Passport law

[rajdet]

I have not been to Point Pelee National Park yet this year and I miss it. I miss gravy on my french fries and milk in a bag! Because of the new law that requires a US passport or special license to enter the US from Canada, I don’t visit our friends south of the border in Windsor much anymore. I have owned a passport for many years but most of my family and friends do not. Who wants to spend a Sunday afternoon on the beach alone? So gone are those Sunday afternoon visits to one of the most remarkable parks on the planet, or Thursday night Hamilton Tiger Cat football games or even the quick trip to Windsor of the best dim sum this side of Hong Kong. I have always lived on the US / Canadian border and my roots run deep on both sides. I spent entire summers as a kid in Ontario on Lake Erie. I understand that since 911 things have changed, but I consider Ontario as much home as I do Michigan. Please excuse the rant but I miss my damned coffee crisp!

[Gannon]

Things have become Orwell's 1984 since that small faction of evildoers delivered that fateful day...and then they went and hyped the rest of government into a frenzy against regular citizenry who would NEVER have acquiesced to such non-sense outside the traumatization delivered by those hidden by Top Secret clearance.


Damn shame that we let it happen...and it is a larger damned shame that we sit here and continue to let it affect us so horribly.


Over an imagined scare and falsified invisible but continual threat that WE HAVE NO PROOF EXISTS!

What have we become? Slaves in our own homes for NO reason whatsoever.


Awaiting the backlash in 5-4-3-2-...

[gazhekwe]

I agree, when we imprison ourselves like this, the terrorists win.

[aoife]

Seriously? Just get a passport.

It is no Orwellian nightmare- everyone else in the world has to carry papers to travel. What makes Americans so special that they should not have to as well?

[Andrew in Windsor]

It is no Orwellian nightmare- everyone else in the world has to carry papers to travel.

Well you can go from Germany into Poland without one, and Germany invaded Poland in 1939.

Meanwhile Canada and the US haven't had altercations since 1814.

Makes sense to me. Not everyone else has to carry one, but then again, not everyone gave up their rights with the specter of "terrorism". P.A.T.R.I.O.T. act anyone?

[econ expat]

Things have become Orwell's 1984 since that small faction of evildoers delivered that fateful day...and then they went and hyped the rest of government into a frenzy against regular citizenry who would NEVER have acquiesced to such non-sense outside the traumatization delivered by those hidden by Top Secret clearance.


Damn shame that we let it happen...and it is a larger damned shame that we sit here and continue to let it affect us so horribly.


Over an imagined scare and falsified invisible but continual threat that WE HAVE NO PROOF EXISTS!

What have we become? Slaves in our own homes for NO reason whatsoever.


Awaiting the backlash in 5-4-3-2-...

No backlash in this post.

"We will not as a nation allow the actions of a few to change our way of life in any way"
Who said that,or something similar, sometime around 9-12-2001?



I have no fear of plane crashes. But adding a couple hours each way to get through security and planning luggage that will be allowable, then taking shoes off so the genius Homeland security folks can see if I have holes in the socks maybe... No thanks. I avoid air travel now, and many others do as well now.
So much for the rebuttal " If you have nothing to hide, what's the problem?"

And, sure I can get a passport, but I do not see that as a step forward in our security and resent losing some of the trustworthiness we once had and the ability for all of us to cross the friendly border to Canada.

Sheesh, the terrorists pretty much overtook those planes bare handed, and if determined, what would REALLY stop that from happening again? Looking at our shoes? Gimme a break.Tube of toothpaste? right.

And every day there's illegal aliens found with passports obtained illegaly.

[Ray1936]

Since we went to war with Ohio over the Toledo strip, I think passports should be required of Ohio citizens desiring entry into Michigan. Other than that, it does seem like a superfluous burden for the Canadian border.

[Bobl]

No backlash here, either.

"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both." - Benjamin Franklin

Now, can any member of this forum explain how the requirement for secure ID makes us any safer? Do you think the "evil doers" will be stopped? Will they not simply forge or purchase forged documents?

Has anyone had bad experiences with TSA at airports? Our last straw happened on a trip to Las Vegas a few years ago. When we opened our bags at the motel, we were greeted with a horrible odor. Someone had broken bottles of perfume and nail polish remover at the necks, then placed them on top of the clothing inside. It was so bad that we bagged everything into trash bags and took a few items of clothing to the cleaners. The staff at the motel was great, and gave us another room and offered laundry service for washables.
We assume that an airport employee had a bad day, and we were at the wrong place/time.
TSA made us feel like criminals when we informed them politely and asked them to investigate. Wasn't the TSA rationalized as a more professional replacement for security guards who were poorly paid and had low morale?

[milesdriven]

Since we went to war with Ohio over the Toledo strip, I think passports should be required of Ohio citizens desiring entry into Michigan. Other than that, it does seem like a superfluous burden for the Canadian border.

I have to disagree, I had to move to Toledo to find a job!

[aoife]

Well you can go from Germany into Poland without one, and Germany invaded Poland in 1939.

Meanwhile Canada and the US haven't had altercations since 1814.

Makes sense to me. Not everyone else has to carry one, but then again, not everyone gave up their rights with the specter of "terrorism". P.A.T.R.I.O.T. act anyone?

What do former wars have to do with anything?

People who live in the EU don't have to carry passports within the EU countries because the countries boundaries are treated pretty much like state lines. The countries are bound by legal agreement, therefore they enjoy certain benefits, like travelling freely, working in other countries, etc. Members of the EU use passports when travelling to countries outside of the EU. If we entered into a formal North American Union with Canada then I would expect we can travel without passports.

Frankly I feel more secure carrying a passport over to Canada rather than my birth certificate- you are really screwed if you lose that document, but passports are easily replaced.

[Nanska]

If you miss yr. Coffee Crisp so darn much just go and get a passport !!! I have one, lots of other people have one, so just get one already. Join the rest of use who travel a lot both for work and pleasure and fill out the paperwork. It really is not all that hard to do. And then you can enjoy yr. Coffee Crisps again.

[rajdet]

If you miss yr. Coffee Crisp so darn much just go and get a passport !!! I have one, lots of other people have one, so just get one already. Join the rest of use who travel a lot both for work and pleasure and fill out the paperwork. It really is not all that hard to do. And then you can enjoy yr. Coffee Crisps again.

You've either misread or misunderstood my post. I have owned a passport since the early 80's. I do have family, friends, and neighbors who do not own one. My original point is that I cannot invite some friends and family to cross the border on a whim.

[gazhekwe]

I have no objection to having a passport either. I do object to requiring a passport to cross a border where there have been no problems identified. Better to spend the money on import inspection.

[Axle]

just go and get a passport !!! I have one, lots of other people have one, so just get one already.

Its not just about 'getting a passport', its the added costs and hassle to get one after having decades of regular issue ID being sufficient for the same purpose. Just another cash cow to milk for both governments.

Fortunately we also have the choice of an enhanced drivers license here in Ontario so that takes some of the pain out of it, but not the hassle. I will still need to go to an office that is located in a place with terrible/limited parking, and the very same documents I used in the past to cross the border are the same ones that are good enough to prove who I am for the new document.
Whats the net result? Nothing, just my wallet being lighter, and time lost at work to go to either of the two offices. [[Pet Peeve: Why don't they locate these busy offices in strip malls where parking is ample and nearby? Nooooo they always need to stuff them in some tiny downtown office building that has exhorbidant parking rates, extremely limited streetside parking, or another public lot that requires a long walk...)

Alex.

[eriedearie]

Its not just about 'getting a passport', its the added costs and hassle to get one after having decades of regular issue ID being sufficient for the same purpose. Just another cash cow to milk for both governments.

Fortunately we also have the choice of an enhanced drivers license here in Ontario so that takes some of the pain out of it, but not the hassle. I will still need to go to an office that is located in a place with terrible/limited parking, and the very same documents I used in the past to cross the border are the same ones that are good enough to prove who I am for the new document.
Whats the net result? Nothing, just my wallet being lighter, and time lost at work to go to either of the two offices. [[Pet Peeve: Why don't they locate these busy offices in strip malls where parking is ample and nearby? Nooooo they always need to stuff them in some tiny downtown office building that has exhorbidant parking rates, extremely limited streetside parking, or another public lot that requires a long walk...)

Alex.

I could not have said it any better! Cash cow. That's what this is. Like the governments don't get enough of our hard earned cash one way or the other - now they've thought up just another way to grab it!

I've got my passport card. Now the problem lies with getting my relatives to each get one so they can come and visit us on the Canadian side of the border! It's kinda hard to do with so many of them now that don't even have jobs. They're thinking is...do we spend some money from the unemployment check on a passport card or do we get to --- oh, maybe eat this week!

All of it is just an unnecessary hassle for so many.

[Downtown diva]

in my frequent trips to canada, I have noticed that carryong my passport is really a hassle....

it just isnt convenient for me to carry it every time I cross over...

[rajdet]

I could not have said it any better! Cash cow. That's what this is. Like the governments don't get enough of our hard earned cash one way or the other - now they've thought up just another way to grab it!

I've got my passport card. Now the problem lies with getting my relatives to each get one so they can come and visit us on the Canadian side of the border! It's kinda hard to do with so many of them now that don't even have jobs. They're thinking is...do we spend some money from the unemployment check on a passport card or do we get to --- oh, maybe eat this week!

All of it is just an unnecessary hassle for so many.

You are both right I guess, it's all really just about loonies and cents, pardon the pun. The irony is that it shrinks both economies.

[eriedearie]

Oh yeah Rajdet - I meant to add - Coffee Crisp - we always bring those to my niece and nephew when we visit them in Troy! Those are their favorites too!

[rajdet]

..........

[aoife]

..........

FYI - You can get Coffee Crisps at the Barnes and Noble at Warren and Cass if you need somewhere closer. Those things are gifts of the gods.

[edgewood]

I got one of the new cards, and I applied for it very early. It would seem that the government likes to mandate certain things long before they themselves can actually follow through on their end. I did get the passport card, eventually, but it was delayed almost 6 months after I paid for it.

[MCP-001]

As mentioned above, the passport law [["enhanced" I.D.) is nothing more than a money grab from Washington under the guise of "safety", partially due largely to ignorance on Washington's part.

Don't forget, even though residents have been traveling back and forth from Detroit to Windsor w/o incident for over a century, our inept Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano claimed that Canada was a hotbed of terrorist activity, until she was later corrected by the Canadian Ambassador.

Maybe if President Obama was to enact some worthwhile "change", he can start by abolishing the WHTI.

[oladub]

Bush's plan failed. Baby is allowed into US from Canada without a passport.

"A critically-ill premature-born baby from Hamilton is all alone in a Buffalo, N.Y., hospital after she was turned away for treatment at local facility and transferred across the border without her parents, who don’t have passports.

Ava Stinson was born Thursday at St. Joseph’s Hospital, 14 weeks premature.
A provincewide search for an open neonatal intensive care unit bed came up empty, leaving no choice but to send the two pound, four ounce baby to Buffalo.
Her parents Natalie Paquette and Richard Stinson couldn’t follow their child because as of June 1, a passport is required to cross the border into the United States.

They’re having to approve medical procedures over the phone and are terrified something will happen to their baby before they get there." http://hotair.com/archives/2009/06/2...for-treatment/

[eriedearie]

Now this is just damned asinine! Surely there can be an exception made for these worried parents.

After all, it's not like this happens every single day. This is a special circumstance.

I hope something gets worked out for this family. I would not be able to hold myself together if that was my child.

Damn the government red tape - let those parents cross the border!

[Bearinabox]

[[Pet Peeve: Why don't they locate these busy offices in strip malls where parking is ample and nearby? Nooooo they always need to stuff them in some tiny downtown office building that has exhorbidant parking rates, extremely limited streetside parking, or another public lot that requires a long walk...)

Yeah, God forbid they actually put anything in the city. Don't they realize that absolutely everyone on the face of the earth has a car, drives everywhere, and would rather be slow-roasted on a spit than lug their fat ass two blocks down the street?