Only decades ago, we traveled freely across the globe.
It was standard to see, in third world countries, a bus packed to the roof with locals and scattered among them one or two Western youths, heedlessly wandering the backroads of the world.
In Africa, my wife and child and I traveled alone with strangers to explore hidden caves and mountains and deserts.
We walked at night through dark streets in Asia with no fear.
Americans--and the United States of America--were respected throughout the world.
Today, increasingly we are viewed with contempt--as much for the foolishness of our voting population and the weakness of our government and its leaders as anything else.
The American people have squandered their priceless heritage and allowed the greatest, richest, most powerful, and most just nation the world has ever known to sink into decadence, and the people of the world consider this with utter contempt.
I would not venture into those same places today.
VERY well said.
You may be right. My travel outside USA has been limited and a while ago.
But stories like this have been around for decades. Most of them, to be fair, involve Americans who in all likelihood were involved in drug smuggling or other illegal activity and thought they were untouchable because they were American.
Not.
Far as I’m concerned, if you travel abroad and get in trouble due to your own actions, that’s your problem.
This lady and the Marine in Mexico, probably an entirely different situation, of course.
Though it should be noted this story does not report the facts of the case, but rather what the young lady’s advocates have to say about the case. She wouldn’t be the first stupid young American “traveling on a budget” to try to enhance that budget by extra-legal activities.