(This
column was published in the North
Shore News on
April 18, 2001)
Talking cat lady welcomed in to Canada
By Leo Knight
THE
trial of Ahmed Ressam in Seattle is now over and the associate
of Osama Bin Laden has been convicted of terrorist-related
crimes.
Given
he was smuggling explosives into the U.S. from Canada and, when
the contraband was discovered, he ran from U.S. Customs agents,
the conviction was a foregone conclusion.
In
the court of public opinion, it was this country that joined
Ressam in the dock. For it was Canada's weak immigration laws
and weaker still government policies which allowed Ressam to be
in a position to attempt to mount his planned attack against the
United States.
Ressam's case has been much discussed in the media across this continent. The intrinsic problem is that his is not an isolated incident. Annually over 20,000 failed refugee claimants go missing in Canada. How many more Ressams are in that number?
One
customs officer outlined the lunacy, showing me documentation on
what he termed a "fairly typical" example.
A
little more than a month before Christmas, a young, unemployed
female from California was being questioned by a customs
point-of-entry officer. She had very little money and the
officer felt she had taken a little trip on the dis-Orient-ed
Express. She was sent for a "secondary," a further
inspection and interview.
In
secondary inspection she explained why she had cat food with
her, but no cat. She said it would be the first talking cat in
the world. Some used pipes were found among her things. Yet, she
adamantly denied using drugs, saying drugs made people crazy.
Uh-huh.
As
is her right, even though she is not Canadian and had not been
yet allowed into the country, she called a lawyer who dutifully
told her not to say anything.
Customs
officers completed the examination of her bags. She was told a
personal search would be conducted by female officers. Oh no,
she said. A superintendent was then called into the room to
explain the process.
The
superintendent, an experienced female officer, tried in vain to
explain why the woman had to allow the procedure. The girl
responded by covering her mouth and speaking through her
fingers.
And
why was she doing that, she was asked. Well, you see, it was
because the lawyer had told her not to say anything.
But,
said the bemused superintendent, I can still hear you. She
solved the problem by speaking without moving her lips.
Following
several more unsuccessful attempts to convince her to cooperate,
she was arrested for obstruction. The Mounties were advised and
two female members answered the call.
The
subsequent search revealed four bags of marijuana taped to the
woman's body. Apparently drugs do make you crazy.
It
was decided not to charge the woman due to the relatively small
amount and her mental state. Same thing for the obstruction
charge. Now the customs officers had to free her to see an
immigration officer.
One
of the customs staff involved in the situation went ahead and
outlined the circumstances and their concerns to the immigration
staff. But, alas, to no one's surprise at customs, to no avail.
The document says this: "Despite the fact that the subject was unemployed, had little money, excessive baggage, no hotel reservation, no friends or family in Canada, appeared mentally challenged and had marijuana in her possession, she was admitted."
Where
she is now is anyone's guess. Perhaps a check of the welfare
database might reveal she is happily residing in our fair city,
raising talking cats while honing her mental agility sucking
happily on a bong. And darn it, wouldn't you be happy to pay for
the privilege?
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