Back from the US

Now, this is third hand but I have no reason to doubt the veracity of the account. Mind you, when I tell an anecdote, it tends to get a bit exaggerated just for the comedic potential of a good story.

In Europe, we tend to travel a lot outside our own borders. Civilised countries are quite close and the opportunity to expand one’s horizons tends to draw us to go to exotic and historical places.

It’s the same in business. It’s nothing to send staff to strange places for work. Most of the time, business people only see the inside of their plane, airport and hotel, but they still pass through customs and, unless it’s a member of the EU, get their passport stamped.

This is all quite acceptable and is a freedom. It doesn’t make you a terrorist. It’s a pity that the US Homeland Security are so small minded and parochial that they don’t understand that.

A colleague of Mirinda’s told the story of his horror entry into the US to go to the same conference she attended. It’s enough to make one stop going to the States just in case your own freedom of travel is brought into question.

This chap had travelled to Yemen (for work) and Turkey (for a holiday) but the customs people in the States figured this was enough to pull him aside and ask him about this suspicious activity. In fact, when asked why he went to Turkey, his reply of “on holiday” was met with surprise and incredulity and the question “Why?”.

I mean, really. Why? Turkey is a lovely place where there’s no trouble. Where religions co-exist and prices are low. It’s somewhere I’d quite like to go because, at one time, it was the centre of the universe for art and architecture.

It has a church that has been Moslem and Christian at various times in history – it is now a museum, housing some of the most beautiful religious art in the world.

However, according to the US border guards, this was highly suspicious and was cause to hold this chap in various blank walled rooms, making him strip to his underpants, for five hours. The land of the free, eh?

Long gone is the welcoming message of

Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free

I think the Statue of Liberty plaque should be re-written to more accurately portray this new American bully boy attitude. Something like

Give me your passport, your clothes,
You travellers yearning to be abused

This has blighted our desire to visit America any more…and it didn’t even happen to us! But the risk of being humiliated and suspected of ‘who knows what’ is a risk too far. I’d rather travel through the rest of the world where you are not accused with something before a crime is committed.

And, it seems, normal Americans are happy to accept this sort of protectionist rubbish because they are being kept safe from the nasty people outside their borders. Which is odd.

The officious bastards are quite happy to harass a British businessman on his way to a conference while at the same time allowing lunatics to buy firearms and kill children. Priorities? I guess it’s what the population wants.

I’m glad I live in Europe and was brought up in Australia. Clarity comes with distance.