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U.S.-Canada border pass card a bad idea, U.S. senator says
A U.S. senator is sounding the alarm about a plan for identity cards at the Canada-U.S. border, dubbing the idea a potential "economic and cultural train wreck." The blunt talk came from Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy who told a U.S. Senate hearing in Washington on Thursday he feels the entire plan is a "cockamamie idea." The so-called pass card, announced in January, will be used by Americans crossing the Canadian border. "We've got an economic and cultural train wreck on the horizon," said Leahy. "I can just see a complete screw-up on the border come Jan. 1, 2008. Our closest friend in this hemisphere is going to be, like, what happened? Are we pariahs?" U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff defended the plan for the new cards. "Unless we were to waive all identification requirements and just let people come and go willy-nilly, it seems we owe the American public at least a kind of identification document that is biometric and that is secure," he said. You know, national ID cards aren't really all that bad. If it improves security, why not? Posted by: Rafael 2006-03-03 |
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