US Waiver for Canadians

As a valid holder of an I-194 waiver the least of my worries when conducting US travel is whether, or not I want the low-tech fondling or high-tech pornography screening now available in most US airports. Either seems petty compared to the indignity of being shifted through secondary screening. That said, the Oklahoma Daily has a well-written editorial about the current state of airport security. Read the article, A nude awakening – TSA and privacy . The fundamentals of this column apply just as well in Canada (we have undertaken similar security screening measures) as they do in the US.

I've crossed into the US on numerous occasions after receiving my I-194 waiver and have always found the U.S. Customs officials to be professional, balanced and fair in their questioning and/or decisions. For example: when traveling with my wife and young children, we have surprisingly never been sent to secondary screening. Instead, the officers that we have dealt with have always processed my waiver on the spot -alleviating the extra time and possible humiliation to my family of waiting in secondary. If you've had similar experiences (or even if you haven't) , this book is for you: ' In Safe Hands ,' is a collection of short anecdotal stories from the life and times of a now retired U.S. Customs officer (Michael Cunningham). I picked this book up recently when I was on a business trip state-side. Last week when I was traveling to the US I brought it along and was reading it while waiting in secondary. I'm pretty certain at least one officer noticed and found ...