Looking in

Last Monday, the day that our political kids in Washington were throwing a tantrum and voting to raise the National Debt Ceiling, I took the day to visit friends in Canada. (I had to get away from C-Span) Looking back at my trip which was very enjoyable, I will now try to share my impressions of how we look from across the border. First, let me tell you where I went which may have influenced my impression. I went to a small community called Stanstead Quebec. What’s special about Stanstead is that it’s a community that sits right on the border, that’s right; the community is divided by the border. (US/Canada/Vermont/Quebec) To demonstrate that point, my friends brought me to the Town Library which has a line across the floor defining where the border actually is. So in fact, you can walk back and forth within the library going back and forth between the two countries. Outside the library there’s a white line on the asphalt of the street, again showing exactly where the border is located. I believe it’s also important to note that, many of the residents have dual citizenship having been born in the “States” as they call the USA, although their parents lived on the Canadian side of the border. Another demonstration of how this community straddles the border is when you’re driving down Canusa Street (CAN-USA) for about a mile, the houses on one side of the street are in Vermont and on the other side they’re in Canada. There are two “legal” border entries in or near Stanstead, one on I-91 and the other in Beebee, a small hamlet which is indistinguishable from Stanstead. On Monday’s trip my GPS chose for me to enter Canada in Beebee where the custom facilities are very small with no parking lots etc. and, situated right in town at a very busy intersection and on the westerly end of Canusa Street. As you drive into Beebee from Derby, you go up a rise in the road and there on the right is the American customs office. My first sight was of two US border agents in dark commando style uniforms, bloused pants tucked into combat boots and with impressive weapons at their side. They stood there at parade rest, watching me go through the intersection with staring looks (You don’t have to stop at the US customs going into Canada) Immediately across the intersection was the Canadian customs and there a Canadian officer smartly dressed in a class A style military uniform with tie and dress shoes waved me in and welcomed me with a broad smile and without a weapon. This was quite a contrast with the scene across the street where the armed American officers stood at attention, glaring at every passing car. (The street is a no man’s land) The Canadian custom officer was polite and courteous thanking me when I gave him my passport and thanking me again when returning it. He asked where I was going and wished me a good day. Now let me skip ahead to the experience returning to the US. Again the two armed officers were in the front of the customs office, the two never cracked a smile and one came to my car and took my passport without saying a word. Returning and handing me my passport said; “Where are you from?” New Hampshire I said.  “Where have you been in Canada?” Just up the road about 4 miles to a friend’s house I replied. “How come you have friends in Canada he snapped?” These are people I met years ago at a campground in the States I replied. He mumbled something I didn’t understand and exhaled loudly. “Bringing anything back?” Nothing I replied. He stood at attention and waved me through. The whole experience was like a scene from a 70’s movie at some German border crossing during the height of the cold war. If the whole experience is meant to make an impression, it does and, it’s not positive. (I actually felt relieved when I couldn’t see them in my rear view mirror) What I just described is pretty much the way the Canadians see us as a people, uptight, unfriendly and armed.  During my visit, my friend asked me; “What’s happening to you guys anyway, you all seem to be so…nervous and scared. What are you afraid of?” I gave all kinds of dumb explanations like 9/11, Iraq etc. It was at this point that I began to realize that we indeed had changed as a people. My friend told me about an ugly scene last winter, when the Americans (Homeland Security) had barricaded the street by the library preventing the residents from driving down the street to their homes on the American side.(Forcing them to drive two miles to the “official” entry point) The Canadian authorities took the barricades down then the Americans returned and this time with guards armed with automatic weapons and, re-installed the barricades which are still in place today. If we need a lesson on how people feel about Americans and why, just go to Stanstead Qc you don’t have to go to Iraq or other far away places. I think that it’s a shame that we’re perceived as bullies cowering behind our tough façade of guns and threats. We may be a kind and generous country but our actions are less than pleasant or positive to those looking in.  I saw it with my own eyes and was not pleased with what I saw.

Comments

[toonist]

Maudit!

[Rocky]

I agree and these are our friends, neighbors and relatives.

[warren,]

Maudit Indeed. I had a Similar experience at Beecher Falls about 6 years ago. The Very attractive Canadian Woman asked Me if I had "Ever been before the Judge" and let Me in. A short drive - for the fun of it! through Sts. Edwidge, Malvo and Hermeninglide, and I was back...to be Detained for 3 hours while the Guys fished through my car and tried to find something, anything "On Me". After a phone call in which I heard one side of the conversation.... They simply HAD to let Me go! In many ways WE, the USA are becoming like the Ex Soviet Union. Loss of Freedom creeps up on you slowly, Rocky Boy. Big Govt. I am Glad You're noticeing it! You are one step closer, 97%?.... But I know the lines will never meet. Oh well. So What Happens when Govt. becomes TOTAL ? Ever hear of Pastor Martin Niemoller? google

[Antonio Andolini]

As if that is not bad enough:
"The first-in-the-nation program kicks off Aug. 15 at Logan and requires screeners to make quick reads of travelers’ personal traits and actions to determine whether fliers pose a danger, based on their reactions to a set of routine questions."
But don't worry:
"The TSA is vowing to hire better-trained ex-air marshals, cops and soldiers schooled in the art of interrogation if they find that their current pool of agents isn’t up to the task of sophisticated Israeli-style behavioral screening."
http://bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1356001

[Antonio Andolini]

On a related note, did you know,
"A class action filed Wednesday accuses Bank of America Corp. of putting the privacy of its customers' financial data at risk of U.S. government surveillance by transferring service calls to overseas call centers."
http://www.law.com/jsp/law/newswire.jsp
A lawyer I know sent the link. Interestingly, this story is being told no where else. Granted it is "new", but you have to wonder.

[warren,]

I'm worried about that phrase "Israeli-style", as if it is something to be alarmed at. From what I have heard, they are much more professional than Our TSA. They actually have a clue as regards the Job in hand. While Our TSA is checking the adult diapers of Old Women, and bringing small children to Tears in front of their helpless Parents - God help the Father that ever punches one of these creeps! They, The Israeli Security are actually Profiling!.....Gasp!
I have the utmost respect for Mossad, and Israel as it has been in the past. I hope they never faulter.
If anyone in this group could choose WHERE to be "Kicked out of a Very low flying helicopter" anywhere in the middle east, WITHOUT any Identification/ Passport or Money... say; Syria, Iran, Libya or .....Israel. Where would it be?

Antonio, I have a Question for You : What did Yasser Arafat Die of ???? Lolololololo.

- Just checking where "You Fans REALLY Stand!"....

[Chet]

Yes Warren loss of freedom does sneak up on you. Especially when the ones doing it are professing their support of freedom and democracy.

[toonist]

He who gives up freedom for safety deserves neither.
Those who would trade in their freedom for their protection deserve neither.
Those who give up their liberty for more security neither deserve liberty nor security. - Ben Franklin

[Antonio Andolini]

All the while the goons in combat gear glare at passersby, the smugglers are moving all sorts of contraband through the woods.

[Antonio Andolini]

Sadly, it's not just at the border where we see these heavy-handed tactics. Throughout our nation, heavily armed federal agents carry out expensive and sometimes deadly operations on an almost daily basis. Using Special Weapons And Tactics is now the norm. The alphabet soup of federal law enforcement agencies, from ATF&E to TSA, need to be reined in, overhauled and, in some instances, shut down. We debate government spending on the military and on entitlements, but how often do we get to hear how much of our money is being spent on "protecting" us.
We live in dangerous times. I believe in the need for national security. I believe in the need for law and order. But there need to be limits.

[Antonio Andolini]

It is true that liberty is precious; so precious that it must be carefully rationed.
Vladimir Lenin

[warren,]

Hmmmm, No answers? Your silence confirms My point. Israel has the MOST Freedom in the mid east.
Chet, When was the last time You "Pledged alliegence to the Democracy"?
Good Point toonist.
I for one would much more trust My back to the "Child of Promise" than the "Son of the Bond Woman". Some things are Truly Biblical.

[Antonio Andolini]

Another view for those looking in:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903366504576491421339802788.html?mod=WSJ_Home_largeHeadline
One can only hope that this will wake up some in Washington, although it may just fan the flames of partisanship. No question runaway spending, and the borrowing needed to do it, have brought us to this point. We have debated at length who is responsible for that. Political gamesmanship hasn't helped either.

Fact is, though, when we get past the headlines, we see the financial folks live in bizarro world along with the pols.

"But S&P has once again hurt its own credibility, stepping on its message by presenting the White House a report card that was off by $2 trillion, and then going ahead and downgrading anyway. Coming at the end of the most turbulent market week since the financial crisis, this downgrade will do nothing to change the market’s opinion that rating agencies are only good for throwing gasoline on raging market fires. That could allow investors to dismiss its advice, for better or worse, and give politicians and investors yet another reason to further curb the power of the rating agencies."
http://blogs.wsj.com/marketbeat/2011/08/05/sp-downgrades-the-us-five-things/

Even Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway is AA+ these days:
http://money.cnn.com/2010/02/05/news/companies/Berkshire_Hathaway_credit_rating/index.htm

[warren,]

OUCH!!! Now watch out for the coming "Crash" of the Dollar, and a New World Currency...the "Amero", maybe? This has all been planned ahead of Time. There is Order, even in Chaos...
"Neither a Lender nor a Borrower Be" or The "Bank" will always Win. And Barry wants to Keep on Spending, Give the Drunk another Drink Whynot?

China tells U.S. "good old days" of borrowing are over

On Saturday August 6, 2011, 10:23 am EDT

By Walter Brandimarte and Melanie Lee

NEW YORK/SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China bluntly criticized the United States on Saturday one day after the superpower's credit rating was downgraded, saying the "good old days" of borrowing were over.

Standard & Poor's cut the U.S. long-term credit rating from top-tier AAA by a notch to AA-plus on Friday over concerns about the nation's budget deficits and climbing debt burden.

China -- the United States' biggest creditor -- said Washington only had itself to blame for its plight and called for a new stable global reserve currency.

"The U.S. government has to come to terms with the painful fact that the good old days when it could just borrow its way out of messes of its own making are finally gone," China's official Xinhua news agency said in a commentary.

After a week which saw $2.5 trillion wiped off global markets, the move deepened investors' concerns of an impending recession in the United States and over the euro zone crisis.

Finance ministers and central bankers of the Group of Seven major industrialized nations will confer by telephone later on Saturday or on Sunday, a senior European diplomatic source said.

The source said the credit rating downgrade had added a global dimension on top of the euro zone debt issue, raising the need for international coordination.

"The G7 will confer by telephone. It's not yet confirmed whether it will be in one stage or in two stages, tonight and tomorrow," the source said.

French Finance Minister Francois Baroin, who would chair such a meeting under France's G7 and G20 presidency, said it was too early to say whether there would be an early G7 gathering.

In the Xinhua commentary, China scorned the United States for its "debt addiction" and "short sighted" political wrangling.

"China, the largest creditor of the world's sole superpower, has every right now to demand the United States address its structural debt problems and ensure the safety of China's dollar assets," it said.

It urged the United States to cut military and social welfare expenditure. Further credit downgrades would very likely undermine the world economic recovery and trigger new rounds of financial turmoil, it said.

"International supervision over the issue of U.S. dollars should be introduced and a new, stable and secured global reserve currency may also be an option to avert a catastrophe caused by any single country," Xinhua said.

In Washington, President Barack Obama urged lawmakers on Saturday to set aside partisan politics after the debt battle, saying they must work to put the United States' fiscal house in order and refocus on stimulating its stagnant economy.

S&P blamed the downgrade in part on the political gridlock in Washington, saying politics was preventing the United States from addressing its deficit and debt problems.

Obama called on Congress to back measures to give tax relief to the middle class, extend jobless benefits and pass long-delayed international trade pacts.

"Both parties are going to have to work together on a larger plan to get our nation's finances in order," he said.

"In the long term, the health of our economy depends on it...in the short term, our urgent mission has to be getting this economy growing faster and creating jobs."

STAY COOL !!!

In contrast to the Chinese criticism, France's Baroin said France had faith in the United States' - Priceless!

[warren,]

Hey Antonio? Remember the Cover Art from the album "Looking In", by Savoy Brown? Some cool tunes in there, but the cover art might be an indication of what is coming in the future.

[Antonio Andolini]

On the road again:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/aug/4/tea-party-democratic-attacks-prove-we-won-debate/

[Rocky]

Personally, I believe that the Tea Party lost credibility over the debt ceiling debate, I think the majority of people saw them as stubborn and willing to see the country's economy put at risk in order to prove their point. Now whether or not they should be called terrorists I'll leave to Webster. TERRORISM: "Acts committed to intimidate a people or government". "A means of coercion". If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck.........

[Tim]

What part of ‘we didn’t get in this situation by taxing and spending too little’ is so difficult for some to understand? Their point Rocky, is our government is bankrupt, too big and spends too much. That point is being understood and supported more then ever, which will, I believe, hope and pray lead to more representatives being elected in 2012 who also understand this simple yet apparently elusive idea to those who want and believe government can take care of everyone.

The ones who fit the terrorism definition are those who advocate we ignore the Constitution. By the looks of it, I’d say that fits nicely with what you advocate Rocky. Are you the enemy? ;)

[Antonio Andolini]

Good morning, Rocky. Interesting view that the Taxed Enough Already members of Congress, most of whom have only been in Washington a short time, put the economy of this nation at risk. Don't you fault the Democrats and the rest of the Republican members, as well? Seems to me that "stubborn" applies to both sides of the aisle and to the White House.
From the reasons for the S&P action:
"The political brinksmanship of recent months highlights what we see as America’s governance and policymaking becoming less stable, less effective, and less predictable than what we previously believed."
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/text-of-sp-downgrade-of-us-rating-2011-08-05
Do you think there would have been anywhere near the debate about national spending and borrowing if the mid-term election had left both houses of Congress and the White House in Democrat control?
Describing Taxed Enough Already as a political "party" is a misnomer. TEA is a concept; an expression of frustration with government overreach and intrusion, as well as the spending needed to fund it.
I believe if the national election was held this fall, there would be another large scale housecleaning. Folks I talk with are frustrated, to put it politely.
The rhetoric used in this debate is on the record; filed for future reference. Particularly in this age of nearly instant global communication, we all should think before we "speak." Call me what you like, but be prepared for my response.

[Rocky]

To advocate for an action that puts our country at risk through default while ignoring the collective wisdom of the best minds in the world on the issue to the contrary, is either criminal or stupid/ignorant. There's no argument that we're on an unsustainable economic course and that it needs to be corrected as soon as possible. I also believe that risking an almost certain catastrophe in the name of avoiding that catastrophe in the future is a form of insanity. I'm definitely the enemy of those who advocate insane policies and actions.

[Rocky]

Antonio I believe you're correct, but for the newer members of Congress, I believe that the issue of the debt would have been swept under the rug by "most", not all of both parties. That's the silver lining to that dark cloud, but the cloud is still there and one could argue that it's darker than ever. What needs to take place is a discussion about our national priorities from which our resources would be appropriated. I'm not very optimistic that this exercise will actually take place, because the special interests have hijacked the democratic process through their lobby. Throwing the baby out with the wash water is always tempting because it's easy/simple and it "seems" to eliminate the problem, but it's an insane option.

[Antonio Andolini]

Rocky, did you mean to say, "for which our resources would be appropriated"?
Speaking of definitions, from (Merriam) Webster:
"appropriated past participle, past tense of ap·pro·pri·ate (Verb)
1. Take (something) for one's own use, typically without the owner's permission."
Blaming special interests and lobbyists is like blaming President Bush; it is only part of the problem. We know where we are at and we know how we got here. Where we go from here is what to focus on.
Our system of government is based on compromise. "Sound bite" government is as bad as "sound bite" journalism. Rather than ratchet up the rhetoric, our "leaders" should get to work.
Certainly,there is a fundamental difference between those who believe in liberty, personal responsibility and limited government and those who think that "some people just make too much money." Finding the common ground on which to proceed is possible. If not in our generation, then perhaps in the coming generation(s).

[Rocky]

My English teacher could barely speak English and English bored me, so it's amazing I can write or speak English at all. Let me challenge your French Antoine.

[Antonio Andolini]

My French teacher was like your English teacher. English can be a difficult language to learn, what with all the exceptions and dialects. You write good! Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk, coitanly!

[toonist]

http://youtu.be/L_Kuo8lb6Bg

hope this works.