Posted on 06/29/2005 4:13:53 PM PDT by CHARLITE
The disappearance of an 18-year-old girl from Alabama in Aruba is not only terrifying, but a harbinger of just how much danger Americans expose themselves to when they step outside the boundaries of the U.S.A.
In the first place, the rights we are guaranteed under our constitution do not exist outside our borders. If you have the misfortune of being incarcerated in a foreign country you can forget about the mandatory phone call and anything else you’ve been guaranteed under our form of government.
Take it from one who knows. Back in my wild old days I was once put in jail in Juarez, Mexico. It’s a lowdown, lonesome, helpless feeling, being a gringo in the hands of the Mexican police. Thank God some people came over from El Paso and got me out.
But another and very salient point is that I don’t think a lot of foreign countries appreciate our patronage and our Yankee dollars.
Take France for instance. Do you really think they respect us when we go over there? No, they just put up with us, just tolerate us. They want to sell us their wine but that just about sums up their sincere feelings toward us.
In my opinion Mexico and the other Latin American countries have become dangerous for Americans to travel in. The reason being that they are so inundated with the drug trade and the thugs who run it who have neither decency nor conscience. Kidnap and murder are all in a day’s work for them.
And of course we know about the Middle Eastern and Southwest Asian countries.
Of course good old Australia is always happy to have us and have been one of our best friends for a long time and a great place to visit. Ditto new Zealand and the British Isles.
If you would believe the media in Canada you would think that we were not welcome there. But I don’t happen to ascribe to their theories. I believe that the vast majority of the Canadian people still welcome us with open arms. And it’s certainly not a dangerous place.
The point is there are a lot of places in the world that just don’t like Americans and maybe we’d be better off if we just stayed at home for a few years, if we devoted our foreign aid dollars to repairing our infrastructures and policing our inner city streets.
Has anybody noticed a marked difference in Russia after we gave them billions of dollars to bolster their fledging democracy? The Russian mafia has just grown stronger and the people the money was intended to help are still suffering.
Our politicians continue to pour American dollars down the bottomless abyss while the world at large just doesn’t seem to like us. And do you know something? That doesn’t bother me a whole lot.
Maybe it’s time we just stayed at home.
Pray for our troops.
What do you think?
God Bless America
Charlie Daniels
June 27, 2005
The points he made about the rights we lose when travelling in the vast swath of Napoleonic (and worse) legal systems are entirely correct. And perhaps all those countries would appreciate us more if we cut them off for a while. Note also he specifically mentioned the UK and other places with British culture as exceptions.
Be more specific. Do you disagree that traveling in areas that do not follow English Common Law is more risky? That's not idiotic at all, it is the truth!
"I don't think aruba is ipso facto more dangerous than America, only less useful when trying to cleanup trouble"
The article didn't say it was more dangerous. It suggested we quit spending our money in places that don't give a flying rats a** when an American disappears
I am referring to personal travel and personal growth. I do not care to make a political gesture out of my travels. I travel for enjoyment and intellectual growth and have taken my three children all over the world from the time they were five.
Who gives a fig if the French like us or not? They are warm and welcoming to individual Americans. The Greek government is a pain in the butt; Greeks are wonderful and Greece is a fabulous place and no more dangerous than the US. Yes, you are safe sitting on your couch watching American Idol, but I'd rather face the miniscule risks of travel than live that way.
Excellent. You remind me of my mom.....that's a compliment.
This surprises me a great deal, coming from C.D.
It bothers ME a great deal that we waste our money on the rest of the world.
Try Quebec. It's just about as anti-American as France, but a lot closer..... :^)
Actually, I'm beginning to agree that Australia is one of the last best places to visit! I don't feel like spending my dollars with people that hate us and undermine us.....
There is a lot of Americ I have not seen nor enjoyed. This years vacation trip will be to the hospital for the birth of my twin daughters and two weeks of dirty diapers. I can't wait.
Next year Las Vegas.
Good luck to you! It will be a lot longer than two weeks of dirty diapers though!
Sorry, Charlie, I was a lot more scared in downtown Detroit than I would ever be in Aruba
That is just the time I have off from my job.
I appreciate that. I hope to pass from this realm while climbing Kilimanjaro at 95 with my 25 year old boyfriend!
Hope you don't have to put the kids in daycare. I work a split shift and babysit my kids 5 hours a day. They are still in diapers but are starting to use the toilet(sort of). It's one of the toughest things I've ever done but I'm happy with their progress and they are happy and very energetic kids.This 52 year old father has a hard time keeping up with them! Best of luck to you!!
What do you think?
God Bless America
Charlie Daniels
God Bless you Charlie...
B.O.
Like Washington DC maybe?
I disagree with Charlie Daniels.
lol
I suppose that Mr. Daniels is suggesting that the 51 million foreign tourists who visited the U.S. stay home too?
Everyone has a different tolerance for risk. A lot of people won't leave the country, some won't leave their city, and some won't leave their homes.
On average, the more one sees of the world, the better off they are...
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