According to the the latest statement by US Homeland Security chief, Michael Chertoff, it seems that we (for this, read All European Citizens) are all now terrorist suspects! I was always under then impression that ‘one’ was presumed to be innocent until proved guilty, however it now appears that in Michael Chertoff eyes, all Europeans are now presumed guilty until proved innocent!
In a ratcheting up of USA visitor entry restrictions, unless you are prepared to now give up your credit card number and your email address for scrutiny by US authorities, you’ll not be allowed entry into the ‘land of the free’!
With credit card fraud on the rise and spam messages clogging up the world mail in-boxes, I wonder what protection is being offered to US visitors to make sure that there data in ‘truly’ protected?
With the US still suffering from a near 20% drop in overseas visitor numbers compared to pre-9/11 figures, and with the summer holidays approaching this is surely not what many potential visitors to the USA wanted to hear.
Whilst the UK still has a lot to do to get it’s own house in order with regards to our own terrorist threat even allowing for stupid legislation from Brussels, I think the USA needs to understand how this comment and I think somewhat racial slur will be perceived across the whole of Europe, which already has a somewhat negative view of the USA.
Beasley's Place 