She was reportedly denied US entry because she was hospitalized, on a voluntary basis, for clinical depression in the summer of 2012, in her native Canada. Richardson was dumbstruck at the events. She said, “I was so aghast. I was saying, ‘I don’t understand this. What is the problem?’ I was so looking forward to getting away . . . I’d even brought a little string of Christmas lights I was going to string up in the cabin. . . . It’s not like I can just book again right away,” The American officials told her the remedy would require the permission of a US government approved doctor and the payment of approximately $500 in fees. She left the airport defeated but later some things kept going around in her head. She told CBC, “It really hit me later — that it’s quite stunning they have that information.” This isn’t the first cruise for Richardson; she’s followed this same basic itinerary many times before, all through the US. This is the first time she’s had any problem and DHS cited the June 2012 hospital stay. Richardson stated that the border agent had told her that the government can deny entry to anyone with a physical or mental disorder that may pose a “threat to the property, safety or welfare,” and identified her “mental illness episode” from last year as warranting extra attention. David McGhee, the attorney for Ms. Richardson, said that the 2012 hospitalization should have been a completely protected private medical incident. No police were involved. This action indicates a sharing of medical information is already taking place between the governments through the now centralized information exchanges. This control of travel is likely just one aspect of what will be a total control of individual liberty and freedom that is linked to this master data base that is being developed and which includes each and every one of us. The pretext upon which it is being structured is once again our safety and security. They always use those as the selling points. Its use will be far more massive and sinister in scope. A paraplegic woman is hardly a terror threat or a threat of any kind to anybody. She is a woman who has a nightmarish life that none of us would want who was just trying to get away on a cruise. Because she was depressed with what must be the miserable reality of her life and sought help, she’s been labeled as a possible threat and denied her travel. Not only was the decision wrong in her particular case, the overall system is a great threat to all of us and we need to recognize it before it becomes so big that it can no longer be reined in.
Posted on: Mon, 02 Dec 2013 18:10:52 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015