Date: Mon, 13 Sep 2004 17:18:54 -0800
Reply-To: Mark Tuovinen <mst@AK.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Mark Tuovinen <mst@AK.NET>
Subject: Re: OT: Customs profiling and vanagons...
Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Entering B.C. from Washington State on our way home after purchasing our 87 Westy Syncro in California, inside the van were myself, my wife(we are both in our early 40's), and our 8 month old son.
The customs official wanted to know:
Where are you from --- Alaska
Where are you headed --- home to Alaska
Why does your vehicle have California plates --- Duh....because we just purchased it there(note, he was holding the title/bill of sale in his hands)
How much did you pay for it --- we told him, but really wanted to know why it mattered, obviously a matter of national security
On another occasion I was part of a relay team running a 110 mile race from Skagway, AK to Whitehorse, YT. There were 161 teams of ten people each and this was the 16th annual race. Each team travels in support vehicles, often motorhomes and they stopped each vehicle at the border and woke up the sleeping team members to perform a head count while 161 runners ran right across the border with no interference. No id checks, no inspection of the vehicles, just a head count.
Mark in AK
----- Original Message -----
From: Damon Campbell <damoncampbellvw@YAHOO.COM>
Date: Friday, September 10, 2004 7:31 pm
Subject: Re: OT: Customs profiling and vanagons...
> I've asked customs officials about profiling people,
> and got two different answers at the same time.
>
> 1) From the auto inspector "well, large vehicles have
> more places to hide stuff, so we search them more"
> 2) from the agriculture lady right next to him shaking
> her head saying "it's the bus".
>
> Also, when another auto inspector was asked if some
> vehicles were more fun to search than others, i just
> got a smile and a big nod.
>
> National security is based on stereotypes...
>
> -Damon
>
> --- Parker Beeson <parker@COREADDICTS.COM> wrote:
>
> > That's funny Damon as I often get profiled at the
> > border too. A few
> > weeks ago I made the three biggest mistakes you can
> > make at the border
> > (was driving a rusty $800 1985 Subaru at the time
> > which didn't help) :
> >
> > Q) How long were you in Canada? Business or
> > pleasure?
> > My Answer) Only 2 days. Strictly pleasure.
> >
> > Q) What do you do for a living?
> > My Answer) I'm in between jobs right now.
> >
> > Q) How much money do you have in the car?
> > My Answer) Only 5 dollars.
> >
> > All true answers, but over two hours later I was
> > finally released from
> > the seaching bay after they put all the panels back
> > on the Subby and
> > the dogs got tired of sniffing. :-)
> >
> > Parker
> >
> > PS - It was even worse when I went to Golden,BC with
> > my friend, his
> > wife and their two daughters in their nice SUV.
> > "So... who is that
> > random guy in the back seat between the two kids?"
> > Ugh! Ironic that
> > Canada welcomes you with open arms and then trying
> > to get back into my
> > own country I get reamed almost every time! ;-)
> >
> > PPS - Can't wait to try the border in my "new"
> > Westy. Ha!
>
> =====
> '84 Westy (Sparky) w/2.3L WBX - New! With 25% fewer spun rod bearings!
> Vancouver, BC
>
>
>
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