There is an interesting Windsor and border story on deadlinedetroit.com by Bill McGraw. It is kind of a 'good old days' reflection reminding us of times when hopping over to Windsor or Detroit could be done without thought. McGraw relates how he and a friend were recently detained at the border and how much cross-border visiting has declined.

The damage created by tightened borders to Detroit and Windsor tourism and business are unavoidable. This mini-Berlin wall splitting our international city is a huge waste with little benefit in terms of security. We really need to have a European Union style treaty to allow free flow of traffic and redeploy security to our airports and salt water borders where the real vulnerabilities are.

That aside, I like to use Canada Day to be reminded of how lucky we on this side are to have such a peaceful and prosperous country as Canada for our neighbor. It is especially true this year when 200 years of peace separate us from terrifying times when cannon fire was being traded across the Straits of Detroit.