Yesterday, Canadian sci-fi author, Peter Watts, was convicted in a US court of “failure to comply with a lawful command” from a federal officer. This is a felony and could send him to prison for upwards of three years.
What did his crime entail? After being beaten by American border guards, when they told him to hit the ground, he apparently asked them what the problem was. For that he was pepper sprayed and thrown in jail. (We blogged about this back in December.)
Meanwhile, the border guards who — and the jury seems to agree on this point — completely overreacted and used excessive force in beating, pepper spraying and jailing Watts, seem to have escaped any kind of justice.
You can read the Globe’s coverage here but it rehashes the story that he assaulted one of the border guards which, as it turns out, didn’t happen. Better to read Watts’ own blog post about his conviction. Have to say I’m amazed by how polite and understanding he seems to be of this whole absurd affair.
Frankly, as far as I’m concerned, this is yet more evidence that the US should be avoided at all costs. These days, it’s less a civilized country and more like a blind, diseased animal, it’s extremities flailing about in agony, clawing to death anything that comes within reach.
