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THE PASSPORT FRAUD: I imagine you take for granted that little book you are required to carry with you when you travel. After all, you NEED a passport for such purposes, don't you? Well, it wasn't always so. In fact, the international identity document we call a "passport" is a relatively new invention, only brought into wide use after 1914. As the name suggests - a passport is supposed to give you the right to "pass" - to move, to travel from country to country (from port to port). In the 19th century, it was relatively easy to leave one country and arrive in another - without the need for such a document - but it appears that World War I put an end to that. And maybe it's not just a coincidence, for that war was the beginning of the 20th century's clash of the "states". And even more - the rise of previously unheard of totalitarian state power. The fundamental premise underlying the passport is the idea of citizenship - the concept that you belong to a particular nation state, in the same way you belong to a particular family. Nice and cosy like. You are born into a family - and you really have no choice in the matter. If you were born into a rich, happy family, offering the opportunity to get a good education and a great start in life - well, you are just plain lucky. On the other hand, if you were born into a family of drifters - living in the nearest rubbish dump - well tough! Who said life was fair? The idea of citizenship is similarly explained. You are born into a particular country - and you become a "member". End of story. In other words, your nation is your "extended" family - like it or not. Trouble is, in this world of vastly different types of nation states, being born in the "wrong" country could easily cost you your life - either in an agonisingly drawn out process, or quite abruptly. But is it a valid comparison - to say that you are born into a country, in the same way you are born into a family? No, it is not. There is a fundamental difference - which is clearly illustrated by the idea of citizenship and the little document which enforces it - the passport. Sure, you can't choose the family you were born into, but if that relationship is not to your liking - you can always move away, or at least keep the family at arm's length. You CAN leave a hostile, unloving, or even cruel family. You have that choice - at least when you are old enough to make such a choice. Not so with your citizenship. Being born into a particular nation state is a much more cloying relationship - which, depending upon where you were born, may suit you fine - or may cause you to want to leave. Any "free" nation will let you leave of course. The trouble starts with the fact that you have nowhere else to go! In other words, any right to leave is useless for all practical purposes - because no other nation state will make it easy for you to "arrive" - short holidays not withstanding. Of course, you could always live your life on a boat! So, let's step back from the status quo, and ask the basic question: "Why on earth should nations have the right to restrict the movement of individuals?" Why indeed! The only reason I can think of is because that's the way it has been. That's what we're used to. And that's the way your average nation state likes it. The hard truth is that a passport is just a mechanism of control. Like any identity document, it has its "stated" intention, and its REAL intention. Since the wide implementation of passports internationally, after 1914, nation states have been on an ever accelerating power binge - in an attempt to nail down their citizens and to be able to know every little detail about them. Yes, as it turns out, you ARE a number! If you are not convinced of the difference between family and nation - and your "ties" to each - then consider this: How would you like a "family" passport - one which restricted your movement between family homes? Ridiculous, you say. Okay, what about a city passport - where you need permission to move between cities in the same country? Want to move from New York to Los Angeles? Or from Liverpool to London? Sorry - you need documents. A short stay is fine - but don't even think about moving permanently! Or how about a state/region passport - one which restricts your movement between states or regions within your own country? How would you like to be prevented from moving from Colorado to California (USA), or from New South Wales to Queensland (Australia)? Such restrictions would be totally unacceptable to you - I'm sure. But ask yourself - what is the difference, IN PRINCIPLE, between such apparently absurd ideas as city or state/region passports - when compared to passports for nations? The fact is, nation states are just arbitrary geographical entities, which over time have established (or fought wars over) borders, in order to separate people - for the purpose of putting "dog tags" on everyone inside - and to exclude everyone outside. These entities are reinforced by the ideology of nationalism - which is inculcated from an early age - in the nations' mind control centres (schools). But there are signs the system is cracking. The world is increasingly linked by more and more open communications (the internet for example), more travel, and more international trade. People are forming bonds OTHER than those imposed by nationhood. And individuals in undesirable nation states are starting to ask the question, "why am I here?" and "how can I get out?" Now, if you're some comfortable, well-paid, mollycoddled citizen of a relatively free and rich country - such a line of questioning has a distinctly unpleasant ring to it. Geez, what do these people want after all? People everywhere want what "people everywhere" have always wanted - the freedom and opportunity to live a life of their own choosing. And they are increasingly on the move in search of it. This is causing a predictable response in the mature welfare states - where the locals grow up with an "entitlement" mentality (the right to other people's money) - with more and more draconian border protection and enforcement. After all, who wants a boat load of freeloaders arriving on one's doorstep - and signing up for the dole? It's a huge problem. But when you dig deeper - and take a closer look at what this really means, then it's clear that the very concept of the nation state is under threat. And in particular - the welfare state. There is an inevitability in the concept of "open borders" - when there is a move to more and more international trade, and international co-operation. For if individual goods and services can freely roam the globe - why not individual people? Battle lines are drawing on this issue - and already one can see the clear demarcation between opposing sides. There are those who are wedded to the idea of the sovereign nation state - who want strict border controls to keep other people out - and strict protectionist trade policies to keep other people's goods and services out. They want their taxes to be used on their own kind - and not squandered on uninvited guests. They want to shore up their welfare state and protect their perceived "national" interests. Then there are those who are more committed to the idea of the sovereign INDIVIDUAL - who see nation states as artificial barriers, separating people who are quite capable of managing their own affairs and dealing with one and another in a truly free market place. Such people want to see an end to the welfare state - and its corrupting influence on the morals and well-being of those who are subject to it. The battle lines are hardening - and the rearguard action of those hell-bent on stopping the demise of the nation state is bound to get ugly. It already is. However the forces of freedom are unleashed. People are no longer prepared to accept the idea that if they were born into a Gulag-style country, or economic cesspit - then they must be compelled stay there. This force of "people on the move" will become one of the most pressing issues of our age. It will test the nation state as never before - and it has the potential to undermine the very thinking that supports it. Whichever side of the fence you are on, regards this issue, one thing is for certain - the situation is real, and it is gaining momentum. Next time you look at your passport - realise what it REALLY is - a membership card to a "life" camp. Maybe yours is a holiday camp, or a prison camp, or maybe just a boot camp. But, whatever type of camp you belong to - your membership card is hard to get rid of - and even harder to replace with a more favourable one of your own choosing! Yours in freedom David MacGregor | ||||
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