Caltrops - Tansin A. Darcos's Alter Ego





	[quote name="Commander Tansin A. Darcos"]In case the term is an American colloquialism, "La-La-Land" means a fantasy world, a place of make believe. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, having major problems of violent crime again related to the acceptance of way too many (inadequately vetted) Muslim refugees from war-torn Middle East countries like Syria, has a solution to the problem. Germany needs to take two million more refugees! YouTuber Sargon of Akkad in his "This week in Stupid" video log for 19 February, mentions that this piece of rank insanity is the unilateral decision of Merkel to essentially open the floodgates to Europe of lots more people who are not properly vetted and who will commit more crimes, whether or not the police hide the reporting of them, which has been happening with more frequency as serious incidence of criminal activity is sometimes buried or covered up to keep the crime statistics low. As Sargon points out, when some of these new migrants realize they can get away with violent crime, Merkel isn't the one who will get raped. It is this sort of craziness that led to BREXIT, that will cause the election of Marine LePen as France's next President, and if the EU collapses and falls apart, the failure will be Merkel's fault. The problem, in part, say between the EU and the US is based on different immigration and admittance systems and the Schengen Agreement. In the United States, <i>all</i> immigration and permission to enter is the exclusive province of the Federal government through Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a part of the Department of Homeland Security. There is a single border for the whole country operated by this one agency with a single, standard set of rules. Once you're admitted to the country (or figure out how to sneak across the border) you can essentially go anywhere in the US without any formalities, and with one exception<sup>[1]</sup> there are no stops or checkpoints when crossing state lines and the Constitution allows free travel anywhere in the country. In Europe, when you enter from somewhere else, it is the decision of the country where you arrive that determines if you're allowed to enter, but once you enter any country in Europe<sup>[2]</sup>, the Schengen Agreement allows visa-free travel to any other country that is part of the Schengen Area without having to go through customs. I think you still have to declare anything imported where there is additional tax. There is a TV show on UK television and YouTube which shows people going through UK customs and immigration and some of the incidents. For example, cigarettes are <u>much</u> less expensive in other parts of Europe, but there is a 2 carton limit that you can bring back, <i>unless</i> you declare that you have more and pay the duty. The penalty for smuggling is stiff. Confiscation of the entire load, plus a big fine. The meaning of this is that once you're legally admitted to any Schengen member country, you have free access to any other Schengen Area country. So as the saying that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, the strength of EU border controls is no stronger than the country with the weakest admissions policy. ---- <sup>[1]</sup> The only reason US states can have checkpoints at their state line for private travelers is for agricultural inspections (to prevent transporting diseased produce, plants, soil, etc.), and which only occurs in states with serious problems of agricultural contamination (such as Arizona and California). If you get stopped at one of these, they ask if you're carrying any plants or soil. Technically you can refuse to answer, but it will slow you down. Most people will just say no, open their trailer (if they're drawing one), show it's just household goods and no plants, and be on their way in 30 seconds. If you are carrying something, show it to them, and it's not a disease vector, again, you're on your way. Or if it is a potential disease vector, you can either turn around and say, finish it off if edible, then re-enter, or surrender it for confiscation. If you have plant products but lie and say no, and they catch you, then you're in trouble. <sup>[2]</sup> As long as the country is a member of Schengen. Switzerland has had such a strong neutral and isolationist policy that it was not a member until 2009. While a country need not be a member of the EU to become a member of the Schengen Agreement, becoming a member of the EU makes Schengen membership mandatory. [/quote]