The New Enforcement of Visas for Outland Journalists

[jj]

There are a number of reports that foreign journalists, who have traditionally been allowed to enter the USA on business visas, are having a regulation requiring them all to have a special journalist visa to enter suddenly enforced.

I haven't seen an internal US news media story on this yet, so the details are vague to this point.

If it's so, I can think of at least three reasons:

1) Somebody's trying to get in via news media credentials.

2) Somebody sold the administration on the idea that somebody's trying to get in via news credentials so that they hassle allied citizens and we bit.

3) The Bush administration is planning something and they don't want the world to see it.

All three seem somewhat ridiculous, since 1) would not prevent tourists, and tourists are more common and harder to screen in the first place, 2) gets the question "Are they that dumb", and 3) sounds oughtright paranoid.

Now, they appear to be within US immigration law, but why suddenly enforce this rule after ignoring it for quite a long time?

[Soapy Sam]

Mr. J.
Your extra-territorial communications are being monitored.

I hear your great grandmother was one third Scottish and lived next door to a Latvian Jew in Govan.

We advise you that your own loyalties may be suspect.

(Sentenced to 6 months in a John Deere tractor factory, being reeducated by the happy workers).

[jj]

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/artikkel?SearchID=7315676733687&Avis=TO&Dato=20031213&Kategori=OPINION02&Lopenr=112130159&Ref=AR

[Soapy Sam]

Good grief.
Welcome to America. Merry Christmas and you're under arrest.

[aerocontrols]

Electoral Strategy (http://www.mmlane.com/images/ps/ps_12.22.03_hilarity.gif)

;)

[Grammatron]

Originally posted by jj
http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/artikkel?SearchID=7315676733687&Avis=TO&Dato=20031213&Kategori=OPINION02&Lopenr=112130159&Ref=AR

That's obviously a biased article. However that does sound a little retarded if the administration indeed pulls off such a thing. I don't see it as a move against free press since we have plenty of free press in USA and all you need is a special Visa, whatever the heck that is.

[aerocontrols]

Originally posted by Grammatron


That's obviously a biased article. However that does sound a little retarded if the administration indeed pulls off such a thing. I don't see it as a move against free press since we have plenty of free press in USA and all you need is a special Visa, whatever the heck that is.


Here (http://mattwelch.com/NatPostSave/Jvisas.htm) is another article that may strike you as less biased.

The policy of strictly enforcing the visa rules that are in place is good. This particular policy should be eliminated forthwith, however.

So I support enforcing this rule as long as it exists. If I were running the administration, I wouldn't let a single person enter the country in violation of the rules. I would also change the rule immediately if I could, or demand that Congress do so as fast as possible.

MattJ

[American]

Shocked that they're suddenly expected to obey the law?


Fine, be shocked.

[jj]

Originally posted by American
Shocked that they're suddenly expected to obey the law?


Fine, be shocked.

Yes, exactly that. I'm shocked that SUDDENLY there is a set of rules being enforced, when at least one embassy told somebody who was deported that it wasn't necessary.

If it's a rule you don't tell somebody it's "not necessary".

[fishbob]

Yes, exactly that. I'm shocked that SUDDENLY there is a set of rules being enforced, when at least one embassy told somebody who was deported that it wasn't necessary. JJ, you falsely assume a much higher than warranted level of competence in our bureaucrats. Occams razor suggests that stupidity and incompetence are more likely in this case than a finely tuned plan to prevent foreign journalists from siding against the US in the war on terror.

[Grammatron]

Essentially, all of a sudden the government is enforcing a law that is on the books but has not been enforced. Does not seem like a conspiracy to keep all the foreign journalists to me, unless the US government is also denying said visas to the journalists.

[Soapy Sam]

There's no objection to the USA requiring visas for foreign journalists. Lots of countries do. The objection is to the heavy handed way it was handled. (going by the report in jj's link).
This kind of clumsiness leads to tit-for-tat pig headedness in other countries, then it all ends in tears with the big kid taking his ball and going home, then wondering why noone wants to play with him.

If the bureaucrats are really that dumb, fire them and get smarter ones, before the French start guillotining American filmstars for being bourgeois.;)

[Grammatron]

Originally posted by Soapy Sam
If the bureaucrats are really that dumb, fire them and get smarter ones, before the French start guillotining American filmstars for being bourgeois.;)

When will they start because I can't wait :)