The War on Terror: More Collateral Damage
Dec. 12th, 2009 01:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
thessalianDr Peter Watts, beaten and arrested at US border crossing.
Unfortunately, I have no direct problem believing this. Sure, I'd like actual independent verification of the facts, but it's probably going to be awhile before we get any of that. Fact is, I'm sure I've been at risk of a similar sort of issue a couple of times, and that would be here in the UK. I've been stopped-and-searched for no apparent reason before. I stood there and took it mostly because I didn't want to be late for work. If I had given vent as I wanted to, explained that I had a right to my privacy or similar, I imagine I could have expected a similar reaction, only perhaps without the pepper spray because I don't think the police here carry it.
My real problem? The people who said that he should never have got out of his car, or should have got back in when they told him to. It sounds a lot like blaming a rape victim on the grounds of her clothes, if you ask me.
If someone is going to undertake a stop and search of your car, I think that you as a person are entitled to an answer to certain questions you might have - such as why your car is getting a going-over with a fine-toothed comb. The answers to these questions might enable you to avoid being stopped in the future, or at least know what to expect. If someone is not answering your questions because they cannot hear you through a car window or are attempting to avoid acknowledging you sat there in the driver's seat of your car while they oblige you to open your boot and you don't know why, then it seems a simple enough thing to get out of the car and ask for the answers to which you are entitled in that situation. I do not think that refusing to return to your car until your questions are answered merits pepper spray, beating and the prospect of a couple of years in jail. I don't think anything short of physical violence merits that kind of reaction, and I highly doubt that Dr Watts would be griping about it via journal if he'd actually thrown the first punch. I have no problem believing that a punch was likely thrown, but I also think that I would defend myself if someone had just given me a face full of capsaicin. Just saying.
One comment came out along the lines of "If you aren't willing to do whatever the border guards tell you, feel free to stay on your own side of the border" and "Entering our country isn't a right, it's a privilege that you have to earn by jumping through every hoop that the border guards hold up for you". There are no words for how distressing I find this. Are people really so willing to let a bunch of jackbooted troglodytes walk all over them for the illusion of safety?
I don't have all sides of this story, so it's hard to judge. However, I don't think the reaction of "I'm sorry that happened to you but you asked for it" is helpful in this situation. Sure, being allowed to visit a country is a privilege, but if earning it involves having to sit down, shut up and accept any sort of treatment up to and including invasion of privacy with no reason given, the problem is not with the person wanting to visit. If people are so afraid of terrorists that they're willing to condone even the idea of someone getting beaten and arrested just for asking questions and not letting up until they have answers to which they are entitled, then the terrorists have won. End of statement.
Unfortunately, I have no direct problem believing this. Sure, I'd like actual independent verification of the facts, but it's probably going to be awhile before we get any of that. Fact is, I'm sure I've been at risk of a similar sort of issue a couple of times, and that would be here in the UK. I've been stopped-and-searched for no apparent reason before. I stood there and took it mostly because I didn't want to be late for work. If I had given vent as I wanted to, explained that I had a right to my privacy or similar, I imagine I could have expected a similar reaction, only perhaps without the pepper spray because I don't think the police here carry it.
My real problem? The people who said that he should never have got out of his car, or should have got back in when they told him to. It sounds a lot like blaming a rape victim on the grounds of her clothes, if you ask me.
If someone is going to undertake a stop and search of your car, I think that you as a person are entitled to an answer to certain questions you might have - such as why your car is getting a going-over with a fine-toothed comb. The answers to these questions might enable you to avoid being stopped in the future, or at least know what to expect. If someone is not answering your questions because they cannot hear you through a car window or are attempting to avoid acknowledging you sat there in the driver's seat of your car while they oblige you to open your boot and you don't know why, then it seems a simple enough thing to get out of the car and ask for the answers to which you are entitled in that situation. I do not think that refusing to return to your car until your questions are answered merits pepper spray, beating and the prospect of a couple of years in jail. I don't think anything short of physical violence merits that kind of reaction, and I highly doubt that Dr Watts would be griping about it via journal if he'd actually thrown the first punch. I have no problem believing that a punch was likely thrown, but I also think that I would defend myself if someone had just given me a face full of capsaicin. Just saying.
One comment came out along the lines of "If you aren't willing to do whatever the border guards tell you, feel free to stay on your own side of the border" and "Entering our country isn't a right, it's a privilege that you have to earn by jumping through every hoop that the border guards hold up for you". There are no words for how distressing I find this. Are people really so willing to let a bunch of jackbooted troglodytes walk all over them for the illusion of safety?
I don't have all sides of this story, so it's hard to judge. However, I don't think the reaction of "I'm sorry that happened to you but you asked for it" is helpful in this situation. Sure, being allowed to visit a country is a privilege, but if earning it involves having to sit down, shut up and accept any sort of treatment up to and including invasion of privacy with no reason given, the problem is not with the person wanting to visit. If people are so afraid of terrorists that they're willing to condone even the idea of someone getting beaten and arrested just for asking questions and not letting up until they have answers to which they are entitled, then the terrorists have won. End of statement.