U.S. journalist grilled at Canada border crossing

ArghMonkey · Dec 1, 2009

U.S. journalist Amy Goodman said she was stopped at a Canadian border crossing south of Vancouver on Wednesday and questioned for 90 minutes by authorities concerned she was coming to Canada to speak against the Olympics.

Goodman says Canadian Border Services Agency officials ultimately allowed her to enter Canada but returned her passport with a document demanding she leave the country within 48 hours.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2009/11/26/bc-amy-goodman-border-incident.html

Pretty shameful act of a country that is increasingly acting like the u.s.

This is already after Vancouver said it will have "free speech zones" during the 2010 olympics, how sad.

What do you think?

Dirk · Dec 2, 2009

speak against the Olympics

Oooh, how dare she! What a grave and unspeakable crime.

Sarcasm aside, who cares about some huge competition to see who can run the fastest? Much state-sponsored ado about nothing, in my opinion.

ArghMonkey · Dec 2, 2009

Dirk said:
Oooh, how dare she! What a grave and unspeakable crime.

Sarcasm aside, who cares about some huge competition to see who can run the fastest? Much state-sponsored ado about nothing, in my opinion.

Worse then that, its an event designed for the rich and the middle class and poor have to pay for it.

The IOC tried to sue a local pizzeria because they use the olympic rings, the police here setup a "free speech zone" the single most embarrassing thing to happen to Canada since we elected a conservative and the middle class dont get free tickets or even a discount.

We should be hanging all the rich, distribute their money and rebooting our system, its not working for the benefit of the majority of people.

myp · Dec 2, 2009

ArghMonkey said:
We should be hanging all the rich, distribute their money and rebooting our system, its not working for the benefit of the majority of people.

I really hope you are not serious with this statement. Even suggesting this is just absurd and frankly, uncalled for. Intelligent discussion is one thing, but this sort of talk is what causes unnecessary fights in political debates.

deanhills · Dec 2, 2009

myp said:
I really hope you are not serious with this statement. Even suggesting this is just absurd and frankly, uncalled for. Intelligent discussion is one thing, but this sort of talk is what causes unnecessary fights in political debates.

I think it is more of a reflection of the sentiment in the streets of Vancouver. Most of the people in the streets are very unhappy with how the Olympics have been organized, as most of the arrangements have been made for the benefit of those on the Organizing Committees with very little input or benefit to the people of the street. The people of the street are most concerned about the ramifications for the economy after the Olympics when all the costs are added up, as well as the major disruption for the city without prior consultation of how it is to be. Bottomline, communication has been bad and the Mayor of Vancouver is not going to come out well out of this.

I don't know what happened at the Border as that is a great surprise to me. Canadian Customs people are usually very well trained in diplomacy and someone really has to give them a very good reason in huge capital letters before they give them the third degree. I'm almost certain that Amy Goodwin may not have been completely cleared for entering Canada and was trying to force her way in and that the customs people may have had a hard time in doing it as diplomatic as they can, in between phone calls to Vancouver, the Government of BC and the Federal Government in Ottawa.

ArghMonkey · Dec 2, 2009

myp said:
I really hope you are not serious with this statement. Even suggesting this is just absurd and frankly, uncalled for. Intelligent discussion is one thing, but this sort of talk is what causes unnecessary fights in political debates.

No I am not being serious *L*

Im a pacifist but its just really shameful for Canada to be acting like this, for any ethical country to be acting like this.

Something is very wrong and the fact that modern democracies seem in a fast slide to fascism ought to scare everyone.

Protesting doesnt work in north america anymore, whats left?

Another thing to add specifically about this farce of an olympics, they actually are removing homeless people from the streets, sweeping them away with the garbage, this in a country where the public space is law, where Canadians have a right to be, especially those that have nowhere else to go, its just very very shameful.

ArghMonkey · Dec 2, 2009

deanhills said:
I think it is more of a reflection of the sentiment in the streets of Vancouver. Most of the people in the streets are very unhappy with how the Olympics have been organized, as most of the arrangements have been made for the benefit of those on the Organizing Committees with very little input or benefit to the people of the street. The people of the street are most concerned about the ramifications for the economy after the Olympics when all the costs are added up, as well as the major disruption for the city without prior consultation of how it is to be. Bottomline, communication has been bad and the Mayor of Vancouver is not going to come out well out of this.

This is all true except its Gordon Campbell, the premier, that is coming out of this looking bad, the mayor right now is pretty well liked and he has brought in bike lanes etc that keep the yuppie crowd happy.

I don't know what happened at the Border as that is a great surprise to me. Canadian Customs people are usually very well trained in diplomacy and someone really has to give them a very good reason in huge capital letters before they give them the third degree. I'm almost certain that Amy Goodwin may not have been completely cleared for entering Canada and was trying to force her way in and that the customs people may have had a hard time in doing it as diplomatic as they can, in between phone calls to Vancouver, the Government of BC and the Federal Government in Ottawa.

Campbell is terrified that he will be humiliated at the olympics and hes just fascist enough to use the police/border guards to harass and intimidate people.

My bet is that Amy was put on a list of people Gordon and his conservative government deem a threat and when she came to the border they harassed her, hopefully the tighter they try to grip the more sand will slip between their fingers.

I have my protest gear ready for the olympics.

U.S. journalist grilled at Canada border crossing

ArghMonkey

Dirk

ArghMonkey

myp

deanhills

ArghMonkey

ArghMonkey

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