What Do You Prefer?

[CleverCowboy]

Originally Posted by Shepherd

At that time Trump was taking Hispanic kids from their parents and putting the kids in concentration camps located in the deserts of the Texas panhandle. The kids (as young as infants) were housed in tents without air conditioning. Needless to say there was some bad feelings about that down Mexico way.

Just to be fair, the cages were started by the prior President, and the media didn't say a thing.

Anyway, the times I have been to Mexico in the past I didn't feel threatened in any way. The locals were actually quite friendly and accommodating. Right now, I would not consider a trip to Mexico. The cartels are the ones in power now, and they pretty much can do whatever they want.

Edit:

Originally Posted by Scruffydog777

ISo many people want to cross our border. If we let them all in, then eventually the border wouldn't be worth crossing. So you have many people illegally trying to cross the border. Our agents are not going to put up the ones they catch in a 5 star hotel, so it gets a little dicey at times.

Borders need to be enforced. It is what makes a country a country.

[Aragorn97]

Originally Posted by Scruffydog777

Accept your losses and be thankful you are still alive.

Hmm, I see. I should update my knowledge about Mexico. I didn't think the situation was that bad. Anyway, thank you both for the information.

[Scruffydog777]

Originally Posted by Aragorn97

Hmm, I see. I should update my knowledge about Mexico. I didn't think the situation was that bad. Anyway, thank you both for the information.

Well I think just about every big city in the world has some areas you are better off staying out of. That is true in the city I grew up in and live in today and that is Boston. If you go into certain sections of this city alone and you look like you don't belong, you will probably get either taken advantage of at the least, robbed and/or beaten.

I mentioned the beaten path earlier. As long as you only go into areas where there are plenty of other tourists, you should be fine if you go to Mexico. If you like to have a few drinks, don't have too many.

In our country, our State department has a web site where you can look up if there are travel warnings for different countries. Your countries probably have the same thing.

When I was in Berlin, I either lost my passport or more likely it was picked.

When I was in Riga, Latvia, I had my wallet stolen.

When I was in Paris with two other members here, we got on a metro train and a gypsy woman who had a young girl with her, also tried to pick my pocket. When I travel, I usually put my wallet in my front pocket which makes it a lot harder to pick. That's what saved me in Paris.

In Riga, I had my wallet in my front pocket, but I had stopped in a store to buy a few things before I went back to the hotel and unfortunately I think out of force of habit, after paying for my goods, I stuck it in my back pocket and made myself an easy target.

Some of the lessons I've learned if you are in a foreign country, if you have 2 credit cards with you, when you go out, leave one at the hotel. The same is true of your id's. If you have a passport and a drivers license, leave one at the hotel. In fact, one thing I do which you are not supposed to do is I make a copy of my passport and carry that with me. They may give you a hard time if you have to show it for some reason which I never have had to do, but it will be safe back at the hotel for you to straighten out any problems that arise. The same is true of cash. I usually find it best to get the best deal on currency exchange is to go to a reputable's bank atm and get cash with my atm card. I'll usually get enough to last me for 3 days, but when I go out, I only take half that amount.

[Fall]

Everyone:

Although I strongly agree and disagree with various points and statements made in the last few posts, as a member of Alizée America I cannot add to the conversation. As an Administrator, I have to ask that it ends here. One of our most important rules is to refrain from the discussion of politics. CC and Scruffy, as forum veterans and leaders, you shouldn't be adding to it but setting the example and reminding everyone of the rules.

We are all here as fans of Alizée and her music, and all come from various backgrounds and points of view. Sometimes we can barely discuss her life or her music without resorting to bickering and feuding, there's no telling what would go down if we added things like politics or religion to the mix. Thus, this site is generally dedicated to the discussion of Alizée only; this space in particular, to other miscellaneous topics which we may find interesting. Let's keep the rules in mind so we can continue having this space to do so.

[Scruffydog777]

Yes there were comments that were political in nature, but there was no bickering........no feuding. That line is crossed every once in a while and in this case it was no big deal. When it is, we correct it and move on. As far as this forum being only about Alizee, we do have 'off topic' which usually has nothing to do with Alizee. The same rules that applies to the conversations about Alizee, apply to off topic conversations. There too, the lines will be crossed from time to time and CleverCowboy and Bamagirl who are here on a regular basis and have been doing a very good job, will take action when action 'needs' to be taken. We don't want to turn this into an Alizee Forum, which is no more.

[Fall]

Originally Posted by Scruffydog777

Yes there were comments that were political in nature, but there was no bickering........no feuding. That line is crossed every once in a while and in this case it was no big deal. When it is, we correct it and move on. As far as this forum being only about Alizee, we do have 'off topic' which usually has nothing to do with Alizee. The same rules that applies to the conversations about Alizee, apply to off topic conversations. There too, the lines will be crossed from time to time and CleverCowboy and Bamagirl who are here on a regular basis and have been doing a very good job, will take action when action 'needs' to be taken. We don't want to turn this into an Alizee Forum, which is no more.

Scruffy, you seem to have misinterpreted my post entirely.

To clarify:
1. No, there was no bickering and no feuding in this case. I said that on many occasions members of this forum bicker and feud over topics we love, like Alizée and her music. We clearly don't all agree on other matters, and so it stands to reason that we should avoid those topics if we already bicker and feud over things we have in common.

2. This is a correction before the issue becomes a big deal. It shouldn't ever become a big deal. I'm here to make sure that it doesn't.

3. I stated that the forum is *generally* dedicated to the discussion of Alizée only. Further, I stated that this space (as in, the Off Topic section) in particular, is dedicated to other miscellaneous topics we might find interesting. I did not say that we only talk about Alizée or that we're meant to. Quite a big chunk of my total post count can be found on the Off Topic forum. I have created Off Topic threads. I post non-Alizée music regularly.

4. I visit and monitor the site near daily. I just don't always log in.

5. If you'll notice, I haven't closed the thread, locked it, or reprimanded any user. I posted a reminder of the rules and asked that the discussion of politics come to an end. In fact, I also previously contributed to the conversation started by the OP and Aragorn's excellent thread revival. I can't say that I have any experience with Alizée Forum, as I never joined the site. Perhaps other AF members like Jenny, Plaz, or Merci Alizée would like to comment on what I have done versus the moderation on that site.

[Aragorn97]

Sorry, Fall, I need clarification on this: when you talk about rules, do you mean a sort of list of rules (which is somewhere on the forum) or are you referring to "common sense" (unwritten) rules?

[Scruffydog777]

Originally Posted by Fall

......... If you'll notice, I haven't closed the thread, locked it, or reprimanded any user. .

To think you even had a notion of taking any action like that is f'ing unbelievable! This is not going to be a forum run by forum nazis who ran the much larger Alizee forum into the ground and it is no more.

I object to what you said, when you said it and especially in the way you said it. CleverCowboy and Bamagirl have done a great job of policing this forum and if you were here as often as you said you were, you'd know that.

The way this forum is policed is in words Aragorn just mentioned, "common sense".

[Bamagirl]

Originally Posted by Scruffydog777

To think you even had a notion of taking any action like that is f'ing unbelievable! This is not going to be a forum run by forum nazis who ran the much larger Alizee forum into the ground and it is no more.

I object to what you said, when you said it and especially in the way you said it. CleverCowboy and Bamagirl have doing a great job of policing this forum and if you were here as often as you said you were, you'd know that.

The way this forum is policed is in words Aragorn just mentioned, "common sense".

All this talk about avoiding anything to do with “politics” is basically silly. I agree with moderators of discussion groups curbing very ugly arguments that devolve into nothing more than name calling or personal attacks. But just because a respectful discussion touches on the mention of a country, public figure or leader, political climate, societal norms or various laws and customs, that should not automatically preclude its inclusion in a civil conversation. Depending on how broadly one defines “politics,” it is virtually impossible to avoid it in some form in an intelligent discussion that is of any length.

I don’t believe there has been anything the least bit disrespectful or unpleasant about the posts in this thread. Though there have been some disagreements, the posts have been primarily informational and written with courtesy and sincerity. It’s a shame to hear the implied threat of censorship for something so mild.

[Shepherd]

Originally Posted by Aragorn97

Is Mexico really so dangerous?

The gangs in Mexico are real and they do prey on tourist. When Alizee went there, she had a team of bodyguards. Having said that, the situation is not as dark as I originally portrayed. My statement that I would risk my life going to Mexico to see Alizee was romantic hyperbole. If you go to Mexico, the odds are heavy in your favor that nothing untoward will happen. Although in recent years I have avoided Mexico, I have been there many times without a problem. My sister still goes there for a vacation every year without a concern for her safety.

The number of tourists visiting Mexico soared, reaching 35 million visitors, up 9% from 2015. In the first three months of 2017, the country saw record numbers, with 9.3 million visitors bringing in $5 billion in revenue.

One of the reasons I chose to retire in San Antonio is that Hispanics dominate the population here. I like the food, the people, and the culture. Although there are Hispanic gangsters, and they can be horrible, most Hispanics are devout Catholics dedicated to their families. They are some of the hardest working people you will ever find. Like every ethnic group, there are good ones and bad ones, but the vast majority are good.

As for Trump, I'll let history be the judge.