Posted on 05/16/2009 3:38:46 PM PDT by Cringing Negativism Network
http://www.getyouhome.gov
The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative.
As of June 1st (that's just 2 weeks away now!) a US drivers license is no longer accepted as documentation to re-enter the United States at a land border.
Accepted documents will be a passport, a passport card, or an "enhanced" drivers license fitting the requirements - a couple states have those available.
Just try being in Canada or any other country ‘’illegally’’, if you’re lucky they’ll show you to the nearest Amer. consulate or embassy. If not so lucky,,, nice knowing you.
Just say “No hable engles!
They’ll let ya in.
Good point, so to speak. Based on the blasé appearance of the commmunity, I wouldn’t doubt it.
10 seconds in a microwave on low also works.
You asked — Wonder if aluminum foil works? :)
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In Texas and Oklahoma, they have these boxes that charge the toll on the Toll Roads, automatically, as you drive at normal speeds on the highway, right through the toll “gates”.
They supply you with special cellophane-type bags (you can see through them, slightly) that will shield the signals and prevent these devices from working. This is for when people want to pay a toll manually, and not use the “Pike Pass” (in Oklahoma) and the “TollTag” (from NTTA; North Texas Tollway Authority).
So, you can use one of their bags, for that purpose, too.
This is straying over the border into bizarre. I am supposed to keep my passport and passport card in a cellophane bag and whip it out that way? That would get me a secondary inspection for sure. I will stick with my cute tin-foil hat and hope for the best. And why would anyone not want to use their automatic turnpike pass?
You said — This is straying over the border into bizarre. I am supposed to keep my passport and passport card in a cellophane bag and whip it out that way? That would get me a secondary inspection for sure.
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Well, I think what I’ve heard from others is a concern that these items could be read in other situations where you didn’t intend to have it read, or even in situations where someone who wasn’t supposed to have the information could be reading it. So, shielding it for all other circumstances would be prudent (in what those other people were saying).
But, in regards to the situations where you knew that the passport was going to be required, then you can get it out and have it ready beforehand. Then there’s not anything “obvious” that you’re doing.
But, really..., though, it shouldn’t be illegal to shield it, so it shouldn’t present a problem.
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And then you asked — And why would anyone not want to use their automatic turnpike pass?
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Well, one easy answer would be where you were transporting it (like taking it from the car back home again, let’s say if someone is borrowing the car).
Another concern that some have and I think it may be true in some situations, is that there may be some “readers” out there where there are no toll situations, and they want to see how many people are traveling certain directions and certain ways to and from toll roads. People may not want to be tracked.
Also, let’s say your car is being towed, on a trailer, and it has to go down a toll road (on the tow vehicle), in that case you wouldn’t want it charging a toll for the car, when the tow truck operator is going to be paying a toll for the truck.
I always keep the shielding bag in the glove box at all times. Actually, I have two — one for Texas and one for Oklahoma, and I take one off, put the other up, and then shield the one in the glove box.
Oh..., one more instance of why someone would want to shield the Pike Pass or TollTag (for Oklahoma and Texas). If you’re towing a trailer on a particular trip, you’ll have to pay a different toll amount and you’ll want to shield your toll device.
That one would be a pretty common one, I would think.
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