[esryle]

www.esryle.com

[George Smiley]

Wasn't this called "The Bolero Shield"?

[Shermy]

With a virtual border in place, the actual border guard will become the last point of defense, rather than the first, because each visitor will have already been screened by a global web of databases.

Funny. The govt. will know about Italians with speeding tickets, nothing about terrorists.

Sounds like a boondoggle.

[oceanview]

the technology to so this is actually quite straightforward - I just hope whomever gets the contract doesn't screw it up.

[Americanwolf]

I unfortunatly see how this will stop those pesky virtual illegal aliens.

[inflation]

And how will this help stop the millions that cross our borders each year?

[ryanjb2]

I wouldn't like to be the guy who has to create the ERD for this.

[glock rocks]

expensive high-tech maginot line.

[DoughtyOne]

I'm sure anyone who thinks Bermuda is a good place to grant the contract will have no problem when Mexico wins the next bid process. I don't know, perhaps China or North Korea could give us a good deal. We could save a lot of money.

Sheesh! Bermuda will watch our borders for us. LMAO

[mvpel]

The Mexican government has had a system like this for years - they scan the machine-readable text on your passport when you enter and leave the country, and have a machine-readable customs and visa declaration form, and store it all in a database.

[gubamyster]

ping

[unixfox]

These people must be living in the spirit world. ILLEGALS and TERRORISTS don't use passports or border crossings to enter the country.

Let's spend money on tracking those that for the most part are probably OK, instead of spending that money on tracking those that want to kill us and drain our coffers. Yep, makes sense to me!

[gdani]

With a virtual border in place, the actual border guard will become the last point of defense, rather than the first, because each visitor will have already been screened by a global web of databases.

Once visitors arrive at U.S. checkpoints, they will face "real-time identification," or instantaneous authentication to confirm that they are who they say they are. U.S. officials will, at least theoretically, be able to track them inside the United States and determine if they leave the country on time.

Uh huh.

And what happens if I'm a terrorist from a foreign country & decide to enter the U.S. via our overwhelmingly unguarded 2,000 mile (or whatever) border between the U.S. & Canada? Or I decide to take a small, private boat & arrive somewhere along our coastline?

How would this multi-billion dollar project prevent that?

[Bikers4Bush]

How about some REAL borders for a change?

[DumpsterDiver]

...their ability to monitor who is entering at the country's more than 300 border-crossing checkpoints by land, sea and air, where they are going and whether they pose a terrorist threat.

Leaving the rest of the border safe for drug smugglers and illegal aliens.

What about the privacy concerns of foreign visitors?

They shouldn't have, nor expect, any.

And most critical... can the system really work?

The question isn't "can it?", the question is "will the government FUBARize it?". The answer is yes.

[theDentist]

Maybe someone can sneak a rider that will allow us to close the Mexican border for real.

[traumer]

HA.
And what effect will it have on our southern border !?

[CasearianDaoist]

I would settle for some real ones.

[sionnsar]

a network of computer databases to track visitors to the United States long before they set foot here.

Unless they come across the Rio Grande?

[Tacis]

I remember one of Gingrich's standard speeches deals with the aility of gas company's to accept charge cards at millions of gas pumps, keep track of everything and bill without problem. What is the big deal about tracking 300 border crossings?

A virtual program will, of course, stop 100% of the vitual river swimmers, dope and kerrorists but very little of the real thing. Why do these folks think that bads guys and Muslims will choose a border crossing point and not just sneak across like MILLIONS of illegal criminals do? Spend the money putting troops and ammunition BEWTEEN border crossing locations!

[konijn]

Comming soon to a state border near you....