Updating an earlier post, it seems the border patrol’s surge of resources on the Olympic Peninsula has been met with more attention — media and otherwise — that has been far from positive.
First off, the deputy chief of the Blaine sector — which covers Alaska, western Washington and Oregon — has been charged with the child rape of a 14-year-old Bellingham girl he had in his home as a foster child.
Secondly, Paul Richmond, a Port Townsend attorney (who once ran against Congressman Norm Dicks, who I’ll mention shortly) has filed a public disclosure request for a video he claims was taken by government agents at a protest of the checkpoints in Port Angeles Sept. 20. He says the border patrol’s activity on the Olympic Peninsula is part of a government build up. Here’s more from a press release:
“The sort of activity we are seeing from the Border Patrol has a tremendously chilling effect on the First Amendment. These law enforcement agencies share data among themselves and with private agencies. Groups engaged in lawful protest are now subjected to surveillance and infiltrated. The Justice Department has already identified environmentalists as the leading domestic terrorist threat. There’s very little that keeps any of these agencies from viewing any of us as terrorists.”
And even Norm Dicks has weighed in on the checkpoints, asking officers not to be gruff.
The border patrol has transfered Henry Rolon from the San Diego sector to Blaine to take over Guiliano’s duties. But their welcoming parties in the communities they’ve joined with bolstered staffs — Port Angeles (which went from 4 agents to 24) included — are over.
Let’s be honest: coming to the Olympic Peninsula with checkpoints (in a state that doesn’t allow them) wasn’t an easy undertaking to begin with. But now they seem to have other problems that aren’t, shall we say, helping to improve public confidence. These next few months look to be crucial.
A public forum will be held Nov 3rd in Chimacum
http://tinyurl.com/6e5w5f
I was stopped in one of the hwy 104 check points. The officer saw the sticker on my car and asked what service I was in. I told him retired Navy and he thanked me for my service. I thanked him for his. Before I left I noticed a Charles Manson looking car pulled over for a secondary inspection. The car had three guys in it and they had passed earlier after tailgating people. One of them also threw a can out the window into the woods. Anyway, I told the officer that they were driving stupid and he thanked me and said have a nice day.
The whole thing took about 30-45 seconds, he never questioned my hispanic background and life went on. As a bonus, the people who deserved it got some special treatment!
What if a terrorist was driving a car with whatever proper sticker in place?
What if the terrorist had the discipline and imagination not to be chucking beer cans out the window while approaching the checkpoint?
Our post-911 world now includes an arbitrary, federalized- 100 mile- security zone set up to treat people as guilty until proven innocent.
Internal, suspicionless checkpoints point to a complete failure of standard border procedures.
In Washington State- does the 100 mile security zone extend only south from Canada, or does it also extend inland from the Pacific- as if boat people on homemade rafts and inner tubes were coming in through the frigid, violent and sometimes deadly surf zone?