[Newsbot]

Title: The Militarization of the US-Canada Border
Topic: Canada-U.S. Border
Written By: NAUWATCH
Date: Wednesday, May 04 at 15:52
The proposed Canada-U.S. trade and security perimeter agreement

By Dana Gabriel
With the release of a U.S. Congressional report that found only a small fraction of the border with Canada was being adequately monitored, there is now more focus being placed on the northern border. As a result of increased scrutiny, there are efforts to militarize and expand surveillance on the Canada-U.S. border. The new found attention is also attributed to a proposed trade and security perimeter agreement between the two countries which promotes a shared approach to border management.

A report released by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) in February of this year, found that a substantial portion of the northern border lacked any effective monitoring and surveillance. It concluded that only 32 of the 4,000-mile border was under operational control. The findings were largely based on failures to better coordinate border cooperation and information sharing among the various agencies. A Press Release by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security stated that according to the study, “the risk of terrorist activity across the northern border is higher than across the southern border because there are active Islamist extremist groups in Canada that are not in Mexico, it is easier to cross the northern border because it is twice as long as the southern border, and DHS has a fraction of the law enforcement officers and surveillance assets on the northern border than it has in the south.” It went on to say, “The border with Canada is also dotted with large population centers and criss-crossed by numerous highways and roads, making it harder to detect illegal activities amid the large volume of legitimate trade and travel between Canada and the U.S. that is so important to both countries.”

There are many who would argue that not enough is being done to secure the southern border and with drug violence in Mexico showing no signs of letting up, somehow we are to believe that the northern border is now more dangerous. This appears to be another attempt to portray Canada as a terrorist haven. Despite what one might think really happened on 9/11, some have perpetuated the myth that the terrorists entered the U.S. from Canada reinforcing the belief that the northern border is not secure enough. It is interesting to note that the GAO report was made public just days before U.S. President Barack Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued the declaration, Beyond the Border: A Shared Vision for Perimeter Security and Economic Competitiveness. The agreement will work towards establishing a North American security perimeter and will focus on easing travel and trade, increasing information sharing, as well as further integrating cross-border law enforcement operations.

full article http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php? ... &aid=24513
read more

[RickW]

By golly but they will do anything to ensure the continuing illegality of BC Bud and all - thereby ensuring it will continue fetching an exorbitant price in the marketplace - and thus also ensuring there is enough baksheesh to pay off the cops, lawyers, judges, congressmen, and senators (have I left anyone out?) so it can continue to be "bidnez as usual".

[Brent Swain]

RickW wrote:

By golly but they will do anything to ensure the continuing illegality of BC Bud and all - thereby ensuring it will continue fetching an exorbitant price in the marketplace - and thus also ensuring there is enough baksheesh to pay off the cops, lawyers, judges, congressmen, and senators (have I left anyone out?) so it can continue to be "bidnez as usual".

Exactly right. Another effect is forcing the softwood lumber industry to wean itself from the US market, and look elsewhere for customers for their product.
When I am returning from offshore, and enter BC waters, there is no way I will allow the US coastguard on my boat. If they try, they will get a hell of a surprise

[MALLIUS62]

What I don't understand is why we don't distance ourselves from the states. Other then physically of course. But culturally and economically. It seems they are not really needed as we could sell our resources to china or other markets. We may get a better deal and more give and take financially. Then they can build their wall and implode. I realize under a Harper government this is implausible but I like the idea nonetheless.

[Brent Swain]

Economics, and a much thicker border, are forcing Canadian businesses, like the softwood lumber business to distance themselves from the US for economic survival, regardless of Harper's attempts to do otherwise. Canada now exports more softwood lumber to China than Russia, despite much shorter shipping distance from Russia. The Chinese would rather not deal with Russian corruption.
The inherent belligerance of the US border and market will ensure the continuance of this shift.

[RickW]

MALLIUS62 wrote:

What I don't understand is why we don't distance ourselves from the states.

Simply because the people who are raping this country are fat and lazy. It is (for instance) much easier to log thousands of hectares of prime woodlands, ship the raw products off to mills in the States, and make millions in this simple act for themselves, rather than actually make something out of the raw product at home and peddle that elsewhere. Many other examples abound.

[Dave Ruston]

Ture, but then again, this thing was forced on Canada through a certain coercion. It is not the likes of Canadian compaines like MacMillan -Bloedel or Green Forest Lumber that control the Canadian Lumber Industry. It is American giants like Weyerhaeuser, who want it all for next to nothing. But then again, its the guys at the top- the guys sitting in the corporate board rooms- who are actually the majority shareholders of MANY SIMULTANEOUS COMPANIES who have created this formula for Canada whereby value added wealth creation no longer benefits many Canadian communities, but only a small handful of sociopathic fascist oligopolies!

[RickW]

Quote:

Ture, but then again, this thing was forced on Canada through a certain coercion.

The FTA was basically a "refinement" of what has been happening in Canada since before it's inception. Canada's "value" has always been in it's recources, and much of our history has revolved around who controls them - 'cause it sure hasn't been the actual citizens of this country.