On Wed, Oct 06, 2010 at 04:45:28PM -0400, Scott McEachern wrote:
quoted text
>  On 10/06/10 16:01, Chris Cappuccio wrote:
> >You are aware that US customs is regularly seizing laptop hard drives of people who enter the US, copying them, and returning them at a future date?  This was challenged in court and naturally the government won their case.
> >
> >This is such a problem that some companies are mailing hard drives, instead of having people transport them on planes.  Not that customs would stop at copying a mailed hard disk, but the chance that they bother to even look at a package is slim.
> >
> 
> Thank-you, Chris.  No, I was not aware of that, but I am not the
> least bit surprised.
> 
> I have not travelled to the US since '98.  Post-9/11 and the PATRIOT
> act, I have no intention of returning to the US (I am a Canadian
> citizen) due to similar stories, but I didn't know about that "fun"
> fact.  Everything since then hasn't "smelled right" to me.
> 
> Believe it or not, I don't personally know anyone that has entered
> the US post-9/11.  When I think about it, everyone I know has been
> on international flights that did not involve entering the US at
> all.
> 
> Thanks again for the information.  I've had a long suspicion that if
> I got to the border, I'd say "No" to something and would be denied
> entry, so I haven't even tried.  I miss Hawaii, but apparently it
> doesn't miss me. ;)
> 
I regularly travel between the US and Guatemala. Since i'm poor, I travel by bus.
(Note: traveling by executive class on buses south of the US is better than first class on an airline!)
At the Laredo border crossing, beyond the usual drug dogs and luggage x-rays, they now have a giant boom truck that x-rays the entire bus once everyone is off it!

I am very embarrassed and ashamed that my country is wasting so much money on silly things. The cost of those x-ray trucks has to be very high.

Some of the other border crossings are better, but Laredo can take a very long time.
Whenever I can, I prefer to walk across the bridge. Much quicker and less hassle.
Frankly, it is why I am moving away from US. I like freedom over tyranny.

Chris Bennett