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say WHAT?

Because Bobby graduated from NC State, we're always getting stuff in the mail about trips you can take with the alumni association. (About the only thing we get from Wake Forrest or my alma maters are solicitations.)  Usually I just toss them, but the one this week actually looked interesting, so I was reading through the details (aka the fine print) in hopes of finding accessibility information (for which there was zilch).  But I did find this under the Advance Travel Information:

"Homeland Security laws require that all guests travel with government-issued photo identification (ID) (such as a driver's license) at all times. ID must be presented at the time of boarding. Guests without proper ID will be denied boarding. AQSC is required to provide all guests' ID information including ID number, expiration date, and place of issue to the Coast Guard and/or other government entities prior to the vessel's departure. Guests must provide this information to AQSC in advance. Travel documents will not be released until received..."

The last time I had to "register" with the government was in the People's Republic of China.  As a foreigner, I had to submit my work card and my passport every time I traveled, checked into a hotel, or bought something.  Then I came home in the late 90s and fumed at the grocery stores who required you to register to get a card so you could get the sale prices. And now we have to register with the government before we can buy a ticket to travel on a cruise that does not leave US boundaries. Am I the only one who find this a horrendous overstep of government authority?  I feel as if our freedoms are quietly being stripped away, and no one is protesting in the least. Or if they are, they are being ignored and nothing is changing. And it bothers me greatly.

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