There has to be a better way of identifying threats.
Dana
>tell me about it. A cousin in law couldn't come visit me in DC from India
>last summer. I even had a letter sent and faxed asking that she be allowed
>to come, from my U.S. Representative's Office to the U.S. Immigration office
>in New Delhi. They refused her because apparently there is no guarantee
>that she wasn't coming to find a husband. She was a 19 year old college
>student, had all financial, friends, and family ties in India, is enrolled
>in a University in India, already had the return ticket booked, and only
>wanted a 2 week tourist visa (plus she had letters from myself, her parents,
>and a U.S. Congressman). Not what I'd call a likely candidate to be flying
>into the States to marry the first willing American she can find. The U.S.
>basically uses the visa application process as a way for embassies to make a
>lot of money without actually letting anyone into the country. Her parents
>spent the equivallent of a small fortune at the embassy - and for nothing.
>It made me sick... and ashamed to be an American quite honestly.
>
>On my next visit to India, which should be sometime soon, I have every
>intention of paying a visit of my own to the U.S. embassy. They appear to
>be as corrupt, if not more so, than Indian government officials. I'd like
>to see what they have to say for themselves when I, a U.S. Citizen, walks
>into their office and demand an explanation and an apology for the
>"unAmerican" way they treated my cousin. I will bring a small notepad, take
>names from every person I speak to, and make it very clear that if they
>think that they are untouchable just because they're stationed in a country
>5,000 miles away from Washington and where people expect corruption when
>dealing with local government officials, they're sadly mistaken.
>
>~Simon
>Simon Horwith
>CTO, Etrilogy Ltd.
>Member of Team Macromedia
>Macromedia Certified Instructor
>Certified Advanced ColdFusion MX Developer
>Certified Flash MX Developer
>CFDJList - List Administrator
>http://www.how2cf.com/
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: dana tierney [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Sent: 05 January 2004 11:01
> To: CF-Community
> Subject: Re:Americans fingerprinted at Brazil airport
>
>
> I was particularly looking at this as I am expecting a visit from a family
>member.
>
> Note to Big Brother: He is Canadian and we are very peaceful people who
>pose no threat to the security of the US.
>
> But how would they know this? He seems to be exempt from the
>fingerprinting and picture taking. Seems to me they are assuming that
>Europeans, Canadians and Mexicans pose no threat. Which may well be true,
>except that assuming the reality of a well-financed network then surely
>sleeper cells are possible? And sleeper agents can apply for new
>citizenships. So...
>
> It seems to boil down to skin color. What struck me in the stories about
>the flight cancellations over the holidays -- apart from the five year old
>boy and the Welsh Insurance agent -- was the interrogation of a woman who
>"appeared to be" Middle Eastern, who was repeatedly asked why she was
>traveling without her husband. What an offensive question. Maybe - because
>she *can*???
>
> But, you know. This all reminds me of Dec 31 1999. I was on the Mall in
>Washington DC. The president was going to speak, and there were concerns
>about terrorist attacks and Soviet missiles going haywire, etc etc. The
>Secret Service decided that everyone had to go through a metal detector.
>People in line were grumbling, but they were saying ok, I can see the reason
>for this. It may not stop missiles, but it might stop a gun. This was about
>my attitude. I was there with young children after all and was very much in
>favor of the thing being as safe as possible.
>
> And then the music started and people said the heck with this and trampled
>down the orange net fencing that was keeping us all on the sidewalk along
>the Mall and waiting in line for the metal detectors. Did the Secret
>Service's precautions keep us safe? Who knows? Perhaps terrorists decided
>that it was too tough a target and did not come. It is however just as
>likely that someone in security saw the vulnerability and took a lot of
>precautions that turned out not to be needed. If the publicity given to them
>prevented an incident they were not wasted though. However however however.
>
> If you are going to make what, a quarter million people, stand in line,
>you need to have better security than their respect for the law and orange
>net construction fencing. OK, so it would have cost thousands more to put a
>fence that could not be easily knocked down. It would have been a lot safer.
>The chosen course was both annoying and as it turned out, ineffective.
>
> I don't pretend to have all the answers for national security. But
>improving intelligence would seem to be critical. Otherwise the US simply
>drowns in data about people who pose no threat at all and deserve to be left
>in peace.
>
> Dana
>
> > dana wrote:
> > > First of all, it's a huge demeaning hassle for foreigners. That
> > might be
> > > somewhat ok if it were a huge demeaning but *effective* program....
> >
> > The program can easilty be circumvented. Just play by the rules, don't
> > overstay your visa and you will be fine. I fail to see how that would
> > catch anyone but the most careless person.
> >
> >
> > > look, they have exempted Europeans. I do seem to recall al_Quaeda
> > cells
> > > being found in France and Germany...
> >
> > And Italy, Belgium and several other countries. And lets not forget
> > the militia groups inside the US.
> >
> Jochem
>
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