For sure someone with a certain ethnicity would be held and likely interrogated in greater detail without the birth place listed. I agree with the Americans on this one, as long as there is a concern with terrorists infiltrating their country, and the overwhelming majority, if not all, are males originating from the middle east and Arabic backgrounds, the US government has every right to screen individuals born in these countries more carefully, and record any personal details -- like photos and fingerprints, etc. -- prior to granting entry. Perhaps the US should be more diligent as the Europeans used to be, and many countries still are: one must relinquish one's passport at either the hotel one is staying at, or at the local police station. Of course, tracking visitors is next to impossible, which is why we and the Americans never followed this custom.

This is not a racist response, but a hard cruel reality of geopolitics. While the law may not distinguish in most matters between natural born and naturalized citizens, I do not trust the screening undertaken by Immigration Canada based on too many bad examples, and by the added element of political and economic immigrants allowed to claim citizenship based on their investment in the country, and little else. Not to mention the overlay of Quebec's role in handling the process in that province, and where a substantial number of questionable documents have originated within the French-speaking North African and Arab counries.

I am sure history will look upon this response much as we do now the Chinese head tax, and the internment of Japanese Canadians [and Americans] during WWII [versus the more relaxed attitude taken to German/Austrian citizens, though they too were treated with second class citizenship at the time too]. But racial profiling has become a dirty little necessity at this time of "war". Yes, I guess that does create two classes of Canadian citizens, which is why Ottawa is protesting the move.

But consider the restrictions placed on Canadians visiting middle eastern countries. Jewish Canadians are not welcome in most all of these countries, and everyone is very restricted from where they can visit . Women are treated as locals would treat women, which certainly meets no Charter standards I am aware of. No non-Muslim can visit the great mosque in Mecca, or several other sites. Perhaps before people chastize the US for this imposition, we should also protest these restrictions on certain Canadians, or all Canadian for that matter. [And how different is this from the visa requirements many countries place before issuing visitor entry visas?]

Individuals from these countries of origin, and their communities here in Canada, should recognize this and within limits accept the reality at hand. Several of my friends who are from these countries have accepted they will be subject to extra scrutiny if they wish to visit the USA. Ironically, two are Kurds who would likely join any new government formed in Iraq if Sadaam was over thrown. They have always received a bit of extra scrutiny since their Canadian passports are marked with "Bagdad" as their birthplace. One who attended a gathering of Iraqi exiles in Washington a few months ago had no undo incidents and was otherwise well treated by the agents at his point of entry.

One can renounce whatever one wants, but it should make no difference in this matter. In fact, any would be terrorists would make it appear they have no such sympathies: the enemy always makes us of the weakest points within the enemy's terrain. Why would this be different?

It is the tenor of the times, and unfortunately we must learn to adjust and accept within an acceptable framework.

If one wishes to benefit from visiting the US, I suppose one must be prepared to accept the rules that go with it. If one doesn't like those rules, then don't go down there. The comes a certain responsibility that goes with citizenship, and too many of us forget that and only demand the rights accorded us. For native born Canadians, it is an unwillingness to vote in the numbers we should, or participate more actively in our democracy, no matter how cynically we may observe political life today. One of the healthy things about those who do become citizens is that their political participation rates are higher than those of native born Canadians. Many more recognize what those of us born here take for granted, because they bring with them a less open heritage and know what we should be valuing as Canadians. And maybe that is why those of Arab birth are being as stubborn in making their case as they are.

But this does do one other healthy thing, paramount in Canadian society even more so than south of the border, and that is open up the debate and exploration of opinion, even if we disagree with that opinion.

Time to get back to work....