"Now they're telling us we have to get a %@#&*@!# passport!!!???"

Unless it has changed, the requirements for U.S. Citizens entering Canada is that they need to provide proof of citizenship. A passport has been "recommended" as it speeds up the process since everything supposedly has been checked out.

No system is perfect, obviously. Does it deter? I don't think we can adequately guage.   Sure, there are "loopholes" that will get people into this country, as well as dirty bombs and such. Those issues are being tracked.

Are we paranoid? Of course, overly paranoid. We are not alone. In the U.K. there was a story this week of a person who was detained because they were heard singing the words to a Clash song by a taxi driver. Last year after the tragic bombings an individual was shot to death because they were "mistaken" for a terrorist by authorities.   There is a lot of work to be done, but there are also ways to work with the system.

This is not a "useless" thread if it promotes dialogue and opens people up to different ideas. It becomes useless if we only rely on our preconceived and often stereotypical ideas.