Interesting about your crossing into Canada, my brother lived in the Niagra, NY area for quite a few years. They would travel frequently back and forth between the states and Canada. We would go to visit and would usually cross into Canada from Detroit or Port Huron to Lewiston, NY. I mentioned to him that I thought the border agents seemed disinterested in your answers as they never seemed to look at you. His reply was that they are trained to listen to your voice inflection moreso than your answer. He was a minister there, and was asked to perform the funeral for a young man killed in a motorcycle accident, well it turned out that he belonged to a club that was known for drug trafficing and at the graveside service a state trooper drove through the cemetary and filmed all the cars and plates and ran them. He (my brother) was detained at the border all the time after that, he had to go to Buffalo and and talk with the government officials to get things straightened out.
Good point, sir; at least in the second paragraph. Your first paragraph, however, I cannot agree with, although you alluded (in your second paragraph) to a possible (and acceptable) reason.
After all my years of trying to warn people of the coming tyranny, I have come to the conclusion that the citizens would rather not think about such serious topics, and would rather worry about their sports teams, what movie stars are doing, what’s on tv, and other such trivial issues. We will get exactly what we deserve.
I think I’ll trade in my soapbox for a bar stool.
On another trip, shortly after the ex left, I crossed back into the States driving a car with a 12YO girl and 9YO boy (my kids) and a load of camping gear (we were indeed going camping). It’s a good thing I brought the custody papers with me or I’d have been there longer than we were (the car got searched). I definitely fit the profile for a parent abductor…
Just folks doing the job we hired them to do.
Amen brother !!! I fully agree. I’m getting tired of that too !!!
Ooo customs! I got a story [:-,]
A few years back I had a girlfriend who lived in Canada that I had met online, we were together for a couple years and I drove to visit her every or every other week on my days off. I allways crossed the border in Port Huron / Sarnia as she lived closer to that crossing that Detroit/Windsor and let me say Canadian customs were sure alot nicer than US customs.
It was actually kinda funny because maybe a dozen or so times I got this one guy on my way back to the states through US customs, I allways give them every piece of information they could possably need when i first pull up before they ask for it and hes going through the stack of ID’s and regestration cards and stops at my work ID “Oh your a Rent-A-Cop huh?” lol then he went over my car with a fine tooth comb and kept asking if I was bringing money cigars or liquor back into the states. Then when he checked my trunk he found the compartment i built & carpeted into the botom of my trunk to hide my spare tire and says “Ooooh well look what we have here!” im sure expecting to find it full of whatever he thought I was smuggling lol then when all he finds is a spare tire, floor jack and 4 way he tells me with a serious look “You know… I have cought people smuggling drugs in hidden compartments just like this…” I couldnt help but laugh a little and said “but if it was full of drugs where would I put my spare tire and floor jack” He didnt think it was very funny and sent me over to the customs building to have my paperwork further checked while more customs officers with im guessing drug sniffing dogs went through my car. I didnt mind though I knew I said somthing stupid and it only took another 15-20 minutes to get through customs
You might say he is taking his job to seriously or having a bad day but look at my situation I was driving bac
Keeping on Canada, a few years back I had a business trip to Detroit… I did a little railfanning, but to be honest, I was not feeling that safe… so I decided I’d drive over to Windsor and fan there… I explained what I was doing to the Canadian agent when I entered Windsor (I’m here to take train pictures…). She looked at me funny, smiled and said “Have fun.” Coming back to Detroit, I explained to the US agent, “I went over to take train pictures.” I got grilled for about 20 minutes… and he never did believe me. I think he let me go because he had run out questions.
Brought my fiance into Canada on a multiple entry visa, when our flight from Moscow arrived we got shunted through to the red line and they went through everything with a fine tooth comb, at one point they asked her point blank, "what strip club are you going to be dancing at? Luckily she didn’t speak English at the time.
After a excruciating lost time waiting for the jam to clear out in Detroit, I attempted to get onto the Peace Bridge to get to Winsdor and thence to Customs. Having had much fluids at the Detroiter I needed to answer the call of nature.
So I set brakes at the first customs toll gate area and went to take care of the nature call into a special container. There was a metallic snap as the container is processed and I hear “Is that a GUN Sir?” He could not see what was going on in the sleeper. I quickly assured him that there were no guns involved. Customs in Canada stamped me on my way towards Toronto without any trouble.
Now, getting out through Buffalo consisted of two questions: What Country? and you answered United States! with spirit. Then they asked if you were empty. YES!
They always checked the trailer. Opened the door making comments such as you better not have anyone inside that box. It was easier to get into and out of Heathrow or Baltimore than these zealous protectors of our borders here at home in the Empire State.
A fellow living along the Iron Curtain daily walked across the border to work. As he crossed in one direction (I don’t recall which), he always pushed a wheelbarrow full of sand. The sand was always carefully searched for contraband, to no avail.
Some years later, after both the worker and on of the border guards had retired, they encountered each other at a tavern. The border guard said to the worker, “I just know you were smuggling something. We’re both retired now, what was it?”
“Wheelbarrows.”
lol thats a good one [:D]