In a lot of Europe you would not know that you had crossed a border, it is no big deal. Even in and out of Switzerland that is not 'part of Europe' in the EU sense. It feels good when nobody cares to look at your passport and you can just roll on in.

There is also the knowledge that if you were up to no good, e.g. smuggling drugs, they would probably catch you as you stopped off at the 'drop off', to not just nab you but your associates too. The European customs people are clever like that, they could just open everyone's bags at the border - U.S. style - but if they have good intel that you were up to no good they would follow you and catch you doing the deed. In that way there would be no 'suspicion' about it, or a mere possession charge. It is a different style to the 'big fence' that the U.S.A. has.

Elsewhere in the world, for a comparison of how it should be, go to Canada. There are people looking at your passport, but you feel quite positively welcomed. They don't look at you like dirt.

Meanwhile, with the U.S. of A., there is no feeling of certainty that those people in uniforms are going to let you in. I remember having to go to the back of a queue half a dozen times because of form filling details at JFK and I was only on a connecting flight to Canada and I wasn't wanting to step foot beyond the airport onto hallowed U.S. soil. I am not completely illiterate, my journey was a straightforward business trip and there should have been no need to send me to the back of a queue to put a tick in a checkbox. Heaven help the guy that flies in on 'Eritrean Airways' with a black face in his/her passport, kids in tow and without knowing that peculiar American English that U.S. government officials speak.

These people that arrive at airports might be terrorists, communists and whatever else the government tells you to be afraid of, however, the majority are people with money about their person and quite prepared to spend it. Imagine the U.S.A. as one huge shop, with people wanting to come in and spend. Sure there might be shop-lifters wanting to come in, but, the vast majority just want to spend, or get a job. There is no need to tip everyone's pockets open, go through every bag and profile everyone. Having a big fence just does not make things welcoming.

I think that the U.S.A. is a wonderful place, the hospitality of people (beyond the border check points) is probably the best in the world. The scenery is fantastic. I could go on. But I am probably never going to go to the U.S. ever again. I think that the country as a whole has fallen, I prefer my memories of the good old days. I am sure there are plenty of pockets of what I like about the U.S.A., however, some innocence has been lost and the dark side has been ventured into since that otherwise fine September day that we don't speak of.

As I understand matters, money talks in the U.S.A. Before that September day we never speak of there were visa requirements to go through, but, these made you feel special that you were allowed in. It was no big deal. Since that day there has been the Department of Homeland Security - a.k.a. Lockheed Martin and friends - and there is real money in this OTT security. The parasites of the DHS are going nowhere soon and it is not as if all of the tourism businesses are going to get the voice in Washington to make things a little bit more rational. Sadly the U.S. has gone overboard on being overly militarized.

I also wonder how rich the U.S.A. actually is these days. In the U.K. we don't get as many young American people coming over here to see the world, do some reasonable short term job (e.g. front of house in a hotel or restaurant) and 'experience the culture'. There was a time when we did have more bright-young-things coming here from the U.S.A. than we do now but I don't have statistics to back that up.

My only hope is that the pendulum swings back again, that Americans realise they don't need this big fence to protect them from non-existent terrorists. One day people just might wake up and realise the confabulations of the military-government are bad for business, tourism and just being normal.