Can Blog Hurt you ?
The guy wanted to get me into deep trouble so ultimately I would never go back to his lovely country, apparently.
So he started to look for evidence that I’d also worked in the States and were paid by American.
Until he found, in my archive, a post I’d written before leaving for Iran, to ask for the blogging community’s attention and support, especially if something happened to me in Iran and about how they could help in that case.
Sarcastically, I’d reminded everyone not to be surprised if, while in detention in Iran, I confessed about some absurd wrongdoings form the so-called Islamic regime’s point of view, such as: getting money from the CIA, trafficking illegal drugs, dating Natalie Portman and Kiera Knightly, etc.
“So you are getting money for the Bush administration,” the officer asked. I was speechless. “Come on! This is a joke.
Read the whole thing and put it in a context.” Fortunately the guy was a smart man and realized the sarcasm.
However he said these things are not quite appropriate to be on your blog when you are at the border. He was right.
But later, when he had still doubt about letting me in or not, he found the latest issue of Newsweek in my small suitcase on which I had my NYC address. There were many others with my Toronto address, but that single was enough to convince him about my situation.
I didn’t challenge him again.
I wish I were a lawyer. I could’ve said this magazine is important for me and I didn’t want to miss a single issue of it by being away from home.
So then he took me to another room and spent about two hours writing a report and registering and documenting my refusal of entry.
Now the result is that, apparently, I can’t visit the States at least for six months and even after that I should prove I’m established enough in Canada.
I also have to explain why I failed to register my departure when the bus driver didn’t stop while crossing the US border to Canada.
Now I feel there is no place in New York City, the most cosmopolitan city in the world. But it’s the end of the world. Even it might be better for me to spend more time in Europe and learn new languages.
It’s sad to see America is not the land of the free anymore.
P.S: Some of the readers think I had broken law by staying in the US. But as a Canadian citizen I’m allowed to visit and stay in the US for up to six month. It was only one month I was in New York City and I was staying with a friend. How that could be breaking the law?
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