If I Had the Money and the Time.

I have lamented many times on the effort it seems to have become to get back into my own country when I am over in nearby Windsor, Ontario, Canada. If I had the time and the cash I would actually make it worse simply for the pleasure of tying up resources in a manner similar to how my own time is tied up when all I'm trying to do is get back into a country which I have a moral right to be in.

The border guards ask too many questions which, quite bluntly, are none of their damn business. How much money do you have on you, what do you do for a living, and what were you doing in Canada, are among them. And to each and every one of these the correct answer is, "None of your business."

If I have the documentation which proves I am a citizen, I have the right to return to my country unhassled and unharried. If it weren't for the worse trouble it would, I would tell them 'none of your business' every single time even if it meant hours delayed at customs, solely to make a point. That kind of questioning is nothing less than an unwarranted assault on our personal liberty.

If a guard has probable cause to think I'm up to no good, then he ought to have me pull over for a closer inspection. I can even accept the occasional random inspection in order to keep folks honest. But to have me sit for ten minutes asking about things which are none of his concern is simply wrong.

When we have to live that way, to adapt an old cliche, the terrorists have won anyway. There's no point then to even pretending we have the high moral ground on issues of freedom and liberty.