but-ultimately-totally-irrelevant-yet-thoroughly-satisfying is this news item from Iran. The Iranians have decided to reciprocate current US border control procedures, which is to fingerprint all visitors coming into the US - of course, best-friend countries such as the UK and Israel and well-behaved nations such as pretty much all rich and/or white countries are exempt from this requirement.
Of course that means that Iran is very much included in this list of countries. Not only is it a predominantly-Muslim country, but it also occupies extra-special status as a member of the absurdly-named "axis of evil." Now the Iranians have decided to put American visitors to Iran under the same procedure that Iranians are subject to when entering the US:
Iran's conservative-dominated parliament, in a tit-for-tat measure, passed a bill on Sunday obliging the government to fingerprint US citizens entering the Islamic Republic, state radio reported.
The proposal, backed by 135 votes to 26, also requires a complete security check on every American who enters Iran. The bill now goes to the hardline Guardian Council, a constitutional watchdog body, before becoming law. (source: Reuters)
Interestingly, President Ahmedinejad opposed the bill, apparently because he did not want to send a hostile signal to American visitors (and Westerners say he's irrational). Iran joins Brazil in reciprocating the draconian border control measures that the US places upon visitors who look like us.
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