sbrower

There was a news story (one of many) discussing the new requirement that you must have a passport to re-enter the US from Mexico, Canada and the Carribean.

As usual, they mananged to find an idiotic quote: "I'd rather be going through a security check, than possibly being blown out of the air because of lack of security measures," said John Golden of Columbus, Ga., who was headed to Cancun, Mexico.

NOTE TO UNDERSTAND MY COMPLAINT: While the airline might request the passport to confirm you have the necessary travel documents, the real "check" of the passport is done when you get off the return airplane trip. So it has *nothing* to do with being "blown out of the air."

What is the news value of this idiotic quote?

LessO2

That's all the news directors saw, and ran it. It doesn't necessarily have to be factual.

KathrynInCanada

Maybe this is where I can get an answer to a question raised in one of the US papers this morning or yesterday. They were saying that thousands of Canadian 'snowbirds' were in the US and they may have trouble returning if they forgot to take their passports with them when they flew down in the fall, since they won't be able to return home without them.

Does that mean Canada requires a passport for all incoming Canadians or does it mean the US requires a passport for anyone to fly out of their country? Or does it mean the journalist writing the article was too stupid to realize that if Canadians are returning to Canada, the US passport rules wouldn't apply.

Makes no mind to me, I have my passport with me right now, but won't know until Saturday if I need it to return to Canada.

Bobster

There is a reprieve in effect indefinitely for Canadians. But the law does say you need a passport to leave the U.S. and it would be checked before boarding your flight. Yes, the U.S. passport rules apply to Canadians. The reprieve is for Canadians who got here before the law went into effect.

crhptic

I can already see the hilarity that will ensue when this function is turned over to the rules-are-rules TSA folks and the ICE, and you'll get circumstances like someone arriving in the US without a passport, and being summarily deported for it, but the TSA won't let them board their return flight because they don't have a passport

LessO2

The new rules this week affect only the process of entering the US. The "old" way is still good going into Canada.

Driving or ferrying into the US is still okay to be passport-free until 1.1.08, because the terrorists said they won't try to enter until then.

Bobster

If they won't let you board a flight to Canada, you can fly to Buffalo, cross the border by ground transporatation, and then fly from Toronto to anywhere in Canada. Passports are only needed for air travel, so there's a big hole at this point.

The new rules affect people who are leaving also. But they made an exception for Canadians returning home. But Canadians leaving the U.S. for Mexico would not be allowed to go without a passport; they have to go home and then fly from Canada to Mexico.

Telfes

I can only guess that stupid comments from stupid people have some curious appeal to other stupid people/viewers/readers/listeners to whom editors are hoping to appeal. Bah.

FinsUp99

OK...here's a story from someone inside "the media". For about a month now I've been trying to get through to any script-writer that the current passport requirements only apply to AIR TRAVEL. I'm blue in the face from the endless conversations and corrections that travel other than air travel does not need a passport. Still, I can't work 24 hours a day and some idiot writes a script saying that ALL travel to Canada, the Caribbean and Mexico needs a passport.

Some of the people in "the media" are real doorknobs. I've been in the business for twenty years, does anybody have an opening in any other industry? Anything at all????

dw8146

As they say, be careful what you wish for. TSA is hiring.

FinsUp99

That's hilarious because I know one broadcast engineer who quit/forced to retire and got hired by the TSA.

I'm still laughing on this.

Pfaelzer

And they usually don't get passports...

omahajim

Can you say Viktor Navorski?

timothyp_787

This made me laugh out loud.

It's rules like this that convince me that post 9/11 security rules are only for a calming effect of fearful travelers. The most they'll ever do is stop a lazy, copycat terrorist.

Business as usual

Sometimes the news value is simply letting us all know how many stupid people are in the world. If the news didn't cover the uninformed doing the ill-advised, there wouldn't be much news, now would there?