Welcome to the Land of Leave-If-You-Can

Remember when America used to stand for freedom? Yeah, that’s cute.

Now we’ve got outbound checkpoints. Outbound. Not checking who’s coming in—no, that would make sense. This is about who’s leaving. Because nothing says “democracy in action” like shaking down citizens for daring to cross a line in the dirt.

And let’s be crystal clear: that’s not a border crossing anymore. That’s a velvet-rope prison.

You see, in free nations, borders are doors. In paranoid nations, they’re locks. And America? We’re fumbling for padlocks and writing “liberty” on the key.

Let me remind you of a few lines they used to print on glossy textbooks between wars and tax hikes:

“All men are created equal.” “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” “Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech…” “The right of the people to be secure…against unreasonable searches…”

But what are we doing at the Peace Arch?

Stopping outbound traffic. Searching cars. Questioning motives. Holding people up like they’re defecting to Canada with nuclear launch codes in the glovebox.

The Founders didn’t write the Constitution so some buzzcut bureaucrat with mirrored shades could ask you why you’re going to Vancouver. They bled on battlefields to escape exactly this kind of state behavior.

Because this is what totalitarian states do.

 This is the Soviet Union, checking your bags before you cross the border.

 This is East Germany, where even thinking about leaving could get your neighbor to report you.

 This is North Korea—except with better branding and slightly less choreography.

When the government gets more interested in who’s leaving than who’s arriving, you’re no longer living in a democracy. You’re visiting one that used to exist.

And what’s the excuse? National security? Smuggling? Firearms?

No. It’s about control. It's about reminding you that freedom in America is a performance—freedom with footnotes, freedom with exceptions, freedom that ends at the booth marked "CBP Checkpoint: Exit Stage Right."

Because here’s the dirty truth:

Freedom isn't the default. Control is.

 And if you’re not watching closely, if you're not angry enough, they'll chip away your rights while waving the flag and playing the anthem.

So don’t let the stars and stripes blind you. Don’t let the slogans seduce you.

 Because the last checkpoint in a free country should be the one at the airport leaving North Korea.

Not the one going to British Columbia.