America

part of YOUR body...lol but I do understand where you are coming from...vulnerability is the key to successfully fending off an attack

Never hit someone in the head , just hitting in vulnerable areas... Unless you want to poke his eyes out. I was in the hospital with a 2 fracture knuckles, I hit this guy in a bar fight solidly in the right eye in the face, knock his butt off , but my knuckles of my right hand was like a balloon for a week. The head is most hardest part of the body..Full of bones and bones do hurt.....

The Red Pope of Qatar Living

I could just about kill someone with that thing as its big as a saddlebag and twice as heavy!!

Scarlett

You could use pepper spray is fast and convenient. Even better your walking stick or Umbrella.. They are excellent weapons.

The Red Pope of Qatar Living

Unfortunately, I understand all that way too well. Lived in Houston for a year and half...right after Hurricane Katrina came through..we got all the evacuees...and NOT the best ones, either. Crime rates doubled (which was already high!) Was always having to be on high alert in parking lots and elsewhere...

I don't have a concealed weapons license mainly because I'd probably shoot myself in the foot trying to get it out of the car.

I got a conceal gun permit too.. I like my 45 caliber colt, short barrel and 10 magazine clip holder..

I had to use one time to scare off a guy who broke inside my car parked in the mall..I held him at gun point until the cops and security arrived.

No shots fired, the guy was about to feces himself when I put the gun in his head, while he was busy ripping apart my car stereo.. I held him down for about 5 minutes. I did cuff his hands behind his back, with a pair of military flexible cuffs.. My wife called the 911 and I had a swarm of security officers just taking him away....

I guess my military training paid off during those days....

The Red Pope of Qatar Living

you'd think you were in Italy..but the folks there are nice..

Sidewalks in Spain is like driving a horse cart in the road, they are tiny spaces.. Overcrowded all the time....

The Red Pope of Qatar Living

my mom has a license to carry a concealed weapon...she's about the most innocent looking old lady you could imagine...But I have to admit that when I go home, I call first to make sure she knows it ME that is coming through the bedroom door so I don't get shot!!

got tired of being "walked" off the sidewalk by the locals..We're used to each person stepping aside a bit to let the oncoming people pass. the locals would just ram into you then cuss you out. One afternooon she had had enough of this...so as we are walking along on a sidewalk, these 3 women, with arms linked, stepped up into the middle of the sidewalk in front of us, walking towards us..I step OUT into the street to avoid them, SHE runs right into the middle of them...they turn and rant on about her...(she's 5'10")...she says..I just got tired of being run off the sidewalk!! To which I responded..umm did you see the middle lady had a white cane??? She was blind!!!

She about died of embarrassment...

With the straw hat, Yes I feel suspicious about you.. Cowgirls from Texas carry guns in their bags..J/K

The Red Pope of Qatar Living

I had to paid 80 Euros for 1 kilo over weight in Spain. I did told the spaniard lady, Thank you for your Hospitality....

Spain is for Spaniards, not for me any how.... I did enjoy valencia, benidorn, The rock, and many other places...

Is their arrogance that they feel better than us...Just like the Frogs and their dirty city, wines and cheeses..

The Red Pope of Qatar Living

front door of the airport and that guy walked up to us and asked if we were americans...the rest I told you about..and NO....this was done BEFORE I ever got to the ticketing counter and no one had ever even asked to see my passport until I got to that room.

Ask anyone who knows me how suspicious I look..I'm about as harmless as a flea...and I did answer the questions honestly..vacation, back to the States..etc..

That was just my first and last experience with Spain...

Is called Homeland security screening process, If you act suspiciously, then you are treated suspiciously.

Scarllett

You are full of drama. All searches and questioning for US Citizens are done at the last passport/costumes gate. If you are A suspicious character, they will automatically give you a red card and move you to the "DARK ROOM".

The will ask you question like:

Where you flying from? Just tell them the truth.

Are you on holiday or vacation? You better say Vacation...

How long where you there for?

any thing illegal to report?

If your passport looks like a stamp book, that will raise suspicion.

They probably did - I never got stopped either. The usual question I got a lot (in a chit chat manner) "Do you have to wear that black thing and cover your face"?

How was your trip PM? I hope you had a good time with your grandchildren.

I was told I also had a marked name, so everytime I do travel I get the works! I have no idea why though, its been going on since I was about 9. Could you imgaine a little girl as a threat? :P

tra la la

My husband gets stopped all the time. He is American born, blonde hair, blue eyed guy and it never fails. This is in the states mind you. He was working in Japan before Doha and the same thing every time. He always had an X on his boarding pass - this means pulled out of line at boarding - extra search and questioning. Probably because of all the Saudi visas (exit and re-entry).

He doesn't complain and neither do I, thankful for the security.

Scarlett, you must have made an "impression" on someone in Spain - then they called ahead to the airport LOL.

Lisa

was long before all the recent hoo hah (c.1981).

I was flying from Heathrow to Kuwait. Understandably, I suppose, they took the scissors away from me - muhahahahaha - and gave me a ticket for them.

But it was when I landed in Kuwait that I got the real shock.

I had to line up behind all these men who were collecting their guns!

Now, if my scissors were in my hand baggage ........

floating around spain somewhere

I never lost my Carizma...it's just that some people are too blind to see it ;) lol

hope you located that carizma again...or did they confiscate it in immigrations?

I had one experience with Barcelona airport...I was flying to US on board of Iberia Airlines and the officers at the airpost were not very friendly with me.

I don't know may be I lost my "Carizma" ;) lol

an agent walked up, asked my friend and I if we were Americans..and of course we said yes..we had to go to a whole different part of the airport, have our bags xrayed, twice, then take the bags, minus our passports, which they held, to another room, unpack them ourselves..have the electronic things brought out, xrayed AGAIN, questioned about why we bought certain souveneirs, REpack the suitcase ourselves, Xray the bag AGAIN, finally had to answer a pack of questions then could go to the terminal gate. Once there...the agent asked if we would board first...thinking..alright..finally...then we were searched once again, bags unpacked and searched...geezzzzzz..I won't be going back to Spain any time soon! And, this was about 5 years ago. Hate to see how it is now!

Never had any issues with American airports...Gatwick and Heathrow..I avoid them like the plague!!!

Hey Xena,

I just PMed you , check your e-mail.

My daughter is 4 years old now, actually she will turn 4 on the 29th of this month.

She goes to Qatar Academy school...she loves it there and I think they are doing a great job keeping the children handful all day.

My wife and I are expecting a new baby after two months inshaAllah.

Docs say it's a baby girl, so I'm gonna enjoy being the only male in the house ;) lol

how is that lovely wife of yours..... and your little one.... must be so big by now....

BTW... am going to need a dentist at some stage... please could you PM your wifes surgery number....

Good to have you back....

wwwooooo....Xena

You still remember me...I didn't think anyone would notice that I was gone ;) lol

Well...it got too busy here and I can hardly keep track of the threads...I get lost each time i try to follow a certain thread.

Thanks for yor sweet gesture though

You can't judge a whole country by having a bad experience.

Even though I had a very bad experience and I experienced racism first hand by the INS officer at Atlanta airport, yet I still have very good memories...with American people, people who don't have any prior made judgements against Arabs or Muslims.

The ordinary American people are very nice and funny.

I still remember some of the families I used to know.

I even got to say the prayer once at a Thanks Giving Dinner...That was a very sweet gesture from the family that invited me, they wanted to send me a message "It doesn't matter who you pray to as long as you ask for peace, love and compassion"

Welcome back...looooongggg time no see..... *sorry to hi-jack the thread* but I had to welcome back one of QL's finest....

I got kicked back from Atlanta airport in 2002, never tried to go back since then.

But I'm actually considering it now...I've gone a loooong way with the california license process (passed 3 tests already) and now I'm only pending the clinical exam.

I'm just too afraid to go apply for a visa...I know if i get denied i will be very disappointed.

I totally agree with your Mom. I would say: better oversafe, than dead...I don't mind them to be rather suspicious than neglectful...

Gypsy, "I have visas for China, Veitnam and Qatar, not to mention stamps for North Korea and several other Mid Eastern countries."

China, Veitnam and North Korea are NOT Middle Eastern countries... sorry buddy...

This is the so called War on terror honey....

you surely aren't implying the immigration officer was geographically challenged are you?

*wicked hehehe*

Thanks for all your replies. at least we are not the only ones - i felt we were being singled out! We made the mistake of saying Qatar was next to KSA and the immigration officer must have just seen the film Kingdom starring Jamie Fox - anyone else seen it?

I've been to london last summer,nothing happened nor occured at the airport! everything went smooth and pretty well, not even when we went to Chigago and Washington D.C 6 years ago, I'm surprised now..

even my cousins went to L.A and Calofornia, nothing happened...strange u say,,,i say join the club!!!

Everytime I enter. Though that could be because I have visas for China, Veitnam and Qatar, not to mention stamps for North Korea and several other Mid Eastern countries. They seem to think I'm a bit suspicious. I just say why would I show you this passport if I had anything to hide!

"I fight with love and I laugh with rage, you have to live light enough to see the humor and long enough to see some change." Ani Difranco

'Better Safe than Sorry' My Mum

"Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." Benjamin Franklin

Just because Bush is paranoid doesn't mean they arn't all out to get him

"only mad dogs and englishmen go out in the midday sun"

I don't get upset with all the security - I'd rather they did it!

Mind you, on our way out of Gatwick last time the queues everywhere to get through security were horrendous! Unfortunately, my husband isn't so patient so it felt worse than it was :(

the people are paranoid... and the president is scitzophrenic....

I am sorry... I couldn't resist....

Jauntie, glad I could make you laugh :)

tra la la

I need that! :D :D

Everytime I fly within the states I have problems, and I'm American! I've been detained, watched with a security guards, and had my luggage searched way too many times. That said, I was also stripped searched in Frankfurt, and I was only 16!! I must look very dangerous :P

tra la la

I experienced the same thing in other countries.. but never in America.. for one obvious reason..

JhunBug