A very special birthday to a very special man — who until last year was the ‘man with no birthday‘.
I, of course, felt BAD for him. Everybody should have a birthday. So, I assigned him, ‘April 1’, a very special day for I, as his official birthday. NO, he was NOT gracious enough to thank me. {But, I did not expect it from him.}
Well, it appears that he, MIRACULOUSLY, discovered his Birth Certificate. He claims that it got erroneously filed — of all places — Hawaii. Yes, his birth certificate, he claims, was found in Hawaii. You go figure.
The Vatican had initially assumed that the birth certificate pegged his birthday as December 31, 1944.
Ooops! NO. Big Mistake. He is much, much, much youger.
His birth certificate supposedly says he was born December 31, 1954. He is still just a baby. Just 70 years old.
Click to ENLARGE. Story yesterday in the U.K. ‘Daily Mail’ (link).Click to ENLARGE. This is from the horse’s mouth. It is KOSHER.
Seeing that story blew my mind. I was gobsmacked. WOW.
I, like so many others, was under the impression that any and all babies born in the U.S. were automatically CITIZENS — no questions asked.
Obviously this is NOT so.
And don’t dismiss this as being ‘just a few cases‘.
I don’t have any numbers, BUT I am sure that over the years we have had thousands, if NOT tens of thousands, of such DIPLOMATIC BABIES born in the U.S.
As some of you know, my father was a DIPLOMAT for 27-years — & he was even an Ambassador in D.C. I, until I was 21, had diplomatic immunity. THIS DOES NOT APPLY TO ME, but I am a kid that grew up with diplomatic parents. So, this resonates.
Wow. Amazing.
When you think about it, it kind of makes sense.
I am SURE they paid particular attention to this doctor because he was IRANIAN. I am surprised they were doing this level of checking given that he was RENEWING his passport, rather than applying for a new one. I am gobsmacked.
Click toENLARGE. Excel spreadsheet I put together for YOU.
Last week, while I was in Maine (again), my Naturalization Certificate arrived — on September 5, 2023.
That was the last step in the process — start-to-finish, soup-to-nuts. I had got my U.S. Passport, U.S. Passport Card & my documentation. That was it. It was finally, ALL DONE.
It had taken 125 days from START-to-FINISH.
117 days since ‘they’ received my paperwork at the Texas facility, 8-days after I submitted it all at a large U.S. Post Office.
So, that is 4 MONTHS — BUT, I received my Passport & Passport Card within 3 months.
So, I was right SMACK in the 12-week WAIT they currently advertise.
Amusing that they wait EXACTLY a month after issuance of the Passport to start mailing back the documentation. Not sure why they wait a month. I guess they want to make sure the passport got delivered.
I am HAPPY. Got the Passport within the timeframe I had been told to expect. Wasn’t thrilled waiting 5 weeks to get back my documentation — BUT relieved that I am now all set.
Just thought that this timeline might help a few of you. Now you can work out where you are in the process. Hopefully things will get faster now that the Summer travel rush/bulge is history.
Click toENLARGE. Sorry, I don’t want to expose myself. (SMILE).
This is cool. Right on the heels of my passport. I am chuffed.
So, just like clockwork per the currently much-stated 11 to 13 week wait for a U.S. Passport.
Both were mailed from Houston, Texas. The passport was sent ‘Priority Mail’, the passport card, First Class. I suspect they were both mailed on the same day. I don’t care. Just glad to have BOTH of them.
Now just waiting on my my all important Naturalization Certificate. Hoping it will come soon. But, in a way, it no longer matters. I have these credentials to prove that I am somewhat bona fide. SMILE.
Had never heard of a Passport Card. They can ONLY be used for land or sea crossings. DEFINITELY not valid when crossing the border by air.
The land/sea works GREAT for I — when it comes to Canada (from my ‘Bold Coast‘). Maybe I will now, after a 20+ year boycott, again start visiting Canada. There were times in my life when I visited Canada twice a month!
Click toENLARGE. NO, I don’t think I will show you the inside. (SMILE).
So, ‘exactly’ per the 11 to 13 weeks, that they tell you. So, in a way it was like clockwork.
I applied in person (given it was my first U.S. passport) at a Post Office — after scheduling an appointment. That was on May 3, 2023 — five days after I got my citizenship (on April 28, 2023).
So, May 3 to July 29 –> 87 days (12.4 weeks).
But, ‘they’ (i.e., passport ‘authority’) tells you that their 11-13 week clock doesn’t start till THEY get all the documents in their hands. That, per their online tracking system, occurred on May 11, 2023. So, it took 8 days from the time I applied. The very nice postal lady who did my application did tell me that she doesn’t mail the documents in daily. She has to wait until she has a batch.
So, from May 11 to July 29 –> 79 days (11.3 weeks).
But, the passport was issued (i.e., dated) July 25. 4 days ago.
That puts it at 75 days (10.7 weeks)!
All good. I am NOT complaining. Just reporting the facts. Neat that they are working, so rigidly, per that stated timeline.
Now, I applied for a PASSPORT CARD too. No sign of that.
Also I didn’t receive my all important Naturalization Certificate either.
But, according to the tracking system I might still have to wait 8 weeks MORE to get all of this!
A very special birthday to a very special man — until this year, the ‘man with no birthday‘. Thank Francis, Trump & God that is now history. He finally has a birthday, a very very becoming one at that, April 1. This will also be his last birthday as a cardinal elector. Next year he will turn 80 on April 1, 2024 (Kenya time).
Happy Birthday Cardinal. Have a ball. You earned it.
I do NOT buy it for a minute. It is just an AFFECTATION on his part. Shame on the Catholic Church for indulging him in his petty deception.
There is a CRUCIAL reason that he has to have a BIRTHDAY — particularly NOW!
He was born in 1944. Next year he turns 80, thus becoming a non-elector. When will that happen? December 31, 2024. Heck NO. That is NOT fair. That is NOT right.
Just tell us what is on his passport.
He couldn’t have got a passport without stating a birthdate. Not possible. IF he doesn’t know it he would be told to assume one.
Well, I am assigning one to him as of now: April 1, 1944.
He thinks he can continue to fool us. Well he can fool the ever gullible & feckless Catholic Church BUT I am not buying his nonsense. As far as I am concerned April 1 is the PERFECT birthday for him.
20-days START-to-FINISH is pretty damn impressive — given that it was ALL done in the U.K.
Kudos to the HM Passport Office — & a HUGE Thank YOU.
The British Civil Service still rocks. I am glad & proud.
It could have been 18-days, rather than 20 IF NOT for 2 separate postal service related delays. One was yesterday. We were NOT at home & as such could not sign for delivery. Instead, had to pick it up, from the Post Office, this morning. That added a day. The other was at the very start. Also had to do with the Post Office. They were NOT able to handle the delivery of my old passport to the U.K.!I described it all here. I had to take it to a FedEx office the next day. So, lost another day there.
But, 20-days start-to-finish is impressive. I am happy. I am glad.
Using FedEx definitely helped. They got my old passport to the U.K. in less than 3-days. That expedited matters. Appears that they don’t start processing your application UNTIL they receive your old passport. That I managed to get it to them QUICKLY helped. [It wasn’t cheap at $92.03 BUT it was worth every penny. Thank YOU, FedEx.]
Once they got my old passport it was very quick. Took about 3 days for the old passport to get from the mailroom to whatever. Then it was BANG, BANG, BANG.
See the timetable at top. Impressive.
I think it took longer when the renewals were done in D.C. — & if I am NOT mistaken, cost more! So, this is great. NOT SURE why anyone would want to use a 3rd party passport application/renewal service. The ONLINE process was very smooth.
So, I am back to an Ol’ style Blue British Passport.
WOW. The about of anti-forgery ‘devices’ is mind-blowing. For a start there are 4 COPIES of your picture. It used to be just ONE. Now 4. But, it appears my passport is machine readable, i.e., I can go through automated passport controls. I never have. The main picture has some kind of polarizing (or holographic) overlay. A tiny copy of your picture, again under a plastic overlay, sits under your date-of-birth. It is a work of art.
Click to ENLARGE. Old passport — being returned from the U.K. & could take 3-weeks to get here.
Click to ENLARGE.Click to ENLARGE. My soon to expire passport that I had to return to the U.K. so that they can physically CANCEL it.
So, after all the aggravation with USPS (i.e., Post Office) & UPS, as I chronicled in detail here, this command performance by FedEx was commendable, refreshing & thankworthy.
Thank YOU, FedEx. I am appreciative.
Yes, that is what they guarantee & that is what they promised (& stated on my printed receipt). Nonetheless it is impressive & gratifying to see that it works & that FedEx sure does deliver.
It was NOT cheap. $92.03. Yes, $92.03.
But, as far as I was concerned it was worth every cent (& maybe even more) — especially since I did NOT have to fill out any forms. The outstanding FedEx lady typed it all in, straight on her computer, using the printouts I gave her. Brilliant. I hate filling in all those shipping labels.
Kudos FedEx.
Click to ENLARGE. The OUTSTANDING FedEx Office in Gilford.
