01/24/07 Passport & Potato Grower

Passport Rules & Potato Grower. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report. Americans flying to Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean had better be sure to bring their passports because of a new rule that went into effect yesterday requiring them to show a passport to get back into the country. Only about a quarter of U.S. citizens hold valid passports, and most Americans are accustomed to traveling to neighboring countries with just a driver`s license or birth certificate, which have long been sufficient to get through airport customs on the trip home. Bob Jacksta with U.S. Customs and Border Protection believes consistency is the answer. JACKSTA: Today we have people arriving at our ports of entry with a number of different types of documents; birth certificates, driver's license, thousands of different types and we think this is going to bring it down to one consistent uniform form or document. The new regulations requiring passports were adopted by Congress in 2004 to secure the borders against terrorists. The National Potato Council has named Washington grower Lynn Olsen Sr. as the annual Potato Man for All Seasons. The award is handed out each year to someone who has made a lifetime commitment to the potato industry. Olsen has worked to help educate legislators on how legislation affects the industry. Now with today's Food Forethought, here's Susan Allen. Tolerance, The word is typically used in the same sentence with immigration issues. Yet tolerance has become a political mantra that is destroying our nation. We have created a "tolerant" environment that allows immigrants or worse yet, illegals to navigate health, political and social services without even needing to learn our native language and then we wonder why they don't assimilate into our culture. Bruised from decades of exuberant "tolerance", countries like Sweden and Denmark are now taking a tougher stance towards immigrants by requiring adaptation to their adopted homes. Denmark recently passed tough anti- immigrant laws in response to violent reactions by Muslims regarding the Mohammed cartoons. Europe is reeling from governments with histories of tolerance and a recent NPR article reported that even European leftists are beginning to debate its limits as Europe begins to tilt to the right regarding tolerance policies. Meanwhile the US continues it' slide down the slippery slope to the left. What is wrong with learning by example? Thanks Susan. That's today's Northwest Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.