I like and respect Ron Davies and I think many of his opinions are spot on. However.

Little Hawk, I am disappointed in your feeding into these histrionics, i.e. "I also fear and dread entering the USA at the border" ? I have exited and entered the US from both Mexico and Canada. Just perhaps if you didn't fear, dread and hate the border crossings so much you might find that the 'guards' are nicer people than you had thought. They are doing their jobs, for pete's sake. I try not to make their jobs harder than they have to be. Do you have any idea what people have tried to put over on them? And when you come along with your fear and loathing you may well exude the same nastiness.

Took "years of agony" to get the green card? What?   Agony? Years? I have worked as an English as a Second Language tutor; I once had a class of six people who came from five foreign countries, languages and cultures, and the sixth was a Navajo from Arizona who couldn't read or write English; I have advised immigrants and put them in touch with people who can help them; I have helped them get jobs; I have helped them prepare the plea to let them stay longer than the visa they had allowed them to do (didn't work); I have helped people study for the citizenship exam; I have been present at the moment when they became citizens and have continued tutoring them on an ongoing basis in every day life. Some of my best friends today are some of these people.

I did not meet a single one who would have claimed agony.in the process. I hope you don't mind if I take your declaration with a large chunk of salt.

"I pay my taxes and I am married to an American. But I have no voice and no rights at all. Land of the Free, I think not."

Question: Does an emigrant to England have the right to vote? Does s/he have a 'voice'? And don't try to say you have no rights here. You have lots of rights; you just don't wish to recognize them.

I won't go into the insulting language that has been used against Americans and Mudcatters, more specifically. Suffice it to say that I see little reason to respect some of the more gratuitous statements.

And that's all I have to say about that.