This article has been posted to DoctorZin’s New News Blog! 
Posted on 08/19/2004 5:53:18 AM PDT by Thrusher
To counter potential threats from Canada, U.S. officials are beefing up security and surveillance along the U.S.-Canada border, known as the longest undefended border in the world.
In response to the Sept. 11 attacks, a new command centre, a new plane with sensor equipment, marine units and a Black Hawk helicopter will be deployed to the border between British Columbia and Washington state by the U.S. Office of Air and Marine Operations.
Gary Bracken, a spokesman for Air and Marine Operations, said U.S intelligence shows there's enough of a threat to warrant an increased presence along the border.
"Along the [Canadian] border we are also faced with the smuggling of migrants, weapons, currency in both directions, as well as the possibility of terrorists or weapons of mass destruction crossing the border using traditional smuggling routes."
Bracken said the new equipment will be based at Bellingham, Wash., just 25 kilometres south of Vancouver. It will be used to patrol an area within a 400 kilometre radius.
Bracken said U.S. planes and helicopters will not routinely enter Canadian airspace.
(Excerpt) Read more at cbc.ca ...
What of the Mexican border though?
It is good that at least one border has security. Presidente V. Fox won't let Bush do anything such as this on the southern border.
I think we are supposed to let the drug shipments and human smugglers through our southern border. Notice the article didn't mention this.
I for one am encouraged by this. I just wish that we (Canada) would do our share. Under no circustances do I want any harm to come to America via Canada and vice versa. I say "vice versa" because, unlike our lib government, I'm not going to fool myself into believing that we are immune to a terrorist attack.
Having said that, we (Canada) do need to step up to the plate when it comes to immigration, border security, national security and national defence.
ping
Weapons? Do they mean weapons going from the US to Canada or the other way around?
What a hoot! Bush knows the Mexicans will be sneaking into America from the south west, therefore, he puts planes and senors on the northern border. Big hairy deal! Kiss kiss to coPresident Fox, you've won again.
That 400 kilometre radius from Bellingham goes out into the Pacific, and halfway along the landlocked side of the BC/Wa border. That's a good thing, as it means I'll be able to see that SOMEONE takes the security of our mutual border seriously.
I still get a thrill every time an f-18 or f-15 from Whidbey Island does a little "excursion" over Victoria. It looks and sounds great!
Would to God we had a thousand of them flying along the Mexico-American border. But that would break up the love fest between Bush and Fox.
I suspect here are probably tens of thousands of ways to cross the Canadian border without being detected as long as one is willing to avoid the main roads and ferry routes. What's to stop someone from taking a boat across one of the Great Lakes? Many years ago I went on a trip to Canada on a private boat in the Thousand Islands area. I don't remember even running into customs. If you go beween private docks, who is going to notice?
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