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Canadian ‘Chainsaw
Massacre’ suspect freely crosses
U.S. border
Our
view
Just
for a moment forget the idyllic Southern
California summer lifestyle. That means
lose the surfboard, drop the fish taco
and toss the Starbucks. Take an imaginary
excursion to the northeast and head into
the state of Maine, known for its lobster
and, more recently, Gregory Despres.
Who is this guy? Despres is a Canadian and a naturalized U.S. citizen. Back
in April he did what many do on a daily basis—cross into the States.
But what makes Despres extra special and worthy of national attention is that
he brought with him a chainsaw covered with a mysterious red substance — later
suspected to be blood.
But that’s not all. Despres also sported a hatchet, knife, brass knuckles
and a homemade sword. Soviet soldiers in World War II fought the Germans with
fewer weapons than that.
If we give Despres the benefit of the doubt, we can assume that maybe, just
maybe, the chainsaw was for removal of large trees, the hatchet for tree stumps,
the knife for opening cans and the brass knuckles for defense against thieving
American misfits.
The sword, however, remains a mystery and anyone who’s seen “Pulp
Fiction” knows the power of swords in the hands of pissed-off people.
The story thickens after the customs agents righteously confiscated Despres’ arsenal,
detained him for questioning but found no wrongdoing and later released him.
They didn’t know that the day before there was a horrific murder in Despres’ hometown
of Minto, New Brunswick. What a difference a day makes.
Given Despres’ troubled neighbor-against-neighbor violence record, he
was immediately considered a suspect in the Minto case, but of course, was
nowhere to be found. He was instead wandering Massachusetts. Potential murder
utensils now lost, he was arrested two days after entering the United States.
Under our American laws even Despres, a man entering the United States with
a few too many potentially harmful items, could not be detained. According
to U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman Bill Anthony, Canada-born Despres
could not be detained because he is a naturalized U.S. citizen and was not
wanted on any criminal charges on the day in question.
Anthony said Despres was kept for two hours and during that time customs agents
employed “every conceivable method” to ascertain if Despres had
broken any laws in trying to re-enter the country.
This would have never happened in Texas. No one would have allowed a chainsaw-wielding
man into the Lone Star State. Refer back to the lessons learned in the “Texas
Chainsaw Massacre.” But apparently things are perceived differently in
Maine. Granted, the law kept Despres in the clear to cross.
What does this odd incident really tell us though? It points out a curious
contradiction in our own methods for safety. If our grandmothers cannot bring
sewing kits onto airplanes and the hand-image-conscious cannot bring nail files
either, why can Despres enter Maine after being seen with enough materials
to contribute to deforestation?
It doesn’t take the sharpest knife in the drawer to realize any flawed
logic or inconsistency here.
If someone attempts to sneak potentially dangerous items onto a plane and gets
caught, it’s doubtful all foul feelings are lost once the hazardous objects
are confiscated.
The would-be-attacker doesn’t happily take his seat afterward. No harm,
no foul? No way! Excuse me, flight attendant, all the strangling with airport
security made me a bit thirsty, can I have a glass of water?
There should be some kind of procedure for anyone caught carrying multiple
potentially harmful items. He or she should not be admitted so easily into
the U.S. after confiscation.
It’s as simple as saying that it should not be easy for people to carry
weapons into the country, for illegal or legal purposes. If a shipment of knives
or guns is coming in, it can’t just be waived through, and neither should
a guy with a chainsaw.
Carrying one knife is one thing, but trekking into our country like Paul Bunyan
going to chop down the forest, or worse, hurt people, is another. |
