question...why the NG on the southern border? What about the northern

[ourbluenation]

border? Is this a securoty thing or a race thing or what?

[Opusnone]

1. The Canadians have to worry about us trying to get in!

The NG would be keeping us in, not them out.

[Bluebear]

5. 'The NG would be keeping us in, not them out.' ...it could yet happen! nt

[gcolvin]

9. Maybe that's the real point

Not to be too conspiracy theorist, but does anyone remember the KGB Border Guard directorate? High security systems patrolling our border, how long before those systems are pointed in instead of out?

[newyawker99]

30. Hi gcolvin!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[OldLeftieLawyer]

2. Oh, please

Now you're talking racism, right?

It's OK if people sneak in over our northern borders because they look more like us.

Unless, of course, they're Saudi Arabians who are gonna fly our planes into tall buildings on 9/11/01.

Then, they're not OK.

But, otherwise ...............

[SidDithers]

31. None of the 9/11 terrorists entered the US from Canada...

sorry, we're a bit touchy on that detail up here. :)

Sid

[OldLeftieLawyer]

32. Oh, sorry - I was joshing ya

Just tickling you, and no offense intended.

You can break into my country any time you want. Just tell them you're with me.

OK?

[SidDithers]

33. No worries...

and I'd gladly break in to share a beverage with you :)

Sid

[freeplessinseattle]

3. northern security would be to keep us here

what canadian in their right mind would want to live here? the risk is americans leaving to get away from chimpy.

[Opusnone]

10. Those who cannot afford insurance, maybe?

Canada is a wonderful, sprawling country full of promise and good folks.
Just like the US used to be.

[etherealtruth]

4. NG on the northern border? To keep us from escaping to Canada?

[proud patriot]

6. what about the 1000s of miles of coast borders ?

[treestar]

34. Good point. Nobody is worrying about boat people. They'll be

the next menace to America, I bet.

[tuvor]

7. You're joking, right?, asked one Canadian.

[HereSince1628]

8. Cigarette smuggling is OK. And we can tell Canucks from Al Qaeda

But them brown peoples. Damn, put them in blue jeans and a t-shirt and you can't tell em apart! :sarcasm:


Yes, I think we can call at least some of it racism.

[MnFats]

11. it is not beyond the realm of possibility...

theoretically, terrorists could enter Canada; then there's hundreds and hundreds of miles of deserted border, quite a lot of it wilderness...
so...

Nah, they'd freeze their asses off before they could get through International Falls.

[ourbluenation]

14. thank you - I wasn't thinking of canadians coming in - i was thinking

about terrorists...

[MnFats]

17. actually it really IS a possiblity.

Precisely because it is SOOO very unguarded.
And, hate to say, our Canadian brethren at times are not so cautious as to who they let in.

[Opusnone]

18. Pure BS

Have you ever gone into Canada?
It's much harder to get through their border crossings as it is to get across ours.
I've been into Canada hundreds of times and it is STRICT.

[MnFats]

29. pure b.s.? no, not really.

but that sure is a pleasant rejoinder!

I'm talking about coming through the wilderness -- the deep woods.
it's been done with plenty of B.C. Bud in the past couple of years.

I've had cops & feds tell me there are rough trails, that have turned up in wooded areas in the past year or two where there were none before. most run north-south.

and yes, i have been through the border crossing thanks...

[GreenInNC]

12. yea, put on the northern border

It will keep my wife's family in the great white north where they belong. Just kidding Simpsons and Maynes.

[amandabeech]

13. I haven't heard too many stories of Canadians or anyone else

running through North Dakota wheat fields in the middle of the night. Or swimming across Lake Superior or any other of the Great Lakes.

I imagine that if that started happening, there would be calls for more border security on our northern border.

[ourbluenation]

16. so it's not a terrah security thing...it's a no-more-mexicans-thing.

[amandabeech]

23. I actually think that some people are really, really freaked out

by 9/11. My cousin is convinced that the Palestinian suicide bombers will be in the streets of Houston soon. She's never said a bad word about Mexicans or Mexican-Americans.

Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

[WePurrsevere]

20. There's some smuggling but most Canadians seem to want to stay there...

well.... except for the occasional shopping or tourist type visit much as we occasionally go over there for.

Don't Mexicans come here in the hopes of finding jobs and a better life for themselves and their families? Isn't this why they're willing to risk so much? Canadians don't seem to have that same driving need so perhaps we need to look at the problem in a more holistic way and stop trying to treat the symptoms and treat the root of the problem. Just a thought but maybe in order to stop illegal immigration we should find a way to help Mexico provide decent jobs there so they don't have as great a need to come here.

[amandabeech]

21. I love Canada. We here in the U.S. could learn a lot from them.

I agree that the best solution would be for the Mexican economy to improve dramatically for average Mexicans. However, I don't think that more Vicente Foxes are likely to work on the ruling class in Mexico, which in my opinion, is a major block to anything good happening there. I am hopeful that Sr. Abrader, Mayor of Mexico City, will be able to improve the situation.

The best thing that we might be able to do here is work on changes to NAFTA that would better protect workers on both sides of the border. Then we can let the people of Mexico know that we want to help. It would be up to them if they want our help in any way. Imposing ourselves on Mexico without an invitation would just be another example of Yankee interference. Oh yes. We can buy their oil at world market prices. Oil sales fund a large portion of the Mexican government.

[WePurrsevere]

27. I love Canada as well and I agree we could learn a lot if we opened our

minds.

Unfortunately I don't know as much about the situation in Mexico as I do Canada except there is obviously a serious problem that drives them here which needs to be addressed. Although we can't impose ourselves we could offer some friendly incentives for their government to work with us on fixing what is a problem that impacts us both. (I'm a big believer in the old adage "you win more flies with honey then with vinegar" and wish that were our foreign policy... although perhaps put in more diplomatic terminology. ;) )

[Freedom_Aflaim]

15. We don't have an illegal problem at the northern border

We do at the southern border.

[HockeyMom]

19. Anybody from Potsdam?

My daughter took the bus last year to see a friend at college in Potsdam. While on the highway nearby, the bus was stopped by National Guard and everyone on the bus was made to show ID. One man, who appeared to be a businessman, refused to show it. They made him get off the bus while he argued with them for about half an hour.

When they actually got to Potsdam, she said there were Guard all over. Her friend told her that they regularly stopped people, mostly students, and asked them to show ID.

Can anyone in the area elaborate on this? It certainly sounds as if they are watching the Norther Border. However, the direction of this trip was intrastate and NORTH. My daughter did make the comment at the time that, "What were they worried about?" "People LEAVING the USA?"

[WePurrsevere]

26. We're about 20 minutes from Canton/Potsdam. It sounds more like a Border

Patrol "stop" which is not uncommon and IS a royal PITB. We haven't seen the National Guard though. It's usually heading south that the border patrol will set up and stop folks but I've seen them stop north bound as well. Usually it's just basic "border crossing" questions like, "Where are you going?" "Where do you live?" My daughter was pulled over once and they asked her to pop open her trunk. Although she knows her rights she also couldn't afford to be "detained" since she had a job and her furkids waiting at home for her.

The highway to Potsdam... Rte 11? Was she actually in Potsdam or west of there closer to the Fort Drum base? ::knock on wood:: We haven't run into one in Potsdam but they set up near the base quite often... as well as along Rte 37 (which mostly runs along the St. Lawrence River up here) between Massena and Ogdensburg; Akwesasne Indian Res and Malone; etc.

[heartofthesiskiyou]

22. Oh yea, that's right those dammed Canadians

Half'em speakin that french shit. We better get to worken on plans now. If they so much as twitch a muscle take out Toronto and Montreal. Don't let'um push ya around George. We're with ya all the way Boy.

[6000eliot]

24. Don't tell anybody,

but there are brown people down there.

[MrSlayer]

25. There aren't millions of illegal Canadians sneaking over the border.

Come on, questions like this are simply ridiculous.

[treestar]

35. The immigration laws make it possible for Canadians to come

legally over the border. Canadians don't even need a visa to get in, just a passport. So even the very laws make it possible for them to be legal. If the same law applied to Mexicans, they'd be able to enter legally also.

[genie_weenie]

28. The majority of "illegal" immigrants are

from Mexico, Central America and South America.

And Canada is in good shape economically (except for Hockey teams which pay in Canadian Dollars).

[w8liftinglady]

36. when I went canoeing in minnesota-it was too easy to get into canada...

It would be extremely easy to cross into the United States..hell,we did it as a bunch of clueless tourists.