Planes, Trains, and Automobiles: 1000 pcs.

Is anyone watching this puzzle come together? The more pieces that get set into place, the more the picture becomes discernable. I'm hoping that some klutz will come by and knock the table over, or spill a gallon or two of coffee on it. Something, anything, other than what's taking shape.

Planes (Link)

According to a US document being circulated for signature in European capitals, EU states would also need to supply personal data on all air passengers overflying but not landing in the US in order to gain or retain visa-free travel to America, senior EU officials said.

And within months the US department of homeland security is to impose a new permit system for Europeans flying to the US, compelling all travellers to apply online for permission to enter the country before booking or buying a ticket, a procedure that will take several days.

Washington is also asking European airlines to provide personal data on non-travellers - for example family members - who are allowed beyond departure barriers to help elderly, young or ill passengers to board aircraft flying to America, a demand the airlines reject as "absurd".

Trains (Link)

Amtrak will start randomly screening passengers' carry-on bags this week in a new security push that includes officers with automatic weapons and bomb-sniffing dogs patrolling platforms and trains.

Amtrak plans to roll out the new "mobile security teams" first on the Northeast Corridor between Washington and Boston, the railroad's most heavily used route, before expanding them to the rest of the country.

The teams will show up unannounced at stations and set up baggage screening areas in front of boarding gates. Officers will randomly pull people out of line and wipe their bags with a special swab that is then put through a machine that detects explosives. If the machine detects anything, officers will open the bag for visual inspection. Anybody who is selected for screening and refuses will not be allowed to board and their ticket will be refunded.

Automobiles (Link)

(Ok, this heading was a bit of a stretch, but not by too much. It's about the so-called Real ID, which does have to do with automobiles. So my clever title is still intact. I know you were worried.)

Residents of the five states--Maine, South Carolina, Montana, Oklahoma, and New Hampshire--that have firmly rejected Real ID [will have trouble flying or entering federal buildings starting May 11]. Fifteen states and the District of Columbia have not decided yet, meaning they could fall into this category too.

The text of the law says that, starting May 11, "a federal agency may not accept, for any official purpose, a driver's license or identification card issued by a state to any person unless the state is meeting the requirements of this section." Official purpose is defined to include "any other purposes" that Homeland Security thinks is wise.

[Regarding the possibility of a wider application of the law, Homeland Security had this to say.] "DHS will continue to consider additional ways in which a Real ID license can or should be used and will implement any changes to the definition of 'official purpose' or determinations regarding additional uses for Real ID consistent with applicable laws and regulatory requirements. DHS does not agree that it must seek the approval of Congress as a prerequisite to changing the definition in the future." [italics mine]

The scary thing here is that it doesn't even matter if the pieces don't fit. Anything can be made to fit, under the right circumstances. Like a complete lack of checks and balances, for example.