I said I'd look further, and I am. First I caught up with Tom's latest, including a YouTube video of Lou Dobbs.
Poor Lou. He certainly makes it sound dire, but leaves out that much of what needs to happen will indeed need Congressional input and oversight. To the extent the bureaucrats are able to act without Congress, they will. It's expected. Lou knows as well as anyone else that this administration has a bias to secrecy, something he acknowledges at the end of the YouTube video. Does it mean they are up to no good? Possibly, but Judicial Watch has not yet come up with a smoking gun.
In March of this year JudicialWatch obtained and posted a document that includes talking points regarding recommendations on Border Management and Travel. If you recall the hoopla this past summer over an overburdened State Department and passport processing, look no further than page 23 and also review this press release.
Once again, I am not seeing anything jumping out of the released document, probably because not much is there aside from schedules and talking points. Titles are present (at the end of the document) but few names. The talking points themselves do not suggest anything underhanded is going on. If anything, the perception I come away with is a good faith effort on the part of the bureaucrates to implement a LAW!!!! Yes, the Western Hempisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) is a Congressionally mandated activity:
The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) was mandated by Congress in the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 to strengthen border security and facilitate entry into the United States for citizens and legitimate international visitors. WHTI requirements for air travel took effect on January 23, 2007.
Foregoing courtesy of the State Department's press release, previously cited. So much for the lack of Congressional oversight or participation, at least in this case. Someone call Lou Dobbs and break the bad news.
Could we use more info about all this? Yeah, I think we could but would the American people pay attention? I would, but then I am among those vociferous exceptions who drive our peers wild because we prefer politics and philosophy to sports. Americans prefer to delegate leadership and heavy lifting to others. Then we complain when our leaders don't deliver and the bureaucrats act like bone heads.
I am not going to suggest that all is sweetness and light with the SPP, but I am still not convinced we are headed down the road to perdition. Lou Dobbs, and Judicial Watch, left out an important piece of information that provides context for the work being done around the travel issues. Specifically: the Federal legislation (there's that pesky Congress at work again) that needed to be implemented. What else are they leaving out?
Stay tuned.
2 comments:
God Bless You for looking into this. If upon doing so, you think I'm a screaming lunatic, that's okay. I might be wrong. But at least people should be aware of it. Happy Labor Day!
I don't think you are a screaming lunatic (yet ;) ). On the other hand, vigilance is the price we pay for our freedom and often that vigilance needs to be exercised over our own government.
As I went on my walk today and pondered this I realized that there is so much work that has to be accomplished legislatively that there is no way a North American Union could be implemented by rule and regulation alone. Congress may be napping right now, but they will wake up when there is work to do. Our job (collectively as Americans) will be to make sure they have the facts before they act.
Post a Comment