The Bagpipe Police Never Sleeps

Your bemused Peasant learned recently that our U.S.
Customs Service is working most diligently to protect
us from marauding bagpipes and their pipers; oh yes,
in this era of multitudinous threats to our country's
safety from near and far, our fearless customs people
are making sure that we all don't get blown away by
the screeching sounds of pipers attacking us with the
strains of "Amazing Grace" and "Highland Cathedral",
causing permanent deafness and perhaps a few nervous
breakdowns by pipers crossing our borders coming
or going!

Here's the story: As I was listening to conservative
columnist, guest contributor to National Review,
and occasional guest host for Rush Limbaugh
Mark Steyn host again for Rush a few days ago,
Steyn shared this account of the American customs
crew on the U.S.-Canadian border confiscating the
bagpipes belonging to two New Hampshire youths,
17-year-old Campbell Webster and Eryk Bean,
because their instruments were not valid for crossing
at this particular locale at the border. The boys had
to obtain a certain certificate in order to bring their
bagpipes into Quebec, Canada where they were to
perform at a Scottish Highland event, and the customs
staff informed them that while their paperwork and
certificate were indeed valid, the pipes were not allowed
to cross at that particular point along the border with
Canada(?!).

After some unreported period of time, the customs zealots
returned the bagpipes to the lads only after the incident
became international news and a PR black eye for the U.S.
Customs Service. As Steyn described it, " ... So, if you're
a piper in, say, Pittsburgh, New Hampshire and you want to
play in a competition in La Patrie, Quebec 20 minutes north,
you have to drive 4-5 hours south to Logan Airport in
Boston, fly to Montreal and drive two hours east to La Patrie."
Steyn went on to relate that anyone who wishes to take
bagpipes in or out of the country must still pay a $238 fee ---
each way --- for the privilege of doing so. If anyone still does
not believe that our federal government hasn't gotten way out
of control, that it isn't threatening our basic rights and freedoms,
that it still works to serve us rather than force us to serve it,
they should read this story. And some people wonder why there
is a Tea Party movement going on today!

The Peasant thanks the always brilliant, insightful, and witty
Mark Steyn www.steynonline.com/ for sharing this story on
Rush Limbaugh's radio show.


MEM