POSTCARD USA: Why not become John Doe? —Khalid Hasan
The warmongering and bullying of this administration which are in reality the signatures of impotent men have permeated the fabric of our society. #msg-4622410
-Am
The Bush administration has been successful in creating a siege mentality among a people who by temperament are friendly, trusting, welcoming and kind. During the Cold War, it was Reds under Beds; today it is a terrorist or a potential terrorist behind every bush. A pity because such crass and boorish behaviour brings no credit to the United States or to its people.
These days it is easier to get out of America than to get in, at least for some. Anyone who tells you there is no profiling at American airports or other points of entry either does not know or is being untruthful for one reason or the other. There can be no question that if you originally come from certain parts of the world, are not Caucasian, happen to have a Muslim name, then you should be prepared for the sort of welcome that I have experienced the last four times I have re-entered the country, twice from Europe and twice from neighbouring Canada. It is only to be expected that with Bush II firmly in the saddle, and acting as if not 52 percent but all 100 percent of Americans had voted for him, this sort of thing is going to get much worse.
The Bush administration has been successful in creating a siege mentality among a people who by temperament are friendly, trusting, welcoming and kind. During the Cold War, it was Reds under Beds; today it is a terrorist or a potential terrorist behind every bush. The officials who greet you at US points of entry — though greet is hardly the word — are generally brusque, often rude, insensitive and ignorant. More than the shiny brass signs of rank and power they wear and the deadly handguns that jut out of their holsters, they need to show basic good manners and treat anyone who arrives, be he foreigner or American, with courtesy. That, sadly, is not how it goes, which is a pity because such crass and boorish behaviour brings no credit to the United States or to its people, especially since it runs counter to their natural instincts and the way they were and, hopefully, still are.
And now on with the story. I travelled to Canada to see friends and a visiting family member who did not have an American visa. My flight back to Washington was from one of Toronto’s three or four airports at which I reported two hours before departure time. If you are flying into the US from Canada, US immigration and customs formalities have to be completed, for some reason, on Canadian soil. The lines were long and it took half an hour to get to a US immigration counter. ‘Where’ve you been?” the burly navy blue-uniformed inspector — or whatever they are called — asked. I told him of the two Canadian cities I had visited. He asked where I was going although my boarding pass clearly said where I was going. “Washington,” I replied. “Why?” he almost screamed. “Because I live there,” I replied. He did not seem too pleased. He kept plugging away at his keyboard, hitting key after key after key. I wondered what he was looking for. Then he drew a cross across my US immigration and customs declaration form and announced, “You have to come with me.” He gave no reason.
I followed him to a set of rooms outside one of which I was asked to wait. There were chairs to sit on. “You are lucky,” he told me. “Yesterday, there were 150 people out here waiting.” I wondered how many of them had missed their flights. It took half an hour before an officer stepped out of a room, called my name and asked me to follow him. “This interview is being video-recorded,” were his opening words. I did not ask why. “What makes you travel to Canada so often?” he wanted to know. In one year, it was my second visit which in his book was “too often.” “To see friends, take a break,” I replied. He didn’t look convinced and asked me again. “Is there a law against travelling to Canada?” I inquired. No reply. And why did I go to Pakistan, he wanted to know. I told him. “So you are a family man?” he asked because I had said that my sisters and brother lived there. He asked me if I had bought anything. I told him a couple of CDs and two DVDs. He wanted to know if I was going to sell them. I replied that I did not sell CDs and, further, that the DVDS featured cricket, a game he may not know about. It was back and forth like that for sometime. Finally, I was told I could go. I was also told by the first inspector as I went out that every time I entered the US, I would have to go through the same sort of examination. When I asked why, he replied that it was my name. “Perhaps I should rename myself John Doe,” I suggested.
He kept quiet. It is an idea worth considering.
Khalid Hasan is Daily Times’ US-based correspondent. His e-mail is khasan2@cox.net
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