oh, well I did say I was an idiot...I am more of a
smartass and my remarks are more smarmy than anything
else...
my understanding was (and remember...idiot here) that
they drove here and that one or more of them was on an
FBI watch list....I think of Canada as the United
States in terms of our characteristics (like layed
back attitudes between each of us entering each others
borders and anyone coming in to them) and our freedoms
tend to come at the cost of leniancy and advantages
are going to be taken.
Those freedoms (decades of uncomplicated unfettered
travel) are worth the odd incident. For every one a**
hole that has made it through a million good souls
have come with them and we are the better for it in
terms of intellectual and social diversity (remember,
Einstein was a German citizen and I am glad we didn't
consider him a "filthy German Nazi" when we let him
in.
Granted this odd incident is huge and I don't mean to
minimize the loss (I have personal losses here of my
own), but I like those freedoms and If they change,
terrorism has won. If the landscape of New York city's
skyline changes....they have won. Trust me when I say
that skyline will return and we are going to win and
win big.
In a way I am glad that they went as far as they did
because now anyone that was on the fence about whether
or not we should risk American lives (the historical
cost of our freedoms) are way off that fence now and
we can really do some damage to anyone and everyone
that is even remotely related to terrorism. I want the
damage we inflict to be unbelievably disproportionate
so that when they (terrorists) consider these actions
in the future our responses won't be as unbelievable
(proprtionally speaking) as they have been in the
past.
I want Americans to remain Americans and the Canadians
to be Canadians as we (I) have come to know them
(again my point of view, but that is really the only
point of view I tend to look at).
My intentions are not to offend you and I have always
enjoyed our exchanges historically (some time has past
since our last) but as I have stated before, I deal
with pain through humor and unfortunately my humor
tends to relate more to smartass (but it works for me)
--- Leigh Anne Chisholm wrote:
> John: This is a bit lengthy - please read it
> carefully. It is detailed so
> that you'll understand my point.
>
>
>
> Perhaps you missed my point. People are coming into
> Canada from
> Afghanistan. When they arrive here, we are aware
> that they are coming from
> a high risk country. They claim refugee status. We
> begin processing them
> and then release them into the fabric of Canada.
> From there, many refugees
> disappear never to be heard from again.
>
> This is from Canada's Central Security Intelligence
> Service
>
(http://www.csis-scrs.gc.ca/eng/backgrnd/back8_e.html):
>
> The vast majority of terrorist activities in Canada
> relate to the support of
> actions elsewhere that are linked to homeland
> conflicts. These activities
> include providing safe haven for terrorist
> supporters and may involve using
> the refugee stream to enter Canada, or immigrant
> smuggling. In recent years,
> terrorists from at least five different
> international terrorist
> organizations have come to Canada posing as
> refugees.
>
> Here's an example of the problem I'm discussing in
> action:
>
> WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Like thousands of other
> international air travelers
> whose passports are checked daily by U.S. officials,
> Hani al-Sayegh
> successfully passed through customs last August on
> his way to Canada from
> the Middle East. But al-Sayegh was not just another
> traveler. He is
> suspected of driving a lookout car for those who
> bombed the Khobar Towers in
> Saudi Arabia in June 1996, killing 19 U.S.
> servicemen and injuring hundreds
> of others.
>
> Once in Canada, they pose as Canadian citizens.
> They show Canadian
> passports at the US border to US customs and
> immigrations officials. The US
> representatives don't know that the country of
> origin of these people is a
> high risk - but rather believe them to be from a low
> risk country. Not
> quite two years ago a US American congressional
> committee was due to begin
> hearings in Washington to look at how Canada handles
> security at its borders
> however this committee hearing was postponed due to
> heavy snow. "When they
> begin Canada could be in for some heavy criticism
> from the U.S." - CNN
>
> Canadian officials are investigating whether Ahmed
> Ressam, who was arrested
> at a U.S. border checkpoint last week with potential
> bomb-making materials
> hidden in his trunk, may be connected to an Algerian
> theft and terror ring.
> Ressam applied for refugee status in Canada but was
> rejected because of
> alleged links with the Armed Islamic Group, known as
> the GIA, which is also
> blamed for a series of massacres in Algeria. Ressam,
> an Algerian national,
> is said to have applied for Canadian citizenship
> last year, indicating he
> would have been in Canada at least three years at
> that time.
>
> If he was rejected for refugee status and he wasn't
> a Canadian citizen, why
> was he permitted to be in Canada for three years?
> He bided his time hoping
> he could get Canadian citizenship so that he could
> easily pass into the US
> and blow up LAX.
>
> Canadian officials last night searched Ressams
> apartment in Montreal. They
> discovered he had simply walked away from it,
> leaving clothes in the closet
> and rotting food in the refrigerator. He then went
> to a motel in Vancouver,
> where a maid said he spent hours locked in a back
> room with a second person,
> whom authorities are seeking. The maid told ABCNEWS
> that Ressam rarely
> allowed his room to be cleaned, but that it smelled
> like eggs an odor
> similar to that emitted by sulfur, a common
> bomb-making component. She also
> said she had seen many empty plastic containers in
> the room.
>
> The alternative to Canada cleaning up its
> immigration policies is for the US
> to deny Canadians easy access into the US--and I
> don't think any Canadian
> wants that.
>
>
> -- Leigh Anne
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of
> > John Mairs
> > Sent: Thursday, September 13, 2001 1:14 PM
> > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> > Subject: Re: A plan to rebuild.... [7:19611]
> >
> >
> > Maybe I am an Idiot (well, there is no doubt that
> I am
> > but still...)
> > If I remember right, when I was in Canada and
> driving
> > back into the United States it was the
> responsibility
> > of the Customs officers of the United States that
> were
> > responible for checking my apples and bananas (and
> > cemtex and bullets....), I don't remember seeing
> even
> > ONE Canadian officer there, ehh?
> >
> > granted I was twelve at the time (two years ago...
> > well, in terms of maturity)...
> >
> > is border protection responsibility like the
> polarity
> > of the North and South poles? If so, shouldn't it
> > still be 20,000 more years before we have the
> > Canadians and the US officers changing booths.
> >
> >
> > --- Stephen Mole wrote:
> > > Take a freakin hike Dipshit. What? they wouldn't
> > > have found another way in?
> > >
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > From: "Leigh Anne Chisholm"
> > > To:
> > > Sent: Wednesday, September 12, 2001 11:14 PM
> > > Subject: RE: A plan to rebuild.... [7:19611]
> > >
> > >
> > > > I guess you're not aware of Canada's
> reputation as
> > > being a haven for
> > > > murderers and terrorists. Once these people
> are
> > > here, we can't deport
> > > them
> > > > because of goofy Canadian politics. When
> these
> > > people come into Canada,
> > > > Canada has a responsibility to ensure these
> people
> > > don't have undesirable
> > > > backgrounds. Then when they're here, it's
> easy
> > > for them to get forged
> > > > documents indicating that they are Canadian
> > > citizens. That makes the US
> > > > immigration department's job more difficult
> > > because of the free flowing
> > > > policy of letting Canadians pass through the
> US
> > > border with a minimum of
> > > > background checking. It's the freedom that
> Canada
> > > enjoys with the US
> > > that's
> > > > at risk unless our Government steps up to the
> > > plate and tightens things
> > > up.
> > > > How often have you heard after the fact that
> > > Canada Immigration didn't
> > > > investigate into people's backgrounds
> properly?
> > > Far too often I'm afraid.
> > > >
> > > > It wasn't the Canadian immigration department
> that
> > > stopped the guy heading
>
=== message truncated ===
=====
John L. Mairs
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