They Shoot, They Score! The Terrorists Win Again

[Steely_Dan]

I wanted to share this story with you...

My wife and I are semi-retired. For the past 20 plus years, we have been breeding Yorkshire Terriers. It can be quite profitable but there is a lot more involved than most might imagine.

But on to my story.

It's now about 5:45 in the morning. I just returned from the Ontario Airport where I was to ship a puppy to a terminally ill child who lives in Denver. My wife and I felt very sorry for this family's misfortune and so we essentially sold the dog for less than half the price that we would normally get. So, our return on this particular dog was going to be very little (once you minus out the vet bills, food, care, etc.).

Anyway, a lot of preparation went into getting this puppy ready for its trip to Denver. But, my wife and I have done this many times before and we knew the routine. This particular flight left at 6:00 a.m. which required that I be at the Ontario Cargo facility at 4:30 a.m. This meant that I had to prepare everything the night before and get up at 3:00 a.m. to be sure that I arrived at the airport on time. No biggie, I've done it before.

I pack the puppy up, insuring that everything she will need has been taken care of. I jump in the car and left Crestline heading for Ontario. I arrived at 4:21...plenty of time. I cleaned up the throw-up in the carrying kennel (typical of puppies that have never been in a car before). I headed inside the small office located on outskirts of the airport. The people inside are nice. It doesn't mean that they don't have a little attitude. I guess I would too if I had to get to work at 3:00 a.m. every day. I filled out the necessary paperwork, following all of the rules they have laid out. Nearing completion, the man behind the counter asks for my driver's license. I presume it is to be sure that I am who I say I am. No problem...I give him my license. He looks at it for a moment and says: "Sorry, I can't continue to process this shipment." I ask him why. He states that my driver's license has expired.

As it turns out, my license had indeed expired...3 DAYS AGO! I was completely unaware of this...my bad. I said something to effect that you're not going to stop this shipment because my license had just expired. Yup..he said. Can't do it. If I did it, he continued, I could lose my job. I was pissed. Because of a stupid technicality, I would not be able to ship this puppy to Denver into the arms of this dying child.

Then things got interesting. I asked what the reasoning was for having a current driver's license? I mean, just what purpose does having a current driver's license have with shipping this puppy. It's the rules, he stated. Oh, I see. It's the rules. I drove all the way from Crestline to Ontario at 3:30 in the morning only to have you tell me that "it's the rules."

Then the dude behind the counter said. You know, you could get a ticket for driving with an expired license. Oh, really. I wasn't aware of that, you moron. I asked to speak to his supervisor. She was standing right next to him and had heard the whole thing. Without a word from me, she says: Can't do it, I could lose my job.

I tried to understand the reasoning behind this "rule" by asking what possible harm could be done by processing this shipment. My license obviously indicates who I am. What's the problem? With a straight face, she says...Well, you can blame those guys who flew the planes into the Twin Towers in New York. What?! So, what you are saying is that 9/11 has caused there to be put into place, such restrictions that I cannot ship this puppy. Yup, she said...and added, I could lose my job. I asked one more time, how my license (only three days expired) has anything to do with the terrorists and how is a current license going to add any more protection from another terrorist attack. They seemed confused at this point...only adding: I could lose my job.

If I heard one more person tell me that they "could lose their job," I was going to go postal.

I asked to speak to her supervisor. She stated that her supervisor would not be in until 8:00 a.m. Of course, this would mean that I would miss the flight. I'm very pissed.

I said something to the effect...Let's all be scared. That's what the government wants. And as I walked out with the puppy in tow, I turned around and said, Do you realize that every time we demonstrate fear or change our lives due to that fear, the terrorists have won? Congratulations on handing another victory to the terrorists. I walked out and drove home angrier than I have been in a long time.

Yes, you are right. I should have renewed my license. Because licenses are good for anywhere from 3-5 years, it didn't occur to me...my bad. However, I do not understand how a license that is only three days expired is like not having a license at all. Be afraid...be very afraid. Bullshit.

-Paige

[Squatch]

1. I would have asked them to show me "the rules"

[YOY]

2. The Terrorist excuse is the lamest f***ing thing I've heard

I'd be happy to exclaim "WHAT THE F*** DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH THIS???" Followed up by a "NOTHING" before they could stammer out any half-assed answer.

Sorry for your pain.

[truebrit71]

3. I feel for you...what a colossal waste of time...the part that sticks in my craw is...

...how does the fact that it expired magically invalidate everything that is on the ID?

It's a fucking stupid "rule" and I would have asked them to provide me with a copy of said rules right there and then...

And you're right, "they" have won...Just look at what we've surrendered in the last 6 years...

[madokie]

4. I was recently refused a fishing license because my drivers license was expired by one day

went to the bait store and bought my fishing license without even being asked for a driver license. I said something to the gentleman about that after the sale and I had paid him and he said there is nowhere that says I have to show a valid drivers license. chinamart was the other store who refused me. oh well they lost money that day and many days since have they ;-)

[EnviroBat]

5. Now you're probably on a no-fly list yourself...

You've probably been labeled an "enemy combatant", or "home-grown terrorist", or "traitor" or (insert fear-based neocon label here). The shitty part is, I'm starting to think that these morons get a kick out of this newly minted "authority". They just love to flex their fascist muscle and attempt to intimidate and lock-down everyone. They hide behind "the rules", and just wait for you to step out of line by even thinking about questioning their authority. Hell, you'll get jumped by the new SS here for making statements like you did. This kind of shit sickens me. I feel your frustration. It's time for ALL of us to start standing up to this crap. Preferably in huge groups.

[Steely_Dan]

7. Nice Post....

You actually have me a little scared. I was pretty pissed. It is strange to think that it is now a "reality" that my name COULD be placed on some list. What the fuck has happened to us???

-P

[EnviroBat]

14. Were going down the crapper fast.

I've always been terrible with authority, especially when they just seem to throw their weight around without accountability. I always question them and it pisses them off. I recently got into it with an off-duty cop who attempted to side swipe my car. It was interesting to see how confused he seemed that someone was actually standing up to him. The guy was being a total smart-ass and I called him on it. I ended up telling him to either taze me or shut the fuck up. That's when he replied a sarcastic, "Whut everrr...", and drove off. I think you handled the altercation well. Hopefully the little pup is ok and where he belongs. Don't let these assholes beat you down.

Hang in there...
Ebat

[Buzz Clik]

6. "I'm sorry, but that puppy contains more than 4 ounces of liquid. He's going nowhere."

[EnviroBat]

15. You kill me!

:rofl:

[Steely_Dan]

8. It dawns on me...

that Isreal is under constant threat. And while they have made changes to their daily lives, they refuse to give in to the terrorists. It would hand them a victory. What about us...I thought that we were a strong country. I guess we are on our knees.

-P

[gratuitous]

10. Yes, we're run by the people who are pee-their-pants scared

It's shameful the way we've ceded control of so many aspects of our lives to the people with the least perspective on what constitutes "security." I get the same feeling going into the local courthouse. Metal detectors, x-ray machines, seven or eight armed deputies standing around, and the metal detector is set off by my belt buckle. All I want to do is drop this pleading in the filing box and get back to the office, instead I practically have to strip down to my skivvies. It's ludicrous.

[EnviroBat]

16. It's that our so called "Government" has learned to use this

fear-mongering to control the populace. It's a bullshit social model and it needs to be turned around fast. The time for peaceful protest has goen bye bye. People need to start getting furious, in peoples faces, and stand up against this shit.

[gratuitous]

21. No, the time for peaceful protest is always right

And we haven't begun to see levels of violent oppression like Gandhi faced in India. I'm not going to let these fucking fascists make me turn my back on what I know is right.

[seleff]

9. Following the rules I got a DL without showing a picture ID

After 9/11 states' DOTs can access each other's database to prevent you from holding a valid licenses in multiple states. I relocated to a new state and went to get a DL in the new state. To get the new DL I had to surrender my DL from the previous state + a number of other documents (SS card, utility bills and a valid passport or birth certificate). At the desk I learned that my old DL had a different expiration date than was showing on the old state's database. As best I could remember, I had several years prior needed to get a "replacement" DL after my wallet had been stolen. I eventually recovered my wallet (- the cash) with my original DL. Somehow I kept the original DL and given the chaos of moving a 5 person household, I could not relocate the replacement DL which was now the "valid" DL, lost in a file somewhere in one of a hundred boxes yet to be unpacked.

Trying to move forward I failed to get a DL in the new state on several attempts for the following reasons:
1) The old state outsources proof of driving records, the documents are printed "over the internet" without raised seal even though the seal states that it does not need to be raised.
2) I got a notarized statement saying that my old "valid" DL was lost, and the old state sent a special driving record with raised seal ( a supervisor went out of her way to help me) only to learn that my passport had expired 3 months prior.
3) I couldn't even get a new ID without producing the valid DL that was supposed to be in existence but which I could not locate.

Finally I did get the necessary papers together as follows:
-Utility bills
-Notarized statement of lost DL and old state "abstract" of my driving record
-SS card
-Birth certificate (I got this over the internet for about $10 with minimal proof (knowledge of my birth date, city of birth and SS # (maybe my parents' names, I forget)that I was who I said I was)
What's missing? A PICTURE ID. ANYONE could have taken my documents to the DOT center and gotten a DL in my name with THEIR PICTURE on it! After they went through processing my new license, I asked if they wanted to see an invalid DL or expired passport with my photo on it. They seemed indifferent, didn't need it because I had produced the required documents according to the law.

Ironic that the purpose of these new restrictions on DL issuance is based on Homeland security, but that refusing to accept my "invalid" or "expired" documents actually opened things up to getting anyone's picture on a valid DL using my name!

[Steely_Dan]

11. Unreal...

where and when will this end?

-P

[EnviroBat]

18. I recently had to get a replacement SS card.

I felt like I was being booked into some Federal prison. Talk about shitty customer service. If you even looked cross-eyed at the woman behind the window, (a real pleasant person with an extremely short fuse and long sense of entitlement, must be a government worker thing), she'd have you ass sat down likity split. I felt sorry for the people ahead of me that were missing some form or document. We were all treated like suspects.

[Javaman]

12. Okay, here I am, captain buzzkill..

did you get a notice that your license was due to expire?

And since you have a business, aren't you required to have all paperwork in order to run that business, including a valid drivers license to operate a "company vehicle"?

And frankly, in a a mild case of shifting blame, are you more angry at yourself for not updating your drivers license than you are for working stiffs just doing their jobs?

Would you sell someone a dog if they didn't have the proper paperwork?

That's me, Captain Buzzkill.

[Steely_Dan]

20. Yes...

You're right. Sorry I wasted your time. I ADMITTED THAT IT WAS MY FAULT...OKAY...GOT THAT!

-P

[Javaman]

22. Hey no problem, that's what I'm here for. :)

Have a great day.
Peace. :)

[Steely_Dan]

23. LOLOLOLOLOL

I bet you were one of those kids that colored within the lines...right?

-P

[Javaman]

24. No, I drew the lines. :) nt

[Steely_Dan]

25. So, You're The One...

that sets the rules...right?

[Javaman]

26. No, like I said, I just drew the lines, if you want to color inside, outside or

on the lines, I don't care.

[Steely_Dan]

27. Nice Response...

But I think you missed the analogy with regard to this thread. You DO care if people stay within the lines. In fact, you hold them responsible if they go outside the lines. Apparently your trampoline is more like a board. But it takes all kinds. I'm sure that your vision is wider than your post indicates.

Cheers...

-Paige

[Javaman]

28. visions are only cool if someone else sees it as well. :) nt

[sinkingfeeling]

13. Did you have another picture ID? Way back in 1998, my son and I were traveling with my

sister and brother-in-law from Seattle to Victoria, Canada by ferry. When we arrived in Canada my son and I were pulled away from our companions and taken to a back office. We were both carrying valid US passports and I will admit that my then 28 yr.-old son might have looked like a drug runner or something and we had visa stamps from Central American countries. Anyway, they asked to see our drivers' licenses and Mike's was expired. I objected to the fact that they asked for them when we had passports. For about a half hour I didn't think they were going to let us into Canada, although they really were only hassling my son. I wasn't allowed to leave the back office to advise my sister what had happened. I guess they ran some type of computer search against us and finally said we could go and to have a nice visit in Canada.

By then, I was so angry I was in tears. My sister and brother-in-law thought that we had taken the shuttle to our hotel without them and were angry with us. I threatened to go right back to the USA and then vowed not to spend any money in Canada. It took me about 2 days to get over our mis-treatment. I can only imagine what would happen today if someone argued about showing a driver's license or if one was expired.

[warren pease]

17. Well, you see... 9/11 changed everything...

We live in a hostile world populated exclusively by good people, who are generally white and prosperous, and evil doers, who are generally non-white and desperate. And "the rules" are designed to define and codify that separation without the need for messy ambiguities like nuance or subtlety.

And the enforcers tend to be rules-based people, which is why they take themselves and their regulations so seriously. Give rules-based people a little enforcement power and suddenly you turn a $7/hr. rent-a-cop into a strutting Stasi checkpoint guard.

But consider this. If you were of Arabic descent, can you imagine how much worse that encounter would have been? Or maybe you are, and I'm just pissing up a tree. But if you're a white guy, as I am, it's pretty tough to imagine living and working under a spotlight every day, subject to ethnic judgments, amateur profiling and good old American bigotry and racism.

Same for Black people, although they've had several centuries to get used to it. There's a lot of good reasons why Blacks don't trust cops or other authority figures, and why they won't vote for wingnut lawnorder types. And for that sin, they got "caged" and disenfranchised by GOP black ops types in both 2000 and 2004 -- in Florida and Ohio mainly, but it seems that every state has a caging story to tell these days.

And now we have been presented with the latest official whipping boys, the millions of swarthy people attacking the diseased white underbelly of America, who come across the southern border to steal our precious jobs -- like picking fruit for 10 to 12 hours a day and getting maybe $20 - $25 for the effort. Get rid of all those damn Mexican illegals and watch the white population line up to fill those jobs.

I don't mean to rant, or diminish the depth of the bullshit you had to slog through, but it always gets my attention when I hear of -- or am victimized by -- some bureaucratic/security state outrage perpetrated by our employees in "public service." And then I imagine what it must be like to watch the whole sorry show through the eyes of one despised group or another. Takes on a whole new dimension.

Worst case -- unless you had been targeted for a little "political reeducation" for some reason -- you could have been "detained" briefly for questioning, cited for some kind of bullshit DHS violation (like displaying human-like behavior in public), maybe gotten a ticket for the expired license. And off you go -- pissed, mission unaccomplished, probably wondering what the hell we've unleashed by our silent affirmation of one fascist policy after another over the past seven years.

But you put a non-white male in the same situation, add an armed, low-IQ, rules-based xenophobe and the backup of his supervisors, mix thoroughly, and somebody might just get hurt.

I just noticed the coffee must have kicked in while I wasn't paying attention. So that's today's essay/diatribe. Now I think I'll try to get some paying work done.


wp

[HCE SuiGeneris]

19. Bottom Line of the Fear Mongering

Manufactured bullshit to institute authoritarian dominance. This is nothing but a contrived tactic to bully the populace into submission. Sorry this ruined your day. Even sorrier that it has ruined this country.