Pre-emptive strike

Consider this my post for tomorrow, if I don't add anything then.

Imagine traveling to a foreign country, like Japan or New Zealand, and being asked upon arrival to be fingerprinted and photographed for, you know, security reasons. You have nothing to hide, do you, sir?

Well, the U.S. is about to start doing that, apparently giving up on the whole issue of trying to win hearts and minds. Funny...oil-bloated Saudi Arabia, where 15 of the 19 Sept. 11 hijackers came from, isn't one of the countries under scrutiny. How convenient.

Snip below.


WASHINGTON -- The Justice Department has chosen Sept. 11 as the starting date for a new program that will require tens of thousands of foreign visitors to be fingerprinted and photographed at the border, U.S. officials announced Monday.

The security program, developed by the Immigration and Naturalization Service, will begin at several unnamed ports of entry and will mostly affect those from Muslim and Middle Eastern countries.

After a 20-day testing period, all remaining ports of entry will implement the new system on Oct. 1, 2002.


Oh, I'm sure all this attention will make travelers from that part of the world just feel dignified when visiting America. Won't piss them off or humiliate them in the least.