US-VISIT BIOMETRIC INFORMATION COLLECTION STARTED TODAY... Happy New Year, rest of the world! Now if you aren't from Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, San Marino, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Portugal or Singapore you will have the fingerprints of your right and left index fingers scanned and stored and your photograph taken. The italics in the above list are mine and indicate the only two non-European countries on the list. I also took the liberty of providing web links to information about some of the more obscure nations.

Is this list exclusionary? Why is it that citizens of European countries are allowed "unfettered" access to the US, while residents of Argentina, a country that until recently based it's entire monetary system on the US dollar and pegged it's economic future on the future of the US, have to submit to this treatment while the next Richard Reid (UK citizen, exempt from US-VISIT, alleged shoe-bomber) is allowed access? The Holy See (Vatican City) isn't on that list. The Pope and the 910 other residents of that soveriegn nation would have to get their fingerprints taken and a photo recorded. The Pope. He's 83 and he's not looking good. Watch him! Who makes up these systems? Why do some countries require special permission to enter and others do not? Did you know that possession of an Israeli visa in your passport will cause you to be prohibited access to some nations? Which nations I wonder? Syria?

References:
FOXNews.com - Top Stories - Fast Facts: Countries Exempt From US-VISIT... "Fair and balanced..."
travel.co.au Visa Information... "Some nations will not permit entry if you have a visa from another nation..."
US State Department Visa procedures... "You are not entitled..."