FrankRep
04-07-2008, 12:27 PM
Department of Homeland Security Overboard on Great Lakes Fishermen
The John Birch Society (http://www.jbs.org/)
April 7, 2007
ARTICLE SYNOPSIS:
New "anti-terrorism" rules ordered up by DHS for those who fish the Great Lakes are causing a wave of dissent. While still leaving our southern border wide open, the northern border will be protected by stricter security rules heavily enforced by the DHS, particularly for those tall-tale-telling anglers.
Follow this link to the original source: "Going fishing? Pack your passport (http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/environment/2008-03-26-fishing_N.htm)"
COMMENTARY:
Starting with the 2008 charter fishing season on the Great Lakes, and particularly impacting Lake Erie because of its geography and popularity among anglers, fishermen will now have to have their passports or two IDs to get back to shore. Because some of the Great Lakes have an invisible watery border with Canada, and fishermen may cross that invisible watery line while fishing, they will be required to go through extra "anti-terrorism" procedures.
These include having to drive, upon their return, to a government reporting station and have their pictures taken — minus their fish — for a customs officer who will view them via a videophone connection. Their names and faces will also be run through the government’s terror watchlist.
Charter boat captains are furious because of the economic impact the rules will have on the charter fishing industry, as many sport fisherman will simply no longer charter a boat to take them out onto the lakes. And charter boat captains also know such measures will not protect against terrorism. Captain Rick Ungar, a retired police chief said: "How does this secure our country? I’m not insensitive to law enforcement issues, but these are fishermen, for God’s sake."
Perhaps the Department of Homeland security is worried about the possibility of suicide sturgeon or criminal carp or terrorist trout somehow convincing fishermen to carry out their dirty work on land.
The new directives also mean extra work for the charter businesses, as they will be required to do the pre-checking on each and every passenger and fisherman. The burden is on them to determine proof of citizenship and to fax every passenger’s personal information to the local customs office an hour before departure. Upon disembarkation, they are to see to it that the passengers are directed to the local customs office for their videophone ID segment. Why would any business take on such responsibility?
And don’t think you can just borrow your buddy’s Chris-Craft or Boston Whaler in order to skip all the heavy-handed surveillance and checkpoints. Government aircraft and patrol boats will be watching and making routine spot checks this spring and summer. "Our concerns are anything from terrorists and terrorist weapons to drugs and undocumented aliens," said Brett Sturgeon, a representative for Customs and Border Protection.
Wow, that’s a switch. Terrorists and their weapons and undocumented aliens don’t seem to be too much of a concern for DHS down on our southern border these days. Maybe the new directives for the northern border should be interchanged with the almost non-existent directives for the southern border, and then we’d have something — a more secure border all the way around.
SOURCE:
http://www.jbs.org/node/7660
The John Birch Society (http://www.jbs.org/)
April 7, 2007
ARTICLE SYNOPSIS:
New "anti-terrorism" rules ordered up by DHS for those who fish the Great Lakes are causing a wave of dissent. While still leaving our southern border wide open, the northern border will be protected by stricter security rules heavily enforced by the DHS, particularly for those tall-tale-telling anglers.
Follow this link to the original source: "Going fishing? Pack your passport (http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/environment/2008-03-26-fishing_N.htm)"
COMMENTARY:
Starting with the 2008 charter fishing season on the Great Lakes, and particularly impacting Lake Erie because of its geography and popularity among anglers, fishermen will now have to have their passports or two IDs to get back to shore. Because some of the Great Lakes have an invisible watery border with Canada, and fishermen may cross that invisible watery line while fishing, they will be required to go through extra "anti-terrorism" procedures.
These include having to drive, upon their return, to a government reporting station and have their pictures taken — minus their fish — for a customs officer who will view them via a videophone connection. Their names and faces will also be run through the government’s terror watchlist.
Charter boat captains are furious because of the economic impact the rules will have on the charter fishing industry, as many sport fisherman will simply no longer charter a boat to take them out onto the lakes. And charter boat captains also know such measures will not protect against terrorism. Captain Rick Ungar, a retired police chief said: "How does this secure our country? I’m not insensitive to law enforcement issues, but these are fishermen, for God’s sake."
Perhaps the Department of Homeland security is worried about the possibility of suicide sturgeon or criminal carp or terrorist trout somehow convincing fishermen to carry out their dirty work on land.
The new directives also mean extra work for the charter businesses, as they will be required to do the pre-checking on each and every passenger and fisherman. The burden is on them to determine proof of citizenship and to fax every passenger’s personal information to the local customs office an hour before departure. Upon disembarkation, they are to see to it that the passengers are directed to the local customs office for their videophone ID segment. Why would any business take on such responsibility?
And don’t think you can just borrow your buddy’s Chris-Craft or Boston Whaler in order to skip all the heavy-handed surveillance and checkpoints. Government aircraft and patrol boats will be watching and making routine spot checks this spring and summer. "Our concerns are anything from terrorists and terrorist weapons to drugs and undocumented aliens," said Brett Sturgeon, a representative for Customs and Border Protection.
Wow, that’s a switch. Terrorists and their weapons and undocumented aliens don’t seem to be too much of a concern for DHS down on our southern border these days. Maybe the new directives for the northern border should be interchanged with the almost non-existent directives for the southern border, and then we’d have something — a more secure border all the way around.
SOURCE:
http://www.jbs.org/node/7660