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Canadian Border Guards abandon posts - Flee for their lives
And I thought we had a wide open border here in the U.S.

BELLINGHAM - One of two men sought in a California homicide was ordered held on $2 million bail Wednesday, while the other was released from St. Joseph Hospital and booked into jail following a car chase that ended in gunfire at the U.S.-Canada border.

Authorities arrested Jose Antonio Barajas, 22, of Mexico, and Ishtiaq Hussain, 38, of Pakistan, on Tuesday after they allegedly sped away from a Whatcom County sheriff's deputy at 100 mph, drove through a spike strip designed to flatten their tires, failed to stop at a border checkpoint and tore through Peace Arch Park.

About 20 Canadian border guards, who are unarmed, fled for safety on Tuesday, an official of the union representing the guards said Wednesday.

A
Heavily armed
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent fired his gun, hitting Hussain, and a sheriff's deputy blocked the fleeing vehicle with his squad car. The Peace Arch border crossing was closed for more than 10 hours Tuesday, although traffic was diverted to another nearby crossing.

A prominent member of Canada's incoming Conservative government said Wednesday the party will stand behind its promise to arm the country's border guards.
After all... what good are unarmed border guards? Particulary guarding a border with armed civilians?
Vic Toews, who will soon be a part of the government after serving as Canada's justice critic in opposition, said he did not relish the sight of Canadian border guards leaving their posts.
Kind of sends the wrong message...
Paula Shore, a spokeswoman for the Canada Border Services Agency, confirmed late Tuesday that an unspecified number of guards abandoned their posts at several crossings along the British Columbia border when they heard the wanted men were coming their way.

"A few officers exercised their right to refuse to work because of what they perceived as imminent danger," Shore said. Under Canada's labor code, "any worker has the right to refuse to work if they feel they are in imminent danger," she said, adding managers took over for the guards.

Steve Pellerin-Fowlie, a vice president of the Customs Excise Union, which represents Canada's border guards, told The Canadian Press on Wednesday that about 20 guards were involved.

He welcomed the suggestion that the guards be armed.

"What we've been calling for for years is the tools that will provide the maximum amount of safety possible," he said.
Posted by: CrazyFool 2006-01-26
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=140793