Canada -- not just America's hat

[bhskittykatt]

SC in this case will stand for "Slow Customer".

Note: We are not at all far from the Canadian border, and several of our guests are going to/coming from Canada.

SC: "Hey, so what do I need to do to get across that border thingy? I need a driver's license or somethin', right?" [Yes, that's verbatim. He called it a "border thingy".]
CW: "Actually, you need to have a passport."
SC: "Pass?"
CW: "Everyone crossing the border must have a passport."
SC: "What's a pass...thingy? Where do I get one of them?"
CW: "You can go to the post office and fill out the paperwork."
SC: "Does it take long?"
CW: "It usually takes a few weeks to process."
SC: "So, if I just wanted to go across, I couldn't?"
CW: "Not without a passport, no."
SC: "What about just going to that arch thingy?" [Everything is a "thingy".]
CW: "No passport, no cross."
SC: "Why do I need a pass-thingy?"
CW: [goes into lengthy explanation of border crossing legislation and requirements, including some restrictions.]
CW: "...and if you have a record, they won't let you across either."
SC: *carefully ponders that remark* "So even if I had a pass-thingy, if I have a record and, like, just wanted to go visit, I couldn't?" [He kept emphasizing wanted.]
CW: "Nope."
SC: "That's stupid." [Methinks someone has a record...]

International border. Foreign country. Customs. Immigration. Not at all like crossing into another state. How is this so difficult to grasp?

[ExRetailDrone]

How the fuck has this person never even heard of a passport? I can kind of understand not realizing that you need one to get into Canada, since that was only changed recently, but... I think my brain just blue-screened.

Also, I would have been tempted to tell him to shove his thingy up his thingy just to see the reaction, since he likes that word so much

[ZedOmega]

(Poster's note: this reply was posted immediately after the poster's monitor was completely cleaned of caffeinated lifeblood)

What... the hell... Seriously, how in the blue sky can someone not know what a passport, which has its function as its goddamn name, is supposed to be for?!

[chainedbarista]

they don't have passports or require them in the underground where he lives; you jes' scoot from tunnel t' tunnel.

wow, someone is still living in the past; i realise it wasn't that long ago that all you needed was some sort of picture id, but that's come and gone; time to get with the future, buddy.

[joe hx]

wasn't it about ten years ago you didn't need a passport to go between Canada and the US? when I went to Vancouver in 2000 I didn't have a passport.

[The Rightful Dead]

i don't know why the idea of a passport is so hard to understand, but im not the best example as ive had a passport for as long as i can remember.

[Jetfire]

To go from the US to Canada, you still don't need a passport or anything other than basic ID's.

To get back to the US from Canada, you will need a passport as of the past year or two. *says no more*

[MoonCat]

There's an enhanced driver ID you can use, I believe. I live very near the border with Canada (an uncle used to have a cottage there. It never seemed like a foreign country to me then). I know you can't just drive over anymore without the right documentation. This guy must have been visiting from outer space!

[BigBird]

As a Canadian, I think it's fair to say that it's fine if this fellow stays on his own side of the border, as we can live without him, thanks.

[tropicsgoddess]

Somebody needs a thingy inserted in their head...I mean really how the hell can that person NOT know what a passport is let alone not grasp the concept of entering another country is different from entering another state in the U.S. The stupid...IT BURNS!!!!