The path to the post office

Since we live near the Canadian border (those islands you can see in the distance of this photo are Canada), the US Coast Guard takes a lively interest in our comings and goings. Yesterday afternoon, apparently, some neighbors were riding home together on a small boat from a nearby (American, not Canadian) island. These guys, in their 50’s and 60’s, came of age in the Vietnam era — and like many of us out here, they’ve only grown more deeply radical with each passing decade.

The Coast Guard makes a regular practice of stopping island boats as we head across the water to engage in such subversive activities as bringing vegetables to Farmer’s Market, or visiting the dentist, or getting the cat spayed. These errands never take us near the actual border, but being able to see it is apparently close enough. Generally, the boat owner submits to the Coast Guard boarding and safety inspection with courtesy, albeit through gritted teeth. There’s no benefit to be gained by violating licensing and safety requirements, and the fallout would be costly.

However, I guess last night the two passengers felt a bit freer. They didn’t have their own boats on the line this time. So after the captain obeyed the Coast Guard’s request to show license, ID, safety equipment, etc., the two passengers politely refused to identify themselves to the Coast Guard. They had been doing nothing wrong. The boat they were riding in was properly equipped. They had no intention of crossing any borders. They were just on the way home from doing errands.

Apparently the Coast Guard came up to a blank wall in the face of their refusal. I don’t know the substance of the conversation, but the two men remained staunch in their position. The Coast Guard held them and sent for the U.S. Border Patrol. When the Border Patrol boat showed up, the officials informed the island men that as of January 2008, the Patriot Act states that everyone within 25 miles of the US border must identify themselves whenever stopped. This is true, they said, regardless of whether you have any intention of crossing the border. And the officials (Coast Guard or Border Patrol) who stop you are not required to give any explanation or justification for the stop.

Faced with the prospect of being arrested by the Border Patrol, the two islanders (who have each lived on this island for more than 25 years) folded and proffered identification.

So do we all feel safer now?