Europe Threatens no Visa for Americans

They made themselves a legitimate war time
target.

Why would accoring to you , any country do that ?? Why would any country piss off the "self proclaimed biggest and baddest military force in the world" in your oppinion ?

mhh i'dd better strapp in here...

I was not aware that most American know where Europe actually is anyway...

I have seen anti-Americanism in Europe. it exists. And yes, I have met people who hate Americans even though they have never before me. I find alot of people here are ignorant of American culture, basing their opinions on what they see on TV and in hollywood movies.

However, the article states these visa requirements are for soldiers and diplomats. And lets face it. Current administration visa policies are ridiculous. I think it is quite hypocritical and very stupid to worry about eastern Europeans, many who are educated but poor, comming over when we have millions of Mexicans that flood through our borders every year and feed the slave labor market. I think Congress tightening the visa restrictions on foreigners and the draconian intrusions into the privacy of visitors is immoral and unconstitutional. For example, when my husband left the States with me last time, I was appalled that he and other foreigners had to give retina scans before bording the aircraft. It pissed me off enough upon arriving here in the UK, I wrote a very angry letter to my senator about it and told her that such measures embarrassed me as an American, even though I did not have to give retina scan and fingerprints.

So if Europe wants to give a tit for tat, i can't really blame them, as America started it first. I also am very angry with the absurd policies regarding Europeans coming to the US. Oh, we can let millions of illegals sneak in and grant them amnesty, but it is next to impossible for your average Brit or German to come over to the U.S. and stay and work LEGALLY. Its sickening really. Selective immigration benefits no one. I support fair immigration to the U.S., regardless of what country you come from, as long as its done in a simple, efficent, and legal way.

So really, let the E.U. tighten up visa requirements. If it pisses off Bush and Congress, maybe they better rethink their own hypocrisy.

Good God, not this garbage again.

Seeing as how many, if not most, of us 'Europeans' have American family it's pretty ludicrous to claim we hate our own.

It's pretty obvious that 'we' (like much of the rest of the world?) aren't very keen on the present US government or President.

But then again it's pretty obvious that this is something we share with many, if not most, Americans (seeing as it's very much open to debate whether Bush actually ever did win a majority in 2000 or 2004 and seeing as how 50% of Americans don't even take part in the vote).

It seems some want to go out of their way to ignore the truth of this story.

This story is all about 'Europe' considering a response to the actions the US administration has already taken.

Originally posted by zerotolerance
The Europeans need to know we're not all that crazy over them either.......
in fact, a good many Americans detest foreigners (I didn't say all).
There's alot of them we'd like to see leave our country......

- Coming from a country comprised almost entirely of immigrants this is a strange comment (are you 'native American'? ie an immigrant from before the time of the later immigrants?

.....or are you claiming to be a part of some mythical branch of the human race that, somehow, sprang up in the USA?

Originally posted by Flyersfan
Bill Clinton, champion of the left

- Sorry to say but this is laughable

(but it is a prime indication of how skewed some US political perceptions currently are......and it is only a 'current' thing, Nixon by this kind of reckoning would be nowadays thought of as in some ways 'left-wing').

Bill Clinton was in many ways quite right-wing.

Just because he's not as rabidly right-wing as some (and certainly not the current alternative party/President) does not make him particularly 'left-wing' at all.

.....and just because many in Europe appreciated his 'not as right-wing as what had gone before' (ie Bush mk1 or Reagan) qualities and warmed to him as someone actually having some social skills so that he looked and sounded like a real human being doesn't of itself make him any kind of "champion" at all either.

When the UK, Portugal, Spain, Toga, Brazil etc etc are the leading 'player' in world events I'm sure the boards will be full of comment about those events and the actions of said countries.

As it is that 'lead' position is currently occupied by the USA.
This is an international board but mostly used by Americans.

Hence most of the comments regarding the major world events are comment on the US administration which right now is 'Republican'.
It's nothing to do with left or right particularly but how things are right now, if/when the Democrats get back in and it's a Dem President the comment will be all about them.

Obnoxious Americans provoke degrees of dislike (anywhere) just as obnoxious people from anywhere would provoke the same degrees of dislike anywhere.

The rest is just being unlucky enough to come across ignorant bigoted idiots which could happen to any of us anywhere cos every country suffers a small yet noticeable number of those jerks.

......which, I can't help thinking, this kind of ridiculous 'they hate us' garbage that springs up here every now and again is way to close to for comfort.


[edit on 22-6-2006 by sminkeypinkey]

Originally posted by TheBandit795
I repeat!!!

Originally posted by TheBandit795
Ahh... Articles like these are just feeding the divide. Just to lock in more Anti-Europe or Anti-US reactions like those posted earlier in this thread. Wake up people!!!

THANK YOU!!!! I have been stationed in Europe and Great Britain with the Navy. For the most part I was treated really well by the people. You will always find jerks where ever you go. My favorite country to visit was Greece I absolulely love the Greeks. A nicer, friendly group you will never find I would love to go back for a visit. Scotland is also another great place once again the people.....great. London was a blast and the people.......great. My daughter visited Europe last summer and encountered great people whereever she went. The people were friendly and kind. I think my point is if you expect to find wonderful people where ever you go you will. I've traveled all over the US and guess what I found? Yep great people. I imagine in about 2 years when I visit Canada I will find great people. Any where you go if you expect to find wonderful people you will. Just because we come from different culture and backgrounds we still have more in common then many realize and I agree we need each other. As far as hating some one for being different I just can't do it.

Well, well it seems that the 'dumming down' of most of the Amercan public has actually worked!!

If you are arrogant enough to really think a tit for tat applies here then you is really dum

...and the pot calls the kettle black. Before you start calling someone dumb, learn how to spell it.

If there are silly Europeans who hate Americans, fine. They've probably never even been to the states or met one single American. Same goes for Americans who have nothing better to do than bash Europeans.

The person who started the thread didn't even read the article entirely, obviously, nor was he / she able to do so without making broad, sweeping troll comments about how Europeans feel about Americans.

I'm an American who moved to Europe and have been here 6 years. What the most of you know about anti-American / anti-European sentiment could fill a thimble.

Deny ignorance.

Oh, we can let millions of illegals sneak in and grant them amnesty, but it is next to impossible for your average Brit or German to come over to the U.S. and stay and work LEGALLY. Its sickening really.

Good point Skadi! Well said. The current US govt is stuck with absurd, expensive, dangerous and plain stupid notions.

Me being Portuguese and all, I have never met a single european who straight out hates Americans for being Americans, they may hate the government policies, but the people as a whole.

Shattered OUT...

Im a bit tired to read the whole thread through... but i think you dont understand the roots of this issue!

The EU wants America to impose Visa-free travel to ALL members - Greece and the lot that joined a year ago, EU wont tolerate treatment of new members as secondary. The US is trying to push some ridiculous thing that you must have atleast 300 troops in IRAQ or Afghanistan to have visa freedom, funny ey? Slovenia is the only new member who doesnt require a visa to travel to the US, yet its the only one who doesnt have troops in Iraq or Afghanistan, another apparent stupidity - 300, constant 300, sure Poland qualifies easly, but how about smaller nations, i mean we have 1.3 mio people in my country, we cant send 300 troops.
Another thing, why should USA fear a big wave of immigration, already those who want to emigrate can go legally and work in some rich EU country.....

I will bring up the point I made earlier.

The EU wants to be treated as a country with passports, but Poland, Solvenia, France, Germany have there own embassies worldwide. And world cup football teams. The EU should only have one world cup team. If you want to see the EU as an entity for passport distribution then that control should be in the EU's hands and not the individual countries in the EU.

The security is not uniform across the board in each country. So the USA is rightfully still requiring visas on some.

The USA does not have an embassy for every state like Texas and California.

And this Mod can take a breath of fresh air after reading page five of this thread. The difference between this page and page four is day and night. I'm glad to see some post that do not point to "black or white" thinking like the other page. I think Flyersfan should move to Utrecht for a year and and Rai76 to Chicago for a year.

Originally posted by sbob
The security is not uniform across the board in each country. So the USA is rightfully still requiring visas on some.

People from the countries that signed the Schengen treaty (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Greece, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden) can travel between any of those countries without passport, for the citizens of those countries the borders no longer exist, so why should any country ask for visas to the people from some of those countries and not for others?

Originally posted by ShatteredSkies
Me being Portuguese and all, I have never met a single european who straight out hates Americans for being Americans, they may hate the government policies, but the people as a whole.

In fact, it is easier to find people in Portugal that consider the US the best country in the world and that we should be more like the US than people who strongly dislike the US.

PS: another Portuguese, there are more Portuguese people here than I thought.

Originally posted by TheBandit795
I think Flyersfan should move to Utrecht for a year

Can't. They don't have NHL. I'd miss the game .. the smell of the ice ...
the nachos with that fake cheese .... I'd die.

(and I don't think my husband could get along without me .. his
laundry would be all pink and his dinner burnt ... )



[edit on 6/22/2006 by FlyersFan]

Originally posted by XyZeR
Why would accoring to you , any country do that ??

Because the idiot Taliban and AlQeada follow this -

"Fight and slay the Unbelievers wherever ye find them. Seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem of war." Qur'an, Sura 9:5

The cult they are in absolutely believes and follows the radical version
of Islam - where we all must convert or die. It's that simple. They
think it's their Allah-given duty to kill us all. It's stupid and ignorant,
but it's what they (the radicals) believe.

Originally posted by FlyersFan

Originally posted by XyZeR
Why would accoring to you , any country do that ??

Because the idiot Taliban and AlQeada follow this -

"Fight and slay the Unbelievers wherever ye find them. Seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem of war." Qur'an, Sura 9:5

The cult they are in absolutely believes and follows the radical version
of Islam - where we all must convert or die. It's that simple. They
think it's their Allah-given duty to kill us all. It's stupid and ignorant,
but it's what they (the radicals) believe.

congrats flyersfan you have turned this thread in your personal wish, what should of been a simple discusion about visas turned in your strong desire of suporting the US administration on everything.

Greetings from Scotland.

This is my first post. I've been reading these forums for months now but I had to join when I read this thread.

Let me say first to Americans that all Europeans do not hate you! Certainly not here in the UK. We only have a problem with the Bush administration and their "If we smell oil we're invading" policies. We have no real problem with "Average Joe" Americans, and yes we do love when you come over and spend your money here.
We also spend a hell of a lot of money in your country too, so Visa restrictions help no-one really.

There may be, however, a disliking of your ignorance of other cultures outside the US, and your US-centric view of the world. To us it seems that if it doesn't benefit the US then you don't want to know (e.g Kyoto).

I visited the US as a teenager and let me tell you I was made to feel very welcome by all I met. I had such a great time I didn't want to leave. What did piss me off is when I told people where I was from I got questions like "Do you live in thatched cottages?" and "Do you even get television over there?" Well, Scotland is a beautiful developed country where only a fraction of us live in the countryside and we invented Penicillin, the telephone, Tarmac, the pnumatic tyre and much much more as well as the TV so you're damn right we get it!

My point is that these are simple examples of the average American's ignorance of what is outside their own country, even though God knows how many of you have a Scots lineage! If these silly little things piss me off, what do you think the rest of world feels like?
How do you think the people of Pakistan felt when Bush didn't even know the name of their leader (Gen. Pervez Musharraf) when he was running for POTUS?
There are many similar instances that could be given to illustrate this kind of thing regarding a variety of places\cultures I'm sure. These kind of things help foster ill-feeling towards the US government and for some (by association) the American people.

Most Europeans don't hate the American people. We just hate Bush. He is a twat, and his Orwellian policies are ridiculous. We had no problem with Clinton. In fact, during the Lewinsky affair we just laughed and said "What a character, eh?"

So let's stop this pointless bickering over a non-existent animosity, shall we?

I have to say to the earlier poster who made the point about the US going in to sort out evil murdering Saddam Hussein and his slaughter of innocent Iraqis:

a) Where did Saddam get the weapons to enact these atrocities?

b) If said atrocities were so terrible, why was the invasion of Iraq not Bush's top priority after taking office?

c) Why hasn't the US done the same thing in other places that have no oil but where similar atrocities are commited daily, such as Zimbabwe?

d) Why hasn't the US done the same thing in North Korea where again, atrocities are taking place but there is an alliance with Russia and China?

Yes, you could make the same points about the UN but then they don't claim to be the world's policemen, do they? Iraq has nothing to do with "Liberating the people" or "WMD". Iraq is about oil and the positioning of troops near Iran for your next...liberation.

Anyhoo, peace to all.

Originally posted by FlyersFan

Originally posted by XyZeR
Why would accoring to you , any country do that ??

Because the idiot Taliban and AlQeada follow this

"Fight and slay the Unbelievers wherever ye find them. Seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem of war." Qur'an, Sura 9:5

The cult they are in absolutely believes and follows the radical version
of Islam - where we all must convert or die. It's that simple. They
think it's their Allah-given duty to kill us all. It's stupid and ignorant,
but it's what they (the radicals) believe.

: : : : @@: You can't actualy be serious right,...you're just a troll !

"Fight and slay the Unbelievers wherever ye find them. Seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem of war." Qur'an, Sura 9:5

Congrats you've earned a spot on my ignore list, it's now very clear that it's impossible to have a decent discussion with you......wait... I bet you actualy think you're quoting the Koran.... Man this is just to much....

The cult they are in absolutely believes and follows the radical version
of Islam - where we all must convert or die. It's that simple

LOL NO it is not ! That's some load off bull# that you CHOOSE to believe.

Flyersfan, how much muslims do you know personally ?
I'll answer that question : NONE.

This thread was originaly about Visa, you choose to turn it into a Muslim hate-spewing fest 2006, making statements without thought, and in which you clearly demontrate that you suffer from massive Islamophobia.

Deny ignorance .....right....

Originally posted by pepsi78

Originally posted by FlyersFan

Originally posted by XyZeR
Why would accoring to you , any country do that ??

Because the idiot Taliban and AlQeada follow this -

"Fight and slay the Unbelievers wherever ye find them. Seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem of war." Qur'an, Sura 9:5

The cult they are in absolutely believes and follows the radical version
of Islam - where we all must convert or die. It's that simple. They
think it's their Allah-given duty to kill us all. It's stupid and ignorant,
but it's what they (the radicals) believe.

congrats flyersfan

you have turned this thread in your personal wish, what should of been a simple discusion about visas turned in your strong desire of suporting the US administration on everything.

Exactly and believing in your own truth.

*attempts to help get this thread on topic*

I found this article today and it mentions the visa restrictions that should have been discussed in this thread.

Bush was in Hungry yesterday or the day before, not sure. Hungry is one of the new ten members of the EU that is in the centre of this topic.

Hungary inspires Iraq, Bush says

During Mr Bush's visit, Hungary - which joined the EU two years ago - is expected to raise the long-standing demand for it and other recent EU members for visa-free travel to the US.

Hungarian PM Ferenc Gyurcsany said he had discussed with Mr Bush demands to ease visa restrictions for Hungarians visiting the US.

Hungary is one of nine of the 10 new EU member states that do not enjoy the visa waivers granted to most of the bloc's 15 older member states.

"I understand this is a difficult issue," Mr Bush said, adding that the two countries "have developed a roadmap" for resolving it.

However Americans can travel in Hungry without visa restrictions.

On a side not Hungry has amazing history! From the Austro-Hungarian Empire to declaring war on the Soviets, UK and US in 1941 to political changes across Europe

Hungary played an important part in accelerating the collapse of communism across Eastern Europe when in 1989 it opened its border with Austria, allowing thousands of East Germans to escape to the West. Just a few months later the Berlin Wall was history.