The U.S. House of Representatives on Friday, following a Senate committee endorsing a similar measure (so that whole body likely will follow), overwhelmingly (379-45) approved a 17-month delay in mandating U.S. citizens showing their passports when flying back from Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. (“Congress passports” as key words for your news search will focus faster than “boneheads at it again.”)<\/p>\n
It’s a security measure, proposed shortly after the 9\/11\/01 terror attacks. It’s in stages; passports were to next be required in ground and water travel. All security experts back this, George the Second endorses it and logic requires it, too.<\/p>\n
But Congress heard complaints. This is the same Congress that by a great majority passed the USA PATRIOT Act, which curtails the freedoms and rights of all Americans, including some guaranteed in the Constitution and Bill of Rights. Few legal battles against it have yet reached the Supreme Court. By smaller yet decisive majorities, both houses since have renewed this package of restrictions. Well, the CIA and FBI are not restricted; they’re encouraged even in cases that have nothing to do with terrorism.<\/p>\n
This is the same Congress that in the recent weeks reviewed a compromise in immigration legislation, backed both by the president and, well, Ted Kennedy. And this Congress tabled it, due to outcry by extremists of both parties. Who could be to the right of Bush and left of Kennedy? Enough, apparently.<\/p>\n
Only travelers are irritated by the passport tightening. Because this measure has been six years in the making, we who are lucky enough to travel, or hope we might travel, have had time. In fact, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has been publicizing this for a good year.<\/p>\n
My Beloved and I took heed. Early in 2006, I headed to the Fayetteville Post Office on Dickson Street with my long-expired passport, and took care of it. Late in the year, M.B. renewed hers. It was to expire in 2007, but all the info was about how busy and backed up the system would be this year. We plan no foreign travel until 2008 maybe, but a valid passport’s good for 10 years.<\/p>\n
And lo, it came to pass. Port.<\/p>\n
Business and pleasure travelers have the means to not be idiots. Sure, there are hardship cases and emergencies, but the State Department, which handles passports, has a rush-priority system. It’s complicated and expensive, but it exists. Or, whine to your congressman.<\/p>\n
By extending the no-passport needed to fly in from nearby allied countries, we continue to keep wide a gap by which terrorists can waltz right in. Congress in the Patriot Act indicates it doesn’t like terrorists, or citizens joking into their cell phones. Congress by rejecting a leadership-endorsed illegal alien bill that both restricts immigration and allows a needed work force to continue, indicates fear of its own fringes.<\/p>\n
In 2006 we should’ve thrown out all the incumbents. We dumped a number, but next in November 2008, let’s remove the rest. If a name on your ballot already is preceded by “Rep.” or “Sen.” vote for another. Here’s another idea: Get a valid passport by the non-rush method. It’s not expensive that way. You may want it by the time it arrives. -30-<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The U.S. House of Representatives on Friday, following a Senate committee endorsing a similar measure (so that whole body likely will follow), overwhelmingly (379-45) approved a 17-month delay in mandating U.S. citizens showing their passports when flying back from Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. (“Congress passports” as key words for your news search will focus […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-323","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news-spin"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5487,"url":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2016\/11\/cloakroom-talk\/","url_meta":{"origin":323,"position":0},"title":"Cloakroom Talk","author":"Ben S. Pollock","date":"November 4, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Endorsing Conner Eldridge for U.S. Senate Let's leave the 2016 presidential race a moment. It'll continue without us. Let's consider Congress. From an Arkansas view. The Republican Party has had majorities in the House and Senate the last two years. The party has worked hard to oppose most of the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "American Culture"","block_context":{"text":"American Culture","link":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/category\/american-culture\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Conner Eldridge","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/Conner-Eldridge-240x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4018,"url":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2012\/12\/pentagon-toilet-seats-coming-to-a-head-in-2012\/","url_meta":{"origin":323,"position":1},"title":"Pentagon Toilet Seats: Coming to a Head in 2012?","author":"Ben S. Pollock","date":"December 12, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"It's been a lot of years since talk of military excess rose up. Pentagon overspending once was a talking point every bit as common as welfare, Social Security, crime and abortion rights. We know what happened, 9\/11. It may not have been that the U.S. military could do no wrong\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News, Spin"","block_context":{"text":"News, Spin","link":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/category\/news-spin\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":238,"url":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2006\/10\/paging-powerless-parents-vs-congress\/","url_meta":{"origin":323,"position":2},"title":"Paging powerless parents vs. Congress","author":"Ben S. Pollock","date":"October 7, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"The state of children today, declaims the curmudgeon. Here's a clue from a recent outdoor wedding. Any more details, and some people will know where I was and who I mean. The bride and her mother arranged for flower petals to be spread down the middle of the center aisle\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "American Culture"","block_context":{"text":"American Culture","link":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/category\/american-culture\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3796,"url":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2012\/06\/its-health-care-still\/","url_meta":{"origin":323,"position":3},"title":"It’s Health Care, Still","author":"Ben S. Pollock","date":"June 28, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Today's Supreme Court decision that affirms most aspects of the 2010 Affordable Care Act has two main positives -- besides the obvious, setting up universal, fairly priced health insurance for Americans. The first is more micro: The worker is not as enslaved to his job now. Over the last four\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News, Spin"","block_context":{"text":"News, Spin","link":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/category\/news-spin\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Carville's rules for '92 Clinton Campaign: Change, Economy, Health care","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Carville-rules-300x230.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":396,"url":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2008\/01\/an-endorsement-iowa\/","url_meta":{"origin":323,"position":4},"title":"An Endorsement, Iowa","author":"Ben S. Pollock","date":"January 3, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Dear Iowa: I know you a little. I've been visiting almost every year since 1991. You house my in-laws. A lot in common with Arkansas: Mainly rural. Your shape. A prominent capital city instead of a tucked-away one like Jeff City or Austin (that's a little joke). You held on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News, Spin"","block_context":{"text":"News, Spin","link":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/category\/news-spin\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":129,"url":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2005\/07\/cant-get-no-supreme-court-action\/","url_meta":{"origin":323,"position":5},"title":"Can’t get no (Supreme Court action)","author":"Ben S. Pollock","date":"July 21, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"Copyright 2005 Ben S. Pollock Thursday, July 21, 2005. When we say the president names a nominee who then gets the appointment following the advice and consent of the Senate, we mean everyone from the Cabinet and a few top Executive Branch positions to all the federal judges. So far\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News, Spin"","block_context":{"text":"News, Spin","link":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/category\/news-spin\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/323","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=323"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/323\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=323"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=323"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=323"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}