Elonka wrote:
] If it's the old "ink roller and paper card" system though,
] then yes, I would find that extremely annoying. I don't think anyone is under that impression. I haven't heard that. I think people are concerned about the fact that finger prints are being taken, and not the method by which they are taken. This is a privacy issue and not a hassle issue. However, I do see this causing delays at ground border crossings as families will now have to get out of their cars in order to get through the border. ] I don't see that as any more invasive than
] requiring people to display their passport, provide photos of
] themselves, and fill out the usual visa applications. It is slightly more invasive. It is more invasive in the sense that a fingerprint is taken where one was not taken before. 20 years ago you could live and die as an American citizen without ever having your fingerprint taken. The only reason mine has been taken is because I'm a naturalized citizen. The only people whose fingerprints were fed into NCIC were those who had been arrested. Today in many states you have to have one taken to get a driver's license. Some states have resisted this trend. Now you have to get one taken if you wish to travel internationally, and by other governments! This is significant only when put in context with other changes that are occuring. This new fingerprint collection also includes a warrant check. Courts have ruled that American citizens are not protected by the 4th Amendment when they are not on US Soil. They have allowed U.S. Customs to perform random drug searches of US travellers returning to the US. If you have the fingerprint gear, why not check everyones fingerprints, and not just those of foreigners? How far away from that step are we? If you can legally run a drug search, you can legally run a warrant check, and if we do that, then if anyone in any federal, state, or local government wants you for any reason it is not possible for you to leave the country. How far away is this? What sort of changes to the law will be required to plug the same system into the airports, so that you go through the same checks everytime you fly? We are already making the arguement that more invasive examination in airports is legal because flying is a privledge. We've already extending anti-terror checks at airports to include checks for some kinds of warrants... Basically, people are concerned about this not because it is a big problem by itself, but rather the concern you are hearing is some of the frogs noticing that the water just got a little warmer, and wondering if it might get so hot in the future that we'll all start to cook. RE: Program to fingerprint U.S. visitors starts - Jan. 4, 2004 | 
