Chile Forum

It's a very sick video and shows just how far the US government has gone in taking away rights.

I suspect many, even most, people resent being herded like cattle into lines in order to be interrogated, have their baggage rifled and have their government-issued papers stamped. But, in years of watching my fellow citizens being processed, I find it rare that any have other than an ingratiating smile for the agent.

Clearly, most Americans are whipped dogs, ready and willing to have a cavity search performed on their person if some nothing-nobody in a uniform sends them to a back room.
It’s part of a general process causing Americans to lose whatever self-respect and individuality they might still have-which was the main thing that’s always distinguished them from nationals of other countries, most of whom are inured to acting like sheep.

I suggest you study your body language, and that of others, when next you clear customs. Here are a few practical suggestions. Do these, and you’ll feel better about yourself:

Don’t cringe and supplicate. Stand tall, look the agent straight in the eye and, under no circumstances, smile. Your demeanor should not be, like most, that of a child, afraid to be scolded. It should be that of an objective scientist studying a familiar but unappealing insect. Answer questions curtly, with a single word. Don’t volunteer anything. Don’t make small talk. Don’t make pleasant conversation like all the whipped dogs around you.

If the agent proves inquisitive, ask, in a firm and business-like way, exactly why he’s asking. If you get an unsatisfactory brushoff, ask to see the regulation authorizing them to ask you that specific question. Never lose your temper or cool. Don’t adopt an attitude, or be a hard case; you’re not looking for trouble. You simply want to maintain your space and integrity in a non-aggressive manner, which is quite enough to come out way on top. Never lie, or say anything from which you’ll have to backpedal. You don’t want to give them an opening to go on the offensive. It’s imperative to maintain the high moral and psychological ground.

If you have a problem with the agent’s attitude, ask to see his supervisor. In dealing with the supervisor be businesslike, rational, and a concerned citizen, interested in seeing that everything is done in a 100% correct, proper, and by-the-book fashion. If you’re not treated in a correct and proper manner, ask for the names and numbers of those involved, write them down, and then write a letter to their superiors. You won’t, incidentally, get their names. But I promise you’ll ruin their day. If the agent says “Thank you,” your response should be neither “Thank you” nor “You’re welcome,” unless you’d also thank a mugger.

You’ve just had your privacy violated, and it could have turned into a nightmare. One time when an agent thanked me, I simply looked at him and walked off. He had the impertinence to call after me, saying “I said, thank you.” I looked back at him, and said “I heard you the first time.”

I’ve had many fascinating interchanges with these people over the years, and practice makes perfect. If everyone treated these bedbugs with the disdain they deserve, it would quickly cave in their fragile personas and they’d have to go out and find productive employment. The reason I suggest you deal with them as I’ve described, however, is for your own benefit, and that of society, not for that of the agent.

Only once have I encountered an agent who seemed like he might be a decent human being. On that occasion, I said, with true interest and concern: “You know, you seem like a decent guy.
What are you doing here?” His response was a look of unhappy resignation, and he said “I don’t know. I’ve really got to get out of this game.”

greg~judy wrote:an interesting~appropriate addition for this thread...
not sure of the original publication date?
but it's worth repeating~sharing here

"Doug Casey corners the soul of the customs agent and finds it tiny."

Ripsigg wrote:I was driving down the road and on the sign of the local phone company was something to the effect of "Thanks to all of the men and women defending our freedom in the Armed Forces"

It got me to thinking about the war against terror. My personal freedom has been curtailed by the war on terror. I have less freedom now than I did 10 years ago. Not because of the terrorists, but directly by the actions of the US government. I am now openly wondering if soliders are defending our freedoms or if they are taking it away.

The freedom to fly without being sexually violated.
The freedom to purchase a gun without a waiting period.
The freedom to grow, sell, and smoke marijuana.
The freedom to sell goods and services for whatever amount a buyer is willing to pay.
The freedom to make more than six withdrawals from one’s savings account each month.
The freedom to drink alcohol as a legal, voting adult under twenty-one years of age.
The freedom to purchase Sudafed over the counter.
The freedom to gamble without government approval.
The freedom to deposit more than $10,000 in a bank account without government scrutiny.
The freedom to not be stopped at a checkpoint and have one’s car searched without a warrant.
The freedom to sell any good or offer any service on Craigslist.
The freedom to fill in a "wetland" on one’s own property.
The freedom to cut someone’s hair for money without a license.
The freedom to home-brew over 100 gallons of beer per year.
The freedom to advertise tobacco products on television.
The freedom to smoke Cuban cigars.
The freedom to not wear a seatbelt.
The freedom to be secure in our persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures.
The freedom to keep the fruits of one’s labor.
The freedom of an employer and an employee to negotiate for any wage.
The freedom to discriminate against anyone for any reason.
The freedom to videotape the police in public.
The freedom of businesses to hire and fire whomever they choose.
The freedom to not be brutalized by the police.
The freedom to not be arrested for victimless crimes.
The freedom to sell raw milk.
The freedom to not have one’s child subject to unnecessary vaccinations.
The freedom to not have one’s child unjustly taken by Child Protective Services.
The freedom to not be subject to the Patriot Act.
The freedom for kids to set up neighborhood lemonade stands.
The freedom to not have every facet of business and society regulated.
The freedom to stay in one’s home during a hurricane.
The freedom to not have our e-mail and phone conversations monitored.
The freedom to travel to and trade with any country.
The freedom to be left alone.