# Apparently only America should do this. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 22, 2002, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-only-america-should-do-this/133400 "2002-10-22T17:03:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2002, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-only-america-should-do-this/133400/1 "2002-10-22T17:03:09Z")
Why are people pissed about [this?](http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,66390,00.html) Seems like… \*\* “Our dealings (with other countries) will be reciprocal,” he said. “We’ll deal with every country in the same way as they deal with us.” \*\* …summed it up nicely. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2002, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-only-america-should-do-this/133400/2 "2002-10-22T17:16:02Z")
Fair is fair. Doesn’t bother me a bit. I could understand indignation among some American citizens if the Saudis implemented it first, especially considering recent events, but it plainly was a diplomatic tit for tat. Mole terrorists could have American passports already. Why not fingerprint them if they travel over to there? ---
**Author:** ![photopat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e95f7d/32.png) [@photopat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/photopat)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2002, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-only-america-should-do-this/133400/3 "2002-10-22T19:01:45Z")
Yeah, I have no problem with it either. ---
**Author:** ![mattymillhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a3d4f5/32.png) [@mattymillhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mattymillhouse)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2002, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-only-america-should-do-this/133400/4 "2002-10-22T19:22:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by World Eater \* > \*\*Why are people pissed about [this?](http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,66390,00.html) > > Seems like… > > \*\* > “Our dealings (with other countries) will be reciprocal,” he said. “We’ll deal with every country in the same way as they deal with us.” > > \*\* > …summed it up nicely. \*\* i personally don’t have a problem with it, other than minor annoyance. however, i think the responsive argument is also quoted in the article you linked. > [@](#): > > \*\*“What’s alarming about this is that it reflects an attitude on behalf of the Saudi Arabian government that perhaps they are in some way being threatened by the people of the United Sates or we are no longer their friends,” Rep. Dana Rohrbacher, R-Calif., said. “At a time when their people attacked us they should be bending over backwards to appeal to our friendship.” > > . . . > > But some see this move as more than an inconvenience. They say it’s just another sign that Riyadh may not be as friendly to U.S. interests as it once was.\*\* i think one problem is that saudi arabia is treating this like a diplomatic slap in the face, when all we’re asking for are pictures and fingerprints – a pretty reasonable limitation given the enormity of the terrorist attacks on our soil. so i guess the response to “We’ll deal with every country in the same way as they deal with us” is “ok, when a dozen or more of our citizens kill thousands of your citizens, then you can enter reciprocal limitations.” ---
**Author:** ![Shah\_Jehan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Shah\_Jehan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shah_Jehan)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2002, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-only-america-should-do-this/133400/5 "2002-10-22T20:55:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mattymillhouse \* > **i think one problem is that saudi arabia is treating this like a diplomatic slap in the face** I have to agree with that. While I don’t see why anyone in the US should be upset, I do think this is a fairly childish reaction from the Saudis. We could also ask, what the hell are the Saudis so upset for? Here’s a quote from the article, which makes no sense to me: > [@](#): > > Many Saudi students said the new rules made it impossible for them to continue their studies. How does being fingerprinted and photographed make it impossible for students to continue their studies? Is the article leaving something out? ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2002, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-only-america-should-do-this/133400/6 "2002-10-22T21:26:32Z")
> [@](#): > > How does being fingerprinted and photographed make it impossible for students to continue their studies? Is the article leaving something out? Yeah I was wondering that myself. ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2002, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-only-america-should-do-this/133400/7 "2002-10-22T21:29:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Shah Jehan \* > \*\* > We could also ask, what the hell are the Saudis so upset for? Here’s a quote from the article, which makes no sense to me: > > How does being fingerprinted and photographed make it impossible for students to continue their studies? Is the article leaving something out? \*\* I think the article is talking about a different recently implemented rule (there are piles of them lately), the new requirement for Saudis and other nationals of countries that the U.S. considers to be sponsors of terrorism to undergo security checks before the U.S. will issue them visas. The clearance delays, which can take 30 days or more, have kept lots of people, including numerous students, from getting visas in time to accomplish the purpose of their planned travel to the U.S. You can find more details on the State Department’s Web site at [http://www.travel.state.gov](http://www.travel.state.gov).