Musings —11.29.2013 09:00 AM
—Dear U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Dear U.S. Friends:
I know at least one of you is likely to read this, because I see evidence of your visits in my web site’s analytics all the time.
As you may have heard, there has been some speculation in Canada about whether the mayor of Toronto, Rob Ford, will be permitted to cross the border into the United States.
As a lawyer, I am of the view that Ford has committed what you quaintly categorize as “Crimes of Moral Turpitude.” Specifically, Ford is an “alien” who has admitted crimes of moral turpitude, per 9 FAM 40.21(a)N51. His admissions relate to crimes in this jurisdiction: 9 FAM 40.21(a)N7.3.
Specifically, I draw to your attention that Rob Ford has admitted:
- Smoking “crack” cocaine.
- Purchasing illegal drugs within the past two years.
- Associating with organized crime.
- Drinking and driving.
I have linked to U.S. media sources in each case. These examples provide you with clear and readily-available evidence that Ford has committed crimes of moral turpitude which require you to deny him entry.
Given the fact that your Service has made some really, really stupid (and possibly illegal, under your law) decisions about entry lately – check this one out – we Canadians now call on you to exercise some judgment in the Rob Ford case. It likely means that we are stuck with him in perpetuity, of course, but just think of it as a Thanksgiving gift from us to you.
Oh, and I’ve added my band’s video at the bottom. If quoting your own law doesn’t convince you to bar this creep, maybe some catchy punk rock will.
Yours truly,
J. Warren Kinsella, LL.B
Well said.
If this woman can’t get in, how can Ford? http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/11/28/disabled_woman_denied_entry_to_us_after_agent_cites_supposedly_private_medical_details.html
Oops, should have followed your link first! Oh well.
Heh hehe heh heh hehehehe. Oh please, oh please lets this be a border blow up that hits the internet. Please. Please. Please!
Seems to me that the law applies to everyone, or at least it should. So I expect he will be vacationing on the Canadian side of the Honeymoon Capital of the World-Niagara Falls.
Also smoking “a lot of” pot. Doesn’t bother me too much, but it’s still a crime of moral turpitude down south. I missed the part, however, where he admitted to associating with organized crime. Or are you counting the photo with the drug dealers that he claims was a one-time, random event. Or perhaps you are counting his association with his brother, an alleged mid-level dealer circa 1982. Or was it his friends in that “family home” on Windsor Drive. Or perhaps Sandro Lisi, well connected through a strip-mall dry cleaner.
So many choices!
Indeed. In fairness to him, he did not utter the phrases “gangs” or “organized crime.”
He just got his picture taken with them, and hung out with them all the time.
A picture is worth a thousand words of condemnation.
And there will likely be more to add to the Rob Ford dossier next Friday.
The one I like the best is how the two Twin Towers hijackers, Mohamed Atta and Marwan al-Shehhi, received change of status notifications from INS to allow them to study at flight school one month after the 9-11 attacks. Don’t count on DHS to do any better. Also, to the best of my knowledge, and unlike at the Canadian border, officials at the US border have very wide discretion.
Let him cross the border, and then don’t readmit him to Canada! He’ll become a persona non grata and end up in Colombia!
That would be a Charter violation. Section 6 (1)
I wouldn’t get too excited about the prospects of this happening. If they apply the law equally, J Trudeau won’t be going to the good ole’ US of A any time either.
Mind altering drugs are all the same in the public perception. It’s a distinction without a difference argument.
Canadian voters will decide if a pot toking Liberal leader is stable enough to be PM of all of Canada. Of course the NDP and CPC attack machines will be working overtime painting Justin as a frivolous pothead in the 2015 election.
I hope that the Liberal war room is prepared for such carpet bombing of their candidate. Perhaps the ‘family’ vote is lost to Liberals and they will have to energize the 18-28 y.o. cohort of casual pot tokers. Much work to be done now.
Jesus. Harper’s buddy Rob Ford smoked crack. That cool with you?
Nope and he should be booted out of office or even better, incarcerated.
But if that happens then Justin’s recreational toking will condemn him in the eyes of many Canadians, particularly straight-laced boomers and family types. Sure the 18-28 y.o. tokers won’t mind but how many of them will bother to vote for guru Trudeau? I wonder how many MPs in the Liberal caucus will defend Justin’s recreational drug use!
Conversely, are you suggesting that Justin is “cool” because he toked pot “5 or 6 times”, and how will you turn that revelation into acquiring votes?
Jeez Gerry you’re characterizing Trudeau as “pot toking Liberal leader” is “breaking fad.” You make him sound like one of the serial tokers in “Reefer Madness.”
Trudeau has BEEN to the States since he admitted it, so no I think your wrong you Tory troll you.
And the gang associations? That okay, too?
“…their own President has admitted to past use of alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine.”
Oh sorry, is the alcohol prohibition still on? Thought they repealed that some time ago. Also, the US doesn’t bar entry to naughty US citizens (like the POTUS – duh), only “aliens”.
Seems to me Gerry that in Canada the far right’s hatred of all-things Trudeau mirrors the far-right’s hatred of all-things Obama in the US.
The border guard perception was what I was getting at in my original post. There are commercial truck drivers who have not been able to gain entry into the USA, based simply on a DUI conviction in their youth or early adult years. The young lady in this story was turned back simply by admitting that she smoked pot in the past:
http://www.peacearchnews.com/news/222389051.html
This may have simply been the decision of one rogue border guard, but there are lots of those folks around…on both sides of the border.
The link doesn’t work for me. See http://monosnap.com/image/IPMoGMqyjWMywBq4NwIjHaVn6.png
Gee!! I was kinda hopin we could make this guy our 1st national export product for 2013. Along with Harpo, John the embarsment and the sad little guy who thinks he’s the finance minister. I hope they don’t let Rona Ambrose go passed her bus stop.
The Cons figure if they yell loud enough they can brand all otherness as druggie.
I’m not a lawyer, but don’t you have to be officially busted, and written up for drug crimes to count? Ford or Trudeau simply saying they smoked dope is not enough. That’s why neither of them got arrested.
That’s funny.
Dear Canadian friend:
Analytics can be tricky; for example, I am a Cambodian-American living in Sweden but sending my communiqués to a person in Peru who dispatches them via a VPN, server in America.
Our problem is, our media has turned Rob Ford into perhaps the celebrity personality of the year; an attempt to bar his entry to America might precipitate civil unrest and the displeasure of the captains of the media industry whose comedy offerings depend on the seemingly endless raw material the Ford Family provides. This is a growth industry! In fact, Chinese diplomats, wishing to protect their lucrative “bobble head” and lucrative Ford paraphernalia business have leaned on us to take a “hands off” approach. Ironically, the gravy train, as the show, must go on.
Privately, I agree that Moral Turpitude has an Amish ring to it but one might also say that if society had any level of moral outrage, phenomena like the Ford fiasco would likely not happen – he would have quietly left town long ago.
We thank you for your Thanksgiving wishes and hope you are enjoying our latest export – “Black Friday”. The lady in the wheelchair likely speaks to the “little dictator” syndrome that plagues receptionists, security guards, tow truck drivers, etc.
Yours truly,
Cousin Sam
I am certainly no Rob Ford fan but I think there is a big difference between an addict entering the US for work or pleasure and entering to go into rehab. But I would hope US immigration officials require string proof that he will end up in rehab. It might even depend on who operates the clinic and is profiting from his entry.