just agree to meekly sit at the back of the bus with the rest of your people?

If you're Jewish, why can't you just agree to wear this Star of David and allow yourself to be herded into cattle cars with the rest of your people?

If you're a woman, why should you expect to be allowed to vote when other women meekly stay in the kitchen where they belong to leave the voting to the menfolk?

If you're of the wrong gender, why do you think you should be allowed to marry the person you love?

If you're not breaking the law, why would you insist on standing up and rocking the boat, when it's so much easier to simply take the cowardly way out and meekly answer the question? Are you, or are you not, a US citizen?

Just answer, "Yes I'm proud to be an American citizen", and then we'll stop harassing you and let you go on your way. It's as easy as that.

But if you insist on getting all uppity and standing up for your Constitutional rights, then we'll drag you out of your car, kick your sorry ass, and show you what it really means to be an American citizen.

---

Can't you morons see how wrong it is to meekly roll over and allow others to trample over your rights?

Only stupid sheep believe, "if you're not breaking the laws then you don't have anything to worry about."

Courageous people stand up and fight for their rights.

lolz

[mrsleeve]

WOW you roll over an comply guys really dont get it and make me wonder. While yes I would prolly be nice a comply, if I had to deal wiht it on a near daily basis then no I would be looking for ways to harass them as they are harassing US nationals on US soil. Would you consent to a search of you car wit out a warrant simply because you have nothing to hide??? or how about your home????? or speak to an officer about a crime you are a suspect in with out a lawyer?????? All on the basis of having nothing to hide???? Got news for you dont. These road check points are very close to the edge of illegal search. What next a national bar code system that you will be tossed into jail if you dont have it on your person in at all times.

[napabavarian]

Last I checked by voluntarily aplying for a drivers lisence you must agree to comply with officers of the law

[mrsleeve]

^^^^^^^^^^^

thats for the breathalyzer

[SamE30e]

It would be hilarious to see this douchebag quivering on the ground with a taser stuck in his ass.

He'd cry Constitution. If you don't like the way the country is run, get the fuck out. And don't come here because we don't want your shit disturbing ass either.

[SamE30e]

These road check points are very close to the edge of illegal search.

We got stopped by one in New Mexico on the way back to Toronto from California.

Stopped us, asked out citizenship, we answered. Looked glanced inside the truck for stuff in plain view then let us on our way.

If it's in plain view, you got nothing. They're not ripping apart vehicles like they do at the border.

[Ferdinand]

I want to know if "Agent Sodo" is an American citizen.. didn't sound very American to me

What is an American supposed to sound like?

[napabavarian]

^^^^^^^^^^^

thats for the breathalyzer

Ah...next time I see red lights behind me I'll leave, then explain to the judge that I was not drunk, so I was not required to comply.

[SamE30e]

I want to know if "Agent Sodo" is an American citizen.. didn't sound very American to me

No, he just works for the American government.

[mrsleeve]

Ah...next time I see red lights behind me I'll leave, then explain to the judge that I was not drunk, so I was not required to comply.

Wow you really did not get the post did you. Yes you are required to stop but you dont have to submit to a unreasonable search. and 2 they have to have probable case to pull you over IE.. breaking the law or reasonable suspicion the you are doing some thing illegal not block the fucking road, and interrogate you because you happen to be on said road.

Crossing the fucking boarder thats one thing, but not on a random high way 50 miles inside the country or the bus station in omaha is not the place. The boarder patrol needs to stick to the boarder they may have more luck in keeping people that dont belong here out if they stick to that plan.

[napabavarian]

Wow you really did not get the post did you. Yes you are required to stop but you dont have to submit to a unreasonable search. and 2 they have to have probable case to pull you over IE.. breaking the law or reasonable suspicion the you are doing some thing illegal not block the fucking road, and interrogate you because you happen to be on said road.

Crossing the fucking boarder thats one thing, but not on a random high way 50 miles inside the country or the bus station in omaha is not the place. The boarder patrol needs to stick to the boarder they may have more luck in keeping people that dont belong here out if they stick to that plan.

I didn't miss a thing except what was unreasonable about the inspection, I've been through plenty in various circumstances, you should have seen the look on the faces when I went through the hover dam inspection at 2:00 am in 2002 with a destroyed '97 M3, wrecked pickup truck, out of state tags (CA) and 50 gallons of gasoline in the bed.

Freedom doesn't mean free to do absolutely anything you want whenever you want. If you feel that this is unfair then turn in your license. They did not ask to search his car, just asked if he was a citizen, I vote for some inspections 600 miles north of the border.

[Ferdinand]

Watch it pal. You have absolutly NO clue what you are talking about.
If you want to test immigration patrols, go into Mexico and deal with Fedarales. Or fly into Paris and have a look see around Charles Degaul. Or maybe head into eastern europe and see how you fair there. Say no to any of these patrols and be prepared to have a boot on your neck whilst laying face down on the pavement. Oh wait, you won't do that. You will hide here and whine and test OUR system b/c you know you can get away with it.
You make me sick.

But, isn't that exactly the point?

America is supposed to be the Land of the Free. America is supposed to be better than all of those other places you mentioned. America constantly sends troops overseas to defend your way of life and to demonstrate to the rest of the world how your Democracy is so much better than anybody else's.

And yet, you have no problem allowing your Homeland Security forces to operate with Gestapo-like powers within your own borders? What is wrong with you people?

In the early 80s I visited the place where my father grew up. Their estate had belonged to my family and ancestors since 1623. In 1945 that all ended when the communists confiscated everything.

As a born and raised Canadian, I am accustomed to travelling where ever I please. But, in order to visit my ancestral home in Bohemia, I first had to apply for an entry visa months in advance. When crossing the border from Germany into communist Czechoslovakia, I had to show my passport and visa. That's normal and expected whenever crossing a border from one country to another. What was not expected is that they take your passport from you and walk away with it, while you and your car are thoroughly inspected.

I speak English, French, and German, but not one word of Czech. It was extremely unsettling to have my passport confiscated, while having my car dismantled as I was being aggressively interrogated in a completely foreign language by border guards holding machine guns. Later, at our hotel in Prague, we were again forced to surrender our passports at the check-in counter. They held our passports there until we checked out of the hotel. When leaving the country, we were again subjected to the same scrutiny at the border.

Driving back out of Czechoslovakia to return to Germany, we first had to pass through a series of increasingly vigorous checkpoints, starting already many kilometres before even nearing the actual border. If you didn't have the proper paperwork to prove you had a reason to be in the area, you would be turned back long before reaching the border. Without a passport we would have been unable to leave the country.

All of that was probably perfectly normal procedure for anyone used to travelling from the West into a communist country. But I found the experience deeply unsettling. In a communist country you are not entitled to the same rights. You are not free to travel whenever or where ever you please. Without the proper paperwork and permissions your movements are severely restricted.

Safely back in Germany, we toured around for another week. We didn't really have a plan, just drove until we found somewhere interesting to stop. There is so much history in this area, it's impossible to go further than a few kilometres in any direction without finding something noteworthy to see.

Among other much more inspiring and uplifting historical finds, we stumbled into a town called Bergen-Belsen which featured a very sobering memorial. Please read the wikipedia entry for Bergen-Belsen. This is the sort of thing that results when people don't stand up for their rights and instead put their trust into misguided beliefs that, "if you're not breaking the laws then you don't have anything to worry about."

In northern Germany we visited Travemünde, a famous harbour town and beach resort. See Google maps and zoom in on the beach using satellite view. Unlike in America, where the right-wing religious nutcake American-Taliban forbids such hedonistic delights, Europeans are actually permitted to enjoy topless sunbathing.



When we were there in the early 1980s, this beach was jam-packed as shown in the photo above. However, the continuation of the same beach to the south was completely deserted. Empty for as far as the eye could see. The reason was, this was the border between West Germany and communist controlled East Germany.

On the Western side the beach was packed, tanned boobage gloriously on display everywhere. On the Eastern side of the border there was only barbed wire extending far out into the sea, deserted empty beaches, bunkers, watch towers, machine guns. You couldn't get within miles of approaching this beach from the Eastern side.

This past summer I flew with my family from Canada into Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport. On arrival there a sleepy border agent stamped our passports, we retrieved our suitcases from the carousel, and walked straight out the exit to the train station to catch a ride into the city. No problems, no hassles, no interrogations, no luggage searches, no rectal probes, nothing whatsoever.

We rented a car and drove all through France, Belgium, Germany (West&East), Czech Republic, Austria, and back through Germany and France. The borders are all completely open now. You drive straight through without stopping anywhere. No problems whatsoever.

In Paris, we boarded our return flight for home. Again no problems whatsoever. Nobody tried to confiscate my nail-clippers. I wasn't forced to remove my shoes. I didn't have to pull my belt out of my pants. I didn't even have to start up my laptop computer. I certainly didn't have to submit to any "Homeland Security" officer browsing through the contents of my hard-drive.

Yes, I do realize that you Americans have pissed off pretty much everyone in the entire world and thus are justifiably afraid of terrorist attacks. And yes, America was once such an attractive place to live, work, and prosper, that you now have a huge problem with illegal aliens trying to gain entry. And, yes, you have a right and a duty to defend your borders.

But, your Homeland Security Gestapo forces are now evidently free to roam up to 100 miles inland of your borders, setting up random checkpoints to demand proof of citizenship from any passerby!

Your Constitution says you cannot be subjected to random search and seizure without either reasonable cause, or without consent. Even if you are driving a panel truck capable of concealing a dozen illegal immigrants, that alone is not considered reasonable cause unless someone has observed you loading it up with people. If you are illegally stopped by these roving Gestapo patrols and asked to open your truck for inspection, you have the Constitutional Right to refuse consent.

Yes, if you're driving your truck across the border, then you are pretty much at the mercy of the border patrol and you have to bend over and take whatever they feel like giving you. But really, 100 miles inland of the border?

And you don't have a problem with that? Are you guys nucking futs?!?

[mrsleeve]

WOW the cunauck has it right again why dont we have smart people like this is our country.