nor is a country. The stupidity bell is tolling.
The Guardian’s Ian Traynor in Brussels has a good article on the stupidity of government bureaucracy in the current U.S. administration. To wit (or, perhaps without any wit whatsoever), the U.S. is looking for the following from European countries:
- personal data concerning all passengers overflying but not landing on U.S. territory;
- online application for permission to enter the U.S. before booking or buying a ticket;
- personal data on non-travellers — e.g. family members — who are allowed beyond departure barriers to help elderly, young or ill passengers to board aircraft flying to the U.S.;
- permission to put air marshalls on all U.S. flights from Europe to the U.S.
While I can’t disagree with the last, the previous, and other conditions not mentioned, are a tad draconian, perfectly in keeping with the present U.S. administration’s goal of bullying everyone into submission. Now such bullying has moved beyond their own country and Iraq to the remainder of the modern world.
I don’t envy the European nations their conundrum, but here’s a thought: Why not tell America to kiss their collective asses and go fish?
Link to the Guardian article here.
Update June 25, 2009: I picked up a new Vonage V-Portal to replace my old