Each passport expediter has their own criteria that needs to be met, and it so happens that for whatever reason, proof of baptism was very important. Its total bullshit, and wrong on so many levels, but considering that I didn’t have enough supplemental identification to match the criteria for all the others I wanted to deal with, I had to play along.

cowon.

fuck apple.

Thanks for the Funky Forest track. Listening to it brings everything that was awesome about that film into sharp focus. Time to get some wood from the park and add some knobs.

From what I was explained by the agency I went with, the US government has a list of 40+ “things” that count as secondary identification. One big problem was how each agency I spoke with wanted different things from the list. I guess I should be happy that I found one that acknowledged the whole thing; there was a few I tried to go with but couldn’t because they only wanted 10 things from the list, and I only had a few from that ten.

And that’s the thing: if the government thinks that 40 certain things are okay for identification, they why not have that apply everywhere? If I could have just present all that stuff to the post office on day one, I might have been spared half the bullshit I ended up going through. Instead, half the crap that I presented to the authorizing agent at the post office was rejected, so I had to explain “yes, its totally valid” and even the agency has info on their website stating “the agent needs to accept such and such; if he or she doesn’t understand, please refer to handbook X, article Y, on page Z, which they should have handy, or have them call us”.

Yet another thing I didn’t talk about was the need for a flight itnerary, which makes ZERO sense… who the fuck is going to buy tickets for a flight to another country if they don’t have a passport so they know they can go? That again needlessly dragged things out.

Also, I’m still super pissed how I went through all this trouble to get a birth certificate for the process, and when I finally had it and presented it, I would find out it was the wrong kind. Yeah, so everyone needs a state issue birth certification, and not the one from the hospital (which is also certified by the state, but I guess that doesn’t matter). Again, the whole concept of a birth certificate is just ridiculous.

I guess in the end, one of the things I’m still most pissed about is how much of my problems would have been solved if I had a driver’s license. I guess I’m either not as trustworthy, or simply not that great an American because I can’t drive.

As for Japan letting me in without a passport, why not? Fuck, I love the animu!

I wonder though, if Japan would simply allow you within their borders if you simply arrived at their shores happenstance. Just wander in y’know. Not unlike the millions who have done so here in America.

It’s not curious that by going through a third party to obtain a passport that you are required to provide much more proof of identity. The privilege of acting on behalf of a government agency demands the passport intermediaries must cover any liability.