WTF, people? WTF?

[lagilman]

If you're wondering why the SFnal world is simmering with anger today, here's why:

Canadian science fiction writer Peter Watts was beaten, pepper-sprayed, and arrested at the border for reasons unknown and officially unstated.


It could be me. It could be you. it could be someone who doesn't have a platform from which to protest. Boost the signal.

Comments

[mt-yvr.livejournal.com]

(nosepinch)

I've met Peter. I share a ToC with him. He's a normal, affable person. I LOVE the comments that "well we aren't hearing it all, highly doubt he's all that innocent.."

Frankly, I cannot for the life of me find a reason at all that Peter somehow provoked this. I just can't. He never struck me as a physical kind of guy, eg shoving some one, and I just can't see any other motivator that would account for any physical contact.

What saddens me is that honestly? I am not surprised by this.

If people are truly of the belief that it can't happen to them for no more reason than asking "what is going on" they need seriously take a look at the border. As an openly gay male I can tell you, point blank, that it is entirely within the realm of possible. The things that I've seen and the things that I know almost every person I know - who is openly gay - has had to endure at some point supports, sadly, that this kind of thing is possible.

Poor Peter. Gods.

[terri-osborne.livejournal.com]

If anyone doesn't think authority figures can and have abused power before? All they need to do is check the NYPD's back catalog.

[mtlawson.livejournal.com]

Someone ought to tweet CNN on this. This is a damn sight more important than the latest Tiger Woods sighting.

[cassie-o.livejournal.com]

UGH...that is horrible!

[jhetley.livejournal.com]

I smell a rat behind that arras. Not on Peter's side, mind you. But the US Border Patrol rarely gives a shit about people headed *out* . . .

[liamstliam.livejournal.com]

Just a comment that as of an hour ago, there were no other reports on this on the Internet other than the blog post.

I will be interested to see what happens from here.

Either way -- and I am *not* assigning blame -- the lesson is to stay in your car.

[lagilman]

Actually, the lesson should be: the border guards need some retraining on professional and appropriate behavior.

I was waiting to hear Peter's own account before spreading the word -- Internet rumors can acquire a life of their own. But I have no reason to believe that Peter would misrepresent the facts, especially as they can be so easily checked [impounding a car leaves paperwork, if nothing else].

That said, do you have any idea how much news happens, right under your nose, that you never have a clue about?

There was a major police action at the Hoboken, NJ train terminal more than a decade ago, that resulted in all NJT and PATH trains from NYC being diverted to another station on a weeknight, requiring over a dozen cop cars, several ambulances, a bomb squad truck, etc... and it was never even in the local news. Pretty big shite, even pre-9/11. The only reason I knew about it was because we were some of the people diverted, and had to go by there to pick up our car. None of the local news covered it, not even a blip.

[liamstliam.livejournal.com]

I give you credit for waiting until he posted.

At the time I made my initial post, I did not realzie you had linked to his posting and not the Cory Doctorow one, which was the only one I had seen at the time.

As a former cops reporter, I know there's a lot that goes on that never makes the papers.

I think this will hit at least a small portion of the mainstream media because of Internet buzz.

I think what bothers me hits at the line between news reporting and blogging.

Here we have a single account (and I have no reason to disbelieve it, but it's a single account) that is being reported by some of the top bloggers in the geek world. You might even classify them as being generally respected on the Intnernet as a whole.

(I think I am a little annoyed -- and this is not directed at you -- at several of my Candian friends who took this as a time to take a shot at the United States, but that's my issue).

As I said before, I am not going to take the chance of getting out of the car. That's a direct challenge to the officer's authority and some officers will overreact.

[lagilman]

I give you credit for waiting until he posted.

I realize you meant that well, but man, did it come across as patronizing! 0~0


And yeah, those who are inclined that way are screaming "See! USA=BAD!" all over the place. I prefer to ignore them and actually try to get the bad spots cut out and replaced with better.

[liamstliam.livejournal.com]

Thank for recognizing that despite it sounding patronizing, it was not at all meant that way.

I should be a better writer than that. ;)

I tend to read things as a whole, so it's hard for me to ignore that stuff, especially from friends.

I'll get over it.

[mt-yvr.livejournal.com]

Oh, I tend to see border guards as almost separate entities from the countries they represent. This isn't about USA = BAD. This is about border guards.

[lagilman]

yeah. As with any military or quasi-military force, there are those who are a credit to their training...and those who seem to have missed training entirely.

[joycemocha.livejournal.com]

Yes. Absolutely. I tend to treat any military or quasi-military person very carefully, in the US or not (I saw one scene in Tokyo that was--um--nothing was happening at the moment, but I saw the clubs the Tokyo police carry).

[liamstliam.livejournal.com]

What I meant to say was his blog entry and Cory Doctorow's.

[terri-osborne.livejournal.com]

I've e-mailed the Port Huron PD chief with a link to the article asking if he knows if there's any chance of an official report on the incident for those not within his jurisdiction. Will advise if and when I get a response.

[liamstliam.livejournal.com]

That's an excellent plan.

I do wonder, was it a Port Huron arrest or a Homealnd Security/INS arrest.

Might be worth contacting the Port Huron paper, if someone wants, to alert them to the blog coverage of this.

[rovanda.livejournal.com]

Good idea, I just emailed the Times Herald to suggest doing an article on it.
newsroom@thetimesherald.com
http://www.thetimesherald.com/

[terri-osborne.livejournal.com]

The odds of Homeland Security/INS being willing to answer such a question about one of their own from a simple citizen are so slim I don't think I'd bet on them if there were a gun at my head.

Port Huron PD, however, may be more willing to share information, if only to prove themselves innocent in the public eye.

I mentioned being a resident of New York City in the e-mail, so that'll hopefully send the message of this getting nationwide interest. The odds of it getting to major news outlets increase with every signal boost. If I knew how to Tweet it to CNN, I would, but considering the level of action this is getting on Twitter, I'd be stunned if it hadn't been done already. I am, however, forwarding the e-mail to Maddow's and Olbermann's shows to see if they handle it at all.

[lagilman]

Considering the crap that gets autotweeted to CNN, etc, I'm not sure anything actually gets through. Traditional channels probably more useful.

Olbermann's a good thought. :-)

[joycemocha.livejournal.com]

Does anyone have a Daily Kos account? I do, but I'm pretty dang brain-fried tonight and would prefer not to be the actor here. I could do it tomorrow morning (PST) if no one's done it before then.

Get it up on Kos, and if it makes the Rec List, that'll draw attention.

(Of course, I'm reading this in early evening Pacific Time, so odds are good it's already on Kos).

[joycemocha.livejournal.com]

It's on Kos.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/12/11/813332/-Scientist-and-Author-Peter-Watts-beaten-by-US-Border-Guards

[liamstliam.livejournal.com]

What I meant was I wonder if Port Huron was even involved at all.

[smoemeth.livejournal.com]

I just e-mailed the Maddow show, myself. Glad I wasn't the first to think of it. Hopefully if enough messages come into the box about the same subject, the intern monitoring that box will actually think to bump it up the wire.

[mevennen.livejournal.com]

I have to say that the Dept of Homeland Security is one of the most frightening organisations I have ever encountered, in 15 years of working in and visiting, e.g., South Korea, China, and the former Soviet Union. I think it's the conviction that everyone from elsewhere wants to sneak into the US, which is by no means the case (fine country, but we have our own). But it's like something out of Orwell and by no means reflective of the true spirit of the USA as I (a foreigner) understand it.

[anisosynchronic.livejournal.com]

"The Nightwatch"

Some years ago the Boston cop SWAT team broke into the wrong apartment in an operation, and literally scared a retired minister to death....

[lianneb.livejournal.com]

More recently, I saw an article about a newspaper filing a freedom of information request for the security camera video of the incident only to have it denied. Hopefully this means that in the end, it will be thrown out of court.

But the scary thing is that on all of the articles I've read (some of which got his direction completely wrong, claiming he was crossing into the US from Canada, not going the other way) are full of comments saying that he should have known better. Say 'yes, sir' and 'no, sir' and keep your eyes down.

What is this? The border between two long-time allies or the border between two communist era east bloc countries?