Freelance Propaganda

First they came for the international students

I emerge from winter break hibernation to bring you this news from the International Students Centre at Syracuse University:

Attention: Although the “orange” alert has been lowered to “yellow,” the Department of Homeland Security is still focusing a great deal of attention upon foreign nationals in the United States, especially when you are traveling. Just this week two students were pulled over at the entrance to the NYS Thruway in Liverpool, New York, and held for five hours because they were unprepared to produce their passports and Form I-20!  Eventually they were released without incident, but it was frightening and tiresome for them. We are now advising you, as a consequence, to carry your passport and Form I-20 (or DS-2019) with you whenever you are traveling around, even within Syracuse (this is NEW advice!).

“Vere are your documents?” Between that and being fingerprinted and photographed on the way back into the country it is more clear than ever before that the US is on the slippery slope towards 100% surbveillence.

I waited about 3.5 hours in customs (with all passengers) because their computers malfunctioned and had two funny conversations. One was with a guy that thought that we should all try and walk through together. My response? “Citizen’s first”.

Then somebody was asking me about the fingerprinting and said “well I didn’t have to do it”, I enquired if he was a citizen and he was but he looked a bit chilled when I said, “You are next”

And I’m sure that they will be. Afterall if tracking visitors makes people safer why stop there?

(I actually have a blog-log of much less nasty stuff from the break to post in the next week or so ;)