Just want to say that not all of us are this nuts up here ok?
Amy Goodman was on her way to the great white north here to talk about her new book, but for some reason....
U.S. journalist Amy Goodmansaid she was stopped at a Canadian border crossing south of Vancouver on Wednesday and questioned for 90 minutes by authorities concerned she was coming to Canada to speak against the Olympics.
Goodman says Canadian Border Services Agency officials ultimately allowed her to enter Canada but returned her passport with a document demanding she leave the country within 48 hours.
Of course, they had an agenda to their questions...
After much questioning, Goodman said the officials finally asked if she would be speaking about the 2010 Olympics.
"He made it clear by saying, 'What about the Olympics?'" said Goodman. "And I said, 'You mean when President Obama went to Copenhagen to push for the Olympics in Chicago?'"
"He said, 'No. I am talking about the Olympics here in 2010.' I said, 'Oh I hadn't thought of that,'" said Goodman.
"He said, 'You're saying you're not talking about the Olympics?'"
"He was clearly incredulous that I wasn't going to be talking about the Olympics. He didn't believe me," Goodman said.
The CBSA declined comment on the incident Thursday.
UPDATE: Here is the video of her talk after the incident. (Thanks Tim)
And here is the link in case it won't play...
Like most countries that hold the Owelympics, we are at the moment seeing some scary "security" measures. The city of Vancouver and Whistler are going to be two places to avoid. I know, not a great ad for local tourism....
Come over after it is all over, I can vouch for the scenery and the people here.
In the last couple years during the preparations for this "event" there have been the usual "clean up measures". One that was in the news very recently:
B.C. Housing and Social Development Minister Rich Coleman said Monday the proposed law will give police the extraordinary power to bring people to homeless shelters, but doesn't compel them to stay once they arrive.
The law will be the first of its kind in Canada, despite British Columbia's more temperate climate, and it's already raising alarm bells among civil liberties groups who say the B.C. government is considering forcing the homeless into jail-like circumstances on the eve of the Olympic Games.
Now that sounds.....so warm and cozy don't it?
Also know that they intended to bring people to shelters by force. Also abandoning their belongings and or pets.
So the plan probably was; Declare the weather to be too harsh, and load the homeless up in cars or paddy wagons. Force them to a shelter without their stuff, and or pets. Once they are gone, send a "clean up crew" and or the SPCA.
ALL clean! How's that.
More here.
Then there was also the recent story of the sign police. Y'all will love this one.....Basically, the police were trying to push through a bylaw that would allow them to take protest signs off private property.
They have since backed down. For now.
Lots of other things have been happening including evictions of people in the poorer part of the city, and clean up rent-a-cops.
David Eby, who lives in Vancouver and is currently the Executive Director of the B.C. Civil Liberties Association has been keeping a blog. Scary stuff. David Eby - Blog Vancouver, 2010 Olympics, Homelessness, Politics, and Policing.
rabble.ca a great indy media outlet here has a list: 99 reasons to count down the 2010 Winter Olympics
So yesterday, Amy Goodman got caught in the net that has been spread to tamp down any dissent.
Sorry Ms Goodman. Lots of us here love your work, and are highly embarrassed that you were treated so so shabbily.