Motorhome Diaries: Banned in Canada!
If you follow me on Twitter you may have heard that MHD was denied entry into a country calling itself “Canada” on Thursday (yesterday). The problem is that we have friends in this Canada that we planned to visit for a week who we’re now unable to see. We’ll provide a thorough play-by-play about this incident later today but basically the plan was to drive from Vermont to Montreal for our meetup Thursday evening. The entire drive from where we had been in Vermont was less three hours but we planned to give ourselves an additional three hours at the border because of the self-important nature of the nation-state. Canada then did what nation-states do: had a thug grope both of us (states seriously pay dudes to feels other dudes balls), trash our home/office/vehicle and detain us for over four hours. They then threaten to seize our computers and vehicle if we refused to allow these uniform-wearing strangers to search them. They deleted our video (sound familiar?) and threatened to arrest us if we took more.
I was able to send a few tweets out and I talked to our buddy Xaq Fixx on the phone who filed this report at FR33 Agents:
Jason and Pete from Motorhome Diaries have been detained at the Canadian border leaving Vermont on I-91. They have been there for the last 4 hours, MARV has been searched by both state agents and the K-9 patrol. The MHD Guys were filming as the neared the check point, but the video was deleted and they were informed if they continued to film, record, or take pictures they would be arrested.
A box of literature from the Alliance of the Libertarian Left was taken, and a copy of Crispin Sartwell’s “Against the State” was left out on the counter. The RV was ransacked but thankfully not to the point it was in Jones County, Mississippi. Their laptops are now in the possession of the state agents, and those agents are reading about fr33 Agents, The Free State Project, and Jason & Pete’s former employer. One agent has accused them of ’spreading misinformation.’
The guys have been told that the state agents are looking for “Pornography or Heinous Propaganda.”
Thanks to Xaq and everyone for getting the word out. Over the next few days we’ll be covering border issues and Canada right here on Motorhome Diaries. Please stay tuned.
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- Jul 24, 2009: Borders
- Jul 24, 2009: Libertariens bannis au Canada
- Jul 27, 2009: the Motorhome Diaries » Blog Archive » Canadian Border Thuggery
I was afraid this would happen. Was a reason given?
Have you thought crossing the border elsewhere than Newport? I mean the Eastern Townships’ roads in Quebec are really crap. Highway 10 is like going on a trip in the Third-World.
I hate our bureaucrats.
That is sad, sad, sad. I make jokes about how I don’t like to leave New Hampshire because no where else in the US is as free and of course Canada is much less free, but I still leave the state from time to time. I’m pretty shocked that if these guys had passports they were denied entry to Canada. I know they arrest people in Canada for offending others but come on. They were just driving.
I guess they will just have to try to spread freedom where it is legal, in the US.
Join the crowd! I have also been refused entry to Canada.
You guys really need to get encrypted root laptops. I can recommend some vendors. Basically, your laptop should be shut off when you approach any checkpoint, or powered off when you see the police sirens. Encrypted root means that it cannot be booted without an external boot encryption key and password.
I can’t say I’m too surprised. They have been turning people away with past DUI convictions, and pot charges, for years. Sorry to hear about your balls.
O, Canada!
If you guys run out of heinous propaganda, just let me know. I can fill up a few hard drives full of the stuff for yas!
We will get you here somehow!!!
Just wanted to let y’all know that we’ll be on “Declare Your Independence” – the radio show run by Ernie Hanckock out of Freedom’s Phoenix – today for about at noon EST for about 10min to discuss what went down: http://tinyurl.com/ltynrx
Problem with fully encrypted drives is that if they can’t get into the desktop and you refuse to allow them… they likely will steal the thing. An encrypted home directory on a primary account would be better. And when they ask you to log into the machine you goto the secondary.
You could always try to recover the video unless they recorded over it. This is why some activists use a DVD type video recorder. The video is never deleted and cannot be written over. And so far the cops don’t seem to realize when they delete the DVD, it is just the file header table that gets altered. Even if they do there is a difference between deleting video and confiscating a DVD disk (property), “losing” or destroying it.
I doubt the boys have anything they need to encrypt. Ans as bile said, it would just result in the equipment being confiscated and maybe returned in some sort of condition a few months later.
Their contact info on their cell phones is of most value to the pigs. And they can easily break that cell phone encryption unless some third party stuff is used. But as a friend said, his solution would be to upload hours of “Alvin and the Chipmunks” recordings and then encrypt them into a folder so the thugs could have a good time going mad looking for the secret messages.
Keith wrote, “I guess they will just have to try to spread freedom where it is legal, in the US.”
Thanks for the ‘rah, rah America’ garbage Keith. Were you referring to the world’s largest prison population, the War on Drugs, the most corrupt justice system in the Western world, or your nation’s military escapades abroad?
Some bureaucrats overstepped their bounds and harassed two of our friends. This is not time for bigoted and xenophobic sentiments.
Further, Canadian border agents tend to be super jerks because of American pressure to keep borders safe.
Don”t forget to sue theses fuckers after they’re done.
How about getting this on Canadian TV?
The prison population is no biggie as far as the freedom of the law abiding is concerned. Prohibiting drugs is likewise not much of an issue as far as I’m concerned. So it’s illegal to stupefy yourself – big deal.
Re: the “most corrupt justice system in the western world” you’ve obviously never heard of a country called Italy, or a little institution called the EU.
Military escapades abroad have little bearing on freedom at home. A bellicose state can be a libertarian one.
Is it just me or is it a little bit of a stretch to blame the Great Satan for Canadian border agents’ attitudes?
Hey Michael,
I said that because the Canadian government said it is against the rules to even enter the nation with the goal of spreading liberty in the case of Jason and Pete.
I don’t have a nation’s military. I’m a Quaker and I don’t think wars are really moral, be that the war on drugs or the war in Iraq. There are likely a dozen of nations in the Western world with a more corrupt justice system, though. Take all of Central America for starters.
I didn’t say anything bigoted or xenophobic, thank you.
@Michael C: I think you misunderstood Keith’s comment due to its ambiguity. Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe Keith was saying that MHD will have to resume spreading freedom in America where it has ‘legal’ permission to do so.
My bad. I thought it was an anti-Canada comment. American conservatives tend to make them and it doesn’t help libertarians on this side of the border.
Sorry I was oversensitive, Keith. I now understand what you mean.
16 gig MicroSD for an HD via a cable port. It pops out quickly and I can swallow it if need be. : D Screw the Peoples RepubliK Kanada !
Get over yourself guys your not that important you were likely rejected as you look like a bunch of stoners…..