No Phoenix Forum for me, Fuck you very much US Customs (RANT)

Customs agents suck dick.

I'm Australian, part of the Commonwealth - yet when I went to the UK, I was held up for about 45minutes by some shit-for-brains customs agent.

Bear in mind, I've just stepped off the plane, carrying only my hand luggage.

Customs agent: Can I have your passport
Me: Sure.
Customs agent: Purpose of visit?
Me: Seeing some old friends, having a few meetings and just looking around.
Him: What meetings?
Me: Just seeing some work colleagues.
Him: What are their names, who do they work for?
Me: Uhh...
Him: You're required to tell me this information. Do you have proof of your meetings? I need to see their business cards, contact details, and a letter of confirmation of your meetings.
Me: I've just stepped off a 30 hour flight, I don't have this information on me.
Him: Well, that's just another problem you have then, isn't it.
Me: Uhhh..
Him: These friends you're staying with. Where do they live.
Me: I'm not sure, I've never stayed with them in the UK before. I'm meeting them in arrivals.
Him: They're your friends and you don't know where they live? Sounds like a pretty weak excuse to me.
Him: How much money do you have in your wallet?
Me: What does that have to do with anything?
Him: I need to know how much you have.
Me: About 60 Pounds.
Him: And you're staying for 2 weeks, right?
Me: Right.
Him: That's not much money for 2 weeks. How were you planning to stay?
Me: I have my VISA.
Him: A VISA isn't cash - that's not sufficent proof that you have enough funds to sustain yourself. How much is on your card?
Me: That's none of your business
Him: Yes, it is.
Me: Let me ask you something. How much money do you have in your pocket?
Him: I don't have to answer that.
Me: Humour me.
Him: 20 Pounds
Me: And you live here permanently? Damn, how do you sustain yourself on 20 pounds?
Him: Stop being smart:
Me: Seriously man, what's you're case? I'm Australian. I've just gone through immigration in 5 countries including the middle east before here, and they couldn't care less about how much money I had in my damn wallet.
Him: ...
Me: So can I come through?
Him: *Calls colleague over, chats, walks off, comes back with a big red stamp.
Him: I'm letting you in, under a Code 3 Stamp.
Me: And that means?
Him: We will be monitoring you throughout the duration of your stay. If you do not leave within your two weeks, we will track you down.
Me: You've stamped my passport for 6 months
Him: Two weeks!
Me: Ok, remind me next time when I come through to say I'm going to go see the palace and feed the pigeons, ok?
Him: *Smirks - Oh no! Don't do that, we're happy to have you here.

Now, not to be paranoid, but every time I made a phone call in the UK, the unlock icon on my phone kept appearing - indicating that GSM encryption had been turned off for that call. It continued for a week after I left the UK, then went back to normal.

I swear customs guys are complete arseholes - I feel for you man.

$100us = $192cnd

Nope, it is very valuble. He will receive paperwork showing that he has received a full pardon. When shown to the U.S. customs they have no choice but to back off, because a full pardon is exactly that, a pardon and it can no longer be held against you.

A friend of mine was bascially in the same situation as this guy, constantly hassled by U.S. customs over a teenage pot conviction. He went for the full pardon, received it and the next time he went over the border and customs hassled it he whipped out the full pardon and they back off. It has been about 5 years now since he showed customs his pardon and they made a copy of it and they have never pulled him aside since.

This shit shouldn't be a surprise. My wife just told me (she works for Canadian Defense Department) on the Government's website there is a big help wanted ad looking for high school students and college interns to come work as border guards, immigration officers and customs agents for the summer.

So kids get to make the judgement on potentially life-altering issues at borders. Anybody see a problem with giving some kids, who have never had any real power, the kind of power they have at the border crossings?

Wouldn't doubt if the U.S. does the exact same thing, hiring kids etc.

US is worse, I just read an article the other day about it.

They are allowing armed volunteers to patrol the Us/mexican border!

Buncha bible thumpin hicks that will probably shoot first, ask questions later.

dude that is so fucking retarded

we barely talked in vegas but that is serious bullshit

please keep us posted on the outcome what a dickless faggot

who gives a fuck what happened to you...i thought i would get some boobies here...

Damn that sucks man.