re: "You Can Have a Welfare State, or You Can Have Open Borders, But ."

Kenneth Anderson at Opinio Juris ("a forum for informed discussion and lively debate about international law and international relations") shows how Europe's experience parallels our own.

Money quote(s):

"This opinion piece addresses the same general concern as that book, updated to today: immigration and borders in Europe. In many ways, after all, at least alongside the sovereign debt crisis in Europe is the startling re-introduction of border controls in Continental Europe, and a call by Sarkozy and Berlusconi for a revision of the famous Schengen agreement removing border controls among twenty-two European states (not including the UK and Ireland)."

Be sure to read the quoted passages from the cited article. One slice of that:

"The Schengen agreements, signed in 1985 and 1990, permit
passport-free travel within 22 continental countries of the European Union (Britain and Ireland are among the exceptions), as well as non-Union signatories. Along with the euro, Schengen is Europe’s symbol, a milestone in its integration — on a continent long hemmed in by nationalism and bureaucracy, an Italian can travel to Paris without showing papers or changing money. And it’s growing: the European Parliament this week voted overwhelmingly to recommend extending Schengen to the European Union’s two newest members, Bulgaria and Romania."

TP.IE - US citizens warned of Irish love scam

From my archive of press clippings:

The Post.IE

US citizens warned of Irish love scam

18 April 2010


By John Burke


Americans who fall for ‘Irish’ people online are being warned that their love interest may only be interested in their money.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"According to the US Department of State, US citizens are falling victim to a ‘‘prevalent’’ internet scam in which they are duped into thinking they have formed a romantic relationship with someone of Irish-American heritage, only to be hit with a demand for money."

&

"According to the Department of State, a typical scammer will use a stolen photo of ‘‘someone attractive enough to elicit a response, but not so attractive as to draw undue attention’’.

The US officials could not say whether the scam was based entirely in Ireland or whether criminals were simply taking advantage of American familiarity with Ireland."

CBS - Foreign Service Group Opposes Rooney Pick

From my archive of press clippings:

CBS

Foreign Service Group Opposes Rooney Pick


Posted by Mark Knoller 1


March 17, 2009 1:48 PM

(AP)In light of today's announcement by President Obama that he's naming Steelers owner Dan Rooney to be US Ambassador to Ireland, I queried John Naland, President of the American Foreign Service Association about the practice.

AFSA is the professional association of the US Foreign Service and has 14,000 dues paying members.

Read the whole article here.

_____

(CBS) Mark Knoller is a CBS News White House correspondent. You can read more of his posts in Hotsheet here.

H.IE - Firms charge for free USA visa service

Herald.ie

Firms charge for free USA visa service

By Michael Lavery

Thursday January 08 2009


Some online travel companies are charging travellers to make a free application to the US government on their behalf, it was claimed today.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"From next Monday, all travellers entering the US with passports from Visa Waiver Programme countries, such as Ireland, will have to obtain authorisation in advance of travel.

Passengers simply need to log onto the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) website before they embark on their journey and answer some questions online, a spokesperson for Holiday Homes Direct.ie said.

Until now, passengers who travelled to the US filled in the form during the flight or at immigration in Dublin or Shannon airports. The online ESTA system asks for the same information, but now it must be received in advance of the trip."

&

""The US Dept of Homeland Security said that all international travellers seeking to travel to the US under the Visa Waiver Programme "are now subject to enhanced security arrangements"."