Be careful what you say on the internet - GoFuckYourself.com

pornguy · 06-21-2007, 03:23 PM

Web searches at U.S. border bring scrutiny to new level

From the International Herald Tribune...

Kinda scary since the determination of whether a crime was committed was somewhat arbitrary.....

Web searches at U.S. border bring scrutiny to new level

By Adam Liptak

Monday, May 14, 2007
Andrew Feldmar, a Vancouver psychotherapist, was on his way to pick up a friend at the Seattle airport last summer when he ran into a little trouble at the border.

A guard typed Feldmar's name into an Internet search engine, which revealed that he had written about using LSD in the 1960s in an interdisciplinary journal. Feldmar was turned back and is no longer welcome in the United States, where he has been active professionally and where both of his children live.

Feldmar, 66, has a distinguished résumé, no criminal record and a candid manner. Though he has not used illegal drugs since 1974, he says he has no regrets.

"It was an absolutely fascinating and life-altering experience for me," he said last week of his experimentation with LSD and other psychedelic drugs. "The insights it provided have lasted for a lifetime. It allowed me to feel what it would be like to live without habits."

Feldmar said he had been in the United States more than 100 times and always without incident since he last took an illegal drug. But that changed in August, thanks to the happenstance of an Internet search, conducted for unexplained reasons, at the Peace Arch border station in Blaine, Washington.

The search turned up an article in a 2001 issue of the journal Janus Head devoted to the legacy of R.D. Laing, with whom Feldmar had studied in London about 30 years before.

"I traveled to many regions many times with the help of many different substances," Feldmar wrote of his experiences with Laing and other psychiatrists and therapists. "I took peyote, psilocybin mushrooms, cannabis" and other drugs, he added, "but I kept coming back to LSD."

He was asked by a border guard whether he was the author of the article and whether it was true. Yes, he replied. And yes.

Feldmar was held for four hours, fingerprinted and, after signing a statement conceding the long-ago drug use, sent home.

Mike Milne, a spokesman for the Customs and Border Protection agency in Seattle, said he could not discuss individual cases for reasons of privacy. But the law is clear, Milne said. People who have used drugs are not welcome here.

"If you are or have been a drug user," he said, "that's one of the many things that can make you inadmissible to the United States."

He added that the government was constantly on the hunt for new sources of information. "Any new technology that we have available to us, we use to do searches on," Milne said.

Feldmar has been told by the American consul general in Vancouver that he may now enter the United States only if he obtains a formal waiver.

"Both our countries have very similar regulations regarding issuance of visas for citizens who have violated the law," the consul, Lewis Lukens, wrote to Feldmar in September. "The issue here is not the writing of an article, but the taking of controlled substances."

The waiver process would require a lawyer, several thousand dollars and dishonesty, Feldmar said. He would have to say he has been rehabilitated.

"Rehabilitated from what?" he asked. "It's degrading, literally degrading."

Ethan Nadelmann, the executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, which works to ease drug penalties, said Feldmar's case proved how arbitrary U.S. drug policy can be. "Roughly a majority of the population of the United States between the ages of 18 and 58 has violated a drug law at least once," he said.

Feldmar said, "I should warn people that the electronic footprint you leave on the Net will be used against you. It cannot be erased."

Scootermuze · 06-21-2007, 03:47 PM

Hmm.. If you're not welcome in the US if you used drugs, there'd be a population of a few thousand if the citizens were included.. but.. I guess US citizens are the only ones allowed to use.. My how selfish we are..

Profits of Doom · 06-21-2007, 03:50 PM

That's no different than the ridiculous policies of the Canadian government in regards to border crossings. I was on the way to Toronto and entered Canada through the Detroit/Windsor bridge. I was helping the Deja Vu in Toronto add an adult bookstore and had already made several trips back and forth. I had a spiked bracelet on that I had bought at a club in Toronto, and I had several other bracelets in my bag.

I was asked at the entrance whether I had other spiked jewelry, and I answered yes. They had me pull over and searched my truck, and took about 5 pieces of spiked jewelry, all of which had been purchased at a goth club in Toronto. I was then advised that it was illegal to bring the jewelry into Canada, even though it was purchased there. They were originally going to fine me something like $200 for each piece, but instead they seized all the jewelry (about $250 worth) and turned me back to the US. I was told I couldn't enter Canada again without a Minister's waiver. Now that is bullshit

pornguy · 06-21-2007, 03:56 PM

All the countries have some FUCKED up Things to cross

D · 06-21-2007, 04:01 PM

Yeah... that's all pretty jacked up.

donkevlar · 06-21-2007, 04:07 PM

I'm glad my given name is so fucking common.

fuzzylogic · 06-21-2007, 04:19 PM

wow

thats pretty interesting stuff including the responses here

CuriousToyBoy · 06-21-2007, 04:43 PM

Holy shit.

:-(

BucksMania · 06-21-2007, 05:37 PM

that sounds like bullshit

shekinah · 06-21-2007, 06:01 PM

That is no good.. fuck!!

06-21-2007, 03:23 PM	#1
pornguy Too lazy to set a custom title Industry Role: Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Homeless Posts: 62,911	Be careful what you say on the internet Web searches at U.S. border bring scrutiny to new level From the International Herald Tribune... Kinda scary since the determination of whether a crime was committed was somewhat arbitrary..... Web searches at U.S. border bring scrutiny to new level By Adam Liptak Monday, May 14, 2007 Andrew Feldmar, a Vancouver psychotherapist, was on his way to pick up a friend at the Seattle airport last summer when he ran into a little trouble at the border. A guard typed Feldmar's name into an Internet search engine, which revealed that he had written about using LSD in the 1960s in an interdisciplinary journal. Feldmar was turned back and is no longer welcome in the United States, where he has been active professionally and where both of his children live. Feldmar, 66, has a distinguished résumé, no criminal record and a candid manner. Though he has not used illegal drugs since 1974, he says he has no regrets. "It was an absolutely fascinating and life-altering experience for me," he said last week of his experimentation with LSD and other psychedelic drugs. "The insights it provided have lasted for a lifetime. It allowed me to feel what it would be like to live without habits." Feldmar said he had been in the United States more than 100 times and always without incident since he last took an illegal drug. But that changed in August, thanks to the happenstance of an Internet search, conducted for unexplained reasons, at the Peace Arch border station in Blaine, Washington. The search turned up an article in a 2001 issue of the journal Janus Head devoted to the legacy of R.D. Laing, with whom Feldmar had studied in London about 30 years before. "I traveled to many regions many times with the help of many different substances," Feldmar wrote of his experiences with Laing and other psychiatrists and therapists. "I took peyote, psilocybin mushrooms, cannabis" and other drugs, he added, "but I kept coming back to LSD." He was asked by a border guard whether he was the author of the article and whether it was true. Yes, he replied. And yes. Feldmar was held for four hours, fingerprinted and, after signing a statement conceding the long-ago drug use, sent home. Mike Milne, a spokesman for the Customs and Border Protection agency in Seattle, said he could not discuss individual cases for reasons of privacy. But the law is clear, Milne said. People who have used drugs are not welcome here. "If you are or have been a drug user," he said, "that's one of the many things that can make you inadmissible to the United States." He added that the government was constantly on the hunt for new sources of information. "Any new technology that we have available to us, we use to do searches on," Milne said. Feldmar has been told by the American consul general in Vancouver that he may now enter the United States only if he obtains a formal waiver. "Both our countries have very similar regulations regarding issuance of visas for citizens who have violated the law," the consul, Lewis Lukens, wrote to Feldmar in September. "The issue here is not the writing of an article, but the taking of controlled substances." The waiver process would require a lawyer, several thousand dollars and dishonesty, Feldmar said. He would have to say he has been rehabilitated. "Rehabilitated from what?" he asked. "It's degrading, literally degrading." Ethan Nadelmann, the executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, which works to ease drug penalties, said Feldmar's case proved how arbitrary U.S. drug policy can be. "Roughly a majority of the population of the United States between the ages of 18 and 58 has violated a drug law at least once," he said. Feldmar said, "I should warn people that the electronic footprint you leave on the Net will be used against you. It cannot be erased." __________________ PornGuy skype me pornguy_epic AmateurDough The Hottes Shemales online! TChicks.com \| Angeles Cid \| Mariana Cordoba \| MAILERS WELCOME!

06-21-2007, 03:50 PM	#3
Profits of Doom Monster Rain Industry Role: Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Mongo Posts: 4,978	That's no different than the ridiculous policies of the Canadian government in regards to border crossings. I was on the way to Toronto and entered Canada through the Detroit/Windsor bridge. I was helping the Deja Vu in Toronto add an adult bookstore and had already made several trips back and forth. I had a spiked bracelet on that I had bought at a club in Toronto, and I had several other bracelets in my bag. I was asked at the entrance whether I had other spiked jewelry, and I answered yes. They had me pull over and searched my truck, and took about 5 pieces of spiked jewelry, all of which had been purchased at a goth club in Toronto. I was then advised that it was illegal to bring the jewelry into Canada, even though it was purchased there. They were originally going to fine me something like $200 for each piece, but instead they seized all the jewelry (about $250 worth) and turned me back to the US. I was told I couldn't enter Canada again without a Minister's waiver. Now that is bullshit __________________ “My Free Cams Affiliate Program by CrakRevenue”

06-21-2007, 03:56 PM	#4
pornguy Too lazy to set a custom title Industry Role: Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Homeless Posts: 62,911	All the countries have some FUCKED up Things to cross __________________ PornGuy skype me pornguy_epic AmateurDough The Hottes Shemales online! TChicks.com \| Angeles Cid \| Mariana Cordoba \| MAILERS WELCOME!

06-21-2007, 04:01 PM	#5
D Confirmed User Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: The Valley Posts: 7,412	Yeah... that's all pretty jacked up. __________________ -D. ICQ: 202-96-31

06-21-2007, 04:07 PM	#6
donkevlar Confirmed User Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 4,325	I'm glad my given name is so fucking common. __________________ [email protected]

06-21-2007, 03:47 PM	#2
Scootermuze Confirmed User Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 4,513	Hmm.. If you're not welcome in the US if you used drugs, there'd be a population of a few thousand if the citizens were included.. but.. I guess US citizens are the only ones allowed to use.. My how selfish we are..

06-21-2007, 04:19 PM	#7
fuzzylogic Confirmed User Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: buffalo, las vegas. icq: 285808879 Posts: 4,796	wow thats pretty interesting stuff including the responses here

06-21-2007, 04:43 PM	#8
CuriousToyBoy Crazy Aussie Bastard Industry Role: Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Wherever I lay my hat, that's my home. Posts: 16,787	Holy shit. :-( __________________ Celebs Adult Who's Who ==> Ambush Interview ==> ICQ 293 070 684 ==> intmarpacrim AT gmail DOT com

06-21-2007, 05:37 PM	#9
BucksMania Confirmed User Industry Role: Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 3,758	that sounds like bullshit

06-21-2007, 06:01 PM	#10
shekinah Confirmed User Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 8,452	That is no good.. fuck!! __________________ [Web Design \| Development \| Programming \| Content Writing ] ICQ: 238-890-469