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Return to Article: Senators offer bill to delay security rules for Canadian border

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  The quickest and easiest way to provide evidence of citizenship is to provide a passport.

  The reasons are simple. First, a passport can be read by reliable equipment already in use making it the "QUIKEST". Second, unlike a driver's license, a passport is issued by the Department of State who's job it is to issue a reliable Citizenship document not a State Motor Vehicle Department who's job it is to issue reliable record of one's ability to operate a motor vehicle making it the "EASIEST".

  W.E.Burke Posted June 2, 2007 12:58 AM
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  There is NO state that issues driver licenses only to U.S. citizens. No state has the authority to determine citizenship. A driver license is evidence (NOT proof) of identity, nothing more. Using a driver license to show citizenship is not a good idea.

  Patrick Posted June 1, 2007 1:07 PM
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  I am an employee of a private company holding government contracts. I travel to and from Canada frequenty. Some states allow illegal aliens to hold valid state driver's licences. As long as that is true, using even "enhanced" licenses for border passing is unwise.

  Brian Posted June 1, 2007 7:35 AM
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  This would be a welcome change. I live in Alaska and drive to and through Canada. I could accept a special driver's License instead of a passport.

  Thomas Teseniar Posted May 31, 2007 1:25 PM
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  The US-Canadian Border has been a zone of peace for almost 200 years. Easy and hassle-free human interaction with our NAFTA neighbors to the north is critical to maintaining a vital security relationship. It would be extermely costly and ultimately futile to wall ourselves in within our own continent.

  Jack Person Posted May 30, 2007 3:03 PM
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  The previous comments are beside the point, which is blatantly obvious. Why ease the rules for the border with Canada but not for the border with Mexico? Don't you suppose that U.S. citizens cross that border to visit family and for all sorts of other purposes of daily life? The measure drips with racism.

  Mark S. Clinton Posted May 30, 2007 2:16 PM
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  I have lived and worked overseas for over 20 years. The passport is the common document used for identification and cross border travel. I agree with one comment that this ploy may be connected to the 2008 elections; however, I also feel that this represents typical government bureacracy and goes further to show that our congressmen and women should not be involved in the security matters of the United States.

  Larry Richardson Posted May 30, 2007 12:09 PM
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  Obviously these senators have not traveled to Europe. Passports are routinely used and there is not a problem. If we are serious about security then be secure, if they are concerned more about re-election than national security, they are in the wrong job. The longer we continue to postpone security measures because of these non-issues the longer it will be before we can take back control of our borders to this country.

  Helen Wilgus Posted May 30, 2007 8:34 AM
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  This is simply a ploy to delay implementation until after the 2008 election cycle.

  Dennis Greene Posted May 30, 2007 8:04 AM
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  There are always some senators that let special interests get in the way of what is best for the USA.

  Do we secure the borders or don't we?

  Stephen Coffman Posted May 30, 2007 8:00 AM