America the Unwelcoming

[pedroh 21]

I smoked all their wacky tobacky in retaliation

[*JG* 2]

That original article is nothing but a bunch of Chicken Little #######, if you ask me. 'The indignity of traveling to America'...give me a break. Then the only examples the author gives are of overstays. Well if the travel was so bad, and America was so unwelcoming, then why are they overstaying?

Then the author precedes to say how it's nothing to do with 'Arabs or Muslims' then spouts figures starting from what? 9/11. First of all, I think the author was pretty rude....a much better thing to say was it's supposedly nothing to do with '9/11' not just a blanket 'Arabs or Muslims'. And then the rest peppered with words like 'jihadist' and talk of the terror alert system.

Then there's speak of 45 days being 'laborious' for a travel visa. Hah, everyone on here should only be so lucky!

Finally, I'm SICK to death of hearing nothing but people whine & loading their complaints with emotionally charged nonsense. No one is 'entitled' automatic entry into the US...just like no American is 'entitled' automatic entry into every other country. I personally was detained in the UK for 9 hours cos they thought I was trying to 'sneak' in....yes, it sucked...but they had a right to ensure that I checked out....and I didn't have a 'right' to demand that they let me in as to preserve my 'dignity'

Every American who has a friend abroad has heard some story about the absurd hassle and humiliation of entering or exiting the United States.

We're all becoming a global bunch of oversensitive crybabies with feelings of entitlement. 'I want it all and I want it delivered, and if you deny my wishes, you're being 'unwelcoming and compromising my dignity and subjecting me to humiliation' Gimme a break!!!!! Suck it up!

Thank you for voicing almost exactly what I was thinking.

[Fandango 1,439]

Thank you for voicing almost exactly what I was thinking.

Anytime, my friend

[ajames79 0]

That original article is nothing but a bunch of Chicken Little #######, if you ask me. 'The indignity of traveling to America'...give me a break. Then the only examples the author gives are of overstays. Well if the travel was so bad, and America was so unwelcoming, then why are they overstaying?

Then the author precedes to say how it's nothing to do with 'Arabs or Muslims' then spouts figures starting from what? 9/11. First of all, I think the author was pretty rude....a much better thing to say was it's supposedly nothing to do with '9/11' not just a blanket 'Arabs or Muslims'. And then the rest peppered with words like 'jihadist' and talk of the terror alert system.

Then there's speak of 45 days being 'laborious' for a travel visa. Hah, everyone on here should only be so lucky!

Finally, I'm SICK to death of hearing nothing but people whine & loading their complaints with emotionally charged nonsense. No one is 'entitled' automatic entry into the US...just like no American is 'entitled' automatic entry into every other country. I personally was detained in the UK for 9 hours cos they thought I was trying to 'sneak' in....yes, it sucked...but they had a right to ensure that I checked out....and I didn't have a 'right' to demand that they let me in as to preserve my 'dignity'

Every American who has a friend abroad has heard some story about the absurd hassle and humiliation of entering or exiting the United States.

We're all becoming a global bunch of oversensitive crybabies with feelings of entitlement. 'I want it all and I want it delivered, and if you deny my wishes, you're being 'unwelcoming and compromising my dignity and subjecting me to humiliation' Gimme a break!!!!! Suck it up!

AMEN!

I've traveled all over the world. There are hassels everywhere. Big bunch of whiners we all have become. The whole effin' world almost.

My inlaws, yes I know they are JUST from England, have experienced nothing but kindness. They traveled for the first time ever on a flight to Atlanta and thought it was brilliant. Now they have been back several times and are heading back over in a month.

[SteveLaura 0]

[T]he United States is the only major country in the world to which travel has declined in the midst of a global tourism boom. And this is not about Arabs or Muslims. The number of Japanese visiting the United States declined from 5 million in 2000 to 3.6 million last year. The numbers have begun to increase, but by 2010 they're still projected to be 19 percent below 2000 levels. During this same span (2000–2010), global tourism is expected to grow by 44 percent...

The most striking statistic involves tourists from Great Britain. These are people from America's closest ally, the overwhelming majority of them white Anglos with names like Smith and Jones. For Brits, the United States these days is Filene's Basement. The pound is worth $2, a 47 percent increase in six years. And yet, between 2000 and 2006, the number of Britons visiting America declined by 11 percent. In that same period British travel to India went up 102 percent, to New Zealand 106 percent, to Turkey 82 percent and to the Caribbean 31 percent. If you're wondering why, read the polls or any travelogue on a British Web site. They are filled with horror stories about the inconvenience and indignity of traveling to America.

It's badly worded, but I think the author was trying to state that the numbers of tourists declining aren't all Arabs & Muslims, by citing examples of Japanese & British stats. (Of course, you can be British and Muslim.)

The basic problem remains: no bureaucrat wants to be the person who lets in the next terrorist. As a result, when one spots any irregularity—no matter how minor—the reflex is to stop, question, harass, arrest and deport. If tens of thousands of foreigners are upset, so what? But if one day a jihadist manages to slip in, woe to the person who stamped his passport. The incentives are badly skewed...

ince 9/11, the alert has never dropped below yellow (which means an "elevated" level of risk from a terrorist attack). At airports, we have been almost permanently at orange—"high risk," or the second highest level of alertness. Yet the Department of Homeland Security admits that "there continues to be no credible information at this time warning of an imminent threat to the homeland." The department's "strategic threat perspective … is that we are in a period of increased risk." What is this "strategic perspective?" Is it the same as the "gut feeling" that Secretary Michael Chertoff cited when he warned, in July, that we were likely to be attacked during the summer? Or is it a bureaucratic mind-set, the technical term for which is CYA?

He's right in this assumption, I believe. Fairly obviously, air travel has become more of a problem since 9/11, and for the reason that I've highlighted above. Whether that's the reason why tourism and the like is down is arguable. The India & New Zealand increase from the UK is impressive, but India is still a cheaper place once you're there than the US. It may also include travel to visit family. The New Zealand increase, off the top of my head, could be the 'Lord of the Rings' factor. And Turkey is always going to be a cheaper flight option for Brits than the US anyway.

Besides, regardless of how annoying air travel to & within the US is, it doesn't compare to trying to fly in and out of Israel. If we really wanted top security, we should take a leaf out of their book. Of course, we would probably have to arrive at the airport two days before our flight, alas...

[peejay 327]

That original article is nothing but a bunch of Chicken Little #######, if you ask me. 'The indignity of traveling to America'...give me a break. Then the only examples the author gives are of overstays. Well if the travel was so bad, and America was so unwelcoming, then why are they overstaying?

I agree. I would say we are too welcoming of the wrong people. We have 5 to 8 million (best estimate) illegal aliens in the USA from overstays of various visas. Apparently these people find it quite easy to live, work, thrive, and survive quite comfortably here in the USA along with the 7 to 12 million EWI's. That is a national disgrace.

There are so many things our government is supposed to already be doing (as promised in existing law) to make it very difficult to live illegally in the USA, but doesn't. As a result...the government restricts entry on the side of caution.

My relatives that I still have in Belarus are all cousins. My grandparents' siblings died 30+ years ago and all that I have left there are cousins in Belarus. Has anyone ever tried to get a tourist visa for someone from a non-VWP country? Especially a cousin or a friend? My relatives have not been allowed to visit us here in the USA to reciprocate the hospitality they have shown us in our visits to Belarus. They pay the $100 non-refundable application fee and are turned down with the catch all explanation, "Not able to prove binding ties to Belarus to be eligible for a US tourist visa."

They have their $100 confiscated and get nothing for it. As a result, we don't even bother wasting our time with the idiots at the US embassy in Minsk. It is easier for us just to go there to see them. It is unfortunate that we are not allowed to have our own blood relatives to visit us in our homes in the USA.

This is one of the major reasons I am strongly against amnesty for illegal aliens or doing a damned thing to make life for them easy while they are breaking numerous laws in my country. I would like to see the day when no one overstays or EWI's in the USA because there is no reward or incentive for doing so. Maybe then the US government can loosen up on allowing temporary visitors easier access into our country. I still have hopes of my Belarusian cousins visiting us in the USA some day, but first my government must get serious about enforcing immigration and workplace laws without amnesty.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Has anyone ever tried to get a tourist visa for someone from a non-VWP country? Especially a cousin or a friend? My relatives have not been allowed to visit us here in the USA to reciprocate the hospitality they have shown us in our visits to Belarus.

My cousin was refused a visitor visa (I supplied the I-134) but my in-laws were approved without a problem.

Of course, my cousin didn't have the "on the ground assets" my in-laws do. That makes a difference.

[peejay 327]

Has anyone ever tried to get a tourist visa for someone from a non-VWP country? Especially a cousin or a friend? My relatives have not been allowed to visit us here in the USA to reciprocate the hospitality they have shown us in our visits to Belarus.

My cousin was refused a visitor visa (I supplied the I-134) but my in-laws were approved without a problem.

Of course, my cousin didn't have the "on the ground assets" my in-laws do. That makes a difference.

Not always.

In fact...there is no consistency in approvals or denials. My 41 year old female cousin is a medical doctor. Her husband is also a doctor. They own cars, own their flat, have bank accounts, etc., etc. She was to accompany her 72 year old mother to come visit us here in the USA for less than a month. Her husband and son were remaining in Belarus while she was to accompany her 72 year old mother to come visit us here in the USA. I also sent the I-134 and letter of invitation promising to cover all expenses during their visit.

Her 72 year old mother got a 30 day tourist visa, but the 41 year old daughter was refused because the US embassy determined that she "did not have sufficient ties to Belarus to preclude intent to illegally immigrate." The old lady wouldn't and couldn't travel alone, so our family reunion in the USA was ruined.

I had several other relatives and friends turned down to visit us here and the non-refundable $100 visa application fee confiscated.

Yet...an illiterate illegal alien floats an innertube across the Rio Grande and uses stolen, counterfeit, or fraudulent documents to work illegally in the USA or works for cash without paying any taxes and our politicians ####### all over themselves to give them driver's licenses, access to social services in their own language, an LPR amnesty reward with with a future option for citizenship, etc., etc. Not to mention promises that they can bring their families into the USA after the amnesty legislation passes. All as a reward for breaking our laws.

And while all this stupidness goes on...people get turned down for "doing it the legal way." Is our government full of sh*t and idiots...or what? This does not compute! This is so wrong on too many levels.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Has anyone ever tried to get a tourist visa for someone from a non-VWP country? Especially a cousin or a friend? My relatives have not been allowed to visit us here in the USA to reciprocate the hospitality they have shown us in our visits to Belarus.

My cousin was refused a visitor visa (I supplied the I-134) but my in-laws were approved without a problem.

Of course, my cousin didn't have the "on the ground assets" my in-laws do. That makes a difference.

Not always.

In fact...there is no consistency in approvals or denials. My 41 year old female cousin is a medical doctor. Her husband is also a doctor. They own cars, own their flat, have bank accounts, etc., etc. She was to accompany her 72 year old mother to come visit us here in the USA for less than a month. Her husband and son were remaining in Belarus while she was to accompany her 72 year old mother to come visit us here in the USA. I also sent the I-134 and letter of invitation promising to cover all expenses during their visit.

Her 72 year old mother got a 30 day tourist visa, but the 41 year old daughter was refused because the US embassy determined that she "did not have sufficient ties to Belarus to preclude intent to illegally immigrate." The old lady wouldn't and couldn't travel alone, so our family reunion in the USA was ruined.

I had several other relatives and friends turned down to visit us here and the non-refundable $100 visa application fee confiscated.

Yet...an illiterate illegal alien floats an innertube across the Rio Grande and uses stolen, counterfeit, or fraudulent documents to work illegally in the USA or works for cash without paying any taxes and our politicians ####### all over themselves to give them driver's licenses, access to social services in their own language, an LPR amnesty reward with with a future option for citizenship, etc., etc. Not to mention promises that they can bring their families into the USA after the amnesty legislation passes. All as a reward for breaking our laws.

And while all this stupidness goes on...people get turned down for "doing it the legal way." Is our government full of sh*t and idiots...or what? This does not compute! This is so wrong on too many levels.

I hear you, peejay. There are powerful political interests who want the guys on the innertubes but don't care about your family. That's what it comes down to.

[mawilson 2,133]

Her 72 year old mother got a 30 day tourist visa, but the 41 year old daughter was refused because the US embassy determined that she "did not have sufficient ties to Belarus to preclude intent to illegally immigrate." The old lady wouldn't and couldn't travel alone, so our family reunion in the USA was ruined.

Makes sense, actually. 41-year-old Belarussian women are in great demand.

[peejay 327]

Her 72 year old mother got a 30 day tourist visa, but the 41 year old daughter was refused because the US embassy determined that she "did not have sufficient ties to Belarus to preclude intent to illegally immigrate." The old lady wouldn't and couldn't travel alone, so our family reunion in the USA was ruined.

Makes sense, actually. 41-year-old Belarussian women are in great demand.

¿No comprende? Please explain.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Her 72 year old mother got a 30 day tourist visa, but the 41 year old daughter was refused because the US embassy determined that she "did not have sufficient ties to Belarus to preclude intent to illegally immigrate." The old lady wouldn't and couldn't travel alone, so our family reunion in the USA was ruined.

Makes sense, actually. 41-year-old Belarussian women are in great demand.

¿No comprende? Please explain.

Slavic women are hot.

[peejay 327]

Her 72 year old mother got a 30 day tourist visa, but the 41 year old daughter was refused because the US embassy determined that she "did not have sufficient ties to Belarus to preclude intent to illegally immigrate." The old lady wouldn't and couldn't travel alone, so our family reunion in the USA was ruined.

Makes sense, actually. 41-year-old Belarussian women are in great demand.

¿No comprende? Please explain.

Slavic women are hot.

My cousin is happily married. It's not like she was coming to the USA on a tourist visa to illegally immigrate and work in the illicit US sex industry. It would be quit a drop from the quality of life she has back in Belarus. I think she has a very satifactory and fulfilling life in Belarus. Why would she want to be an illegal alien in the USA?

[Sheriff Uling 3]

America is now the unwelcoming when it comes to illegal immigration. Dahamn right! (OK this is my illegal alien plug #2 of the day)

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Her 72 year old mother got a 30 day tourist visa, but the 41 year old daughter was refused because the US embassy determined that she "did not have sufficient ties to Belarus to preclude intent to illegally immigrate." The old lady wouldn't and couldn't travel alone, so our family reunion in the USA was ruined.

Makes sense, actually. 41-year-old Belarussian women are in great demand.

¿No comprende? Please explain.

Slavic women are hot.

My cousin is happily married. It's not like she was coming to the USA on a tourist visa to illegally immigrate and work in the illicit US sex industry. It would be quit a drop from the quality of life she has back in Belarus. I think she has a very satifactory and fulfilling life in Belarus. Why would she want to be an illegal alien in the USA?

I was stating what I believe mawilson may have meant.