Stephen,
There are many policy differences between the US and Europe.
When you become an American citizen you can indeed ask that
question, and use your freedoms to promote your ideas of
what government should do. Until then, its an internal matter
for the US to decide. Tough luck for you.
We 'can' do something and that is the end of the matter? Well, no actually.
There is also the rather more nuanced question of whether you 'should'. If
Blunkett suggests imposing similar measures on US visitors then I for one
will cast my vote to evict him at the next election. Imposing blanket
criminal measures on guests in order to protect British citizens is simply
not acceptable. For context, I was in London when Canary Wharf was blown up,
in Manchester when they bombed the Arndale and 3 miles from Warrington when
they bombed there. I've been a great deal closer to terrorist bombs in my
time than the vast majority of Americans. (BTW: Add Moscow to that list
....the Chechens bombed that while I was there).
I realize 3000 people, largely Americans, killed in a terror
incident probably doesn't effect you too much, but we consider
it a rather traumatic event here.
The IRA killed more people than the WTC incident, they just took longer to
do it .....perhaps because they were bankrolled out of Boston rather than
Riyadh.
Isn't the UK supposed to start issuing national ID cards soon?
You must be in a tizzy!
We'll see if Reichsfuhrer Blunkett gets away with that. My previous comments
regarding my vote applies.
Perhaps because they aren't targets of terror the way the
US is? Every whacko prefers to go after number one, and
that would be the US.
The UK was a target or Irish terrorism for 30 years. Did we ever slap
draconian travel monitoring on Irish citizens? No. Why? Because it is not
justified when the vast majority of Irish people are totally innocent. Did
British civilians die as a consequence? Probably. That is the price you pay
for living in a free society. The safest city in Europe is Minsk. Why?
Because they still have the KGB there.
Eryk
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