From: Jim Breneman (gocav19d@hotmail.com)
Date: Tue May 11 2004 - 08:32:03 PDT
I realize that was a hard experience to stomach. But you also have to
understand; nobody wants to be the one who "let something happen." In my
experiences in the U.S. Army, things disappear. Radios disappear; vehicles
disapper. I've known more than a couple crooked supply clerks/sergeants in
my day. There is a law against taking Demil US military equipment and
vehicles out of the US. I know when I got my M35A2, the EUC clearly stated
that I was not to take the vehicle out of the US. I’m not sure how that
works, as you’re a Canadian citizen. In fact I’m a little unclear on how the
purchasing process works for Canada. Actually the fact that they stopped you
is a little reassureing for me. Maybe he's stopped some people who actually
were breaking the law. I would much rather have rottweilers at the borders
than poodles.
>From: chance wolf <chance_wolf@shaw.ca>
>To: "Military Vehicles Mailing List" <mil-veh@mil-veh.org>
>Subject: [MV] Homeland Security Needs Your Help
>Date: Mon, 10 May 2004 10:48:56 -0700
>
>They need your help to carry out their mandate without acting like a pack
>of
>jackbooted Rottweilers.
>
>I'm sending this to both the military vehicles group and the armyradios
>one,
>because I know collectors from each like to cross the border and attend
>events in the neighbouring nation, and would like to do so without having
>to
>deal with the nonsense I had to put up with on the way back to Canada from
>an event in Washington State.
>
>Three of us headed down to a Puget Sound Military Vehicle Collectors Club
>event at Fort Ebey, WA from our club up here in Vancouver, B.C, and two of
>us convoyed back Sunday night in the form of a 1941 K-18 Radio Van driven
>by
>a friend, and my own 1985 M1009 Blazer. As we're approaching the Canadian
>Border, we see that U.S. Customs has a checkpoint staffed with four
>individuals who are stopping Canada-bound motorists at random and asking a
>few questions. My friend's 1941 truck with "U.S. Army" and white stars all
>over it pulls into the duty-free without even being stopped, where I'm
>motioned to the side of the road instantly by U.S. Customs as though I'd
>just run over a favourite pet. For background at this point, my 1009
>sports
>the stock camouflage job, two MX-6707 mounts and antennas either side, a
>rear mount for the AB-652 and copper whip, one RT-246, one RT-524, and the
>associated cables and junction boxes. Here's the exchange between the U.S.
>Customs guy and myself:
>
>Customs: "What's with the truck?"
>
>Me: "What do you mean?"
>
>Guy looks around, and touches the MX-6707 mount on the driver's side. In
>the mirror I can see Rottweilers 3, 4 and 5 wiggling antennas and
>conversationally telling each other "he can't have this stuff".
>
>Customs: "Where are you going with all this?"
>Me: "Canada."
>Customs: "And why are we going to Canada?" (like the B.C. Plates didn't
>give
>it away??)
>Me: "Because I live there?"
>Customs: "Are you a member of the Canadian Military?"
>Me: "Not anymore."
>Customs: "Then what's with all this gear?"
>Me: "I'm a collector."
>Customs: "Are you familiar with the term 'State Department'?"
>Me: "Sure. Why."
>Customs: "Because you're not allowed to export military technology. You
>need a licence. Do you know what I mean by a licence? Where'd you get all
>this?"
>Me: "Other collectors in Canada, sometimes Ebay..."
>Customs: "Where'd you get the truck?"
>Me: "Government Liquidation."
>Customs: "But all this stuff wasn't on it."
>Me: "No. I put it all on later."
>Customs: "You can't have all this."
>Me: "Yes I can. It's perfectly legal."
>Customs: "You can't import it or export it without a permit."
>Me: "Nothing's being imported or exported here."
>Customs: <condescendingly and loudly> "Well it's here in the U.S! You
>imported it illegally! Please step out of the car, Sir, and go into the
>building..."
>
>I get out. The rest of the Pack begins flicking switches and playing with
>stuff. On the way to the Customs Office, Rottweiler #1 raises his tone and
>tries to up the psychological ante.
>
>Customs: "You imported controlled U.S. Military Technology illegally and
>are
>trying to export it illegally. You need a State Department Licence!"
>Me: "I'm doing no such thing. Canada used those radios too. I've had them
>for four years. I'm bringing back nothing I didn't have with me when I
>came
>down apart from three cans of beer."
>Customs: "You told me you got them off Ebay!"
>
>I stop mid-escort and turn to face the guy.
>
>Me: "No. I said I get *some* stuff on Ebay. And some from fellow
>collectors.
>But not those radios. They're Canadian."
>
>Rottweiler #1 closes the physical distance with the "just you try
>something!" look on his face, puts his arm up behind my back, and makes it
>pretty clear I was supposed to be making my case mid-stride without making
>any sort of eye-contact.
>
>Customs: "Then they'll have Canadian serial numbers."
>Me: "No such thing. We bought them off the American Gov't and..."
>Customs: "THERE! SEE! That goes right back to what I was sayin'."
>Me: <incredulously> "..in *1971*!!!!???"
>Customs: "It doesn't make any difference. We'll check it all out. Have a
>seat."
>
>Rottweiler #1 joins the rest of the Hounds of the Baskervilles and crawls
>over the vehicle, playing with knobs and switches and microphones like 6 yr
>olds left to entertain themselves by irresponsible parents in the toy aisle
>of WalMart. Rottweiler #1 comes back and asks me if "they work."
>
>"One does, one doesn't", I reply.
>
>He goes back out for another round of playing. I stare at the stuffed
>Eagle
>spreading its wings in Freedom above the Customs counter, then look outside
>past a waving Stars'n'Stripes towards the blue-suited Rottweilers,
>marvelling at the stark contrast between Freedom's ideals and the actions
>of
>its uniformed representatives. About 30-35 minutes goes by, and Rottweiler
>#1 reappears behind the counter and proffers my Driver's License with a
>"you're free to go", but not a word more. My guess would be he spent a few
>minutes on the phone diluting his ignorance in a few words with someone
>more
>rational and senior, but I strongly believe that those few minutes would've
>been better off spent in training BEFORE sending people like that to the
>49th parallel, rather than leave returning Canadians with vivid memories of
>incidents like this. When I got back into my vehicle, they'd flicked every
>switch they could flick just to "see what happens". Fortunately the radios
>were designed to be coincidentally both Soldier and Rottweiler-proof,
>elsewise I might've been stuck with damages I had no part in creating.
>
>On the upside, and primarily of interest to the Mil Vehicles mob, we had a
>great time at Ft. Ebey with the Puget Sound collectors, and it's nice to
>see
>so many collectors take their vehicles and accessories "out" for the public
>to enjoy on events like that. They also refused to let us help out with
>the
>group campsite fee, and were excellent hosts all round. Thanks for the
>invite! I'll still come down to the Arlington Airshow for the reasons I
>usually go down, but now I have another reason equally compelling, as it's
>been quite some time since I've been afraid of the Big Bad Wolf no matter
>how loud he barks, and I don't suffer bullies of any stripe whatsoever.
>
>I'd sign my name but I don't want want the "Non-Patriot!" flag popping up
>beside my Driver's License number on any more NSA computers than absolutely
>necessary, so, lessee....
>
>Yours Truly,
>
>er...Thomas Paine, esq.
>
>(in anticipation of a few responses backing up their actions: no, I wasn't
>"being smart"; yes, I was very polite; no I'm not "on the computer"; no, I
>wasn't dressed "like Rambo"; yes, I cross fairly often. I'm sure I missed
>some, but you get the general idea.)
>
>
>
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