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Protecting U.S./Canadian Border Crossing; The Story of a Small Town and a School on a Big Mission

Aired November 30, 2004 - 10:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We're also going to tell you why efforts to improve security on the Ambassador Bridge are running into some major roadblocks.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Also some people collect stamps, some collect other things. But it's the collection of paper clips that taught students at one particular school a valuable lesson.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: I want to show you live pictures from Ottawa, Canada. Air Force One just arriving there. President Bush onboard. This will be the first state visit by a U.S. president in over 10 years. Not expected to be entirely warm and welcoming. A lot of controversy surrounding the president, at least from a Canadian perspective. We'll have more on the president's visit just ahead.

SANCHEZ: Now in the news, other stories that we're following for you. November could become the deadliest month for U.S. forces in Iraq. At least 134 Americans died this month according to the official tally released yesterday. That's just one fatality shy of April's death toll, which remains the highest thus far in the conflict.

More than 300 people have died in the Philippines, this after a storm unleashed flash flooding and landslides. At least 150 are missing. That death toll is likely to climb as the water recedes, and rescue crews reach isolated areas. The country's also bracing for yet another powerful storm there.

This is the day that Floridians and many coastal residents have longed for. It is the last official day of the Atlantic hurricane season, and boy, what a hurricane season it was. The Sunshine State was hammered four times in two months, in what became a historic summer. Today Governor Jeb Bush is going to visit storm-battered communities to thank volunteers for all their work and helping people there cope.

And at the top of the hour, the scope of women's athletic rights goes before the U.S. Supreme Court. At issue, an Alabama high school coach who lost his job after demanding that his girl's team has the same quality of facilities as the boys do. He's arguing that the same Title IX law that assures equal treatment between genders also applies to the protection of his job.

As we are showing you live pictures, there we go again, President Bush has just arrived in Canada on the first official trip there of his administration. Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin has expressed a desire to improve relations with the U.S., which have cooled over trading issues and the Iraq war. They will discuss those issues. Also the two leaders will talk about border security. Speaking of that, reverse inspections are seen as a major way to protect a U.S./Canadian border crossing in the post-9/11 world.

But our Jeanne Meserve reports, there are roadblocks to implementing that plan.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A herd of tractor trailers thunders across the Ambassador Bridge, more than 12,000 every day, and none are inspected until after they cross.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We compare it to having your luggage inspected after you get off the airplane.

MESERVE: The Ambassador Bridge is about as critical a piece of infrastructure as exists anywhere. This one bridge, spanning the U.S./Canadian border between Detroit, Michigan and Windsor, Ontario, carries one quarter of the trade between the two countries.

It was constructed to last, and has for 75 years. Bringing it down would be difficult. But just making it impassable could be economically devastating. The auto industry relies on the bridge to transport parts just in time for use on the production line. And even the heightened security after 9/11 had a profound effect.

MARGARET IRWIN, AMERICAN TRUCKING ASSOCIATIONS: Post-September 11, the economy was almost shut down at the northern border. I know some of the big five auto manufacturers had to shut down lines, cost them millions of dollars, because trucks couldn't make it over the bridges.

MESERVE: Given the economic stakes and the limited options for rerouting truck traffic, there is widespread agreement that the bridge would be more secure if customs inspections were reversed. The U.S. would check out trucks on the Canadian side before they crossed the bridge, and vice versa.

(on camera): The idea of swapping the customs stations around has been discussed since 9/11. But more than three years later, nothing has been done.

(voice-over): There has been and continues to be a lot of talk between U.S. and Canadian officials.

ROY CULLEN, PARLIAMENT SECRETARY: This is not, you know, all straight-ahead stuff. There's some complex issues there.

MESERVE: U.S. customs officers have greater powers to search, inspect, and arrest than their Canadian counterparts, and the Americans carry guns. If they were to operate on Canadian soil, they would have to adhere to Canadian law, potentially weakening their authority.

One example...

ASA HUTCHINSON, UNDERSECY. OF HOMELAND SECURITY: If you had someone that you identified as a suspicious terrorist, that would come in to the reverse-inspection area, and you identified them for arrest and they say we change our mind and we want to turn around and leave, U.S. authorities would not have the capability to hold them at that point.

MESERVE: Officials of the U.S. and Canada say they are in serious negotiations about synchronizing laws, or even swapping small pieces of territory on either side of the bridge.

But supporters of reverse inspections point to the Chunnel, where the French and British currently practice reverse inspections, and to some Canadian airports where U.S. customs already preclears passengers, and they suggest if there was truly political will, a way already would have been found.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It hasn't happened. And that's the bottom line, it's just hasn't happened.

MESERVE: And no one on the U.S. or Canadian side can say when, or if, it will. So the trucks keep rolling across the bridge, uninspected.

Jeanne Meserve, CNN, on the U.S./Canadian border.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: Let's talk more now about the state of U.S./Canadian border security, which has also been a bit of a sticking issue. Just about everything between the U.S. and Canada these days has. Stephen Flynn is an expert on homeland security and border patrol. He's the author of "America the Vulnerable." That's what the book looks like. The retired Coast Guard commander is joining us now from Washington.

So let's get right to the chase on this one. How vulnerable are we when it comes to that huge border between our country and Canada?

CMDR. STEPHEN FLYNN (RET.), AUTHOR, "AMERICA THE VULNERABLE": Well, the real issue is North America as a continent is very vulnerable. Of course we have the longest unprotected border, undefended border in the world, on the U.S./Canadian border. It's about 5,000 miles. About a third of it is water. Obviously the Great Lakes, and rivers and the canals that tie us together in the northeastern part of the country.

But the challenge is sort of magnified by the fact that most of the economic activity comes across just six border crossings.

SANCHEZ: You know what's interesting, let me just stop you real quick, because you say North America is vulnerable. But part of the problem is that the Canadians don't think they're quite as vulnerable as the Americans or the residents of the United States do. In fact, it's more of an effort on the part of folks here in the United States to try to convince the Canadians, look, we need your help on this, isn't it?

FLYNN: Well, it's certainly true probably to say that the Canadians view the world much like we did prior to 9/11.

SANCHEZ: Yes, but they weren't hit.

FLYNN: They weren't hit, and just like we were hit multiple times, but not here in our territory before 9/11, it was very difficult to get Americans to come to grips with our own vulnerability. The Canadians are a bit -- a phase behind.

But what's critical is that we need the cooperation. And that's why I think the trip -- by the president's trip to Ottawa is very important, with a new prime minister up there, Paul Martin. Most of the efforts at the border have been looking at ways in which we can throw things beyond the border, like in our story just in advance of me about reversal before the bridge. But ideally, even starting further back.

One critical area is to look at seaports, because there are very few made-in-Canada threats. Most of it is, our own automobile industry on the Canadian side and the U.S. side. And Canadians and Americans, of course, have been moving across that border throughout both our collective histories. So the challenge is to police things that arrive on the continent in a (INAUDIBLE) Hoover and Halifax, where the president is going tomorrow.

SANCHEZ: Yes, commander, we should just interrupt you for a moment just to let you know that the first lady and the president have indeed just arrived. They're deplaning as we speak. They're going to be met by the governor-general there and her husband.

And you're right, one of the key issues -- there we see the governor-general of Ottawa -- one of the key issues is in fact, trying to get this, I guess you could call it compliance with some of the folks in Canada. But it's interesting that you're saying it's not at the border. The problem starts before you get to the border. In other words, someone who's going to try and hurt the United States, and wants to do it through Canada, would likely have to first come in through Canada, through either airport or a seaport, and you're saying that's where the problem is?

FLYNN: Well, that's where we should put a bulk of our effort, to try to do it on the 49th parallel is a bit of a reach. You know, Most of it is trees and water. And again, at the points where a lot of economic activity is coming across, we want to protect both that as well as our safety and security. So if we can go further upstream, because doing it at the base of the Ambassador Bridge is like trying to catch minnows at the base of Niagara Falls. It's almost too late at that stage, and we want to start much further up, and that means that more cooperation with the Canadians on sharing information, on agreement about how we're going to handle immigration issues and so forth. These are really critical, more so than physical controls at the border. The border is important, but we need to be looking beyond that.

SANCHEZ: I didn't mean to interrupt, but I just sat here and watched at the dignitaries that are accompanying the president, and he has some high-ranking cabinet officials. We weren't quite aware that Condoleezza Rice, for example, Colin Powell making the trip with the president, as well. Could one say that that speaks to just how important this trip is for the president, or at least what he wants to signal to the Canadians?

FLYNN: You know, Americans take Canada for granted. It is our most important trade relationship. We spent -- we do more trade with the Canadian -- with Canada than with the entire European Union combined. So this is a very important country for us. A lot of our livelihood is tied to the infrastructure that ties us together, for instance energy. Most of the power that lights up the Northeast is generated in Quebec. Most of the power that is generated in the West Coast comes from natural gas piped down from the western provinces of Canada. This is a very important relationship, and we've obviously been close neighbors for a long time and friendly neighbors, and these trips are very important to solidify that relationship.

SANCHEZ: Sounds like we've got some work to do. Commander Stephen Flynn, it's very kind of you, sir, to join us and share your expertise on this area.

FLYNN: Thank you for having me.

SANCHEZ: Boy, there's a lot that we can talk about there. The president, we understand, is going to be going to a hangar now. Not really to have a ceremony. The big ceremony is going to be when he goes over to the parliament, although he's not going to speak at the House of Commons.

KAGAN: Can't have that, because they get a little raucous there, as former President Reagan could have told you.

We have a fascinating school project that has become a film to tell you about. Even former President Bush has participated in this project.

SANCHEZ: Yes, never mind the pens and the paper. It's the paper clips that helped to get the message across here. We're going to explain this small school project that went nationwide, coming up.

KAGAN: Plus more fallout about Vioxx? Is drugmaker Merck now a takeover target? We'll have a live report from the New York Stock Exchange, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

SANCHEZ: If you're caring for a disabled child, or an elderly parent or are going through a divorce or job loss, you're likely to be a bit stressed out. That would certainly be understandable. But now for the first time, research shows a link between stress and aging. Researchers inspected the DNA of young and middle-aged mothers caring for children with a chronic disorder. Those mothers were, genetically speaking, about 10 years older than women who didn't share similar experiences.

Also brain scans may be one day used to question suspects in high-profile cases. Researchers say that MRI screening shows the brains of liars look very different from truth-tellers, honest people. The study found it took more brain activity to tell a lie than it does, or did in the study, to tell the truth.

KAGAN: See that? Lies beget lies.

SANCHEZ: Our moms were right.

KAGAN: Absolutely. Tell the truth.

A big history lesson to tell you about. One small town, one school there was up for the challenge.

SANCHEZ: Yes, still to come, we talked to a student and a director of a film that shows how collecting millions of paper clips made all the difference.

Boy, we've been teasing this one an awful lot. It better be good.

KAGAN: It is good.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 25,000 pieces of mail.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Something's going on over here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have some from Tom Hanks, Bill Cosby, former President Bush.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Paper clips just coming in by the millions.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're all addressed to "Ann."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Now we have the story of a small town and a school on a big mission. Whitwell, Tennessee has 1,600 residents, two stop lights, one motel, and it was in this town, outside of Chattanooga, that barbarism and six million murders became real. A local history teacher suggesting that students collect six million paper clips, one for each victim of the Holocaust. It would also teach tolerance in a high school that had no Jews or Catholics, and only about a half-dozen minority students.

Joe Fab has chronicled this journey as writer and director of the movie and producer of "Paper Clips." We also, we want to say, we were going to have one of the students, Casey Conger (ph), with us, but a little problem with getting that live shot out of Chattanooga.

So, Casey, if you're watching, we feel you here in spirit.

Joe, good morning. Glad to have you here with us.

JOE FAB, WRITER/PRODUCER, "PAPER CLIPS": Good morning, Daryn. Glad to be here.

KAGAN: Let's start with the story. This is a town, this is probably the least likely town you would expect this type of project to take place. As a was explaining, not a lot of diversity in this little town.

FAB: That's true. And many people have said that it's an unlikely place for something like what happened there to happen. But I want to differ with that a little bit.

KAGAN: OK.

FAB: Because once you visit Whitwell or you meet the people there through the film, I think you'd agree that what they're doing is they're living the values that they profess to believe in. And if you do live those values, you would do just what they do.

KAGAN: Now, why "Paper Clips" of all the things to collect?

FAB: Well, when the students in Whitwell began to study the Holocaust, of course they learned very quickly that Hitler had murdered six million Jews. And like anybody, like me, for sure, and you probably, when they first heard that, they reacted to the number six million as an unfathomable figure. And they couldn't visualize what that meant. And they really wanted to appreciate the enormity of the crime.

So the students are very resourceful and they instantly thought, well, maybe we could collect 6 million of something, in one place, and then we would understand how big a horror this was. Paper clips came about, because they did some research on the Internet, and they found out that the paper clip was invented in Norway, and that during the war, many Norwegians wore paper clips on their lapels as a sort of silent protest to what Hitler and the Nazis were doing. So paper clips became the perfect symbol and the perfect way to be able to visualize what had happened.

KAGAN: And energize this project. As these paper clips and letters started getting sent in from across the country, across the world, a lot of famous people, the pictures we just saw, though, some of the most impactful parts of this project, it also brought Holocaust survivors to this small town in Tennessee to tell their story.

FAB: It's true, yes. Actually that was one of the very first things that we filmed. And to see these children, 12, 13, 14 years old, who really were approaching learning about something they didn't know about with very open hearts and open minds, to see them meet survivors and listen to their stories, and then come to identify with them was just, you know, an exceptional thing to get to experience as a filmmaker. And we're hoping that we bring that effectively to audiences.

KAGAN: And let me ask you a question as a filmmaker. Another project about the Holocaust. With all due respect to the seriousness and importance of this topic, there have been a lot of movies and a lot of documentaries already done about the Holocaust. So why another? And why do you hope people will come with fresh minds?

FAB: Well, it's a perfectly understandable reaction. And I might have had it, too. But what I say to people, and what a lot of critics who've written about the film have said, is that it's a Holocaust film that's not really about the Holocaust. You'll see very little, very little archival footage or photographs from the Holocaust. What you're going to see is the coming together of cultures. You're going to see something that the critic in the "L.A. Times" said was something we need to see. That is you see young people who approach something honestly, who are empowered by teachers, who have the task of raising them up responsibly, and you see these young people learning about something, and then taking action, taking action where they're leading with both their hearts and their brains.

And I think when you see that, while the Holocaust is absolutely an element of the film, you'll see why I say it's not really a film about the Holocaust.

KAGAN: All right. And real quickly in our last 10 seconds, where can we see it?

FAB: Right now, you can see it in New York, L.A. and Washington D.C. It opens December the 17th in Boston. And in the coming months, it's going to be rolled out all across the country.

KAGAN: We will look for it, and we wish you well.

FAB: Thank you very much.

KAGAN: Joe Fab, the movie is called "Paper Clips." Thanks for stopping by.

FAB: Thanks.

SANCHEZ: OK, you're absolutely right, it was worth teasing that many times.

KAGAN: I told you, as we kept talking about it.

SANCHEZ: It's fascinating, from paper clips to be able to tell a story that way.

Well, we're going to be right back, and obviously, we're going to be following the very latest on the president's trip to Canada and all that goes along with it. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: We are going to be the following the latest here on CNN as we follow the big stories. Obviously the big story today is going to be the president's trip to Canada. There you just moments ago as the president and the first lady were deplaning. They're going to be meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin.

KAGAN: Also, our technology correspondent Daniel Sieberg is back. He's going to be explaining how you can enjoy the comforts of life while leaving your wallet at home.

The second hour of CNN LIVE TODAY begins, right after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com


Aired November 30, 2004 - 10:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We're also going to tell you why efforts to improve security on the Ambassador Bridge are running into some major roadblocks.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Also some people collect stamps, some collect other things. But it's the collection of paper clips that taught students at one particular school a valuable lesson.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: I want to show you live pictures from Ottawa, Canada. Air Force One just arriving there. President Bush onboard. This will be the first state visit by a U.S. president in over 10 years. Not expected to be entirely warm and welcoming. A lot of controversy surrounding the president, at least from a Canadian perspective. We'll have more on the president's visit just ahead.

SANCHEZ: Now in the news, other stories that we're following for you. November could become the deadliest month for U.S. forces in Iraq. At least 134 Americans died this month according to the official tally released yesterday. That's just one fatality shy of April's death toll, which remains the highest thus far in the conflict.

More than 300 people have died in the Philippines, this after a storm unleashed flash flooding and landslides. At least 150 are missing. That death toll is likely to climb as the water recedes, and rescue crews reach isolated areas. The country's also bracing for yet another powerful storm there.

This is the day that Floridians and many coastal residents have longed for. It is the last official day of the Atlantic hurricane season, and boy, what a hurricane season it was. The Sunshine State was hammered four times in two months, in what became a historic summer. Today Governor Jeb Bush is going to visit storm-battered communities to thank volunteers for all their work and helping people there cope.

And at the top of the hour, the scope of women's athletic rights goes before the U.S. Supreme Court. At issue, an Alabama high school coach who lost his job after demanding that his girl's team has the same quality of facilities as the boys do. He's arguing that the same Title IX law that assures equal treatment between genders also applies to the protection of his job.

As we are showing you live pictures, there we go again, President Bush has just arrived in Canada on the first official trip there of his administration. Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin has expressed a desire to improve relations with the U.S., which have cooled over trading issues and the Iraq war. They will discuss those issues. Also the two leaders will talk about border security. Speaking of that, reverse inspections are seen as a major way to protect a U.S./Canadian border crossing in the post-9/11 world.

But our Jeanne Meserve reports, there are roadblocks to implementing that plan.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A herd of tractor trailers thunders across the Ambassador Bridge, more than 12,000 every day, and none are inspected until after they cross.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We compare it to having your luggage inspected after you get off the airplane.

MESERVE: The Ambassador Bridge is about as critical a piece of infrastructure as exists anywhere. This one bridge, spanning the U.S./Canadian border between Detroit, Michigan and Windsor, Ontario, carries one quarter of the trade between the two countries.

It was constructed to last, and has for 75 years. Bringing it down would be difficult. But just making it impassable could be economically devastating. The auto industry relies on the bridge to transport parts just in time for use on the production line. And even the heightened security after 9/11 had a profound effect.

MARGARET IRWIN, AMERICAN TRUCKING ASSOCIATIONS: Post-September 11, the economy was almost shut down at the northern border. I know some of the big five auto manufacturers had to shut down lines, cost them millions of dollars, because trucks couldn't make it over the bridges.

MESERVE: Given the economic stakes and the limited options for rerouting truck traffic, there is widespread agreement that the bridge would be more secure if customs inspections were reversed. The U.S. would check out trucks on the Canadian side before they crossed the bridge, and vice versa.

(on camera): The idea of swapping the customs stations around has been discussed since 9/11. But more than three years later, nothing has been done.

(voice-over): There has been and continues to be a lot of talk between U.S. and Canadian officials.

ROY CULLEN, PARLIAMENT SECRETARY: This is not, you know, all straight-ahead stuff. There's some complex issues there.

MESERVE: U.S. customs officers have greater powers to search, inspect, and arrest than their Canadian counterparts, and the Americans carry guns. If they were to operate on Canadian soil, they would have to adhere to Canadian law, potentially weakening their authority.

One example...

ASA HUTCHINSON, UNDERSECY. OF HOMELAND SECURITY: If you had someone that you identified as a suspicious terrorist, that would come in to the reverse-inspection area, and you identified them for arrest and they say we change our mind and we want to turn around and leave, U.S. authorities would not have the capability to hold them at that point.

MESERVE: Officials of the U.S. and Canada say they are in serious negotiations about synchronizing laws, or even swapping small pieces of territory on either side of the bridge.

But supporters of reverse inspections point to the Chunnel, where the French and British currently practice reverse inspections, and to some Canadian airports where U.S. customs already preclears passengers, and they suggest if there was truly political will, a way already would have been found.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It hasn't happened. And that's the bottom line, it's just hasn't happened.

MESERVE: And no one on the U.S. or Canadian side can say when, or if, it will. So the trucks keep rolling across the bridge, uninspected.

Jeanne Meserve, CNN, on the U.S./Canadian border.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: Let's talk more now about the state of U.S./Canadian border security, which has also been a bit of a sticking issue. Just about everything between the U.S. and Canada these days has. Stephen Flynn is an expert on homeland security and border patrol. He's the author of "America the Vulnerable." That's what the book looks like. The retired Coast Guard commander is joining us now from Washington.

So let's get right to the chase on this one. How vulnerable are we when it comes to that huge border between our country and Canada?

CMDR. STEPHEN FLYNN (RET.), AUTHOR, "AMERICA THE VULNERABLE": Well, the real issue is North America as a continent is very vulnerable. Of course we have the longest unprotected border, undefended border in the world, on the U.S./Canadian border. It's about 5,000 miles. About a third of it is water. Obviously the Great Lakes, and rivers and the canals that tie us together in the northeastern part of the country.

But the challenge is sort of magnified by the fact that most of the economic activity comes across just six border crossings.

SANCHEZ: You know what's interesting, let me just stop you real quick, because you say North America is vulnerable. But part of the problem is that the Canadians don't think they're quite as vulnerable as the Americans or the residents of the United States do. In fact, it's more of an effort on the part of folks here in the United States to try to convince the Canadians, look, we need your help on this, isn't it?

FLYNN: Well, it's certainly true probably to say that the Canadians view the world much like we did prior to 9/11.

SANCHEZ: Yes, but they weren't hit.

FLYNN: They weren't hit, and just like we were hit multiple times, but not here in our territory before 9/11, it was very difficult to get Americans to come to grips with our own vulnerability. The Canadians are a bit -- a phase behind.

But what's critical is that we need the cooperation. And that's why I think the trip -- by the president's trip to Ottawa is very important, with a new prime minister up there, Paul Martin. Most of the efforts at the border have been looking at ways in which we can throw things beyond the border, like in our story just in advance of me about reversal before the bridge. But ideally, even starting further back.

One critical area is to look at seaports, because there are very few made-in-Canada threats. Most of it is, our own automobile industry on the Canadian side and the U.S. side. And Canadians and Americans, of course, have been moving across that border throughout both our collective histories. So the challenge is to police things that arrive on the continent in a (INAUDIBLE) Hoover and Halifax, where the president is going tomorrow.

SANCHEZ: Yes, commander, we should just interrupt you for a moment just to let you know that the first lady and the president have indeed just arrived. They're deplaning as we speak. They're going to be met by the governor-general there and her husband.

And you're right, one of the key issues -- there we see the governor-general of Ottawa -- one of the key issues is in fact, trying to get this, I guess you could call it compliance with some of the folks in Canada. But it's interesting that you're saying it's not at the border. The problem starts before you get to the border. In other words, someone who's going to try and hurt the United States, and wants to do it through Canada, would likely have to first come in through Canada, through either airport or a seaport, and you're saying that's where the problem is?

FLYNN: Well, that's where we should put a bulk of our effort, to try to do it on the 49th parallel is a bit of a reach. You know, Most of it is trees and water. And again, at the points where a lot of economic activity is coming across, we want to protect both that as well as our safety and security. So if we can go further upstream, because doing it at the base of the Ambassador Bridge is like trying to catch minnows at the base of Niagara Falls. It's almost too late at that stage, and we want to start much further up, and that means that more cooperation with the Canadians on sharing information, on agreement about how we're going to handle immigration issues and so forth. These are really critical, more so than physical controls at the border. The border is important, but we need to be looking beyond that.

SANCHEZ: I didn't mean to interrupt, but I just sat here and watched at the dignitaries that are accompanying the president, and he has some high-ranking cabinet officials. We weren't quite aware that Condoleezza Rice, for example, Colin Powell making the trip with the president, as well. Could one say that that speaks to just how important this trip is for the president, or at least what he wants to signal to the Canadians?

FLYNN: You know, Americans take Canada for granted. It is our most important trade relationship. We spent -- we do more trade with the Canadian -- with Canada than with the entire European Union combined. So this is a very important country for us. A lot of our livelihood is tied to the infrastructure that ties us together, for instance energy. Most of the power that lights up the Northeast is generated in Quebec. Most of the power that is generated in the West Coast comes from natural gas piped down from the western provinces of Canada. This is a very important relationship, and we've obviously been close neighbors for a long time and friendly neighbors, and these trips are very important to solidify that relationship.

SANCHEZ: Sounds like we've got some work to do. Commander Stephen Flynn, it's very kind of you, sir, to join us and share your expertise on this area.

FLYNN: Thank you for having me.

SANCHEZ: Boy, there's a lot that we can talk about there. The president, we understand, is going to be going to a hangar now. Not really to have a ceremony. The big ceremony is going to be when he goes over to the parliament, although he's not going to speak at the House of Commons.

KAGAN: Can't have that, because they get a little raucous there, as former President Reagan could have told you.

We have a fascinating school project that has become a film to tell you about. Even former President Bush has participated in this project.

SANCHEZ: Yes, never mind the pens and the paper. It's the paper clips that helped to get the message across here. We're going to explain this small school project that went nationwide, coming up.

KAGAN: Plus more fallout about Vioxx? Is drugmaker Merck now a takeover target? We'll have a live report from the New York Stock Exchange, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

SANCHEZ: If you're caring for a disabled child, or an elderly parent or are going through a divorce or job loss, you're likely to be a bit stressed out. That would certainly be understandable. But now for the first time, research shows a link between stress and aging. Researchers inspected the DNA of young and middle-aged mothers caring for children with a chronic disorder. Those mothers were, genetically speaking, about 10 years older than women who didn't share similar experiences.

Also brain scans may be one day used to question suspects in high-profile cases. Researchers say that MRI screening shows the brains of liars look very different from truth-tellers, honest people. The study found it took more brain activity to tell a lie than it does, or did in the study, to tell the truth.

KAGAN: See that? Lies beget lies.

SANCHEZ: Our moms were right.

KAGAN: Absolutely. Tell the truth.

A big history lesson to tell you about. One small town, one school there was up for the challenge.

SANCHEZ: Yes, still to come, we talked to a student and a director of a film that shows how collecting millions of paper clips made all the difference.

Boy, we've been teasing this one an awful lot. It better be good.

KAGAN: It is good.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 25,000 pieces of mail.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Something's going on over here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have some from Tom Hanks, Bill Cosby, former President Bush.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Paper clips just coming in by the millions.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're all addressed to "Ann."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Now we have the story of a small town and a school on a big mission. Whitwell, Tennessee has 1,600 residents, two stop lights, one motel, and it was in this town, outside of Chattanooga, that barbarism and six million murders became real. A local history teacher suggesting that students collect six million paper clips, one for each victim of the Holocaust. It would also teach tolerance in a high school that had no Jews or Catholics, and only about a half-dozen minority students.

Joe Fab has chronicled this journey as writer and director of the movie and producer of "Paper Clips." We also, we want to say, we were going to have one of the students, Casey Conger (ph), with us, but a little problem with getting that live shot out of Chattanooga.

So, Casey, if you're watching, we feel you here in spirit.

Joe, good morning. Glad to have you here with us.

JOE FAB, WRITER/PRODUCER, "PAPER CLIPS": Good morning, Daryn. Glad to be here.

KAGAN: Let's start with the story. This is a town, this is probably the least likely town you would expect this type of project to take place. As a was explaining, not a lot of diversity in this little town.

FAB: That's true. And many people have said that it's an unlikely place for something like what happened there to happen. But I want to differ with that a little bit.

KAGAN: OK.

FAB: Because once you visit Whitwell or you meet the people there through the film, I think you'd agree that what they're doing is they're living the values that they profess to believe in. And if you do live those values, you would do just what they do.

KAGAN: Now, why "Paper Clips" of all the things to collect?

FAB: Well, when the students in Whitwell began to study the Holocaust, of course they learned very quickly that Hitler had murdered six million Jews. And like anybody, like me, for sure, and you probably, when they first heard that, they reacted to the number six million as an unfathomable figure. And they couldn't visualize what that meant. And they really wanted to appreciate the enormity of the crime.

So the students are very resourceful and they instantly thought, well, maybe we could collect 6 million of something, in one place, and then we would understand how big a horror this was. Paper clips came about, because they did some research on the Internet, and they found out that the paper clip was invented in Norway, and that during the war, many Norwegians wore paper clips on their lapels as a sort of silent protest to what Hitler and the Nazis were doing. So paper clips became the perfect symbol and the perfect way to be able to visualize what had happened.

KAGAN: And energize this project. As these paper clips and letters started getting sent in from across the country, across the world, a lot of famous people, the pictures we just saw, though, some of the most impactful parts of this project, it also brought Holocaust survivors to this small town in Tennessee to tell their story.

FAB: It's true, yes. Actually that was one of the very first things that we filmed. And to see these children, 12, 13, 14 years old, who really were approaching learning about something they didn't know about with very open hearts and open minds, to see them meet survivors and listen to their stories, and then come to identify with them was just, you know, an exceptional thing to get to experience as a filmmaker. And we're hoping that we bring that effectively to audiences.

KAGAN: And let me ask you a question as a filmmaker. Another project about the Holocaust. With all due respect to the seriousness and importance of this topic, there have been a lot of movies and a lot of documentaries already done about the Holocaust. So why another? And why do you hope people will come with fresh minds?

FAB: Well, it's a perfectly understandable reaction. And I might have had it, too. But what I say to people, and what a lot of critics who've written about the film have said, is that it's a Holocaust film that's not really about the Holocaust. You'll see very little, very little archival footage or photographs from the Holocaust. What you're going to see is the coming together of cultures. You're going to see something that the critic in the "L.A. Times" said was something we need to see. That is you see young people who approach something honestly, who are empowered by teachers, who have the task of raising them up responsibly, and you see these young people learning about something, and then taking action, taking action where they're leading with both their hearts and their brains.

And I think when you see that, while the Holocaust is absolutely an element of the film, you'll see why I say it's not really a film about the Holocaust.

KAGAN: All right. And real quickly in our last 10 seconds, where can we see it?

FAB: Right now, you can see it in New York, L.A. and Washington D.C. It opens December the 17th in Boston. And in the coming months, it's going to be rolled out all across the country.

KAGAN: We will look for it, and we wish you well.

FAB: Thank you very much.

KAGAN: Joe Fab, the movie is called "Paper Clips." Thanks for stopping by.

FAB: Thanks.

SANCHEZ: OK, you're absolutely right, it was worth teasing that many times.

KAGAN: I told you, as we kept talking about it.

SANCHEZ: It's fascinating, from paper clips to be able to tell a story that way.

Well, we're going to be right back, and obviously, we're going to be following the very latest on the president's trip to Canada and all that goes along with it. Stay with us.

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SANCHEZ: We are going to be the following the latest here on CNN as we follow the big stories. Obviously the big story today is going to be the president's trip to Canada. There you just moments ago as the president and the first lady were deplaning. They're going to be meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin.

KAGAN: Also, our technology correspondent Daniel Sieberg is back. He's going to be explaining how you can enjoy the comforts of life while leaving your wallet at home.

The second hour of CNN LIVE TODAY begins, right after a quick break.

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