January 2008 Archives

Much was made about the new requirement that US and Canadian citizens entering the United States by land are now required to provide proof of their citizenship.

So it was a little bit of a surprise to go online and find a story saying that the new rule won't be enforced.  The article quotes a supervisory officer with US Customs and Border Protection (USCBP) as saying that travelers without proper identification will be told they aren't compliant and be given a tear sheet explaining how to become compliant.

We will not refuse a Canadian citizen entry into this country, into the United States, if their only violation is that they do not have proof of citizenship.

That seems to be a funny "rule," especially when the article indicates that this process will be used until June 2009.  Of course, the news media isn't going to tell the whole story, are they?

For the full explanation, I went to the USCBP website and looked for information, and lo and behold, they hid it in a set of FAQs:

What happens if I don't have any documents when I cross the border at a land or sea port of entry?

Travelers who do not have the appropriate documents may be delayed while CBP officers attempt to verify their citizenship and identity. They will also be given the informational tear sheet explaining the new procedures. The intent of this transition is to raise awareness of the change, educate travelers, and allow ample time for travelers to obtain the necessary documents.

So, it is obviously still in a traveler's best interest to carry the ID that this rule requests.  Border line-ups are long enough without having to wait for an officer to verify that you're a citizen.

Of course, whether the rule is a good one or not is a matter of some debate.

My TiVoing for yesterday seems deeply North American.  Among the things I was most interested in watching were:

• the semifinals of the Masters of Curling bonspiel from Saskatoon (broadcast on the CBC),
• CNN's coverage of the South Carolina Democratic primary, and
• the first day of the NHL's all-star weekend (held in Atlanta, broadcast on CBC).
  

The scary thing?  I still would have been watching the SC primary coverage, even if I wasn't planning on moving.  It will be interesting to see the transitions there: moving from a political junkie who watches US politics as a spectator sport while being mostly unaffected, to a spectator who will be living under those politicians' rule but not yet eligible to vote, to one day when I will likely be voting for them.

Welcome to the CanAm Ramblings blog!

Last month, I proposed to my girlfriend and am preparing to move from Canada to the United States some time in 2009.  This is obviously a big time in my life, and so it seemed to call for a new venue for sharing my thoughts.

So there will be some posts about preparing for marriage and immigration, but I expect there will be a lot of posts about other interests, too: the governments of both countries, photography, roadgeeking, music, and the Anglican/Episcopal church world.  In short, you could say that the topics for this blog will be appropriately random.

So welcome!  I look forward to sharing this journey with you!