And Home of the Brave Pepper-Spray Wielding Uniformed Thugs.
So this week Peter Watts, brilliant Canadian hard SF writer, marine biology PhD, good e-cquaintance of mine, and by all accounts all round nice guy in the flesh, was pepper-sprayed, beaten up, and imprisoned by US border guards as he tried to leave the US for Canada. His crime apparently consisted of having the temerity, when pulled over, to exit his vehicle and ask what was going on (twice, because they ignored him the first time he asked). More detail here on his website, and here at Boing Boing. Long and the short of it, he’s now been bailed out and is safely back home, but looks like facing charges, crippling legal costs, and a possible two year jail sentence for “assaulting a federal officer”. Yeah, right. Bookish, forty-something marine biologist and SF author takes on a squad of armed border police. Of course he did. Happens all the time.
Couple of things:
1) Please go over and express your support for him in whatever way you can – moral, financial, or informational. Looks like there’ll be a defence fund in the New Year, but right now I suspect the greatest value lies in getting the word out as widely and vocally as possible.
2) What the fuck happened to the US? (Okay, rhetorical question, I know). For me, the most terrifying thing about this is not what happened to Peter itself, but the scads of US citizens currently posting about it who seem to think that Peter pretty much had it coming; that getting out of your vehicle and remonstrating with law enforcement officers is an act worthy of a beating and jail. Jesus, talk about Daddy-fixated – do what the authority figure tells you, boy, and jump to it! Don’t ask questions, don’t get out of the car.
What is this, Germany 1933?
I guess this provides some insight for relative youngsters like me as to what it must have been like to be involved in the Civil Rights movement, back in the – currently fashionably vilified – sixties. Plus ca change, eh?
One wonders what the Founding Fathers would have done. Stayed in the car with their collective lip firmly buttoned? Somehow I doubt it.
Pretty obviously, one would have thought, one makes a decision to support or not based on what’s publically presented about a case in context: if people have said that they think Peter was badly treated they meant on the basis that the story as presented was true. Living in good old bobby-on-the-beat, don’t-take-photo-sonny Britain I was shocked by the story and if it’s true then it should be protested. Given how important it is to hold the state and its agents accountable, protesting is urgent. The idea that we give the state the benefit of the doubt is moronic: who argues this about China’s brutality in Tibet? Who says of Suu Kyi “she may be being badly treated but she knew what was coming”?
Sorry, but since I don’t know both sides of the story I’m not going to get my ass in an uproar. You guys that are willing to take the side of Peter Watts based on just his account of what happened are just as dangerous as those horrible cops you are critical of.
Act like you’ve got some sense people.
Some posting here would like “Little Brother” by Cory Doctorow, which presents (what I thought) was an alternate reality of the US, with homeland security being taken to the extreme…
Not sure quite how alternate the reality in the book is now!
But I think the bottom line is that you citizens of the US need to decide how many false positives are acceptable in catching one terrorist – do the police treat everyone as a potential threat until proven otherwise or the reverse? What should the balance be? You do after all live in a democracy, flawed perhaps, but better than many. You have the real possibility of kicking these guys out if you don’t like them. Believe me, there are many countries where that is not an option.
The Center for Media Research has released a study by Vertical Response that shows just where many of these ‘Main Street’ players are going with their online dollars. The big winners: e-mail and social media. With only 3.8% of small business folks NOT planning on using e-mail marketing and with social media carrying the perception of being free (which they so rudely discover it is far from free) this should make some in the banner and search crowd a little wary.
http://www.onlineuniversalwork.com
Tsk, James. Skimming this thread, I wouldn’t say that the majority of the commenters (or Richard himself) are suggesting that the US is completely reprehensible (or “sucks”). The reason that this event is so disappointing is that it happened in the US. For me, anyway, it is upsetting because the US is generally still “good” in its outlook.
And socialist Europe? Really? Are you sure? You’re just doing what you’re accusing this thread of doing ‘cept in reverse.
Thanks everyone for your “US sucks” comments…that’s very enlightened analysis.
Also, the “US is ruled by right-wing extemists” comments are very spot-on when you consider Obama is President with a vast democratic majority in congress.
Are there some in law enforcement who abuse their power: yes, but that hardly makes the US another Nazi Germany.
I feel better about my right to freedom of speech here in the US than exists in socialist Europe…prove me wrong.
I have been to the border at Blue Water Bridge and it is scary every time. You never know when its your turn to be called over to the man with rubber gloves and if you look like you might complain, out come the weapons. The Cheney admin’s fascist bureaucrats still run all of law enforcement, and the democrats have become too big of wimps to stand up for anyones’ rights, including their own.
Consider the healthcare townhalls, with right wing birther nuts carrying assualt weapons, carefully choosing to wear the same slogan McVeigh wore when he bombed OKC, and did one cop touch one hair on this gun toting terrorist freaks head? Of course not, the cops are on the side of the Tim McVeigh wannabes and support their not so subtle threat to liberals, shut up or my assault rifle will do the shutting up for you. During the Cheney admin, all that was required to get roughed up is wear a T shirt with your dead soldier son’s name on it and the jack booted thugs were on you like flies on a fresh dog turd. The “Land of the Free, Home of the Brave” has become an anachronistic joke.
If Mr. Watts had been driving a car with the bumper sticker “Pray for Obama Psalms 109:8″, and if he had been carrying an assault weapon while wearing a shirt that said “I believe in gun control, I only shoot liberals”, those same border guards would have delivered a kettle of freshly brewed teabagger tea, and given him a complementary map to the nearest Michigan Militia meeting. The sign on the US side of the Bluewater Bridge should read “Welcome to FOX News Utopia”.
I have been to the border at Blue Water Bridge and it is scary every time. You never know when its your turn to be called over to the man with rubber gloves and if you look like you might complain, out come the weapons. The Cheney admin’s fascist bureaucrats still run all of law enforcement, and the democrats have become too big of wimps to stand up for anyones’ rights, including their own.
Consider the healthcare townhalls, with right wing birther nuts carrying assualt weapons, carefully choosing to wear the same slogan McVeigh wore when he bombed OKC, and did one cop touch one hair on this gun toting terrorist freaks head? Of course not, the cops are on the side of the Tim McVeigh wannabes and support their not so subtle threat to liberals, shut up or my assault rifle will do the shutting up for you. During the Cheney admin, all that was required to get roughed up is wear a T shirt with your dead soldier son’s name on it and the jack booted thugs were on you like flies on a fresh dog turd. The “Land of the Free, Home of the Brave” has become an anachronistic joke.
If Mr. Watts had been driving a car with the bumper sticker “Pray for Obama Psalms 109:8″, and if he had been carrying an assault weapon while wearing a shirt that said “I believe in gun control, I only shoot liberals”, those same border guards would have delivered a kettle of freshly brewed teabagger tea, and given him a complementary map to the nearest Michigan Militia meeting. The sign on the US side of the Bluewater Bridge should read “Welcome to FOX News Utopia”.
Red — I’d suggest you re-read the post and the comments a little more closely rahter than just skimming – Richard himself alludes to 1933 Germany.
I can appreciate your disappointment when these things happen in a country that you recognize as ‘good’. I share that same view — I just object to the outright condemnation of the nation that permeated these posts.
As for my simplistic, drive-by insult of ‘Socialist Europe’ — it does touch a nerve when people make unenlightened, stereotypical, and simple criticisms — that’s the point I was trying to make.
I am a little frustrated at the of your statement. You seem to believe that this is somehow a massive shock that this happened and would never occur in your neck of the woods.
Let me say this before I go on. It was wrong and the officer’s video should be released and if he trumped up even a little of the charges and if the person in question didn’t resist then this man should be fired in the least and prosecuted.
That having been said please don’t forget about the horrible atrocities your law enforcement have been committing under Section 44 with little or no recourse for your citizen ship. Even after the publication of the Chief Constable Andy Trotter’s impassioned request that the officers STOP acting like imbeciles and using this law as a short cut to doing their job (As Cory Doctorow of said Boingboing has illustrated rather well in his posts) you are still getting rampant abuse of violations of human rights under the Section 44 of the Terrorism Act. A few rotten apples seem to ruin it for everyone, and the American officer needs to be seriously look at for breach of human rights… as posted by your grass roots “The Love Police” were posted today on Boingboing they are still abusing Article 44. All the officers who do these kinds of things on either side of the pond need to be taken away from their drug of choice (power).
Thanks for the wonderful work you have done.
-Forest
@Forest
You are correct that our police force often act in a way unbecoming of a supposed liberal democracy.
However, in this post, Richard was talking about his disappointment in an American law-enforcement officers behaviour. I don’t believe that he hates America or Americans, this post appears to be born of disappointment rather than anything else; furthermore “don’t talk about that, talk about this” is a terrible, terrible rhetorical trick.
Oh, and @James, OK that’s fair-enough. Although I still believe that the majority of posters here are upset that this would happen in America which, as I say, if you think about it demonstrates a certain level of regard for the country! Personally speaking, there are lots of things I love about the US. Which is why I get disappointed when something like this happens there.
Also, I think I was being a little too obtuse when questioning that Europe is socialist: I, personally, don’t see that as a huge insult. There are many aspects of politics that I’d like to see being a little more socialist here!
I think what we may have to accept is that, in general, the interwebs are not the best place to go for nuanced debate. I’m sure, in some cases, people do have a simplistic view of things (you’ve read RM’s stuff? I’m sure you’d agree he doesn’t) but I’m often inclined to the think that the web as a medium makes it very hard for people to “show their working” so to speak.
Whoa horsey!! I didn’t play slight of hand on you, if you had observed my actual post I didn’t give anyone a free ride. I am not saying the officer was in the right, nor did I say that Mr. Morgan needs to take care of his own back yard. So please attack the issue, not the person. You may feel that you were, however once you said I was playing tricks you crossed the thin line.
My point is that it happens everywhere. It is despicable and everyone in that position of power who abuses it needs to be replaced. However the post DID insinuate a condescension not on the officer but the country based upon the actions of one jerk. “LAND OF THE FREE TO GET YOUR HEAD KICKED IN.” Ring a bell? Now, I happen to agree with Mr. Morgan on this point, but you sir are being a jerk and it isn’t polite to do so in conversation.
There are abuses all over the place and it is a universal issue, as displayed prominently (as posted by Mr. Morgan) on Boingboing. Mr. Doctorow has been a vocal advocate of police moderation and limitation and my post was in no way meant to be demeaning nor was it meant to play slight of hand. This kind of thing happens in both out societies. It is unacceptable in both our societies. However the title and post was meant to be towards the officer but Land of the Free to Get you Head Kicked in leans heavily towards a pursued way of thinking. A group think if you would. As an American I can assure you that I would not have acted like this cowboy officer and also believe that Mr. Morgan’s complaint is justified. However, the interpretation of the posts title indicated more. While abuses do happen it is not all systems go, awesome work Officer Jerk… Just like it wouldn’t be as demonstrated by Mr. Doctorow’s posts. That sir was the point, not “get your nose out of our countries business”.. as I have said I really like Mr. Morgan’s work and would like his nose (and literature) more IN the US.
@Forest
Hey man, you’re being a little unfair there, I had (really!) no intention to cause offence.
I think, on this issue, we’re basically in agreement, non?
I really have no intention of getting into an online fight: it’s fairly pointless, so if my language seemed slightly intemperate earlier – apologies. However, the bulk of what I said still applies. I did read your post. In it, you say: “You seem to believe that this is somehow a massive shock that this happened and would never occur in your neck of the woods.” And then, “That having been said please don’t forget about the horrible atrocities your law enforcement have been committing under Section 44 with little or no recourse for your citizen ship.” After talking about your disgust for the US guy.
Fair enough if you’re using that as an illustration of the perils of the abuse of power, but that’s really not how it reads (you do at the end say that all officers need to come away from power if this is how they behave). It does read like somebody suggesting that we should be talking about something else; we aren’t, we are talking about the actions of an officer in one country. If I’m entering the US for any reason, I’m really not that bothered at that moment now some idiot in uniform at that moment is acting in the UK, am I?
That said, you accuse me of attacking you and not the issue? I think that’s deeply unfair. In a conversation about the actions of a law officer in one country, in the context of that one country, where complaint is made about implied condescension on the part of the author with then quite heavy reference to another (irrelevant) country, then that is an example of a particular piece of rhetoric (that’s all I meant by rhetorical trick – nothing more). So before accusing me of anything (in a personal attack, no less) consider that. I was merely questioning the way that you chose to do so. It’s a common complaint of journalists that talk about complex issues, they’ll get abuse because they criticise the actions of one country against another in one week from supporters of the first country who say that they should be talking about the actions of the other country against them (even though the next week they may well be!). It’s possible for there to be bad things in more than one place and to be outraged by both.
I actually made no reference whatsoever to you personally! Surely it’s better that I talk about the way that you choose to do something than to talk about you as a person?
Given that we agree, peace?
Hey Richard,
Heard about the verdict? It sucks ass.
Yeah, still trying to get up enough heart to post anything about it that isn’t just an incoherent scream of rage.
There are rather different styles of law enforcement in Canada, here they order me out of my motor home to question or berate! It appears this is a control tactic as there are two cops, only one of me.
In the US, especially at the border, it is essential to realize that you are dealing with Grade 10, uneducated, power crazy, INS – inspired thugs who under Homeland Security and the Patriot Act think they can do what they want. The INS officers are the same ignoramuses and even the President cannot override their decisions.
This conviction should be overturned on appeal, small comfort to Peter though. Our American friends need to get busy overturning the Draconian measures put in place by Bush; measures that have turned the Land of the Free into a dangerous place to visit for non-US citizens – it ain’t too safe for Americans either!
I wonder if peter enjoyed it.
@ Tech Hunk
You are a fucking asshole. You will not post here again
Looks like there is a fundraiser to bring Dr Watts to WorldCon in Australia.
http://www.boingboing.net/2010/06/14/fundraiser-to-bring.html
“You guys that are willing to take the side of Peter Watts based on just his account of what happened are just as dangerous as those horrible cops you are critical of.”
Yes, because the average person trying to cross the border has the same powers and authority as cops. What the fuck are you talking about? There is not and never will be a “just as bad” in any confrontation between civilians and cops. The police have power of life and death over the rest of us and also a record of routinely abusing that power, there is no reason whatsoever to take their side or give them the benefit of a doubt without massive evidence in their favor.
Cool read.
It’s nice to know more about law enforcement officers.
Im very late to this but its notable how zealous the forces of the state are when it comes to border control and the movement of white folks. Yet these thugs are AWOL on the southern border while untold millions of Mexicans and others gradually destroy the US through mass immigration lega & illegal.
Why is this?
Well its obviously policy. Nice white liberal types are reminded about heavy handed border control thus when confronted with the invasion can claim its not strictly true, that control is being enforced “Look at what happened to that Canadian guy – if they can treat him like that just think what they do to poor mexicans” But of course they dont.
Ive met Irish & British people with similar (less violent) stories about harsh treatment.