Feds Fine Man $10,000 for Going to Church

NewsMax ^ | Feb. 10, 2004 | Carl Limbacher

[WinOne4TheGipper]

The federal government is fining a resident of Maine $10,000 for going to church.

Richard Albert, 52, of the remote northern hamlet of Township 15 Range 15, said the U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protection recently notified him of two $5,000 fines for twice crossing from Quebec into Maine on a Sunday, when the border station is closed.

Albert's home is 30 yards from the Canadian border, beside the U.S. Customs office. The church is on Quebec's side of the border, which means he has to cross the boundary illegally to attend services.

He "said he has been crossing the U.S.-Canada border at his own discretion for more than 40 years. But border security has been tightened since last May when the Bureau of Customs eliminated its Form 1 program," the Associated Press reported today.

"That program allowed preapproved people to cross the border when certain border stations, including the one between Township 15 Range 15 and St. Pamphile, Quebec, were closed."

'Nightmare' Caused by 'Big Brother'

He said: "It was never an issue to cross before May 1, 2003, when they put a gate on the boundary and locked it up. This situation, it's like having a nightmare, and you feel that Big Brother is really controlling you, and you can do nothing about it."

The dozen or so people who live in the settlement rely on St. Pamphile for more than religion. It has the area's only stores, medical facility and other comforts of civilization.

The U.S. border station is open only from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. The next closest crossing is 200 miles away by dirt logging roads through Fort Kent. Canada gives U.S. residents passes to cross at any time.

"We're supposed to stay here and not move? There's nothing here on the American side," Albert said. "We feel like we're being treated like animals here, At 9 p.m. we're locked in the barns, and at 6 a.m. we're let out to pasture."

No doubt he'd have better luck if he moved to a Mexican border town and waded the Rio Grande daily. Hey, and that way he could get "free" health care in U.S. hospitals at taxpayers' expense.

[newgeezer]

Are we supposed to feel sorry for this guy? Maybe some sort of outrage on his behalf? I can't.

The headline is certainly a piece o' work.

[Happy2BMe]

Canada - yawwwwwwning . . .

[stuartcr]

No kidding, can't spin that headline much more.

[Iron Matron]

which means he has to cross the boundary illegally to attend services.



+++


They did not fine him for going to church. They fined him for crossing the border illegally.

Thats what should be done in every case of illegal entry - no matter for what reason, or how small the breach is.

[You Dirty Rats]

Completely misleading headline. The Feds did not fine him from going to church; they fined him for illegally crossing the border.

We better get armed troops up there ASAP to stop these illegal incursions!

[petitfour]

I think it's kind of stupid that he's been fined. Is he a terr'ist?

[ffusco]

I agree. The headline is way off base.

[EggsAckley]

Truly. Limbacher really had to stretch for that one. I can just see his gloating, smarmy smile...........heheheh.

[LizardQueen]

They did not fine him for going to church. They fined him for crossing the border illegally.

Exactly. Amazing how Newsmax, a continual complainer about leftist media spin, is now doing the same thing but in the other direction. The headline is bogus.

That said, fining the guy is stupid and petty in light of the fact that he's been doing it for years. They should just issue him a weekend pass or something. Some common sense needs to apply up in these border towns where often the country line goes through people's living rooms. My bro-in-law works at a factory whose front door is in the US and whose back entrance is in Canada. They seem to deal with it ok there.

LQ

[ican'tbelieveit]

He must be of the wrong ethnicity. If he were of the right "group" they would allow him to cross without blinking an eye. Maybe even offer him some sort of amnesty.

[ikka]

Just tell them "no hable Ingles" and they will let him go.

[freedomluvr1778]

The headline is waqck, but the last sentence sums it real nicely: No doubt he'd have better luck if he moved to a Mexican border town and waded the Rio Grande daily. Hey, and that way he could get "free" health care in U.S. hospitals at taxpayers' expense.

Cross from Canada "illegally" to go to church, get fined. Cross from Mexico illegally to do God knows what, get free things at my expense.

I wonder how they came up with $5,000 per incident? How does he owe that now?

[Johnny_Cipher]

First, as you're probably already aware, the headline in this story is extremely misleading. The man is not being fined for "going to church," he's being fined for crossing the border illegally.

Now, having gotten that out of my system, the story could have included more information about how he is crossing the border. Is the gate just left open with no one manning it? Is he having to drive off the paved road to get around the locked gate? The story doesn't make it clear. If he's simply driving through an open gate with no signs warning not to cross etc., then I might have some considerable sympathy for his plight. But if he's driving off the paved road, cutting the lock on the gate, etc., that's a different matter.

Whoever the incompetent editor at Newsmax is that allowed this one-sided, incomplete hit piece to appear on their web site should be fired.

[vpintheak]

Give me a break. This 52 year old man was going to Church. This can't be one of those dumb-a$$ed no exception policies.

[headsonpikes]

This can't be one of those dumb-a$$ed no exception policies.

Wanna bet?

Zero Tolerance = Zero Intelligence

[Iron Matron]

. . .He must be of the wrong ethnicity. . .

I didn't even think of that! But you could be on to something - a hispanic or arab would have no trouble at all. Plus, who has the money to pay a $10,000.00 fine? The white guy of course! /sarcasm


. . .Some common sense needs to apply up in these border towns where often the country line goes through people's living rooms. . .



Like in Texas? Hipanics crossing the borders trash our farms and ranches, leaving it strewn with filth and human waste, thumbing their collective noses at border controL; maybe it's different near the Canadian border. I am for extremely tight border control - even guarding it militarily, any illegals should be fined and deported.

[Prime Choice]

What's alarming about this article isn't the misleading headline or the fines: it's the sheer and utter comical "security" we have at the border.

What are we going to do when (not if) Muhammad bin Bomber just drives around these checkpoints during the off-hours? Send the fine to his Imam?

[Prime Choice]

It appears he's just driving around the gate.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=573&e=13&u=/nm/crime_canada_border_dc

[Modernman]

Now, having gotten that out of my system, the story could have included more information about how he is crossing the border.

Most places along the Canada-US frontier, there really is NO border. We're talking 3000+ miles of frontier, much of which is sparsely populated. People come and go as they please.