Homeland Security wants to know if YOU are gay!
You read the title right, there was a deal made between the US and the European Union that allows for Homeland Security to gain access to information obtained during reservations made when traveling to the US from Europe. This information would be placed in a database and stored for a period, for how long is still in negotiations, this information will aid in keeping track of habits, suspected individuals and will be able to detect pretty much anything they like!
| According to the deal, the information that can be used in such exceptional circumstances includes “racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership” and data about an individual’s health, traveling partners and sexual orientation. Full article in Washington Post. |
Now, for years now, when you travel to America they keep a record of your name, flight, credit cards, where you are from and any travel partners listed. Dutchie must fill out a waver when she flies over and of course the information you use at the airport is used. What in the world does my sexual orientation and political opinions matter to national security!? US Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff praised the pact as an “essential screening took for detecting potentially dangerous transatlantic travelers.” He further said that if the information was available on 9/11 they could have identified many of the 19 hijackers by linking their methods of payments, phone numbers and seat assignments.
Brilliant I say, do you think that the hijackers would have voluntarily said their religion, phone numbers and given ALL the information that would have linked them! No, I seriously doubt it! The article went on to say how the pact aid in establishing people with special needs who request wheel chairs and try to bring on explosives on board or warnings of a political gathering where there might be a chance of danger or even communicable diseases. Staffs at airlines all across Europe are urged to ‘push’ for information from its passengers.
What happened to a little privacy? Next they are going to want to know what I had for breakfast! All right, I understand wanting to know about communicable diseases. What does that have to do with my sexual orientation? What does any philosophical beliefs or trade union memberships have to do with any of it? America just wants to keep tabs on everyone comes in and to a point I can understand. Knowing who is coming in is serious and I completely get that but one does not need to know the most personal of information for me to be allowed into my own country! Oh yeah, this applies to us Americans living abroad too not just Europeans visiting. We all get the same treatment, scrutinized and slapped in a database for use of National Security!
Now there are a few who are not happy with this, civil rights groups, people who love their privacy and anyone who doesn’t see the point to any of this generally but if the EU didn’t America threatened to send less flights over to Europe. How do you like that one! If America wants it, America gets it I suppose. Though if you ask me, they have no business knowing I am gay. What the hell does it matter to them? I see no reason to fork it over and besides where would I give it, when the personnel checking me in ‘pushes’ for information? Please.
Homeland Security, Worldly Chatter, Travel News, Personal Data used when traveling
Leave a Reply