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News & ArtsMonday, December 14, 2009
Books Sci-Fi Author Beaten at U.S./Canada Border
Posted by Paul Constant on Mon, Dec 14, 2009 at 2:18 PM
Peter Watts, a Canadian sci-fi author, was "punched in the face, pepper-sprayed, shit-kicked, handcuffed, thrown wet and half-naked into a holding cell for three fucking hours, thrown into an even colder jail cell overnight, arraigned, and charged with assaulting a federal officer, all without access to legal representation" at the United States border.
There have been a few updates since the first report on Watts's blog. You can find more information at The Star:
An officer with the Port Huron police told the local newspaper that Watts "angrily" got out of the rental car and when he refused to get back in, they tried to cuff him and he became "aggressive." In the melee, police said, Watts "choked" a customs officer...Watts empatically denies any such action."I can state categorically that I did not choke anybody, I did not use profanity and did not raise my voice, I did not initiate any physical contact," says Watts, who is also a marine biologist with a PhD in zoology.
Thanks to the tightly knit online sci-fi community, Watts has already raised a lot of money for his upcoming legal battles. His flash drive, computer, and notebook are still being held by Homeland Security. This is bad news for U.S. Customs officials; as anyone who has ever been sued by the Church of Scientology can attest, you do not fuck with sci-fi authors.
1
Um, there are about 1,000 cameras at the border crossing, there's no way in hell this altercation wasn't filmed.
3
Hmm. Never heard of the guy, but I am a sci-fi fan. Sounds like maybe I should go buy a few of his books.
Dear America: there is something profoundly wrong with our country when the invocation of the name of our primary national security organization produces reactions of fear, revulsion, anger, and loathing. "Department of Homeland Security." Ugh. Just saying it makes me taste bile.
We got your back, you Canuck geek, you.
Dear America: there is something profoundly wrong with our country when the invocation of the name of our primary national security organization produces reactions of fear, revulsion, anger, and loathing. "Department of Homeland Security." Ugh. Just saying it makes me taste bile.
We got your back, you Canuck geek, you.
4
It says he was stopped by the US border patrol on his way back to Canada. So it wasn't a routine border inspection. That would have been done by Canadian Customs.
5
The Blue Water Bridge crossing is one of the more laidback. It would be more likely if this happened at Windsor. I'm not saying that it didn't happen, but I think that there may be more going on here than what the author is saying (like maybe he was being a dick, then the cops assaulted him - doesn't make the assault justified, but it doesn't mean that the guy wasn't trying to provoke something either).
6
Wow. 367 responses to Watts's blog entry, plus a ton of $$ to him by PayPal.
Well, Stranger staffers, now you know what to do if your back's ever to the wall.
Well, Stranger staffers, now you know what to do if your back's ever to the wall.
7
Well, what do you expect? The border guards are a little testy. Our war with Canada isn't going well.
9
He never raised his voice, never initiated anything, never used profanity. Bullshit. Cops - even bad ones - don't just start swinging for no reason whatsoever. I'm not disputing that this went way over the line, as it too often does, but I'm so tired of folks like this acting like they're pure angels who said nothing wrong. I was just standing there, floating on the very air of my own innocence, and these evil cops beat the fuck out of me! C'mon.
Can't he just say I didn't want to comply with something, I acted like a dick, and these cops went way off the fucking deep end and over the line in response? The cops would STILL be in the wrong!
Can't he just say I didn't want to comply with something, I acted like a dick, and these cops went way off the fucking deep end and over the line in response? The cops would STILL be in the wrong!
10
FYI, Peter Watts flatly denies choking anyone. Not picking sides, just airing the other one.
http://www.rifters.com/crawl/?p=935
http://www.rifters.com/crawl/?p=935
11
As #1 said, there's no way this wasn't filmed, so it'll be pretty obvious who's in the wrong. (my guess is both parties)
This sounds a lot like the douche bag "vegan anarchist" from the REI ATM machine incident.
This sounds a lot like the douche bag "vegan anarchist" from the REI ATM machine incident.
12
hmmmm....why is my little inner Oprah voice telling me that this could have been an example of "Don't you know who I am?" getting out of control?
and why do liberals always assume in these cases that the victim is always 100% justified in their accusations and the authorities/victimisers are always 100% guilty as charged? The truth is very frequently some where in the middle...
and why do liberals always assume in these cases that the victim is always 100% justified in their accusations and the authorities/victimisers are always 100% guilty as charged? The truth is very frequently some where in the middle...
13
I wonder why he got out of his car? Does he not know US border guards are already high strung and on edge? They have the power and the guns. No Virginia we don't live in a world with guaranteed Civil Liberties when the Power Elite sees someone as a threat. They will beat you and then make YOU prove you are innocent. Was this writer high on something to do such a foolish thing as get out of his car at a border crossing with out being told to do so? I want to see the footage and hear the tape.
14
The way these things usually seem to go down, it's a civilian who mouths off, followed by cops escalating to violence. That's more or less what I expect to see here.
Sure, maybe the guy was being a dick. Most of us learn in elementary school, though, that you don't get to punch somebody just because he's saying mean things to you. Sticks and stones, remember? And a badge doesn't change that.
We'll see. Nobody knows for sure yet, but there's really no way that anything that could constitute a "beating" wasn't way out of line.
Sure, maybe the guy was being a dick. Most of us learn in elementary school, though, that you don't get to punch somebody just because he's saying mean things to you. Sticks and stones, remember? And a badge doesn't change that.
We'll see. Nobody knows for sure yet, but there's really no way that anything that could constitute a "beating" wasn't way out of line.
15
his writing is good, and he has a bunch under Creative Commons for download on his website. very dark, good science, thought-provoking.
i'm waiting for the footage. (a FOAF who works at the Canadian consulate in Detroit says that Watts' version of events is extremely unlikely.)
i'm waiting for the footage. (a FOAF who works at the Canadian consulate in Detroit says that Watts' version of events is extremely unlikely.)
17
sadly, I have to disagree with @8 and say that Fnarf should have won. However, just because he was beaten and abused at the border, doesn't mean he didn't do things that meant he "deserved" it.
I'm waiting for SLOG to post the beat-down vid with a MUSE soundtrack ....
I'm waiting for SLOG to post the beat-down vid with a MUSE soundtrack ....
18
(hoping he peed on a "peace" flowerbed ... that would have been an appropriate rebuke for this war-mongering nation that is fighting two wars that aren't against al-Qaeda (cause they're not in Iraq or Afghanistan ...))
19
I'll bet the car search seemed insane and fascist to Watts. Decent people (not Loveschild decency, the real kind) find fascism intolerable--it invites getting out of a car and mouthing off.
Sounds like Watts unwisely took the invitation and got clobbered. Fascism needs to incite the transgressions that justify its violence somehow, after all.
Giving government institutions nakedly fascist names like "Homeland Security" creates a diseased culture of fear, paranoia and violence. It does NOT promote a healthy relationship between authority and the public.
Your country needs to wind this bullshit down.
Sounds like Watts unwisely took the invitation and got clobbered. Fascism needs to incite the transgressions that justify its violence somehow, after all.
Giving government institutions nakedly fascist names like "Homeland Security" creates a diseased culture of fear, paranoia and violence. It does NOT promote a healthy relationship between authority and the public.
Your country needs to wind this bullshit down.
21
sadly, after reading the whole article, I found he didn't pee on a "peace" flowerbed.
dang.
excuse me while I get ready to line up like a sheep for a TSA "inspection" .....
dang.
excuse me while I get ready to line up like a sheep for a TSA "inspection" .....
22
Having crossed the Blue Water Bridge hundreds if not thousands of times, I'm having a hard time believing the border guards are completely in the wrong on this. They're pretty easy going there.
24
Oh come on.
Yes, it sounds like the border guards went completely over the top. They should be punished for their gross overreaction.
But Watts' claim of pure innocence doesn't even pass the giggle test. Even the worst thugs in Homeland Security don't yank random people out of cars and beat the shit out of them for no reason whatsoever.
Yes, it sounds like the border guards went completely over the top. They should be punished for their gross overreaction.
But Watts' claim of pure innocence doesn't even pass the giggle test. Even the worst thugs in Homeland Security don't yank random people out of cars and beat the shit out of them for no reason whatsoever.
25
When it comes to "yanking random people out of cars and beating the shit out of them for no reason whatsoever" I would have to say that the Mississippi River Bridge Authority (MRBA) in New Orleans - followed by New Orleans cops in general - wuld be the leaders in this area. Even they at least have a pretense for pulling someone over - like checking auto insurance status or seatbelt compliance.
MRBA has been known to beat motorists - in one case a local TV crew started filming and the MRBA officers turned on the reporter and cameraman, and either took or broke the camera. But this was in the mid-1990s.
MRBA has been known to beat motorists - in one case a local TV crew started filming and the MRBA officers turned on the reporter and cameraman, and either took or broke the camera. But this was in the mid-1990s.
26
So what if he got out of his car? So what if he used profanity - which he claims he didn't - while asking what the hell was going on? He had a right to demand answers, and I certainly find it very believable that some dipshit in a uniform took his questions as threats and responded accordingly.
Never underestimate how small-minded people freak out when their petty authority is challenged.
Never underestimate how small-minded people freak out when their petty authority is challenged.
27
Those who question that the US border guards were the assholes here:
How often do we hear about this kind of bullshit from Canadian border guards?
Also, @7 and @19: Agreed.
How often do we hear about this kind of bullshit from Canadian border guards?
Also, @7 and @19: Agreed.
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