No Cruise List

The US government through, the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Act of 2004, is requiring that the Department of Homeland Security set up a system for all passenger of ships calling a US port to be scrutinized. All ships boarding or disembarking crew and passenger in a US port will supply a manifess to be compared to the US government's "secret lists" of suspect people - "suspected terrorist and their associates".

Most seafarers are already well acquainted with the level minded, fair, and friendly (uh huh can you fell the sarcasm) folks of the various DHS bureaucracies, so it is no surprise to yours truly that the US government would go so far. But I am surprised at the people of the US accepting these pretty scary measures, personal liberties type scary, in a land that is constantly boasting it's "freedom".

I don't know seems a bit backward and draconian to me. I doubt there is some secret grand master plan to enslave as in Orwell's film "1984", its probably more "turf building" and some "empire building" for bureaucrats. But nonetheless, there is allot of information being collected that I feel is really not the my governments business, and especially not the US government's business.

In the back of my mind I can't help but think that I will end up on one of these lists for posting these kinds of comments. Oh well, I hope not - I guess that everybody else's attitude too.

A little more on this no go list