AS I SEE IT...

Strangers In a Strange Land

On Monday, April 11th, 2005 a tourist stood outside the West Wing of the Capital, between two large, black suitcases, demanding to speak to President Bush.

Sadly, that is all I needed to hear of that story to know, and to visualize all the unfortunate trouble this tourist is about to create for himself. I watched the replay of the officer tackling the man, and realized that had to hurt. Evidently, this poor, uninformed tourist was not aware that his hotel provided a luggage hold service, even after a person checks out. Then again, his Viet Cong style attire certainly provided him no advantage in perceptions about his intentions. But, doesn’t all this sound a little like blaming the victim.


But, let me tell you another true story:

My son has a job working on an offshore service vessel. Okay, so he had a job on a boat. The point is he was making over a $190.00 a day. He works hard, and gets very dirty.

On crew change day, the company van would drop him off at the Visitor Center under the bridge between Raceland and Lockport. My son would call me from the Tourist Center, and I would hastily go to pick him up.

Well, he was laid out on one of the benches in the front of the Visitor Center waiting for me, when he decided to take a nap. He had spent 12 hours on duty just prior to crew change, so his nap was more like being passed out.

A very nice older couple, evidently traveling on vacation through our lovely bayou community pulled into the Tourist Center in their RV, they spied my son, who I assure you was a filthy dirty, oily, greasy mess, and he looked unloved, unwanted, and homeless. As the man and women walked out of the Visitor Center, and passed my son's near lifeless body to return to their RV to continue on their journey, the man gently reached down, barely disturbing my son's near comatose condition, and put three dollars in his tee shirt pocket.

This couple's decision to put three dollars in my son's tee shirt pocket is just one wonderful example of the kindness and generosity of strangers. I hope they are somehow rewarded for their unnecessary, but greatly appreciated kindness and thoughtfulness. It doesn't matter that my son did not need the money, this wonderful couple helped to demonstrate, in a way my son will never soon forget, what I have been telling him for years - people make assumptions, and appearances really do matter.

By the time my son began to wake up, the couple was pulling out of the driveway. I arrived just as the couple's RV was pulling onto the main highway. As my son climbed into my vehicle, my smelly, hard working, well-paid son told me what had just happened. Unfortunately, it was too late to catch the couple to give them back their money.

We laughed till we cried, and vowed to always remember their gift, and the amazing, warm fuzzy that this couple's generosity provided us.

The point of my story is:

Sadly, the 33 year-old, Wen-Hao Zhao, of Sydney, Australia, will never know how kind and generous American people are. Instead he came to the Land of the Free, Washington, D.C., our Nations Capital during cherry blossom blooming season, and ended up being charged with a trumped up Tourist Visa violation that will probably prevent him from ever visiting America again.

Maybe Hotels should start providing free seminars for tourists on various relevant topics to new tourist in today's NEW America:

HOW NOT TO ATTRACT UNWANTED OR UNWARRENTED ATTENTION - At a Busy Popular Visitor Center in Washington, D.C.

HOW NOT TO DRESS LIKE A TERRORIST

WHAT COLOR IS YOUR SUITCASE - Large Black Suitcases are to Security Personnel what Red Flags are to Bulls

HOW TO GET DEPORTED - in one easy lesson, "Ask to speak to the President of the United States of America".

Then there is the story of the Jeremy C. Wright:
Just Google the following phase:

"Don't say, "Blogger" to U.S. Immigration"

Yes, the War on Terror is taking its toll on the tourism industry too.

I don't know what y'all think, but I think that a few lessons in good old Southern Hospitality, common sense, and diplomacy couldn't hurt some of these overly tense security type people in Washington, D.C.

And before anybody starts jumping on me for suggesting Southern Hospitality Lessons aren't a good idea, because of the REAL threat of terrorism, ask yourselves:

Where were these officers the whole while this guy was lugging around these suitcases in the busiest, most popular tourist center in Washington, D.C.?

America is fast becoming a breeding ground for the newest, latest, greatest, updated, and NOT FUNNY version of the Keystone Cops. I am tired of all the excuses.

Where were the deputies that were supposed to be monitoring the video cameras when those people were killed in the courthouse in Atlanta, GA? Having coffee and donuts, maybe?

I just wish that security people could use some common sense, and stop offering feeble excuses for their horrible mistakes. The common everyday American, as well as the ordinary tourist is not the problem.

I have had my own encounter with Canadian Immigration Services, and when I was asked whom I was coming into their country to visit, I promptly pointed to my pre-occupied husband, and said, "His family". I was more worried about their searching my carry on bag, and finding and confiscating my cartons of cigarettes. Canadian cigarettes truly suck... if American cigarettes tasted as bad, I would have never continued to smoke pass the first one that I lit over 30 some odd years ago.


Y'all have no idea how much I wish that someone would pay me to write, blog, if you will. The problem is I am a certified country mouse, and I am not going to move to where everything shakes, and stuff happens... so on that note, I will just continue to tell you what I think AS I SEE IT. Enjoy!