CTV is reporting that Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon is set to launch a home grown no-fly list on June 18. This strikes me as yet another application of Conservative brown lipstick to appease Big Steve's bosses down south. This is another step toward integration of security with the failed American no-fly list that hasn't actually prevented any terror and has made America one of the world's most annoying stops for travellers.
In typical right wing fashion this list has been created in secret, "Transport Canada officials wouldn't say how many people will be included on the list when it's launched." I'm sure they won't tell us how this list was compiled, who is on the list or why. I don't doubt that the wingnuts in blogging tory land will hail this as a marvelous new step in making them safe from having to fly with the dastardly swarthy folk they so fear. Funny that this sort of bullshit will likely be praised as a vital safety and security landmark, yet these are the same boobs that whine about the terrible imposition on their freedoms when they are required to register their firearms.
This new set of restrictions on free movement will require that, "...anyone who looks 12 years of age or older will have to show government-issued identification to board a plane." Well thanks for the full month of notice. Anyone with travel plans and kids might want to reconsider unless they have some suitable identification for little Johnny and Betty. Who gets to determine the apparent age of those kids? And what qualifies as government issued i.d., I'm guessing either a drivers licence or a passport, neither of which I possess. Which pretty much squashes my plans to visit family out west this summer.
I want to know how this list was generated, how closely it mirrors the ridiculous American no-fly list and who will be empowered to administer the list. I certainly don't trust Stockwell fucking Day and the incompetent newCanadian newGovernment to keep the secret list non-political. This new regulation called Passenger Protect (or PeePee for short) needs to be scrutinized by our elected members. This sort of sweeping rule will inconvenience thousands of people and have a direct impact on the tourism industry. But fear not, should you be stopped at the gate because your name is similar to some suspected somebody, you can contact the laughably named "office of reconsideration". Mr. Orwell, your work here is done.
Update:
Valid i.d. will be either a drivers licence or passport, in the absence of such a traveller may submit two pieces of non-picture, government issued i.d. providing one carries the full name, date of birth and gender of the individual. I wonder how many 12 year olds that "appear" to be teens have more than a birth certificate as identification.
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14 comments:
"..the failed American no-fly list that hasn't actually prevented any terror and has made America one of the world's most annoying stops for travellers."
I see how you can say the second part, one only has to travel there to experience it, but how can you say the first bit? How can you possibly know that the no-fly list has not prevented any terrorist acts on aircraft?
This no-fly list BS really disturbs me on many levels.
1) I can imagine some morons, with polical scores trying to use this list to fuck with peoples personal lives. Yet, at present, and to the best of my knowledge, there is no way to find out if your name is on the list.
2) If your name is on the list, there is really no recourse for you fight it. No legal measure. The first time it happens to someone it is going to be interesting, and I hope the law suit is massive and names Harper and CPC responicible.
3) These lists ammount to an unreasonable restriction to personal freedom without legal recourse, which flies in the face of everything that we hold dear in our free society.
4) We will also nover hear a bad word about this from the Harper Seal crowd, other than applause for the long overdue restrictions on other peoples freedoms.
Lastly if the Liberal had brought this in reality, I would be equally pissed, shit the Liberals are mostlikely the ones who started the process to begin with.
Gram,
"How can you possibly know that the no-fly list has not prevented any terrorist acts on aircraft?"
Think about for a second. If someone was kept off a plane because of the "no-fly List" and they were stopped and found to have something that could have been used to enact a terrorist action while on the plane,... do you honestly believe the Bush Administration and Fox Noise would be keeping it a secret? There has been no proof of the no fly lists preventing a Terrorist plot, only stories of innoscent people being fucked over by this un-constitutional restriction on freedom.
gram, don't you think the americans would have crowed long and loud about any plots broken up by their no-fly list? can you recall hearing of any real threats disrupted by the list? i sure can't. besides, any terror plotters from overseas will surely know all about the potential impediment to their designs and will work to circumvent such measures through falsified identification or simply by choosing another means of entry into the americas. that also leaves open the notion that whatever secret intelligence they use to compile such a list is incomplete or flawed.
it's a dog and pony show designed to give the impression of security.
The single most aggravating thing about the "no-fly" list is that it isn't a "no-fly" list, but rather a "I'm sorry, but your name is suspiciously similar to someone else's name for which we still have no evidence of evil intentions, so we're going to pull you aside but if we can clear all this up with a phone call or two, then you're good to go except that, even though we've cleared you here, you might as well get used to this happening every freakin' time you try to board an airplane because, now that you're on that list, there's no way in hell you're ever coming off" list.
Oh, and have a nice flight.
P.S. Yes, you're welcome to take my nail clippers with the 3/4" extendable little nail file with which I'm sure I could give someone a nasty little gash, while I get to keep my lethal 6" ballpoint pen that I'm betting I'm quite capable of killing someone with.
Good thinking. I feel so safe.
On the plus side, it will keep Cat Stevens out of the country.
This discussion exposes a flaw in the Canadian Constitution, though I don't know whether it's in the BNA, Meech Lake or the Unwritten Thingee:
Stephen is not The Commander Guy!
Instead of having Stephen as The Commander Guy you have some Cammander Gal, and I'm not even talking about Sandra. It's the Government General, even though she's not actually even part of Canada's New government.
How can Stephen constitute hisself a clone if he can't even call hisself The Commander Guy?
Pleeze, Canadians, get to work on this.
Have a great holiday, CC. Train journeys are a good way to relax.
Do you suppose they'll accept anonymous tips for the no-fly list?
As a Yank with some recent experience with the no fly list, let me tell you my minor tale of woe.
Last summer, I was supposed to fly to Columbia, Missouri from Newark International (on American Airlines). It was the first AM flight out to St. Louis, with me switching to a "crop-duster" to the Columbia Airport. Pretty straight forward series of flights.
EXCEPT, American Airlines forgot to roll the jet upto the gate so passengers could board. So, there we sat (including the crew--who were mortified) in the boarding area, and there was our plane, but it wasn't quite at the gate. It took 2 hours to fix this, by then we had missed our departure time, and I was going to miss my connecting flight.
When I got to St. Louis, I had the option of taking a shuttle bus to Columbia or the next flight. The bus actually would get me to Colubmia sooner, and I had meetings that I needed to attend. I chose the bus.
BAD CHOICE! Because I now owned a plane ticket which I didn't use I was put on the no-fly list. When I tried to fly home on Sunday (out of Columbia), my name was frozen out. The folks at Columbia, MO couldn't log me into the boarding system.
I had a polite cow, pointing out I was being punished for the Newark crew's incompetence. One of the airline workers at Columbia pulled every professional string she had and talked to their St. Louis and then Dallas hubs to get me logged back in. I JUST made the flight--which was the only one for that day to St. Louis.
But if I hadn't shown up 2 1/2 hours EARLY for my flight, I never would have gotten out of there.
This is what Steven Harper will be giving to Canada. Y'all have a lot to look forward to.
Don't worry about not having a drivers license or a passport pretty shaved ape - in fairly short order I imagine we will see a law come down from on high requiring us to present ourselves to the appropriate government office to receive our biometric enhanced, machine readable, finger printed, photo, national ID cards.
Two things:
1. "Brown lipstick." That sounds vaguely filthy; is it?
2. How can we all get ourselves on the no-fly list? Remember, the Canadian way is to make pointless authoritarianism not really worth the bother.
The only reason for keeping this list a secret is to catch the bomb-wielding terr-o-wrist right in the airport. I can't tell you how much safer that makes me feel.
ti-guy asks:
"1. "Brown lipstick." That sounds vaguely filthy; is it?"
nothing vague about it. that's the look harper puts on after pressing his lips to the gap in the chimps chaps.
Geez. Thanks for the heads up. I have a 12 year old who'll be flying with me in the next month or so. I have a birth certificate and a BC health card for her. I wonder if that'll suffice.
Annoying!
CC, forget your poofy little ballpoint pen, just bring some cash for the onboard duty free shopping and they will bring a bottle of whisky right to your seat. Then you can get drunk and run amok with the broken bottle. That or fly first class where they give you a wine bottle and metal cutlery.
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