Wil's Rant

The U.S. is going to stop providing aid to any country that refuses to sign an agreement which essentially states that they will not charge any American Citizen with criminal offenses while in their country. Where do I start with this one. I can understand the desire to ensure that Americans civil rights are respected while in a foreign country. What I can't understand is the approach being taken. First, why should an American have anymore civil rights in a country than anyone else? I would think that a better approach would be trying to work with a nation to gain these rights for everyone, not just Americans. Second is the fact that this would effectively give Americans total immunity from prosecution no matter what the offense. Third is the fact that the people who will be hurt most by this are the most needy people in the given country. Another fact is the concept that should a person feel that they do not agree with the laws of a given nation, they should feel free to stay the hell out of it, that's called having respect for the laws and desires of a sovereign nation. The law is so one sided that nations who have been essentially forced to agree with it in most cases do not report the fact for fear of the reaction of their own people to it. International travelers have long had to keep in mind the possible results of their failure to respect the laws in any country that they are traveling in. It is for this reason that there are many countries where I would not travel in because I do not agree with those laws and out of respect for that country I would not travel there. The U.S. must start to recognize that this is not the way to handle their foreign relations, not if they want to have any friends left at all. If you don't agree with the policies of a foreign nation than by all means voice your objection, but do not under any circumstances penalize the very people who you are supposed to be trying to help. Any efforts to further the cause of civil rights should be applied across the board equally and not specifically in regards to American citizens.