Check out the 2008 price INCREASE over at Playmobil USA

[playmofire]

"Sealed borders" seem to provide only false security. You are correct that this topic should be discussed in a "different forum." However, it is so very difficult for me to not make a comment about the foolish "isolationistic" attitude of the current United States government.

When I read that Europeans can now drive from Estonia to Portugal without borders, I am angered and embarrassed about the closed borders that we are still maintaining between the United States, Canada and Mexico. I look forward to the day when all borders will only be an historical oddity that most of us will wonder ever existed!

Thanks, Martin, for your further explanation about not needing a visa for travel to the United States. And, it is true that you would have to purchase a "boat load" of Playmobil to justify the travel expense. However, a visit to the United States and Canada can be a fun and somewhat inexpensive holiday ...

All the best,
Richard

Thanks from me too, Martin, for your update.  Clearly I was out of date on things here, so apologies to all.

I agree entirely with you, Richard, on the border issue, both re the USA and, increasingly here.  I find words such as "homeland" worrying whether used by British or US politicians when I reflect on the governments in the past which have used similar terms such as "fatherland" and "motherland".

The UK government is now thinking of introducing a bond system, maybe £1,000 per person, for families from abroad visiting relatives here.  For some families this could mean finding maybe as much as £10,000. 

The Schengen treaty in the EU on open borders now extends to Malta, so long as you don't arrive by air, i.e. you drive through Europe and then go by sea from Italy.

[cachalote]

 
dear richard, the distance between lisboa, the capital city of portugal, and tallinnn, the capital city of estonia, is 3133 km (2058 miles).
the distance between miami and seattle, both in the u.s.a., is 4393 km (2730 miles).
maybe the isolation feeling owes more to culture then to geography.
 

[Martin Milner]

When I read that Europeans can now drive from Estonia to Portugal without borders, I am angered and embarrassed about the closed borders that we are still maintaining between the United States, Canada and Mexico.

I encountered that "closed border" on my trip from Rochester to Niagara Falls (Canadian side), with my American wife, Brother-in-Law and Sister-in-Law. It seems to cause more aggravation and annoyance to Americans and Canadians who regularly crossed the border than to any foreign tourist such as myself, as I always carry my passport while in the US as photo ID, but needing a passport is a new thing to the locals.

 

[Richard]

dear richard, the distance between lisboa, the capital city of portugal, and tallinnn, the capital city of estonia, is 3133 km (2058 miles).
the distance between miami and seattle, both in the u.s.a., is 4393 km (2730 miles).
maybe the isolation feeling owes more to culture then to geography.
 

Thank you for offering such a kind explanation, Cachalote ...

All three countries (Canada, United States and Mexico) are geographicaly very large areas.

For instance it is 738 km / 459 miles from Washington, DC to Ottawa, ON and 3,147 km / 1,955 miles from Washington, DC to Mexico City, Mexico. However, it is only one step from the US to Mexico and only one step from the US to Canada. The culture of the Southwestern United States and Northern Mexico are probably a lot more alike than the cultures between most European countries. And, regardless of what some Candians and Americans will lead you to believe, the cultures of Canada and the United States are practically identical ... eh?

Gordon and I are both old enough to remember the lunacy of the isolationism of the past. We are also both old enough to remember the catastrophic results that isolationism and nationalism can produce.

Hopefully, we will all realize that we need not repeat the mistakes of the past!

All the best for a peaceful and productive future for all,
Richard