A Sad Day

The last time I crossed from Canada into the United States by car was in about 1996 or '97. I was with a buddy in an SUV we'd borrowed from his parents, and we were on our way to follow Phish (official site here) around the New England states and New York for a week or so. (Heh, there is a shitload of unstated information in that last sentence...) It took us all of about 30 seconds to cross the border: we pulled up to the border crossing, the guard asked us where we were going and how long we planned to stay, we answered his questions, he thanked us, and we were on our way. That was all there was to it. We didn't have to show any kind of ID, and we didn't have to pretend that we were anything other than a couple of slobs heading to the (then) magical world of the USA on a mission of psychedelic/alcoholic stupor. Hell, the border guard even called "have fun!" as we were pulling away. And have fun, we did.

That was then. This is now:

The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, an anti-terrorism policy passed by Congress in 2004, requires travellers 16 and older who are entering the United States from Canada by land or sea to carry one of the following:

* Passport.
* NEXUS card.
* Free and Secure Trade (FAST) card.
* Enhanced driver's licence (EDL) or an enhanced identification card (EIC) from a province where a U.S.-approved EDL/EIC program has been implemented.
* Secure Certificate of Indian Status (when this certificate is available and approved by the United States).

[More detailed info on particular documents available here.]

Fuck you, bin Laden, and the horse you rode into town on...