I remember when I first read about requiring all foreigners entering into the United States to be fingerprinted and photographed. I thought nothing of it at that time. Well, that's not exactly true- it did not really bother me save for a small twinge of wonder. I mean I am known for my isolationist stance. I got browbeaten for expressing why I think the borders with Canada and Mexico need to be made tighter. I mean, we have people out there who really, really, want to hurt us. (And regardless what some of you people may think, though a lot of the policies that the US has engaged in has been the trigger for the current situation, we did not "deserve" it. No one deserves to have violence brought down on civilian populations. Two wrongs never make a right). I am all for the US doing what it needs to do within reason within its own borders to protect the people within-
And then I heard about the reactions of other countries to our new policy. Brazil started to do the same thing. Saudi Arabia and a few others are joining. Now, I have no desire to ever visit Saudi- I love myself as a woman too much- but I might like to go to Brazil. There are some cute guys down in Brazil. Nice clubs, nice beaches… There are a lot of reasons why I might like to go to Brazil.
But I don't like my fingerprints being taken by another government that I don't owe allegiance to, know all of its laws, and don't know all of its political practices. My experience has led me to believe that a lot inherently corrupt people are drawn to positions of power and influence. Where is the best place to pursue your social or personal agendas than in government? There have been a number of good leaders out there, but there have been just as many rotten ones as well.
I remember when I was hanging out at this strip club in the UK; I decided to put all my friends' drinks on my tab. I gave them my credit card and thought nothing of it until the end of the night and they asked me to settle. At that time, they asked me to put my thumbprint on the receipt. I had a fit. I don't know these people. This isn't my country; I've not done anything wrong. That print identifies me and only me. Why should you need to identify me if I'm not done anything?
Article comments
1 - Dirtgrain
There is already technology that can scan the people in any crowd, and check their faces against a database--if they had every face in the database, then they could identify every person in the crowd. Technology also exists that can identify you based on your walk. I can't be anonymous anymore, and it feels kind of creepy.
2 - Intercessor
Shoes too tight? Find a good strong plastic bag just about the same size as your shoe. Insert it into the shoe and fill it with water. Secure it shut. Put your shoes in a freezer. The swelling of the water will stretch the shoes. Remove from freezer. Carefully thaw and remove bag of water.