PRICE OF VICTORY SEEMS TOO HIGH

Editor:

I recently became a target of the War on Drugs. Or maybe it was the War on
Illegal Immigration. Or the War on Terrorism. Sometimes it's hard to tell
which war is which.

Who am I? Just a documentary filmmaker visiting El Paso for a couple weeks
while making a film about the U.S.-Mexico border. I was particularly
excited to visit Border Monument Number 1. This is one of the most historic
spots in America, the first of a series of boundary posts erected after the
Gadsden Purchase. This is where America finally settled on a shape for
itself, its familiar southwestern contour.

The monument site is nestled in a pretty little canyon just beyond the Rio
Grande. A good place for a school field trip or a picnic. I shot some film,
not realizing that my every move was being monitored by hidden cameras.

As I drove back into El Paso, I noticed a Border Patrol truck following me.
Then another. And another. I pulled over, and five or six Border Patrol
trucks pulled up behind me. I was asked to stick my arms out my car window.
I was asked for my identification. I was asked if the agents could search
my bags.

I wasn't asked if I was scared, but I was. Out of my wits.

In the end, the Border Patrol agents explained that they thought I was a
drug smuggler, and they suggested I call the Border Patrol before any
future visits to the border monument.

Please understand, I don't like Bad Guys, and I'm grateful to the law
enforcement agencies that protect us. But what happens when we're not being
protected anymore? I realize I'm not the first one to ask, but what exactly
is the price of victory in the war against fear?

Bill Brown Lubbock Via the Internet