Well, you simply can’t make this stuff up…
Keene Valley resident Jerilea Zempel was detained at the U.S. border this summer because she had a drawing of a sport-utility vehicle in her sketchbook.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers told Zempel they suspected her of copyright infringement.
She was released after more than an hour in custody at the Houlton, Maine, port of entry from New Brunswick, Canada.
Her release came only after she persuaded border guards she was an artist doing a project that involved a crocheted SUV as a statement against America’s dependence on oil and love for big vehicles.
Was it a slow day? Did these morons not have anything better to do? I mean really, this is disgraceful. How can these U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers go home at the end of the day and admit to their families that they were involved in this episode.
It appears Mr. Zempel may try and turn this thuggary into money…
“Zempel’s adventure began when she was returning from the Cultural Capital Festival in Sackville, New Brunswick, where her submission was an SUV cozy on a rented Hyundai Santa Fe.
I wanted to turn an oversize, macho, gas-guzzling vehicle into a technological ghost by shrouding it in a white, fuzzy cover reminiscent of women’s handiwork from another time, another place.”
After the festival, Zempel headed for home in her own Toyota Prius hybrid and stopped at the border crossing on Interstate 95 in Maine.
“What happened when I re-entered the U.S. made me ponder what my lowly art project could mean in a larger political sphere.
“And it gave me an idea for a title: the Homeland Security Blanket.”
There’s litte doubt in my mind that my politics are opposite of Ms. Zemple’s. That said, I would be happy to buy one of her blankets.
Hat-tip to Radley Balko at the Agitator.
