From: blamb@sparc1.hri.com (Bill Lambert)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan
Subject: Re: Immigration procedures
Date: 13 Apr 92 20:59:31 GMT
Article-I.D.: bigbird.6276
Reply-To: blamb@sparc1.hri.com (Bill Lambert)
Organization: Horizon Research

In article <SMITTIE.92Apr10104306@tui.csulb.edu>,
smittie@beach.csulb.edu (Smittie) writes:

<stuff omitted>

> Mr. Lambert's experience is one that everyone would like to avoid. Mr.
Lambert
> indicates that his experience is a common one and can happen to
anyone. I have
> never had any such problems with INS and neither have any of the other people
> that I know who are in similar circumstances. It appears that establishing
> communication with the relevant authorities early to find out what is
required
> goes along way toward making potentially unpleasant experiences more
bearable.

I did try. I either got no information or misinformation, Smittie. The fact
that I did or didn't doesn't mean that I (or anyone else) deserve to bear
unpleasant experiences. What about the people who have language trouble, or
can't understand the requirements, or can't produce the required documents.

Do you really believe that these people deserve whatever bullshit the
guy-with-the-hair-across-his-ass that day at the INS counter feels
like dealing out? 

> Everything that has been presented to this newsgroup on this issue has been
> ancedotal and should be taken as such. I don't buy Mr. Lambert's accusation
> that the official he dealt with was participating in "gratuitous pee-pee
> pulling and bureaucratic terrorism" or being mean and rude to Mr. Lambert and
> his wife simply to prove how powerful he was. 

Well.... you should buy my accusations. If you don't, how can you expect me
to buy any of yours. If my experiences aren't valid, then why are yours?
Is it OK for me to say, "I don't believe you.", if you tell me that you
didn't have any trouble, or that people were kind and courteous to you at
INS? I'll believe you if you say so. I have no reason not to trust your
eye-witness, and even if I did, I'll go out of the way to give you the
benefit of the doubt.

I suppose it's a matter of tone or attitude. Maybe I expect too much, but
as a US citizen and BIG taxpayer, I expect that the public agencies might
take a position other than adversary when servicing their indigenous
populace. The should be ENABLERS, not DISABLERS. Gates, rather than 
blockades. Perhaps the thing that was most upsetting for me was to
realize that, if they do this to me, what the hell do they do
to the poor guy from Guatemala, or Haiti, or China..... is this what
other people see as their first contact with the US guvmint? SHAME!

In my anecdotal case, there really wasn't any doubt about bureacratic
terrorism. Sure.... it can be said that, "He was just doing his job."
But isn't that how bureacratic terrorists do their thing? He was
trying to make us feel like we had done something wrong, and that
he had the power to punish us for it.... EVEN IF THERE WAS NO
EVIDENCE OF ANY WRONGDOING. For in fact, even though a little messy,
we had broken no laws, told no lies, made no misrepresentations,
or lacked any documentation whatsoever. All he should be left to
do is put his little rubber stamp on the papers. No comments. No
threats. No posturing. No hassle. No lines. No waiting. Big Mac and
fries.... not Torquemada and the Spanish Inquisition.

His tone, attitude and posturing WAS bureaucratic terrorism, contrary
to the expert testimony of all the non-witnesses who weren't there :-),
(and he should either be fired or promoted :-)).

Also contrary to SMITTIE's posting, two other people in my company
have had similar experiences and feelings at the INS. One is a US
citizen who married an Iranian lady, and the second pair is a
couple from India. Maybe the Boston INS is a particularly abhorrant
form of the beast. This is certainly possible, but somehow I doubt
it.... perhaps on the high-end of the bad news bellcurve, but I'm
sure not unique.

But then again.... IT'S BEANTOWN! (another aspect of this is that
everyone is afraid to complain.... you might get hassled more, or
just plain refused by their whim. They have that power.)

Bill