Or worse, trying to prove, “No, really, I’m not that<\/i> Claire Wolfe! Honest!”<\/a><\/p>\n But who knows? I’m actually composing this post five days ago and bringing it to you now through the magic of delayed sheduling.<\/p>\n So although my trip will have begun by the time you read this, all I can talk about right now is pre-trip discoveries. For starters, passports.<\/p>\n I want to show you something. This is the inside cover design of my passport, gotten four years ago before the fedgov started RFID chipping them:<\/p>\n Now look at the passport design of my traveling companion, Lorri, an RFID-chipped model gotten just two months ago:<\/p>\n Wow, that’s some raptor, eh? My subtle, symbolic eagle has turned into the real thing — and all beak, to boot. You wouldn’t want to mess with that<\/i> predator!<\/p>\n Which is, of course, the point. And though I haven’t seen the rest of Lorri’s little blue book, I gather there’s more like that inside.<\/p>\n I rather like what this astute woman<\/a> has to say about the new peck-your-eyes-out bird:<\/p>\n When I travel, I try to be the Complex American — a citizen of the fascinating, nuanced, multicultural, messy and basically decent place I know this country to be. But I feel like this passport blows my cover. It’s like suddenly, against my will, I’m wearing ugly khaki shorts and talking way too loud.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Maybe you already knew about that design change. I didn’t, though it’s a couple of years old now.<\/p>\n Did you also know that certain members of the government class carry passports of a different color than ours to distinguish those bearers from hoi palloi<\/i> like us? Or that certain members of the government class get free<\/i> passports? (Info courtesy of Wikipedia<\/a>.<\/p>\n Passports, while not exactly an invention of the devil, have been used by governments through modern history to control the movements of citizens, as well as non-citizens. (More Wikipedia<\/a> — although unfortunately this is a very incomplete history and doesn’t even begin to tell how modern control states, from 18th-century France onward, have used passports against their own people.)<\/p>\n But I’m thinking this time it’s likely that I showed my passport and got right on my way. If so, I’ll be posting more soon as my travels progress. Might be a few days between blog entries sometimes, but I’ll be with you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" (This is another one I wrote before the trip and scheduled for posting. Didn’t think I’d have ‘Net access today, but since I’m still sitting around in airports, I do. For the moment. Oh, the adventures …) —– If all has gone well, I’ve already winged my way over an ocean. If all hasn’t gone well, I may be handcuffed in some windowless airport nook pleading, “But really, I didn’t know that tube of sun-block was four ounces. I swear I thought it said three!” Or worse, trying to prove, “No, really, I’m not that Claire Wolfe! Honest!” But who…<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.backwoodshome.com\/blogs\/ClaireWolfe\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/02\/Passport-Non-Biometric.jpg\" "\\"Passport-Non-Biometric\\"")
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