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almostwittySo the UK stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the US against pretty much everyone else in launching a doomed war against Iraq, which sends Tony Blair out of office, potentially Gordon Brown with him and ushering in the Tories at the next general election ... and what does the UK get in return?
All European visitors to be forced to register with the Department of Homeland Security 72 hours before entering the United States on a visa-waiver system.
Erm... surely, the whole POINT of a visa-waiver system is so that you don't have to do bureaucratic things like registration, retinal scans, fingerprint IDs and all that?
It's the equivalent of asking your neighbour to help you burgular-proof your place, then thanking him and demanding that your neighbour registers with you three days before the next time he wants to visit.
I'd like to think Obama would change this when he gets into office. But he won't.
Ever wonder why we get the feeling that Bush/NASA's plans for a Mars colony aren't about exploration, but about setting up Planet America? ;)
All European visitors to be forced to register with the Department of Homeland Security 72 hours before entering the United States on a visa-waiver system.
Erm... surely, the whole POINT of a visa-waiver system is so that you don't have to do bureaucratic things like registration, retinal scans, fingerprint IDs and all that?
It's the equivalent of asking your neighbour to help you burgular-proof your place, then thanking him and demanding that your neighbour registers with you three days before the next time he wants to visit.
I'd like to think Obama would change this when he gets into office. But he won't.
Ever wonder why we get the feeling that Bush/NASA's plans for a Mars colony aren't about exploration, but about setting up Planet America? ;)
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Date: 2008-06-15 10:51 pm (UTC)And erm... yes, other countries have had years of experience in dealing with terrorists. The UK for instance, which had 20 years of Irish citizens being suspected for terrorist activities. Not once, in those 20 years, did they ask Irish citizens to pre-register before visiting the United Kingdom. And there's only a land border between them.
Your leaders, btw, have now mandated that all new passports must have electronic tags before people are allowed entry into the United States. Tags which carry personal biometric data UNENCRYPTED so that anyone with off-the-shelf equipment can read said data. Hell, my London Oyster card is more secure.