Going over like a lead balloon – Canadians should be fighting mad about American plans to control passenger lists for planes that won’t even stop in the U.S.
Canadian air travellers should be fearful of a plan that will give the U.S. Transportation Security Administration power over who boards planes flying over the United States.
By Becky Akers
After eight years of bullying Americans, the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) now extends its regime to Canadians.
Come December, the TSA’s Orwellian “Secure Flight” program will dictate who can and cannot board planes flying over — not landing or even stopping long enough to refuel, but merely flying over — U.S. territory.
The TSA has lusted to control aviation worldwide for years. In 2007, it began compelling foreign airlines, including Canada’s, to check their passenger manifests against various lists of alleged terrorists. But the airlines had no sooner jumped through that hoop than the TSA raised it: airlines must instead submit their manifests for its approval. That’s why reservations now require your full name, date of birth, and sex.
Secure Flight transfers the decisions on transporting customers from other countries’ airlines to the TSA — all without firing a shot. Should the TSA’s honchos object to anyone aboard for any reason, including his political views, they will refuse to clear the flight for American airspace. Indeed, they already have, several times.
And what if the airline tells the TSA, “Look, we’re Canadian, we aren’t subject to you, so buzz off”? What if the pilot defies the TSA’s overweening order? American fighter jets could attack the plane. Talk about winning friends and influencing trading partners!
Secure Flight not only spurns national sovereignty, it’s unprecedented. Wars have been fought over less.
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Tags: Canada, Secure Flicht, TSA
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