US Border agents can seize electronic devices without much reason

[Mortis]

Originally Posted by Kali Yuga

Yes, I have no doubt that if you act suspiciously at the border, Customs will take a nice thorough look at the contents of your hard drive. In the example given, the individual crossing the border was a registered sex offender, and they shipped off his hard drive for further analysis.

However, it's a far cry from checking a hard drive for child porn, to notifying three dozen copyright holders that an individual has a bunch of pirated ebooks.

Nor does it seem likely that they will all but make stuff up to pinch you on a minor offense, let alone a civil offense.

So again: Cause for concern, likely. Terror that some otherwise unavailable info will be shipped off and get you in hot water with Random House, rather silly.

Looking back, I forgot to say...

I really doubt anyone is going to take the time to look through your ebook to find pirated copies, more importantly, how would they know they were pirated, I know I wouldn't know. In the case of Harry Potter books, the customs and immigration people have a million things to look for and I as a passenger would prefer they catch the bombs, just an idea.

[SameOldStory]

"I will have to disagree with you, I think the men and women that choose to be police officers are for the most part good people, and good at their jobs."

Those are the key words, "for the most part".

As I said "there are a few that are well deserving of that belief. A great many more are just doing their job as best as they can."

I have never really been mistreated by any policemen (disregarding getting an undeserved ticket). And I agree with you that they have to handle some really crappy jobs that are often in a no-win situation.

I will also go farther than that and say that even a corrupted cop would, in all probability, lay down his life to protect mine. Yes, a corrupted cop can still be a good cop.

But what I'm referring to is not corrupted cops.

Doing work in police stations I've ran into, and in a few cases had run-ins with, a few cops that have the attitude that "There are them and there is us". The very few times that I've met such police officers outside of a police station, I've been very careful in what I say.

If you've been any kind of police officer you would not have experienced this reaction towards yourself. But likewise, if you've been any kind of police officer you would, I'm sure, have seen that attitude in a few other officers. And let it ride.

Not because you're not a good cop, but because there's nothing you can do about the situation, short of having some very solid evidence. How do you report a bad attitude towards some civilians?

And who knows? Joe's just having a bad time with .... He'll straiten out soon.


And about that story? My point was what happened to the property owner during that investigation and plant confiscation?

Remember though that I prefaced it with;
"This story points out the folly of all people."

[Mortis]

I guess the only offense I took was the wording you chose, "there are a few that are well deserving of that belief. ..."

I took it as negative, but that's is your opinion, I don't fault that at all, I was just pointing out my opinion.

There are officers that have bad days, just like a doctor, garbage man, store clerk or any of a hundred professions or jobs, the major difference seems to be that when your dry cleaner puts to much starch in your shorts you tend to get over it, police officers are different. People dealing with the police tend to be in an anxious state to begin with and they remember the negatives and tell everyone they know, not because they are a$$holes, but because they are upset about it. Remember the last time you told someone about how ordinary your day was, the waitress at the cafe gave you an extra cracker with your soup? You don't because it is ordinary and everyone you told would look at you like you lost your mind, we discuss the unusual events.

[SameOldStory]

Originally Posted by Mortis

I guess the only offense I took was the wording you chose, "there are a few that are well deserving of that belief. ..."

I took it as negative, but that's is your opinion, I don't fault that at all, I was just pointing out my opinion.

In today’s world of Guitar Hero, etc, I tend to simmer when I hear how everyone’s third cousin, twice removed is a "hero".

As a small boy in the '50s I knew people who landed in Normandy and on the Japanese held islands of WWII. People who ran towards land mines, machine guns, and mortars. I watched on TV as Fire, Police, & EMT's ran into the World Trade Center buildings. These are heroes.

I was in the Air Force. Does that make me a hero? Hell no. People become solders, policemen, fireman, etc. because they choose to. It can be hard, nasty,and sometimes sad work. But it doesn't make them better people just for choosing that kind of work. They become heroes when they knowingly do something that may very well kill them.

The word, hero, is so badly used as to be pointless. My teacher is my hero. My coach is my hero. Number 22 on the DoDa football team is my hero. Give me a break.

I've worked in a very large hospital and have helped people live by performing CPR on them. Along with many others in the ER. Am I a hero? No. I did my job as best as I could. I was more proud of the fact that I taught CPR in that hospital than I was of actually doing the CPR.

In other areas, I may have pride in some of the things I've done. But that's not the same as being "heroic".

[AprilHare]

Originally Posted by FF2

I posted this in the Harry Potter thread but it actually has more universal applicability. Digital books, music, movies....

Well, if you have digital copies of Harry Potter on your kindle or laptop or tablet, watch out for US Border seizures:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/...zedonentrytous

Gist: they don't need anything more than the fact you are crossing the border into the US.

Yet another reason to never travel to the United States of America, eh?

[thrawn_aj]

Originally Posted by Kali Yuga

[....stuff....]

I recommend that instead of floating such irrationally paranoid fantasies, you focus on the actual and legitimate privacy concerns involved in border searches.

Thanks for that load of uninformed drivel and the unsolicited "recommendation". Again, take the time to do your research, as this next poster did -

Originally Posted by Mortis

Canadian customs has in the past and does confiscate laptops that they believe contain illegal or incriminating evidence. I have had my personal computer searched returning to Canada more than once and I pass through the "Quick" lane when returning. I don't know the laws in the US, but Canadian Customs and Immigration have sweeping powers of arrest and have always had them. Canadian Customs makes the US guys look like crossing guards when it comes to the right afforded them.

Then again, why do I bother arguing with a "professional contrarian" ?

[ardeegee]

Originally Posted by SameOldStory

The word, hero, is so badly used as to be pointless. My teacher is my hero. My coach is my hero. Number 22 on the DoDa football team is my hero. Give me a break.

That's a pet peeve of mine, too. To me, one and only one class of person fits the definition of "hero"-- someone who risks his or her life to protect/rescue someone else in a situation that could have been ignored, when he or she could have chosen to do nothing and not been in any risk of harm. That means that (to pick a highly publicized, reasonably recent example) I don't conciser the Hudson-landing pilot Sully Sullenberger to be a "hero" because he was stuck there, and saving his own rear, too.

[Mortis]

I just reread this entire thread and to be honest I didn't see the word "Hero" until SameoldStory started using it in post number 49. SameoldStory if you are suggesting that I meant that all police officers were heros you are very mistaken, I define a hero as someone who, in the face of danger and adversity or from a position of weakness, display courage and the will for self sacrifice—that is, heroism—for some greater good of all humanity. This definition originally referred to martial courage or excellence but extended to more general moral excellence.

I do not in anyway believe that a person whos only contribution to society is to put on a uniform, any uniform, and just simply "Do their Job".

Obviously I have in some way mistakenly defined what I believe to be a person doing a job that sucks for their entire life without the respect or help of the general population because it is now more common to have a mistrust of the police in general. I never did and never will say that just because someone is a police office that they automatically become heros. Just wanted to be clear on that.

Forgive me for not making my point clearer, I hope this post will solve that problem.

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by Mortis

SNIP

Forgive me for not making my point clearer, I hope this post will solve that problem.

Does this mean I'm no longer your hero?


Stitchawl

[Mortis]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

Does this mean I'm no longer your hero?


Stitchawl

Always will be sir!