Democratic Underground Latest Greatest Lobby Journals Search Options Help Login
Google

Controversial passport scheme delayed

Printer-friendly format Printer-friendly format
Printer-friendly format Email this thread to a friend
Printer-friendly format Bookmark this thread
This topic is archived.
Home » Discuss » Latest Breaking News Donate to DU
 
dArKeR Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-16-04 12:51 AM
Original message
Controversial passport scheme delayed
THE GUARDIAN AND AP , WASHINGTON

The US House of Representatives voted to delay for one year the deadline for 27 countries to provide their citizens with tamper-proof passports that can be read by machine.

The voice vote Monday responds to complaints, mostly from European nations with visa waiver agreements with the US, that they will be unable to meet the Oct. 26 deadline for issuing the new biometric passports.

It also challenges administrative assertions that other countries need an extra two years to overcome technology problems and resolve privacy questions.

Secretary of State Colin Powell and Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said in March that without a two-year extension, millions of new visas would have to be issued in countries whose citizens currently do not need visas to visit the US. They said US consular offices in the affected countries would be overwhelmed.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2004/06/16/2003175273

Total Republican leadership incompetence salted with massive flip-flopping. Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Powell, Lott, Frist, Hastert, Delay all should be impeached for incompetence and endangering our Nation. They are NOT able to even make a plan and anticipate the problems for a new passport system! TOTAL TOTAL Incompetence!
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
saigon68 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-16-04 03:06 AM
Response to Original message
1. Halliburton can fix this
Just give themn the money </sarcasm>
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
LibLabUK Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-16-04 05:40 AM
Response to Original message
2. Hehe..
"Secretary of State Colin Powell and Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said in March that without a two-year extension, millions of new visas would have to be issued in countries whose citizens currently do not need visas to visit the US. They said US consular offices in the affected countries would be overwhelmed."

It's just dawning on them that tourists from Europe spend a lot of money in the US when they travel there. The competition for the traveller's Euros will be lost if people have to get visas to travel.... especially since travel within Europe is pretty free and very cheap now.

The whole biometric passport and the data-mining of flight lists thing is a red herring.... it's not going to do anything to prevent terrorism and is just a huge invasion of privacy.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
DU AdBot (1000+ posts) Click to send private message to this author Click to view 
this author's profile Click to add 
this author to your buddy list Click to add 
this author to your Ignore list Fri Apr 19th 2024, 11:12 PM
Response to Original message
Advertisements [?]
 Top

Home » Discuss » Latest Breaking News Donate to DU

Powered by DCForum+ Version 1.1 Copyright 1997-2002 DCScripts.com
Software has been extensively modified by the DU administrators


Important Notices: By participating on this discussion board, visitors agree to abide by the rules outlined on our Rules page. Messages posted on the Democratic Underground Discussion Forums are the opinions of the individuals who post them, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Democratic Underground, LLC.

Home  |  Discussion Forums  |  Journals |  Store  |  Donate

About DU  |  Contact Us  |  Privacy Policy

Got a message for Democratic Underground? Click here to send us a message.

© 2001 - 2011 Democratic Underground, LLC