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EU Plans to Require Biometrics for Visitors
bushwhacker2000 writes to tell us that the EU may soon be requiring travelers to provide biometric data before crossing into Europe. They are trying to soften the blow by offering "streamlined" services for frequent travelers but the end result seems the same. "The proposals, contained in draft documents examined by the International Herald Tribune and scheduled to go to the European Commission on Wednesday, were designed to bring the EU visa regime into line with a new era in which passports include biometric data. The commission, the EU executive, argues that migratory pressure, organized crime and terrorism are obvious challenges to the Union and that the bloc's border and visa policy needs to be brought up to date."
Doesn't sound so bad to me, a few peices of my soul for a chance to visit a place where my American dollars are now worth crap and I widely disliked... Indeed, a win win proposition.
I thought being first was limited to subscribers!
Someone will find a way to claim it.
Read the EFF's Fair Use FAQ
Ugh.
:-(
One of the reasons I'm so worried to see the downward trend towards fascism in the United States is that in many ways Europe is not going in the opposite direction, it is simply lagging behind. Sure, I came to live in Switzerland, but I'm always seeing the same political abuses start to happen here just a few years after they start to happen in the United States, the same pro-corporations laws like the DMCA and the same trampling on people's rights, just a bit delayed.
Somehow this happening in the EU does not really surprise me.
Don't they know that any security feature they come up with can be cheated with a little work.
Or is the biometric data stored in some central database? One must consider the weak points of this particular system, especially as far as the 'frequent traveller' system is concerned. If the scanner just checks the passport against the list of "OK" travelers, that's going to be easy enough to defeat; if it asks for fingerprints and facial features, that may be harder, but still quite possible to defeat with a little preparation time and some suitable research.
Of course, the human element on the manual checks will likely be the easiest to defeat, as it usually is.
In Xanadu did Kubla Khan
A stately pleasure dome decree
They are trying to soften the blow by offering "streamlined" services for frequent travelers but the end result seems the same
Translation: we want Americans to know what it feels like when we try and enter their country.
Summation 2
you're all just cattle to them.
How we know is more important than what we know.
Since when are pictures and finger prints NOT biometric data?
Bantam Dominique roosters crow a four-note song. Once you've heard it as "Happy BIRTHday" you can't NOT hear it that way
If I copyright the images of my retinas and fingerprints, can I sue the governments for keeping a record of it without my permission?
End of lesson. You may press the button.
(Also: Hair color, eye color, height, weight, sex, ...)
It's not like this stuff is new. It's just getting more complete - and intrusive.
These ARE documents used by governments to certify to other governments that they'll take this person back, exactly who it is they're certifying, and where he's been the last few years.
Bantam Dominique roosters crow a four-note song. Once you've heard it as "Happy BIRTHday" you can't NOT hear it that way
Personally, I think this nonsense has more to do with xenophobia, racism, and political control than with combating actual terrorism.
When all else fails, run.
the EU should just ban the USA from visiting and vice versa, it would be much more convienient
perhaps we shall goto China or Russia this year, none of this fingerprint and eye photo crap at the US border and as a bonus we get treated like guests not criminals
so say goodbye to the US tourism industry RIP 2008
The US administration is pressing the 27 governments of the European Union to sign up for a range of new security measures for transatlantic travel, including allowing armed guards on all flights from Europe to America by US airlines.
The demand to put armed air marshals on to the flights is part of a travel clampdown by the Bush administration that officials in Brussels described as "blackmail" and "troublesome", and could see west Europeans and Britons required to have US visas if their governments balk at Washington's requirements.
According to a US document being circulated for signature in European capitals, EU states would also need to supply personal data on all air passengers overflying but not landing in the US in order to gain or retain visa-free travel to America, senior EU officials said.
And within months the US department of homeland security is to impose a new permit system for Europeans flying to the US, compelling all travellers to apply online for permission to enter the country before booking or buying a ticket, a procedure that will take several days.
The data from the US's new electronic transport authorisation system is to be combined with extensive personal passenger details already being provided by EU countries to the US for the "profiling" of potential terrorists and assessment of other security risks.
thanks but ill stay at home and advise people not to visit the US on business or pleasure.
mission accomplished.
Chad. They have no biometrics at the border - you can just stroll right in, with nary a fingerprint reader or retina scanner in sight.
Do bring a machete, though.
...following the principles of Heisenburger's Uncertain Cat...
Now I'm going to HAVE to go to Germany, just to have some guy with that accent go "Your papers, Sir?" I wonder if I can bribe one to go "THESE ARE NOT IN ORDER! DER FURHER WILL BE MOST DISPLEASED!" I get all tingly just thinking about it...
I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?
its like the old story about a guy who goes to the doctor.
the doctor says, "I'll need a stool stample, a blood sample, a urine sample and a semen sample."
the guy says to the doc, "here's my underwear; YOU sort it out!"
something tells me, though, that customs folks don't quite have any sense of humor... but that's the kind of 'bio data' I'd like to give them.
--
"It is now safe to switch off your computer."
I wonder. If you clam that your fingerprints are an original work of art, they're already copyrighted. I rather doubt that using them for identification purposes against your will would come under Fair Use. IANAL, and I doubt such a claim could (or should) be supported, but the implications are interesting, to say the least.
Good, inexpensive web hosting
We'll be harassing air travelers, while the (ever moving) eastern border is a proverbial highway for illegal travel. 'Cause Al-Qaeda prefers to fly first class before they blow themselves up, that will show them.
For the perfect anti-Unix, write an OS that thinks it knows what you're doing better than you do and let it be wrong.
The evil, nasty government is going to know my shoe size, earlobe shape and eye colour!
I've just arrived in Japan, which has - following pressure from the US - introduced fingerprinting at the border for all foreigners (including those with residence rights, not just visitors). While the process was relatively smooth (put your index fingers on a little machine), it's been my first contact with the world of paranoid "anti-terrorist" biometrics and for me marks the end of an era where international travel has been an expression of freedom.
How come I haven't seen a "Titers Please..." joke yet?
It's only a matter of time until we have the GATTACA-style finger-prick turnstiles. The right to privacy will be viewed as a historically-interesting extravagance in the future. It's only a matter of time until possession of encrypted data is viewed as "probable cause."
Maybe we'll still have privacy for those of us willing to skip out on a few useful things (e.g. medicine, travel, food, energy, shelter).
Fear is a far more powerful weapon than reason.
eleveneleveneleveneleveneleveneleveneleveneleveneleven!
FIVE!
I prefer bio-imperials, thankyouverymuch.
People missed the primary core part of this. If you have to take biometrics on entry, that means your own citizens as well as visitors. The EU biometric stuff has been going on for some time. Its all explained or hidden away in various guises but its there.
The 'Empire' is slowly moving from Utopian Europe to a darker phase.
And yes, I know, I know, if you have done nothing wrong you have nothing to fear. Only these people love to create new things wrong you may have done. In the UK now, if you smoke, drink, or happen to be fat, suddenly you've been added to the list. That autocratic disease is spreading.
You can bet your bottom dollar biometrics will be in the front line of 'taxing' holiday makers and frequent flyers, only the beginning off course - Plenty more to follow.
400 million WILL eventually regret allowing their leaders to create a new dictatorship, its just going to take time for people to wake up to the monster they have allowed to be created.
We`re all equal
With all the long hallways in the airports, just put in a camera and analyze my gait. That way they have biometrics and it will be streamlined! Ta-da! I'm a genius...
I'm European, and I'm extremely concerned about this plan. I do not want to live in a part of the world where measures such as these are in place?
I've been rather apolitical for most of my life. I guess I need to change that.
How can I have the biggest impact fighting this?
What happens if you burn your finger(s) on your vacation?
Biometrics sounds like a good idea, but I can never justify the single point of failure involved with it. It seems like it would be very easy to get false negetives.
I use usb keys to authenticate on my desktops, and if a key were ever to fail, i have a backup in the safe. The key responds to the encryption keys stored on the flash disk, and uses the serial number of the device as an added protection against copying. This is a simple setup of pam_usb and udev.
I do woodworking as a hobby, and occasionally cook. It's not uncommon to cut/burn a finger. Also with they usb keys I only have two, one on my key ring, and one in a safe. I don't leave my keys or my passwords lying around, but compare that to your fingerprint. How many places do you leave your fingerprint throughout a day? A google search, $20, and a trip to the hardware store is all you need to lift a print.
I hear a lot of people promote biometrics as a huge breakthrough in security, but I just don't see how it can be practical.
Just my $0.02
Like the U.S. system of past and present...both.
The chipped passports have a copy of what is printed on the face plus the extra biometric bits, all of which is also stored in a database, including reconciled entries for your previous visits through passport control. If the printed information or chip output differ from the central copy, they know it has been tampered with. This is not a terribly large departure from what already has been happening for decades when they scan your passport or punch in the number to pull up the record manually. The only difference in any of this is that they're adding a couple extra fields that don't really lend themselves to visual inspection. The cross-border data sharing and centralized collection within each country isn't remotely a new idea.
Besides, the more "secure" the document gets in the sense of positively linking it to the person carrying it, the less frightful the consequences of losing it. Not long ago, if you were roughly the same height/weight/age/gender, you could pretty well just pick a passport out of a stack provided by the hotel maid service. I mean, 6'1" brown/brown 180lbs 30yo male isn't a very precise set of biometrics, which doesn't sound too terrible until someone matching your description smuggles drugs into the country on your passport before you realize it went missing. If they can solve the question of "is this REALLY you" with an iris scan and a fingerprint, roughly 99.9% of the stolen document industry will disappear leaving only the most ridiculous James Bond worthy scenarios to worry about.
The bottom line is that the document is an assertion of the holder's identity. You have a personal interest in ensuring that you are the only one who can use it to successfully make that assertion.
If it was... well... there is hope that one day one side would back off. It is much worse.
It is a trend.
Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
Do bring a machete, though. Last I checked, Chad is in the midst of a Civil War...
You probably don't want to take a knife to a gun fight.
[Fuck Beta]
o0t!
Go to France from the UK and the French don't really check the passport that hard, because they welcome your custom (same going the opposite way). The English give you the third degree on why you're leaving the cesspit of a country. They don't want you to spend your money abroad, they want to keep it in the UK where they can rip you off and have a shitty holiday.
The UK wants ID cards that will act as internal passports, and the EU are keen on the idea too. Don't forget the EU is just another Moscow Mk2, control over everyone.
Take Nobody's Word For It.
Great...no its on my "Do not go here - Fascism" list
When you add that to my "do not go here, crazy people" list I basically can visit.....Bermuda?
Stupid world...beautiful things barred from me because...
wait a minute...
if I ignore all of these stupid laws.
hell yes
Happiness does not come from having much, but from being attached to little.
This is just tit-for-tat: the US requires the same things of Europeans entering the US, and the EU is returning the favor.
If it were "tit-for-tat", it would only apply to US visitors and the Europeans would say that it was tit-for-tat (there isn't much point in doing it otherwise).
No, the EU is doing this for the same reasons the US is doing it. Whether they are good reasons is debatable, of course.
This is politics as usual: Europe follows the US pretty closely on privacy, policing, copyrights, and all that, sometimes after a bit of posturing.
...if the EU required brain "fingerprinting" of some sort. Not that it would tell them anything, it would probably be useless even as a biometric, but with world paranoia levels at stratospheric levels, absolutely nobody is going to believe that. You'd end up with either everyone doing the same and ending up with information overload (making said information useless - very popular jamming technique but only effective when you're talking about orders of magnitude of swamping) or a climbdown due to an outbreak of common sense (which sometimes happens). Either way, privacy and security actually improve.
It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
The 'Empire' is slowly moving from Utopian Europe to a darker phase.
When was this "Utopian Europe" ever realized? In the 50's? In the 60's? In the 70's? Every decade has had its own paranoias and its own intrusion into civil liberties.
Nor is the concern about this new either. Look at all the dystopian SciFi from the 70's.
When the Nazi's were setting the ground work for their "final solution", they gathered census data starting in the early 30's.
The Hollerinth Tabulator machines streamlined the amounts of data that could be processed, thus they could ask more questions.
Some with insight, forsaw this increase is information gathering, and altered their answers to reflect a non-jewish ancestry.
However, they only needed 1 parent or grandparent to give the "correct" answer to link them to a Jewish ancestry(1/16th I believe).
Similarly today, there is little we can do. We are, as we would say in New Zealand, buggered.
In post Patriot Act America, the library books scan you.
For all the people outside the EU. I'm really sorry for this fast upcoming of paranoid behaviour of the EU. But you have to know you are really a threat to global security of you bring more than 100ml of water on a plane.
I'm really sorry. For years I think the US "security" policy sucks big time and now I see that the EU is doing the exact same thing. It really makes me sad.
Privacy is terrorism.
Don't forget that there are already countries in the EU that put their citizens' fingerprints in RFIDed passports. In 2009, all countries are supposed to.
In this regard, the EU is arguably ahead of the USA. Passports are only valid for five years so rollout will be faster too. Some countries already require everybody to carry government ID (same technology as a passport, just credit card sized) everywhere and fine 50 EUR on failure to present it on random checks, no cause required.
Me, I'm looking for backwater countries to emigrate to that will refrain from treating everybody, citizen and visitor alike, as criminals. I want a passport without RFID or biometrics beyond a picture and no requirement to have to show it for no reason. Any takers? Recommendations?
If I have to I'll lay my own undersea cable and start my own ISP there, too. *sighs dramatically*
The dark night of fascism is always falling on America, but it always lands in Europe.
That said the only way fascist totalitarianism will come to America is via the smiley face of liberalism.
and they will just not allow you in and put you on the next plane outta there.
Engineering is the art of compromise.
Not exactly European Union. It says Schengen. That includes Switzerland. So Switzerland with all of its anonymous banking is going to require biometric data for people leaving and coming to the country? Why do I not think this will happen?
Any guest worker system is indistinguishable from indentured servitude.
The article yesterday about electronics seizure at US airports bought out a lot of snotty, holier-than-thou trolls of European origin eager to mock the overly paranoid US airport "security" force.
I hope this current news item forces these folks to realize that this isn't just a US problem, it's a global problem with paranoia. And until there's global political climate change, flying internationally is just going to become more and more of a hassle for everyone.
I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it! --Longbottle
Some people say immigration is bad because it takes jobs away from the the natives. Migration control programmes such as those discussed are very often fuelled by such fears.
In a healthy free market economy, jobs are held by those who can contribute more to the economy for the least cost. It has been my observation that some people, once achieving some comfortable and secure lifestyle, stop innovating and become lazy sluggards, who, even if they spend 8-10 or more hours "at work", they produce little or no real tangible economic value. PHBs are a good example: While the economic contribution of a good manager is to provide sound planning and organisational design, PHBs merely walk around the office carrying a cup of tea, literally doing nothing. In theory, their contribution could become visible someday in a department or company crisis when a decision would be crucial, but my experience tells me that most PHBs would be unable to respond to any crisis in any intelligent way, and most of them stay employed thanks to connections and nepotism. The end result for the economy is great waste, inefficiency, lack of skills, and the development of a passive approach to life which hinders entrepreneurship, initiative, and innovation.
In such an economy, where a great number of people have learnt to live their life without earning it with their ability, thanks to nepotism, status, various social structures, etc, the appearance of a few migrants can have positive effects from an economic point of view: Migrants come, some of them having useful skills, and they renovate the economy. When employers notice that the migrants have real skills and are willing to work for lower wages, they will eventually fire the lazy sluggards and force them to take a more active approach to life and learn new skills, ie to become again actively useful in the economy. In this way, migrants help counterbalance the tendency of many humans to stop innovating once they achieve some security.
Knowing this, a certain number of migrants is not only tolerable but in fact should be highly wanted and desirable, as they have a legitimate and useful economic role to play in our economies (to wake up our lazy fellows). And it is not only highly educated migrants that should be in demand: Migrants with low education should be welcome as well, as they often help to fill gaps in an economy whose members increasingly move towards the service sector and higher-paying jobs.
There are, of course, some dangers from the influx of huge numbers of migrants. One danger is sociological and has its basis in animal behaviour: You can see that, for example, ants are aggressive towards ants from different colonies. Similarly, humans in general do have some passive aggressiveness hidden somewhere in their mind towards persons from different nations. There is, of course, some biological basis for this, as it helps teams of humans (tribes) secure resources and maintain family lineages. But in the modern era, with our developed economies and globalised communications, we need not worry so much about these concerns that belong to the prehistory eras. What we should do is to take care to not allow this passive subconscious aggressiveness become an activated state of mind and infect the conscious mind. This can happen to most people, without them realising it, when great numbers of migrants come into a country and interact with the locals. Seeing one migrant does not raise xenophobic tendencies, but suddenly seeing a thousand migrants out of your door may cause your subconscious tribal feelings to be activated and projected to the consciousness in a variety of ways (xenophobia, racism, economic protectionism, security paranoia, etc). When this happens to the majority of a native population, the results can be disastrous. We have seen it in history and such mistakes should not be repeated by civilised people.
So, how can we ensure that immigration results in positive economic contributions without triggering sociological problems?
(AIW, this isn't just aimed at you man, I just found your comment a good place to latch this. Feel free to respond. Hopefully insightful remarks... as I would appreciate them, they're rare on slashdot.)
Rather than "evil" or "helplessness" have you tried demanding that all who travel be responsible for themselves and their co-travelers? I.E. do it the old fashioned way. If you're weak, pathetic and can't handle yourselves, travel with those who are. If you demand that you and yours be helpless, don't get upset when nobody else saves your ass when trouble hits.
Pay your way. If you are too weak minded or weak to learn to look out for yourself, then pay someone to do it for you, and accept the consequences of this choice. It will still be cheaper than hiring cops, who, for 30k to 50k a year are supposed to "look out" for you? Only the truly stupid (not ignorant, but truly stupid) would believe anyone would exchange their life or health for a pittance of a salary like that. Cops do it because they like the power, assured defense and prestige. Mercenaries are honest and admit they do it for the paycheck and reputation. Hire a few mercs if you want reliable defense. I've relied on cops on several occasions, and have never had them be on time, not even to ask for a report to be filed. To me they are not worth the return on investment... call it a total loss on my tax money.
Airlines are on their way out, short of being sustained through tax money, they were unsound business behemoths. They are on their way out like oversized dinosaurs and mammals. Useless and incapable of survival when surrounded by smaller more agile hunters. The only thing keeping them alive is government handouts. When governments can't tax enough to pay the interest on what they borrow, they can't pay their bills anymore, and the big airlines are out. Period.
As for being afraid that the evil bad guys will get you, get yourself a few types of weapons, master them, and master your fists and feet as well. Master the one just behind your eyes while you're at it. With proper training, the world stops being so scary, even without jack booted, ninja masked, tax fed thugs to "protect you" to your last dollar.
Live a little man, and stop asking people to protect you, especially those who have NO INTEREST in doing so.
PS - My government, regardless of which country I lived in, has NEVER spoken for me. I used to try to change that, but learned that it is impossible. The pretenses and pretexts change, but those in positions of power have #1 in mind... as do I. Thus I will not pretend that some scumbag has this individual's interests in mind. If we have common interests, I will be glad to call you and I a "we" for that duration. Afterwards, it is back to you and I, for all other endeavors. (That, by the way, is the actual legitimate definition of a "company", in case you were wondering.) Thus, please stop complaining that "we" Americans, started this. I didn't demand ANYONE be checked in their anal cavity. In fact I demanded that nobody be searched and all gun bans on planes and boats be rescinded. Disarming the honest gives the dishonest all the more ability to attack and defraud them with no penalty or risk. These "safety" movements have so far managed to de-claw and de-horn all the honest people. The reduction of their mental faculties didn't help them either. We now have disarmed, dumbed down weaklings, who clamor to be 'the free and the brave'. You cannot be those things until such time that should a bad guy start shit on your plane, even with merely an arm rest (those floating rests) you can gladly beat the snot out of him, hostage or no hostage. Until then, nothing will change, and people will continue to bitch for more safety.
What the fuck?! Everyone wants to live forever... but what kind of lives do they want? The lives we lead today are long, boring, and downright pathetic, multitudes who enjoy better health and wealth than any other previous culture, live in fear of death
" What luck for rulers that men do not think" - Adolf Hitler
I've been planning a trip to Japan for some time now. A few things got in the way and I delayed the trip. Somehow I don't believe that I will now ever get to Japan as I don't care to go through this.
On the up side it does mean that when I do go overseas I'll be going somewhere that welcomes tourists.
You have a sick, twisted mind. Please subscribe me to your newsletter.
can I take my pocket knife through security?
What happens if I sand off my finger prints before I leave the country. Or get superglue all over my hands. I always thought of doing this before I ever left the country so they couldn't take any prints. Seems painful, but I like the idea of being unprintable.
I flew from Hong Kong to London Heatrow (HKG-LHR) on Tuesday and was horrified to find I needed to have my fingerprints taken TO RE-ENTER MY OWN COUNTRY. I have no idea why, but was too tired and jetlagged to put up much of an objection. I won't be flying into London again, and am sad to hear the trend is spreading now.
"I bless every day that I continue to live, for every day is pure profit."
Well? How do we stop this?
My girlfriend made up a pledgebank issue on this topic, so I'd recommend you sign it if you agree that fingerprinting foreign tourists in the USA is wrong:
for non-US citizens: http://www.pledgebank.com/Fingerprints
for US citizens: http://www.pledgebank.com/FingerprintsUSA
I personally found it quite degrading when I travel with her to the US (she's German and I'm American living in Germany), so I go through the same line with her. I also found it degrading when I went to Japan, but unless we actually do something about it instead of just complaining, we're not going to make a difference!
WikiCreole - a common wiki markup language
I know there is plenty of discussion about the whole "big brother" aspect, but this is already implemented in practice in Japan, the US and probably a few other countries I do not know about. So whats the difference if the EU gets it too?
You know, I've suddenly had a complete change of heart. You're right. We should just give up the entire charade and do away with any form of identification that involves any kind of centralized record keeping. Just prior to final descent, we'll just hand out cocktail napkins and bic pens to the whole cabin and they'll write whatever name they want on it. When you get stopped for doing 135mph in a school zone, we'll expect when the officer asks you to identify yourself that'll you'll just be a sport and tell the truth about where to send the ticket.
There just isn't any reason for anything more than that, because if there were, your paranoia would apply equally to card catalogs, datacenters and, well, for that matter, cocktail napkins -- sshhhhh, they're secretly harvesting our DNA and drinking habits... and OMFG, peanuts! Those can KILL people! We must stop the oppression of the cocktail napkin before it's too late!
It will be one more scene from a Security Theater. Harassing business travelers.
The main problem, 99,99%, at the Ukraine-Shengen border is caused by the fact that in EU the pack of cigarettes costs 2 EUR, but in Ukraine 0.3 EUR. So they bring cigarettes in EU by all means, even by catapults, and air baloons.
Biometrics will not solve this problem. Economics will.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/jan/30/easyjetbusiness.ryanair
"Budget airlines are "squeezing the life out of British tourism" and the government is exacerbating the problem by promoting expansion of the aviation industry, MPs were told yesterday.
Budget hotel chain Travelodge accused Ryanair and easyJet of driving an £18bn "tourism deficit" by drawing British holidaymakers away from Britain with low fares underpinned by state tax breaks."
Previously: "Linux... Toward the Sunrise..." Now: "Linux... Toward the-- No, now, part of Every Sunrise"
"The US administration is pressing the 27 governments of the European Union to sign up for a range of new security measures for transatlantic travel, including allowing armed guards on all flights from Europe to America by US airlines.
The demand to put armed air marshals on to the flights is part of a travel clampdown by the Bush administration that officials in Brussels described as "blackmail" and "troublesome", and could see west Europeans and Britons required to have US visas if their governments balk at Washington's requirements."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/feb/11/usa.theairlineindustry
This is a the beginning of a disturbing trend.... All it takes now is for a handful of co-conspirators to figure out WHO are the air marshals (using sensitive magnets?) to locate the cuffs and guns, then storm a few, disarm them, and then keep everyone else at bay. I wonder if those air marshals will die as easily or unquestioningly as dental-school-bound kids who don't fully appreciate what it means to be dismembered or handicapped in their early youth for wealthy and government who publicly call patriots but in private laugh at them as fodder.
Plus, having all these armed personnel just makes for brewing trouble where landings occur in places where guns are forbidden. I wonder how Japan feels about non-military/non-diplomat gaijin landing armed, and who quite likely will refuse to be searched and inventoried for excessive firepower.
Further, just WHAT firepower will these AMs expect to safely use in the skies without bringing down the plane FOR the would-be/presumed hijackers?
Previously: "Linux... Toward the Sunrise..." Now: "Linux... Toward the-- No, now, part of Every Sunrise"
As a native with excellent and specialist skills it frustrates the fuck out of me that recruiting people with similar to skills to me yields a plethora of Indian and Pakistani immigrants and very few natives.
Just five years ago this wasn't the case.
Companies have largely outsourced the entry level roles in my career path to Asia and this has denied the natives the opportunity to enter the field. Subsequently the foreign workers to whom the work was outsourced immigrate and bring the skills they've gained to undercut the few natives that are left working in that area.
Because the immigrants are here for 2-5 years then intend to return to Asia and a lower cost of living they are able to work for less. Because they come from where the jobs are outsourced to, they have a skills advantage. Because there are so fucking many of them they swamp the market.
I'm failing to understand completely how this is having an economically beneficial effect for the country I live in. The economy loses out on the entry level jobs, it loses out on the cost of that work (as it goes abroad), it loses out on a skilled workforce, it loses out on the expenditure of a worker that's saving his/her cash for a good life back home in Asia.
The natives aren't passive aggressive, they aren't fucking lazy, they aren't unable to respond to a crisis in an intelligent way. They are getting fucked over by globalism and the current immigration policies are helping enable this.
Don't fucking tell me I need educating about multiculturalism. Cunt.
Thank you for providing so clear an example of this.
... there has been little differentiation between the US, the USSR/Russia, China or other regional or global bullies.
In Mexico, Central and South America we pray and hope you pull your military to your shores and keep it there. You created fake countries (Panama) to suit your needs, tried to colonize a couple (Cuba and Puerto Rico) with mixed results, and have invaded many others (Mexico, Grenada) or supported dictators in others (Cuba, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Chile) when this suited you alright. You killed democratic governments because banana producing companies asked you to do so. Bananas instead of democracy for bunnies sakes.
I would leave to peoples from other places to recount the history of US "friendship". I am sure the relatives of the thousands of innocent Iraqis have something to say about losing their loved ones so some fat cats can benefit economically (how are doing the oil companies?)
Not happy with that you trained the military elite (Academia de las Americas, google it) that would rule with fear and torture many of our countries.
Vietnam, as another, example was invaded by all France, China and the US. If you think they see any difference between the lot of you, imperialistic countries, you need to go and visit sometime.
US history is an exercise in revisionism, in which good actions are enhanced beyond recognition (no guys, you did not win WWII alone) and the horrendous deeds are conveniently swept under the carpet.
Or pray do tell us, what is taught to you about invasions of other countries?
IANAL but write like a drunk one.