On Sept. 23 I was fishing near the Canadian border out of Port Angeles.
A Canadian Coast Guard vessel pulled up to me in U.S. waters.
A U.S. Coast Guard Officer came out to tell me that according to some agreement between our two countries, he had the authority to board my boat from theirs.
They were flying a Canadian flag on their boat and had smaller U.S. flags flying lower.
It took me a while to realize what really made me so mad about the encounter.
Here in the Land of the Free, no flag flies higher than Old Glory.
They needed to fly their Maple Leaf, but flying my flag subservient to theirs in American waters and pulling me over for a safety check was highly disrespectful.
I assume Canadians feel the same when the roles are reversed.
The United States is a sovereign nation and I expect my military to act that way, and Canada should be better than this too.
Mark A. White
Port Angeles