Go west, young man, and shrink with the country

[davywavy]

Something which has come up a few times lately is people asking me to visit the USA. Visiting friends and family or conventions, that sort of thing. Now, it's not likely for reasons of time and cash, but there's another reason I'm reluctant to go, and that's because I decided a few years ago not to visit the US again for the forseeable future.
This might seem an odd decision to make; people who know me know I like the US and not just because of the notable efficacy of my dapper British accent in making the acquaintance of American ladies. As well as that it's actually rare I meet an American who I don't like. They tend to have a positive and friendly optimism, an 'I get knocked down, I get back up again' attitude which I like, I think we British could do well to aspire to emulating and which I attempt to emulate myself as much as possible. So it's nothing against the people when I say I probably won't visit the US again. I'm afraid it's their government, and moreover one specific policy.
It's the whole photographing and fingerprinting people on the way in thing that I object to. It might seem an odd, small thing, but I take issues of personal privacy and liberty very seriously. Here I am, a law abiding* citizen of the United States' closest ally and genuine friend of the US and this rather sorry tracking behaviour just isn't on, I'm afraid.
I've never been fingerprinted in my entire life except on my birth certificate. Not only because I may one day want to pursue a career as a catburglar but more importantly because if I've committed no crime then my identity is none of your damn business, and that goes for my increasingly obsessively Owellian and micromanaging government as much as it does that of the US - I've just got no option regarding interacting with my government because the hard-of-thinking kept bloody electing them.**

With the US Dollar being worth only slightly more than confetti on the international markets at the moment you'd think that the US government would be more keen to encourage free spending foreigners like me to visit. With my mighty British Pounds I could pay off the USA's $368,000,000,000 national debt just by buying a few Hershey bars and tipping heavily so being a little more accomodating - and not treating me like a potential beardy psychopath bent on Grand Theft Aero - is in order.

This came up last night when a friend of mine asked if I fancied visiting Cuba. "Sure", I said, with almost no thought. "It'd probably be quite interesteing and fun."
Then it struck me. I never thought I'd regard Fidel Castro as being more amenable to my individual liberty and privacy than the President of the United States of America, but it appears that day has come.

^{*In that I don't have a criminal record
**Although I work very hard on having as little to do with the Machinery of State as I possibly can.}

Comments

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

Really? That's good news. I'd seriously considered flying into Canada and sneaking over the border to visit friends, but decided it wasn't worth it. If the USA wants me to visit, it can be a little more up-front friendly, I think.

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

"if yo've got nothing to hide than you've got nothing to fear" was shown as fallacious by Yevegny Zamyatin almost a hundred years ago, about 20 minutes after someone first proposed it, so it depresses me to see the shambling masses of oafs who still think it's a valid argument.
Conversely, Jeffersons adage that those who give up a little liberty for a little security deserve neither has never been debunked, and with good reaason.

[robinbloke.livejournal.com]

Canada itself is very worth visiting, all the chipperness of the USA with the sarcasm of the Brits thrown in; you even have a state full of Frenchie types to complain about as well!

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

That sounds rather nice, and their immigration laws are actually welcoming!

[robinbloke.livejournal.com]

Vancouver is beautiful; plus if you time the visit right you can go skiing in the morning and sun yourself on the beach in the afternoon.

[medusa-nw.livejournal.com]

Wouldn't get your hopes up just yet, I visited the USA in October 07 and May 08 and got photographed and fingerprinted both times.

[annwfyn.livejournal.com]

I was photographed and fingerprinted at Seattle airport, but not at the Canadian land border, which I don't think it's at all dodgy to use for crossing purposes.

My trip to the US was the first time I've ever been fingerprinted. It was slightly odd.

[caseytalk.livejournal.com]

Castro may be more amenable to your liberties than is the US with regard to emmigration regulations. They've never really had to worry quite as much as the US about people entering the country illegally. Is he more amenable to those of the citizens of Cuba? Do you feel Castro has a better record on human rights?

I think Cuba is doing better than it once did and I'm not convinced the embargo is smart, but if you're implying that civil liberties are better protected in Cuba than in the United States, I think you have a bit of a hard sell.

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

I'm not arguing that Cuba's human rights are better than the US, although Gitmo has at very least tarnished the rep you once had. My standpoint is that they're definitely less intrusive when it comes to my individual privacy, which is a major selling point for me when deciding where to visit.

[caseytalk.livejournal.com]

No country, including the US, has a perfect record on human rights and in addition to gitmo there are plenty of other examples of how the US has room to improve. No argument from me. It wasn't gitmo that tarnished the rep -- we've always had problems. We do talk about them, at least, which is a start in the right direction. A lot of nations don't even permit discussion about their problems.

I apparently misinterpreted your I never thought I'd regard Fidel Castro as being more amenable to my individual liberty and privacy than the President of the United States of America, but it appears that day has come. remark to mean you feel Castro has a better record overall on individual liberty and privacy.

[thegreenman.livejournal.com]

I've been of the opinion for some time now that although some Americans may be ok (mostly ones who fled over here after the Bush admin came to power), America itself is a necrotic growth on the flank of the planet.

Cuba would be interesting if for no better reason than to see a society which had to adjust to the consequences of peak oil decades before the rest of us.

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

I disagree; I like the US. As an entity it is certainly preferable to any other major power in the world and any number of the minor ones. I'm just looking at this as a customer/vendor relationship. The US is selling tiself to me as a place to visit, and then they want to fingerprint me on the way into their shop. I'd stop going to M&S if they tried that crap and this is no different.

[zenicurean.livejournal.com]

It's officially Raúl Castro's game now, mind you. Fidel gives all the orders only when he's not busy dying of old age.

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

True enough.

[applez.livejournal.com]

Fair enough. Of course, from the perspective of the state, "fair" and "random" only begin to attain a modicum of meaning if the entire cast of characters it documented.

Personally, I'd be less uppity about all the biometrics if I thought they really worked and weren't so hackable. Worse, the resource class these measures present mean the most likely and best malfeasance will be from those with the greatest motivation against the US - and aren't going to be filtered by this.

Better, in a way, to have a flawed travel document that promotes the photo-substitution tactic, to net the clusters of law-breakers all the easier. Oh darn, I guess that means thinking strategically. Tsk tsk tak.

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

The problem I have with giving my government is twofold; one, it's none of their business who I am, and two, they'll just put it all on a CD and throw it out of a window at some point anyway.
I've yet been given a decent answer to the question why I should be legally required to give intimate personal details to people who are demonstrably incompetant with them.

My objection to giving your government my details is that if they want us free-spending Brits to prop up your Komedy Kurrency, they can be a little more obsequious about it.

[(Anonymous)]

I rather think you won't find a trip to Cuba an education in the evils of big statism, being aware of that already. However, the inevitable consequence of an unrestrained care-bear state is a must see for the unenlightened. Go and see, but bear in mind, you are a walking meal ticket. I counted how often I was accosted by prostitutes, and it averaged once every sixteen minutes, night and day, for the whole trip.

[(Anonymous)]

Cubans, eh? fight a 10 year insurgent campaign against democracy in favour of a european Imperialist Power; then insist on supporting some Commie against Democracy in the face of overwhelming military force. And there is Haiti next door to show them how to to run a carribean island properly....such twits. Glad to see that the oldest profesion is going strong though.

D

[rhythmaning.livejournal.com]

"Here I am, a law abiding citizen".

Yeah, me too. (http://rhythmaning.livejournal.com/221151.html)