[voodoo]

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2223.html

Beginning January 23, 2007, ALL persons, including U.S. citizens, traveling by air between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda will be required to present a valid passport, Air NEXUS card, or U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Document, or an Alien Registration Card, Form I-551, if applicable.

As early as January 1, 2008, ALL persons, including U.S. citizens, traveling between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda by land or sea (including ferries), may be required to present a valid passport or other documents as determined by the Department of Homeland Security.

Through the years the world has made fun of Americans for not having a passport. Well, I suspect that time is coming to an end as travel between the US, Mejico and Canada now requires a valid passport.

I think this is a major step up for Americans and generally positive. A passport is a good thing.

V

[Timo]

Countdown to Canadians, and perhaps Mexicans, unhappy with your thread title...

[forkies]

i read that as, "New intra-American passport rocks!!"

also, regarding americans + passports, i think if the world "has made fun of Americans for not having a passport" that's sad. the usa is a huge frickin country, and much can be seen in different areas/states all the while never leaving the country or necessitating a passport. just the way it is, not a bad thing to be made fun of, ner.

[Mastrap]

I would like to state, for the record, that I am 100% happy it the thread title. I am also in possession of a valid passport. I can't speak for any Mexicans though.

[badidea]

Originally Posted by Timo 

Countdown to Canadians, and perhaps Mexicans, unhappy with your thread title...

Even though I know what you mean, I don't understand how the thread title could have been improved! (the title does not mean "intra-USA" passport rules!)

And since I somewhere read "...fun...of...americans..." I would like to request this thread to be moved to the Pol/War Lounge, please!

[Dakar²]

I'm not trying to crap in the thread when I say this, but who cares? So the US has to live up to same requirements as everyone else.

[mitchell_pgh]

Over 300,000 Americans applied for a passports in Dec. 2006, the largest number is history.

We now average around 26% of the population with a passport.

IMHO, it's a good thing to require a passport for travel to Mexico/Canada. Perhaps it will inspire some of my fellow Americans to travel abroad.

[turtle777]

"intra-American" is misleading.

Nobody refers to air travel from the US to Canada or Mexico as travelling within America.

-t

[voodoo]

Originally Posted by Timo 

Countdown to Canadians, and perhaps Mexicans, unhappy with your thread title...

Yeah well, they're Americans last time I checked..

V

[voodoo]

Originally Posted by turtle777 

"intra-American" is misleading.

Nobody refers to air travel from the US to Canada or Mexico as travelling within America.

-t

I just did.

V

[Dakar²]

North Americans.

(Prepare for semantics war)

[voodoo]

Originally Posted by Dakar² 

North Americans.

(Prepare for semantics war)

OK, semantics aside. This is more a 'will you get a passport now?' thread. If you live in Alaska, then I suppose you have to

(from 2008)

V

[Dakar²]

Well, to answer your question, I've had one since I was around 9, and I just renewed mine.

(But obviously, I've been outside the entire Canada/ Caribbean dynamic)

[kmkkid]

It's fine for your average traveller, but it's going to hurt trade if companies don't get off their asses; and soon.

[residentEvil]

this is pretty old news; sorry that was too harsh.

if you travel often (cruises) or border cross often, you would have known about this for almost 3 years now. that date has been changed a couple of times for when each policy starts; but it's been well known.

[brokecollegestudentF04]

At one point I lived 1 1/2 miles from a US/Canada Border crossing.. in a small town in northern michigan.. Sault Ste. Marie., MI, Soo canada just acrossed the river was where the clubs and parties were at.. Also a good mall.. Now i was completely searched about 7 times in the year I lived there by the US customs coming back home.. It wasnt the canadians that did it but the US.. Tore my car completely apart.. You know what they told me.. Put it all back together.. Hopefully this passport situation alleviates this kind of treatment at border crossings.. I mean im a natural born US Citizen.. I love traveling to canada.. quite a nice country really.. When i lived 1 1/2 miles from the border Id go over every day before work to get Tim hortons.. Soo michigan didnt have it.. Hell i could see the bridge from my apartment to canada.. Ever since i was searched by the US it kind of made me think about not going over anymore because the way I was treated..

[Timo]

Originally Posted by badidea 

Even though I know what you mean, I don't understand how the thread title could have been improved! (the title does not mean "intra-USA" passport rules!)

Easy.

"New intra-Americas passport rules for Americans"

[Kerrigan]

The word "easy" does not is not a sentence.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by voodoo 

Yeah well, they're Americans last time I checked..

That's bullsh!t.

You don't travel from people to people, you travel from country to country, or in between countries, but not in between people. The only country in the world with "America" in its name is the USofA.

Even if you refer to Mexicans, US citizens and Canadians all as Americans, it just doesn't make sense to refer to travel withint these COUNTRIES as "intra-American" travel. Nobody does, expect some spaniards maybe.

-t

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by Kerrigan 

The word "easy" does not is not a sentence.

Dude, WTF ?

If you correct someone on spelling or grammer, get your own act right first.

-t

[Dakar²]

I figured it was a joke.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by Dakar² 

I figured it was a joke.

How ?
In reference to what ?

-t

[Dakar²]

I dunno... it was a random correction and the sentence made it really odd, so I though, "Ah, ok, he's not serious."

[voodoo]

Originally Posted by Timo 

Easy.

"New intra-Americas passport rules for Americans"

Not really, that would imply both Americas. This only applies to one of them. It is more correct to write it as I did, although confusing for US citizens who think of themselves as the de facto Americans. I'd concede that intra-America could apply as well.

Not everybody do regard USAsians as Americans, and people from all over the world read this site. Please, get over yourself.

V

[voodoo]

Originally Posted by turtle777 

That's bullsh!t.

No it isn't my testudine besserwisser.

V

[Oisín]

“New passport rules for international travel on the American continents”? Acceptable?

[Oisín]

Originally Posted by voodoo 

Not really, that would imply both Americas. This only applies to one of them. It is more correct to write it as I did, although confusing for US citizens who think of themselves as the de facto Americans. I'd concede that intra-America could apply as well.

Not everybody do regard USAsians as Americans, and people from all over the world read this site. Please, get over yourself.

V

According to the article you quoted, it applies to both (or rather, all three) Americas, not only North America.

[turtle777]

Ok, voodoo, since you don't have a clue.

Commonly accepted is the following:

America = USA
Americas = North and South America
NAFTA = MX, USA, CA

What you meant is NAFTA
What the article states is Americas
What you wrote is Americans.

You just got it wrong.

-t

[Timo]

Originally Posted by voodoo 

Not really, that would imply both Americas. This only applies to one of them. It is more correct to write it as I did, although confusing for US citizens who think of themselves as the de facto Americans. I'd concede that intra-America could apply as well.

Not everybody do regard USAsians as Americans, and people from all over the world read this site. Please, get over yourself.

V

Actually, there are three "Americas," colloquially -- North, Central and South. That's why the western hemisphere is referred to in some contexts as "The Americas," plural, rather than, say, "Both Americas," which would only be accurate usage for (maybe) a geologist or the crudest of geographers. So, these new rules cover travel from North and Central America, assuming, as many citizens here do, that Mexico is a part of Central America (that is, part of Central America's cultural zone* in shorthand.)

As for "not everybody do regard [sic]" Americans as Americans, hey, that's just the usage I've heard in my experience and in my travels abroad (i.e., I haven't yet in my years abroad met that person ready to spring the "Americans are not the only Americans" lecture, but I guess the internet really can make your dreams come true!) The word "American" is also used by the vast majority of Americans -- rightly or wrongly -- for themselves. That's 300 million people, more or less; which is a sizable vote in "how shall we define word usage" questions.

You are free, of course, to pendantically insist that all members of the western hemisphere (apart from those in French overseas départments, I suppose) are Americans, and in turn I might personally prefer a more specific name for citizens of the USA; but such things are not legislated. You may also find on occasion use for such a word as "American [I mean most people in the Western Hemisphere except Frenchies]", but I don't find this usage as precise as clear communication warrants.

*of course, most of us just say "Mexico." Like this thread could have said, "New passport rules for Americans to Canada and Mexico."

[voodoo]

Originally Posted by Oisín 

“New passport rules for international travel on the American continents”? Acceptable?

Sure, but it won't sell papers. A bit long, but unambigous.

Originally Posted by Oisín 

According to the article you quoted, it applies to both (or rather, all three) Americas, not only North America.

This already applied to SA, the new thing is that it applies to NA.

Originally Posted by turtle777 

Ok, voodoo, since you don't have a clue.

Commonly accepted is the following:

America = USA
Americas = North and South America
NAFTA = MX, USA, CA

What you meant is NAFTA
What the article states is Americas
What you wrote is Americans.

You just got it wrong.

-t

No, I wasn't talking about the free trade association turtlebrain. You are so fantastically stubborn while utterly wrong and incapable of understanding it.

Thanks for the derail! Estúpido.

V

[Dakar²]

What part is 'utterly' wrong?

[voodoo]

Originally Posted by Dakar² 

What part is 'utterly' wrong?

That would be the 'What you meant is NAFTA' part.

North American Free Trade Agreement - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Which has nothing to do with passport controls. As it is a trade organization. Much like EFTA has nothing to do with Schengen.

V

[Dakar²]

2 out of 3 right for him, I guess.

[kmkkid]

Who cares?

[Kevin]

voodoo has always had issues with the American usage. Remember when he insisted on calling us "USAians" ?

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by turtle777 

Ok, voodoo, since you don't have a clue.

Commonly accepted is the following:

America = USA
Americas = North and South America
NAFTA = MX, USA, CA

What you meant is NAFTA
What the article states is Americas
What you wrote is Americans.

You just got it wrong.

-t

BING the turtle got it right.

[Dakar²]

Originally Posted by Kevin 

voodoo has always had issues with the American usage. Remember when he insisted on calling us "USAians" ?

Hehe, I do remember someone in the PL doing that.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by voodoo 

That would be the 'What you meant is NAFTA' part.

North American Free Trade Agreement - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Which has nothing to do with passport controls. As it is a trade organization. Much like EFTA has nothing to do with Schengen.

V

You are a fu<king moron

NAFTA is very often used to refer to the three countries US, MX and CN. It's used as a generic term to encompass just these three countries. But you little spanish genius would, of course, know it better !

-t

[Oisín]

Well, at least USAians (however aesthetically and aurally unpleasing) is unambiguous and precise.

There really should be a word corresponding to the Portuguese/Spanish estad(o)unidense (“United Statian”). So practical.

Edit: Was supposed to go before turtle's post—Internet decided to die for a few minutes there.

[voodoo]

Originally Posted by kmkkid 

Who cares?

These assholes should rather lobby to change the title to "Americans, are they only from the USA?"

****ing retards.

V

[turtle777]

-t

[voodoo]

Originally Posted by turtle777 

-t

Yeah, you're good at that

People like you should be banned for flooding threads with inane nonsense. You are the appendix of this forum, expandable and unnecessary.



V

[VoicesInMyHead]

Voodoo, México se escribe con EQUIS, pero se pronuncia "Méjico". Así lo hacemos aquí.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by voodoo 

Yeah, you're good at that

People like you should be banned for flooding threads with inane nonsense. You are the appendix of this forum, expandable and unnecessary.

If we took a vote among the members here on who is right, you or me, you'd get exactly ONE vote. But yeah, you are the greatest.

-t

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by voodoo 

People like you should be banned for flooding threads with inane nonsense. You are the appendix of this forum, expandable and unnecessary.

irony at it's finest.

[Person Man]

Eν τάξει, σταμάτα τώρα με τις βλακείες!

I'll leave it to Oisín to figure this one out

[voodoo]

Originally Posted by VoicesInMyHead 

Voodoo, México se escribe con EQUIS, pero se pronuncia "Méjico". Así lo hacemos aquí.

Sip, sin embargo aquí se escribe Méjico con JOTA. ¿Vale? Por ejemplo, Xixón se escribe Gijón en Castellano. México es Méjico. La moderna ortografía castellana normalmente no usa EQUIS.

V

[voodoo]

Originally Posted by turtle777 

If we took a vote among the members here on who is right, you or me, you'd get exactly ONE vote. But yeah, you are the greatest.

-t

Originally Posted by Kevin 

irony at it's finest.

QED

V

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by turtle777 

If we took a vote among the members here on who is right, you or me, you'd get exactly ONE vote. But yeah, you are the greatest.

-t

You've certainly got my vote on this.

Looks like 2 to 1.

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by voodoo 

Sure, but it won't sell papers. A bit long, but unambigous.

This already applied to SA, the new thing is that it applies to NA.

No, I wasn't talking about the free trade association turtlebrain. You are so fantastically stubborn while utterly wrong and incapable of understanding it.

Thanks for the derail! Estúpido.

V

Reported.