America the Unwelcoming

I had a 16 year old German exchange student living with me in San Diego, stopped on the way back from our visit to Tijuana and was told he would be "spending the night in Mexico", even though he had his passport. The treatment by U.S. Customs officers was so bad I filed a complaint but was told that there was no way to know who I spoke to and that "the are busy" and sometimes get "a bit gruff".
With our trade gap with foreign nations so troubling, it seems we would welcome all tourists who wish to come and spend their money.

America, in its attempt to ensure security, is inadvertantly turning hostile to regular foreign tourists. Sad, because just a decade back my favorite holiday destination was the USA, today though, its Europe and Australia.

It`s abt Farid Zakria`s editorial abt hardships metted out to travellers visiting USA. I am a Pakistani, 73 years old, a well travelled international banker, having my kids in the USA and myself having visited the USA several dozen times. But alas, the USA is so scared of the unknown that it is loosing its well wishers all over the world due to its over cautious and almost cowardly measures to scare innocent travellers. I have submitted my Passport to Us embassy in Islamaba for the renewal of my Visa in August 2007. There is no chance that I will be able to travel to the USA in the coming X-mas vacations whoich I always enjoy with my US and Canadian childern. USA must act more gracfully and courteously at airports while dealing with travellers with obvious Muslim names. Out of millions of Muslim Travellers to the USA, only one or two might be bad guys. Why antoganise so many innocent and US loving Muslims visiting USA for business or to meet their loved ones. More America behaves insultingly with travellers, more it is antoganising people all over the world, specially Muslims. Can somebody give a sane advice to Bush govt.

Manzoor Ahmad
Pakistan