I hadn’t heard of this before today:
In 2008, Vermont senator Patrick Leahy was traveling in a car 125 miles south of the U.S.-Canada border in the state of New York.
They came to a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint, which stopped the U.S. senior senator, and an agent ordered him to get out of the car.
“What authority are you acting under?” Leahy asked.
The agent pointed to his gun and said: “That’s all the authority I need.”
Taken from “BORDER PATROL NATION” Dispatches from the Front Lines of Homeland Security by Todd Miller
I wonder what the rest of the story is.
Internal Gun Holster Border Policing
I think the origin of the dropdown encroachment into US territory (Vermont and other north border states) by the border patrol line of jurisdiction was a result of the drug war to combat drug smuggling.
Naturally, after 9/11, it became completely justifiable for the now misnamed border patrol to evolve into an internal border police line.
It’s ironic that Leahy, the longtime chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, should be mistreated by gun holster border policy.
I too would be very curious to know of the extenuating circumstances of Leahy’s “border” police incident. Not for any reason other than the mystery behind it.
Of course, finding out what happened and why will not change anything.
On the Senators incident with Boarder Patrol
They must have known who he was. When crossing the boarder in a traffic line they snap a picture of your license plate when you are about tenth in line and by the time you’re at the check point they have all the stats on the car, it’s owner, registration, etc, usually.
There could have been a mix up, and then maybe they just decided to give that ‘liberal tree hugger’ a taste of good old American interrogation. Upstate New York is notoriously redneck and it’s boarder police are a real bunch of hard asses. I am sure our senator did not let this incident pass without consequences. I wounder if Ted Cruz would have had the same treatment.
Paranoid Borderlines
The piece above states: “Leahy was traveling in a car 125 miles south of the U.S.-Canada border”
It didn’t say the senator was traveling in his own registered car. Maybe they had face-recognition software on him even as a passenger?
Also the piece only says he was ordered out of the car, but doesn’t say it was before or after he was identified.
Moreover, the checkpoint was 125 miles below the border. Does this mean that the US has more than one checkpoint levels across the entire US-Canadian border > checkpoints at the border and checkpoints 125 south of the border in each and every northern state?
And, why dig on the senator as a ‘liberal tree hugger’? You need to wear your own politicized slant on your arm?
That “good old American interrogation” you seem to like is condemned around the world, including the torture episodes now being investigated by Congress.
I am a strong supporter of
I am a strong supporter of our senator. I was just looking at it from someone else’s perspective. And yes, our brand of interrogation is condemned around the world, perhaps not so much in some countries as in others and no, I do not really care for it. And if you have ever traveled on Interstate 5 out of the San Diego area you would notice boarder check points almost one hundred miles north of the Mexican line. I am sure it is the same here with Canada.
My comments were full of irony which is not always understood in politically correct circles. Such a faux pas! So sorry.
Irony Meter
There is nothing in your title above or in your text to suggest irony, and no way that I could see that you were “just looking at it from someone else’s perspective. “
But it is also true that some of us more literal readers could miss your intention. It isn’t really a case that I “not always understood in politically correct circles “ and of course, there was no faux pas on your part and no need to apologize. I will try to tinker with my irony meter.
Yes, do work on that irony
Yes, do work on that irony meter. Irony and satire are the true indications of a free and civilized culture. When we start to take ourselves oh so seriously we blunder, much as I am seeing our nation fall into currently, polarization and civil strife and no relief, how dreadful!
We could discuss this issue of Senator Leahy being interrogated by boarder patrol and then reduce ourselves to character defamation and petty name calling which is all too evident in today’s angry climate. I choose not. Our nation is already bleeding from it.
I couldn’t see where I was condoning the boarder patrols actions in my term “good old fashion American interrogation” and The good senator as a “liberal tree hugger” I’ll bet you a candy bar that he’s been labeled something like that by the boys and girls on the other side of the aisle. Maybe I should go back to Websters dictionary but I consider my sarcasm to be ironic. Enjoy this beautiful summer afternoon.
My dear Gilchrist
“Maybe I should go back to Websters dictionary…”
My dear Gilchrist, I believe I was suggesting you do just that.
While my irony meter barely flickered, it was because it did not register your irony, perhaps, in part, because the irony lacked sarcasm, causticity, cynicism, mockery, satire, etc.
It is, indeed, a beautiful summer afternoon.
I believe I will have some
I believe I will have some vinegar tossed in on that cold salad.