US of A: fascism in the making?

[Bart Meerdink]

REPLY TO: D66 at nic.surfnet.nl

Is dit ook waar wij op af stevenen?

Voor wie zich nog weinig kan voorstellen bij misbruik van persoonsgegevens,
(en zoek ook nog eens op wat fascisme eigenlijk is,
http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fascisme ):

An Iron Curtain is Descending: And Most Americans Don't Know
http://www.ichblog.eu/content/view/202/52/

 Tuesday, 30 January 2007
By Pariah 
 
"Why are you travelling so often to Canada?" the tough U.S. border guard
barked. I was on Amtrak, going from New York to Montreal, as I'd done dozen
of times before over several decades. This was my first experience (summer
2006) of the increasingly standard and intrusive "U.S. Exit Interviews" on
trains crossing the border.
 
01/30/07 "Counterpunch" -- -  I've been hassled on every train crossing
since then, most recently January 2007. The U.S. now has a combined
FBI-compiled file of all arrests and charges at all government levels for
millions of Americans, and this is instantly viewable by police in many
jurisdictions, including border officials of the U.S. and most other
countries. In some cities, local police can access this file via one's
license plate. The files do NOT show the favorable disposition of arrests
that did not lead to charges or of dismissals and findings of innocence.
"And what's this entry stamp from Canada, with no country of departure? Was
that from Cuba? You know U.S. citizens may not travel to Cuba--you could be
imprisoned and fined."
 
This line of questioning has been part of every exit interview since. The
first time, the guard took my passport and kept it for about 30 minutes.
Others--Canadians and foreigners as well as U.S. citizens--were getting
similar queries, but mine took much longer. "We'll let the Canadians handle
this," the guard said as he handed back the passport. Moments later, across
the border, I heard a Quebecois immigration agent tell her colleague,
gesturing at me, "He's the one." She, too, took my passport for quite
awhile. "She came back with information from my FBI file-- I have a long
record of political arrests from civil rights and anti-war actions. The
Canadians said the FBI file showed a conviction in 1970 for a draft-board
sit-in. The agent said I would be admitted only for two weeks and could not
re-enter until my file was fully investigated. She told me she understood
the conviction was for a political act with which "Canada agreed at the
time," but said the Canadians had an agreement with the U.S. to investigate
such cases.
 
Two weeks after I returned from Canada, the Canadian immigration agent
called me: "We have fully investigated your dossier--you have been approved
and are welcome to return when you wish." Since that time, I continue to be
hassled by the U.S. "exit" police, but I am always dealt with quickly and
politely by the Canadians. It is clear from my experience--as well as that
of U.S. Green Party and peace activists barred from entering Canada during
anti-globalization demonstrations two years ago, that a million or more
former peaceniks and other radicals will now see more and more attempts to
keep them at home.
 
Most Americans are unaware of the new police state procedures of U.S.
officials who seek to keep millio [...]

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