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Originally posted by Shankar Heh, a buddy of mine went with his girlfriend for a week to Dominican Republic to visit friends (NOT to a resort). Their friend picked them up from the airport and they hit the road. Halfway through the journey, a black SUV pulls them over. Inside the SUV, several men with guns signal them to stop. When they stopped, the men jumped on them, handcuffed them and showed them into the SUV. They drove them out of the city to the middle of nowhere (some abandoned cemetery), took all of their belongings ($4000 worth), left them their passports and IDs and told them to run. The next day, my friends went to the Canadian Embassy. The Ambassador, who graced them with his presence, first greeted them with "what do you want?" After my friends explained the situation, he simply chuckled and told them "well, there is nothing we can do to help you. You can only call your family for free so that they can send you money. Otherwise, you are on your own!" In other words, he told them to F*** off. The fact that Canadian citizens left penniless in the middle of nowhere doesn't bother our Canadian reps abroad. They are more concerned about "living the dream" than help us in trouble.

Its not their responsibility to help you. An embassy is there to represent the Canadian government to that nation's government. They If anything, they are there to help you evacuate in case of war or natural disaster. They are also able to put political pressure on a government if you are being unfairly treated. If they had had their passport taken, they would have facilitated a new one. If they were to help yor friend get home in that situation it would have been at their personal expense, not the government's. The government is not your babysitter.

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Originally posted by jester Everything in this country is illegal.

"Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery…" Winston Churchill

‎"If you have ten thousand regulations you destroy all respect for the law" - Winston Churchill