Text 9997, 112 rader
Skriven 2008-01-17 12:28:12 av Roy Witt (1:397/22)
   Kommentar till text 9948 av Michiel van der Vlist (2:280/5555)
Ärende: Big Brother is Watching YOU!
====================================
17 Jan 08 01:37, Michiel van der Vlist wrote to Roy Witt:

 MvdV>>> What about driving from Texas to Alaska?

 RW>> Although irrelavent to the discussion,

 MvdV> I think there are similarities.

Of course there are. But no one from this side of the pond has stated that
Americans can freely cross over international borders, non-stop. The uro
schengen agreement doesn't apply here. However, one can freely cross the
border from the US into Mexico...no one will even want to speak to you
and will nod you on by (unless you look underage). OTH, crossing back into
the US requires proof of citizenship, like a drivers license and the
ability to answer a few pertinent questions in English. Crossing into New
Mexico and then other states to reach the Alaskan Highway is only
obstructed by the fuel milage your vehicle gets and the ability to drive
while sleeping, if you don't want to stop over at a hotel/motel.

 MvdV> Driving from one Schengen country to another through Switzerland
 MvdV> and going from one part of the USA through Canada both require
 MvdV> border crossings that are of a different nature than crossing
 MvdV> borders between states|countries within the union.

Exactly.

 RW>> it's not a problem driving from Texas to the Canadian border. There,
 RW>> the US built Alaska Highway is now the property of Canada by
 RW>> agreement reached at the time it was built by the US Army. Crossing
 RW>> that border is quite easy, not requiring a passport, still requires
 RW>> a stop.

 MvdV> Then the US and Canada have some kind of agreement similar - but
 MvdV> not equal - to the agreements of the countries in the EU.

Yes, keyword; countries...non of the 50 American states are in that
category. It's united into one country by a federal government. The Uro
Union isn't, yet.

 MvdV> Going from one country to another within the EU does not require a
 MvdV> passport, but it sometimes requires a stop. It is ony between the
 MvdV> smaller group of countries that joined the Schengen agreement that
 MvdV> the stop is not required.

Whereas, all can pass from one American state to another without a
mandatory stop. Truckers, commercial interstate trucks, are an exception
as those vehicles must meet the weight and safety standards of each state.
Much of it the same as the federal standards. There are plenty of truck
scales and inspection areas where they're required to stop in each state.

 MvdV> Actually it has progressed to the point that at many places it is
 MvdV> not all that easy see where the border *is*.

The same here, if you ignore the 'Now leaving Texas' and 'Now entering
New Mexio' signs on the way. They're kind enough to also post certain road
rules, such as speed limits. New Mexico goes as far as to post the fine
for going 80mph in a 75mph zone, etc..Meanwhile, Texas' speed limit is
70mph and I hear it's now 80mph west of San Antonio to El Paso, but Texas
is very big, (545 miles from SA to El Paso) that the likely-hood of seeing
a state policeman is very small. I have, but it was only once along that
route.

 MvdV> Four years ago we made a trip to Luxembourg and tried to find the
 MvdV> so called "three country points". The one between Belgium, Germany
 MvdV> and Luxembourg is easy.

Check out the 'four corners' of the US where Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and
Colorado meet. There's even a monument where you can visit and place
yourself in all 4 states at once.

 MvdV> it is clearly marked and there  is a monoument dedicated to the six
 MvdV> countries initiating the European Union. The one at Schengen
 MvdV> (France, Luxembourg, Germany) is harder as it is in the middle of
 MvdV> the river. The one on the third corner, Belgium, France, Luxembourg
 MvdV> is inaccesable. You can drive around it but it is next to
 MvdV> impossible to determine the exact location of the borders and there
 MvdV> is a shopping cente, I still do not know if it is in France or in
 MvdV> Belgium...

There's a lot of three state points like this in the US...California,
Nevada and Oregon, Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico, Minnesota,
Wisconsin and Iowa...Illinois, Wisconsin and Iowa meet in the middle of
the Mississippi river. You can go there by boat. If you know the GPS
coordinates, you can place yourself in all three states at once.

 RW>> I suppose there is another border stop when you reach Alaska, but
 RW>> then, that too is an entry into a different country from Canada to
 RW>> the US (no passport required for US citizens).

 MvdV> What about Canadian citizens? Do they require a passport to cross
 MvdV> into the USA?

Not that I'm aware of...I haven't been to Canada since the mid-50s and
things may have changed since then. My dad took the family on vacation to
Niagra Falls and back via Detroit, Michigan and New York state. I was 14yo
at the time.

 RW>> Canada is not part of the US, although you guys seem to think it is.

 MvdV> It is not us that think so, but sometimes we get the impression
 MvdV> that *you* consider it the 51th state...

That's an intersting thought. That would make the US the largest country
in the world, with resources beyond imagination. A truely super, Super
Power.

                R\%/itt



--- Twit(t) Filter v2.1 (C) 2000
 * Origin: SATX Alamo Area Net * South * Texas, USA * (1:397/22)