So today I had full intention of walking into the airport and flying back to Seattle, and if US Customs gave me a hard time returning to my own country, I would record the conversation, much lolz would ensue. So I was shocked when my trip took a turn for the scary before I had even checked in for my flight.

When I was flying into Vancouver (YVR) to visit Jake Daynes leader of the Pirate Party of Canada, but I was checking my bags (all my stuff for when I move) to Seattle. I got a phone call yesterday from my mom telling me that my bags were not in Seattle, I called around and found out that they accidentally sent my bags all the way through to Vancouver (whoops, sent your bag to the wrong country :P ). This was no problem, I didn’t pay for my checked bags and I appreciate what Alaska Air does for me, so meh not a huge problem.

I go up to the counter and ask for my bags so I can ship them back and they tell me where to go, and when I get there I am greeted by this huge Canadian official (did not know what department he was at the time), and I was thinking to myself “they sent the most intimidating guy in Canada to get me… uh oh” and he tells me in a stern voice “We have some questions for you before we give you your bags” — Ack the thought of ‘some questions’ was enough to make my butt pucker up. I was confused by assured myself this was all normal, considering I didn’t do anything wrong, the airline just shipped my bag to the wrong country — obviously they told them that and all would be fine.

After passing through 3 different security clearance doors, we got to this back room area (thats actually a lie to make it sound more scary, I did pass through 3 security doors but in the end I wound up right next to the exit of customs), however, there was like 5 customs agents standing around my stupidly coloured bags (Quick Note: Everytime I move, I decorate my two tubs in different ways… so there are faces drawn on it, the names of the places I have moved to, etc). After I got to them, another (slightly smaller but still intimidating) officer (who identified himself as Customs and Immigration) asked me to show “BOTH” of my passports.

“Sorry officer, I only have one passport.” I admit to him.

“You are a dual citizen, no? United States and Canada?” Clearly not accepting that I only have one.

I laughed (whoops?) and said, “I am a citizen of Canada by birth, but I don’t have documentation of it — Just wondering, how do you know that I claim dual citizenship, I have never declared it officially?”

“I looked up your Wikipedia page, you claim to be a citizen of both the United States AND Canada” he admits to me. (later on I tell him that I was flattered that he looked up my wikipedia page, and that I was happy someone reads it). To which he responded that was his job. lol.

I was finally released to go, yet they had taken my passport from me! So I asked for it back and they were telling me to check my pockets. Finally an officer who seemed genuinely interested in the pirate party when I started taking about that (hell they were already questioning my digital rights activist stuff… might as well bring a legitimate political party into the mix), had exclaimed that he saw one of the guys take it to the back room.

He told me I can go, butg next time have more documentation. Seriously? I had none because I fly standby I told him that. Do I need to carry a memiour of my life that is certified daily?? I showed him everything I had.

I had to wait another 10 minutes while they checked out my passport (which is sadly beat up looking). I felt very out f place not knowing my rights… I was going to film it for my protection… but I decided against it. I now have an even greater appreciation for those in the United States who are detained… and do not understand the situation they are in.

While I have grown up loving you, and you embracing me back… I think its time for us to go our separate ways. You see, LP, I was once like you — Bright eyes to the future, knowing that we can make substantial progress and that the way to happiness is through personal freedoms. However, lately, I have been following you around… and I caught you hanging out with Republican.

At first my heart was broken, how could you betray me like this? Had I not given everything I am to you? Did I not stand by your side, even when it was not the popular thing to do? Now in these days when I need you most — you fail me. I am ashamed that I was ever even yours. You make that communist, Green, look appealing.

There was once a time when you cared about all your friends more than your corporate bosses, but now it seems as though when push comes to shove you would support them over me, and all your other friends. I want to go on my computer and feel free, and not be worried about people reading my email without my prior consent. I want to be able to use the products I buy, for personal use, how I see fit. I want my teacher to be able to have the resources available to her, with expanded fair use protections.

There was a time when you would fight for those things with me, you would tell that RIAA to go to hell, that you would see that their longline fishing for file sharers is frivolous and treats good people as criminals.

However, Libertarian, I realized after seeing how close you have been getting to Republican, I had, in fact, been getting close to my friend EFF and we see eye to eye on everything… then these guys who came in wearing these patches over their eye calling themselves the Pirates came along and represented themselves as a political wing of what EFF did. I was intrigued, but also cautious — I mean these Pirates, they must steal from people and only want to take take take without giving back! However, it wasn’t true! They were just given the name pirates by big bad Media, even though they don’t even steal stuff — they just support fair use and reform of copyright. Furthermore, they told me that they wanted to insure that peoples privacy is not invaded and explained to me things like the passport that I was given, can actually be used to track me do to scary RFID tags! Why didn’t you tell me this? I don’t even know if you fought for me on this issue, but certainly you didn’t sent out warnings to all of your friends telling them the risk!

My pirate friends also explained to me the advantages of supporting free and open source software. At first this sounded like something that only communists would support, but after evaluating it more closely, people still are able to make a profit on what they make AND it supports education… I love education… so Libertarian, why haven’t you been telling your friends to support this, so we can move away from big government and big business.

This is why, Libertarian, I think its time for us to go our separate ways, you can take what you need… all I want are my freedoms. This isn’t against you, but clearly you and I are going separate ways. I am still like you… I actually think I am more Libertarian than you are. Maybe one day we will see each other, or I will catch your name in the paper and give a silent cheer — and at that time we can re-evaluate our relationship.

Love always,
Travis McCrea
…argh.
(PS: Thank you Sarah White for this idea!)

Speaking out against the government today, pretty much gets you labeled “anti-American”, people forget that descent is what this country was founded on. Thomas Jefferson further said that its our rights and duties to overthrow any government which is corrupt that it can no longer be fixed.

God forbid we should ever be twenty years without such a rebellion. The people cannot be all, and always, well informed. The part which is wrong will be discontented, in proportion to the importance of the facts they misconceive. If they remain quiet under such misconceptions,it is lethargy, the forerunner of death to the public liberty. …And what country can preserve its liberties, if its rulers are not warned from time to time, that this people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right asto the facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed fromtime to time, with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure.

Has it got so bad that its time to overthrow the government, and setup a new regime? Probably not. However, lets create a checklist for “Thomas Jefferson’s Criteria for Revolution”:

• Been at least 20 years since last revolution.
• Citizens can no longer keep track of the governments actions.
• Citizens warn government by holding protests.

Check, Check, and Check. Well its a good thing this isn’t 234 years ago, otherwise I feel that Americans would have taken to the streets to fight back for our freedoms. The citizens who founded this country would not have settled for the “Patriot Act”, if they were aware of its implications, they surely would be against “ACTA”, and of course the DMCA which likes to trample on their rights as well.

The United States Federal Government has failed the people, and it has now become to corrupt for repair. The time for a revolution is coming, because its our right, and our duty to take over control of our government and give the powers of state back to the people. We shall have a more parliamentary style of congress, and there shall be NO time when the president can step on our rights for “national security”, or “general welfare”. Its our rights to have and no one can take them away from us.

Thomas Jefferson would be considered a terrorist today, but he was a patriot. Revolutionaries, activists, and outspoken groups are not “terrorists”, they are Americans, who are mad that their country has been corrupt and they want to take it back. They are patriots.

So the incredibly rich, dumb, and technologically inferrior RIAA had mad this (very long thought out) post on their website a couple weeks ago:

June 28, 2010

Add our voice to those who disagree with a recent summary judgment ruling in the court case between Viacom and YouTube.

We believe that the district court’s dangerously expansive reading of the liability immunity provisions of the DMCA upsets the careful balance struck within the law and is bad public policy.  It will actually discourage service providers from taking steps to minimize the illegal exchange of copyrighted works on their sites.  As the White House recently noted in its strategic plan to combat intellectual property theft (http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/06/22/releasing-joint-strategic-plan-combat-intellectual-property-theft) it is essential for service providers and intermediaries generally to work collaboratively with content owners to seek practical and efficient solutions to address infringement.  We need businesses to be more proactive in addressing infringement, not less.  We expect the Court of Appeals will better understand the balance Congress struck when it enacted the DMCA.

Cary Sherman

Yes, they are upset that Content Providers do not have to pre-filter content. Apparently, it is WAAAY too much work for them to send a sound / video sample to YouTube and have them automatically go through their entire video archive and remove content (even though the work constitutes fair use in many cases). Whats more is that YouTubes approach is not even a viable option for most start-up web sites, which kills growth of our industry.

What type of free internet is it, when you have to have a million dollars to start up a website? The RIAA does not care about the people, the future, or even the artists they represent, they just care about the money. This is their right, I fight for things that benefit me too (a free and open culture would be best for my life, and my children’s when I have them)… But people need to be aware that their motivations are financial.

If you care about the future, you will support a free internet without unreasonable limitations.

The United States is a great country. We are strong, resolved, and free. Too many of us, however, are now ignoring these freedoms due to fears created by the Government and private companies — Instead of standing up for their rights.

After 9/11 and various world events that both led up to it, and have taken place in the 10 years after the tragedy. The United States has made subtle strides to make it seem as though people who are protecting their rights, and protecting their privacy are actually doing something wrong. They use terms such as “Patriot Act” to make people feel that it is clearly something that is good for the nation. However, they kill the rights that allow us to be patriots, it allows groups to be investigated simply for exercising their first amendment rights as “Domestic Terrorists”.

However, its not just civil defense that is being corrupted to attempt to destroy our rights. Our taxes are going to bail out major corporations who do not even know how to spend their money wisely. We rob from the successful companies of America, and we give to the corrupt corporations who are “too large to fail”, companies who have already failed and we are just dragging along their dead weight. Furthermore, they support the old broken business models of the movie and recording industries, ignoring how critical sharing, and expression was to the growth of these industries. Music has been around since the beginning of mankind, industry is a recent expansion. Artists will keep recording, and keep making music because they love it. People will keep giving them money, and keep buying their merchandise, and going to concerts, because they support the artists. Removing the corporate overhead to this will only increase profits for artists, and allow Americans to share ideas, and express themselves without having to worry about unjust lawsuits.

Standing up for your rights is not only a good thing to do, its patriotic. Encrypt your private files, buy non-DRM movies and music, support the creative commons, and speak out against the wrongs in America. Decent is what has made our country great, it is what our country was founded on, not fear, or sheep doing what they are told.