An Embarrassingly Patriotic Passport

The New Republic: New Design Slaps Foreigners In The Face With American Jingoism

(The New Republic)  This column was written by Michael Currie Schaffer.

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The federal government's recent efforts in the field of passport regulations have been somewhat less than wildly popular. First, new travel rules for travelers flying to Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean prompted a run on the passport office: With the bureaucracy overwhelmed, furious would-be travelers saw their vacation dates come and go with no document in sight. Then, no sooner had the feds made a dent in the backlog than the next passport-change appeared on the horizon: As of January, Americans will have to show their passports at land crossings, too. Borderland backups caused by a dress-rehearsal for the new rules made the front page of the New York Times last week.

So, complaining about something so superficial as the way the passport looks might seem a little like kicking the poor schlubs in the consular service when they're down. Unfortunately, the newly redesigned U.S. passport -- that document so many folks have waited in Soviet-length lines to acquire, and which they'll no doubt thumb through as they wait in even longer queues at our borders next year -- is tacky enough to make you want to do just that. Apparently, someone forgot that passports are mainly meant to be read by, you know, foreigners. Plastered like a NASCAR vehicle with cheeseball patriotic clip-art that might have been swiped from The Colbert Report's opening credits, the new books spill jingoism the way traveling Americans once spilled hard currency.

Fair enough, given the administration that introduced the new passports. Unfortunately, where the Bushies once excelled at logos and backdrops, the redesign is also hideously, hideously ugly. Don't take my word for it -- flip through the new book at the state department's Web site.

The result of a six-year effort, the new passport's main advantage is that it is embedded with a computer chip and other high-tech security features. The front cover looks the same as before, except for a small emblem of a circle and two lines, the symbol for documents that contain electronic data.

The problems only start once you open your passport. On the inside front cover is a Fort McHenry illustration accompanied by the last four lines of the "Star Spangled Banner," apparently in Francis Scott Key's handwriting. Why is this quotation in actual handwriting? It's unclear. Other than an inexplicably capitalized passage from the Gettysburg Address that I fear will make overseas consular officers feel as if Lincoln is shouting at them, the thirteen other inspirational quotes in the book are all printed in the same sober Times Roman-style font.

Except, of course, for the text on the page opposite the passport-holder's photo and personal information. That page contains the preamble to the constitution, complete with "We the People" in its original 18th-century typeface. It's hard to say what foreign passport-stampers are supposed to make of a preamble to a document that isn't, in fact, contained in this particular little blue book. But perhaps they'll just focus on the page's graphic elements: A fierce-looking bald eagle that takes up half the page, accompanied by smaller illustrations of grain and a flapping American flag.

The passport's subsequent pages -- the ones that are supposed to be used for foreign visas and entry stamps -- follow along with illustrations as predictable as a junior-high American-history project. Cacti! Mountains! Independence Hall! A gargantuan rendering of the Liberty Bell! The whole romantic panoply, from coast to coast. Literally: There's a New England schooner sailing through pages ten and eleven, a Mississippi paddleboat floating towards the edge of page 17, and some sort of Pacific Northwest image involving a salmon-eating bear and a totem pole on pages 24 and 25. I suppose it goes without saying that the pages in between feature cowboys, bison, a train, and the Statue of Liberty.

Crass it may be, but the new passport won't be accused of taking sides in domestic politics. The figures offering quotes about what the State Department calls "the hope and success that is the United States of America" include John F. Kennedy and LBJ as well as Teddy Roosevelt and Dwight Eisenhower. Many of the passages extol the virtues of democracy -- great stuff, although, alas, material that these days is liable to be interpreted abroad as stage one in some secret American invasion scheme.

Still, at least one of the passages -- a Martin Luther King, Jr. quote asking that "God grant that America will be true to her dream" -- implies that Americans are aware of at least a few imperfections. Of course, there's nothing imperfect about the illustration abutting the King quotation: A mountain range, a pair of buffalo, and yet another enormous eagle staring proudly into the distance. What that western idyll has to do with the man who orchestrated the Montgomery bus boycott is anyone's guess. But whatever dissonance it all creates will only be heightened once the pages start getting filled in with visas and passport stamps from Finland or Botswana.

If the passport's designers have taken care not to slight any particular party, ethnicity, or painter of corny American vistas, there are at least some changes you could interpret as signs of Cheneyite muscle-flexing. For instance, in the passport that was used until last year, the standard passage on page one featuring a request from the Secretary of State to treat the passport-holder well was printed in French and Spanish as well as English. It still is, though the foreign languages have now been shrunk to a typeface distinctly smaller than the English text. That'll show 'em!

One of the most jarring statistics from the 2004 election had to do with passports. According to one Zogby poll, John Kerry led among passport-holders by 23 points, while President Bush held a sizeable lead among those without passports. No doubt the new travel rules will go some of the way toward changing that as they broaden the passports-toting population. But maybe the new-look passport, shouting its Yankee pride like an American flag on a fanny pack, will help, too. The cover may say United States, but the design taste is pure red states.

[mcvett]

Liberals love to claim how open-minded and tolerant they are.

"Anything goes" seems to be their motto

EXCEPT, patriotism and religion.
those two things seems to p-i-s-s liberals off

.

[rjcjrcbs]

What a great new look to the US Passport! Any American who believes in the values that make this country great should be proud to produce this document at any border crossing. What a great way to proclaim what we belive in and what we stand for to all the world. Congratualtions to the designers for a great job.

[salty1954]

It is the same as the Nazi''s plastering the swastika all over Germany.

The Bush Crime Syndicate is as evil and fascist as we will ever see.

May they all be brought to The Hague for trials as war criminals and hung!

[tucano2]

Undignified, crass, boorish, unprofessional; no wonder anyone with a brain dismisses the government of the USA as looney tunes.

[briannorwood]

"It is the same as the Nazi''''s plastering the swastika all over Germany."--salty1954

Ever been to Texas? That damned Lone Star is plastered EVERYWHERE!

[magoo2u1]

"Anything goes" seems to be their motto

EXCEPT, patriotism and religion.
those two things seems to p-i-s-s liberals off

When you say "religion" , you mean your religion right? All adherents to other religions have to die don''t they? I bet liberals don''t dislike religion, they dislike tyrants forcing "their" religion on everyone else. But , you don''t see it that way ''cause god gave you the list of all people that must die. Is the deathlist actually in your bible or did your holy leader go out in the wood shed and get the additions from god?

[Razzl]

Attempting to introduce some zing into an otherwise humorless document might be forgiven in more cheerful times, but there will be no mercy for the cheerful until this wicked Bush regime and all of its malcontents are swept away and Americans are once again greeted with open arms, at least in places that we once were. It''s best to get on with the business of making the world a cheerful place again and then maybe the passport problem will cure itself...

[rray52]

Assuming this is a serious critical review of the artistic merit of the new passport, someone has way too much time on their hands. What next, literary review of bills in congress?

[bluestardad]

THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH BEING AN AMERICAN!

WHO GIVES A BUSHIT WHAT THE REST OF THE WORLD THINKS ABOUT HOW AN AMERICAN PASSPORT LOOKS!

[psk123-2009]

Yikes!

Took a look, and that truly is the tackiest looking government document.

The images look as though they were all pulled out of some junior high history book. I am all for patriotism and national pride, but gosh *** does it have to be so juvenile looking?

[psk123-2009]

oops, sorry folks. didn''t know the word d a r n would get a three star edit.

[mcvett]

Liberals love to claim how open-minded and tolerant they are.
"Anything goes" seems to be their motto

EXCEPT, patriotism and religion.
patriotism seems to p-i-s-s liberals off

.

[rafterman1]

I imagine most customs officials won''t look at it at all, just stampt it and yell "NEXT!"

[alanrobisch]

But , you don''''t see it that way ''''cause god gave you the list of all people that must die. Is the deathlist actually in your bible or did your holy leader go out in the wood shed and get the additions from god?Posted by magoo2u1 at 04:00 PM : Oct 26, 2007

Most liberals tend to be religious in name only if at all. Most conservatives regularly attend church. the reverse is true among liberals. they are intolerant of any expression of religious belief in the public square and even heaven forfend christians being elected who feel they should depend on the bible to inform their legislative choices.

[Jim1900]

It is both embarrassingly politically correct on the one hand, and jingoistic on the other. So it accurately portrays the values of the U.S. at the moment. Anything more tasteful would be a distortion of reality. But it starts with a quote from Abe Lincoln, so all the rest is forgiven.

[sandycat2]

Why is this even an article at all? I can think of soooooo many more important things than how US passports look. Cause I want to tell you. I have no idea how other countries passports look. So what is the big deal. Except the writer seems to be blaming the ugly passport on Bush. So really, what''s new here?

[alanrobisch]

i look at passports from all over the world and don''t give a *** what they look like I do admit that I think the picture of washington is a good one. the writer should get a life

[ozonmojo]

I have seen the new American passport.It is not bad compared to the other similar things in our life.It sure does not have the dignity of the old passport.But that is true of a lot of new versions of old things...and people.

[burneb]

There is a difference between patriotism/pride in America and jingoism/cheerleading to the point of being annoying or offensive to people of other countries.

Passports are official documents meant to be seen often by people of other countries. As such, foreigners are bound to feel their character reflects America%u2019s attitude toward its place in the world. That is not trivial when the Bush administration has already convinced the rest of the world that Americans must be arrogant and dangerous jerks.

This new design is crudely overdone, with a lot of cheeseball content having nothing to do with its function, but it perfectly reflects the Bush administration%u2019s second-grader view of what American citizenship and patriotism is about. I am glad my old passport is good until 2015. It looks dignified and functional and goes well with an American flag pin on my shirt.

[extremophil]

I''m soooooo embarrassed to be an American, and it''s all because of those tacky passports. I just wish I lived in a country like China or Korea or Iran or some country with nice tasteful passport designs (sniff).

[brianbwb-2009]

"...Most conservatives regularly attend church. the reverse is true among liberals. they are intolerant of any expression of religious belief in the public square and even heaven forfend christians being elected who feel they should depend on the bible to inform their legislative choices."
Posted by alanrobisch2

Mussolini''s Fascists attended church, As did Hitler. As do the KKK, Aryan Nations, and Bush. So what? Pat Robertson is one of the most virulent racists and fascists alive, he claims Chrisatianity, and has a lot of followers. Bush claims God "speaks to him", and tells him to murder innocent Iraqis, so what is your point? These same "church going Christians" to whom you refer have no problem supporting the slaughter of innocents simply because they are Muslim, and you dare speak of "liberal intolerance"? If "liberals" don''t wish to hear proselytizing from a government sponsored podium, I have yet to hear any significant number call for the death of innocents only because they are "Christian."

I personally don''t wish to be forced to obey laws that enforce any religion, and the constitution guarantees my right to live so. Freedon is freedom, so freedom of religion is also freedom from religion.

As for your viewing of passports from around the world, the extremely provincial nature of your posts suggests you probably don''t even have your own, let alone have seen others.

[tnt1954]

excellent article mr. schaffer. the new republic''s
imperialist longings are foremost in the forests
of ice cream bandstands and popsicles made from
icicles. it should have stars and stripes forever
play when it is opened. i''ve gotten cards for
people like that before. you open the gift card
and a musical tune plays. how about ''playing with
fire'' by the rolling stones as a sympathy card
for southern californians, who are keeping the
home fires burning? so we can all, learn baby learn,
not burn baby burn? but if you''d rather marry
than burn? and after you marry, she becomes
merry on your money? such a sad merry widow by
franz lehar. well, schaffer i you prefer black
widows and black widowers, may purple haze 40
years after be your ''rider of the purple sage'' by
zane grey. as the heinz 57 of the land of catsup
or is it ketchup flows gently like sweet afton.
a sonnet assignment might be nice. sonnet about
a bonnet. imperial margarine that is.

[brianbwb-2009]

I can see it now, I, a "Black" American, carrying a passport with patriotic jingoistic statements of freedom that the whole world knows was never meant to apply to people of my ethnic heritage.

The cynical smile on the faces of the customs officers will be priceless.

Can this nutcase hate America more? Images of our proud past & future should make all Americans proud. And to that black American who thinks America doesn''t offer them the best chance to be all they can be, then move to Africa, or Europe, or Asia, I am sure they will welcome the black man with open arms and purity of heart.

What a bunch of morons!

[adian1-2009]

Something strange has happened. Such a bad-taste design must have come from one or more of the rightist-fundamentalist conservatives that have made their way through their identification with the evangelicals. I bet that if they did not include a full Christian Bible in the new passport it was only because it would have been too costly! Anyway, I will watch all those people in airports around the world smile, or even laugh, when they try to decipher our new passports. You just can''t fix stupid!

[keithle1]

"...illustrations as predictable as a junior-high American-history project."

Oy vey. Funny but embarassing.

I do need to get my passport renewed. One of these days. Now I''m not so sure I want one. Why do we always go overboard? Can''t we do anything in a low-key way? Don''t enough foreigners resent the USA? Please explain why we need all that junk in a passport. Foreign customs officials don''t need to
see it. It''s like something that''s required for U.S. citizenship.

They should worry more about making it difficult for terrorists/criminals to produce a fake passport.

What do the passports of other countries look like?
Say, Germany. Do they have pictures of people in lederhosen & busty wenches holding huge mugs of beer? Does France have a guy in a beret with a loaf of bread under his arm & the Eiffel tower in the background?

[quatrops]

What an opportunity they missed! We could have had personalized passports -- given applicants a choice of designs, the same as when they order new checks!

The general theme could have been "Great Moments in American History". I offer, for your consideration, some possible choices:

1. Bush in a flight suit under a "Mission Accomplished" banner.

2. Donald Rumsfeld shaking hands with Saddam Hussein.

3. Cheney''s smirk.

4. For us seniors, the 1948 headline, "Dewey Wins".

Any other suggestions?

[libsluvsuvs]

here is one for all those anti-american liberals..if it bothers them to have an american passport with some pictures of this country''s history..they can always renounce this country and move somewhere more appealing to them..PROBLEM SOLVED...

[libsluvsuvs]

just like what the liberals always say..if you dont like it..dont get it..if you have one..rip it up..

[bluescoot47]

I am a veteran and I am not in the least bit embarrassed about the new passport. Let the people who have to stamp it deal with it. I am proud to be an American and I am proud of our country.

[alanrobisch]

As for your viewing of passports from around the world, the extremely provincial nature of your posts suggests you probably don''''t even have your own, let alone have seen others.

Posted by brianbwb at 12:10 AM : Oct 27, 2007

I stand behind my post and your response very well epitomizes the anti-christian nature of many liberals. Note part of my job is to look at passports from all over the world. I have to look at them to see if a person is legally in the US and eligible for a social security card. As most liberals got it they think freedom from religion means freedom from hearing anyone speak about religion like maybe Abe Lincoln in one of his most famous speeches the gettysburg address.

You have a chip on your shoulder. My point is that people such as yourself don''t think christians who are elected can express their own point of view based on their religious beliefs but secular individuals can choose whatever grounds they want to vote on an issue. This does not seem like freedom of religion but freedom from religion much like the soviet communists had.

[alanrobisch]

will watch all those people in airports around the world smile, or even laugh, when they try to decipher our new passports. You just can''''t fix stupid!


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Posted by adian1 at 04:52 AM : Oct 27, 2007

Another anti christian post. Try tolerance you claim is the hallmark of liberalism. not!! My experience is that liberal or conservative we want people to agree with us and if they don''t then we are apt not to like them. Much like your feeling about Christians

[alanrobisch]

Any other suggestions?


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Posted by Quatrops at 08:46 AM : Oct 27, 2007
+ report abuse

Explain how a child in utero is not a human being and why women should have free rein to destroy those lives.

[quatrops]

Robbieright: I''ve never suggested an in utero fetus is not a "human being". You assumed that, along with other pejorative assumptions you make about those who have a different faith than the one you and I share.

But when "life" begins and what constitutes a "human being" vis-a-vis abortions is not MY decision to impose on others, nor is it YOURS! It is a faith-challenging, gut-wrenching decision that each person must make on their own (particularly pregnent women), and not some precept to be parroted from a "leader" of a particular faith or denomination.

[aldee41]

4quatrops
How about a military theme:
Valley Forge, New Orleans, the Alamo, Antietam, the Battleship Maine, Pearl Harbor, Chosin, any part of Vietnam, Afganistan, Iraq, and (for a hint of the future) Iran. Defeats, disasters, phony incidents, battles fought after the war was over, invasion without justification; the list seems endless. US military history is reflected in the moral and ethical standards of the current regime in Washington.
The next President will be a Democrat.
Chose wisely. Chose Richardson.

[alanrobisch]

But when "life" begins and what constitutes a "human being" vis-a-vis abortions is not MY decision to impose on others, nor is it YOURS! It is a faith-challenging, gut-wrenching decision that each person must make on their own (particularly pregnent women), and not some precept to be parroted from a "leader" of a particular faith or denomination.


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Posted by Quatrops at 10:19 PM : Oct 27, 2007

Thats a non answer and a typical rationalization. christians who believe in creation by God are considered ignorant yet something as plain and simple as when live begins is too hard for all the brilliant women in the world. Its simple women want the right to have *** and not the natural consequences which is bearing a child. Its hard to accept for most women that abortion is the destruction of a human life therefore women who are advocates of the right to abort a human life must lie to themselves that they don''t know when life begins. Its why I''ll stay with god and the bible as the corner stone of moral values rather than humans who have for their entire existence justified the murder of innocents for one reason or another.