No confidence

[j.sabourn]

#47 it was banned in the US Des as in a previous post a lot of Hollywood stars were deported Charlie Chaplin being one of them . I sailed with a master from Glasgow who told me about joining a ship in New York . On the same flight as him was a seaman on the same flight who had caused him problems years before on a Baron Vessel. The same bloke said hello and told him he was flying out to get married. This same master was ahead of him in the queue for the immigration and he said to the quarantine officer “ I see you are letting in card carrying members of the communist party now then ? “ the same seaman was not allowed to land and was on the first flight back to. Heathrow. This was well pre 1970. Not a very nice wedding present but such is the power of unforgetting wrongs of the past. Who knows maybe he was doing the bride to be a good turn. Also I can remember landing as a seaman in the USA and the first question asked was “ Are you a member or ever been a member of the communist party” , if foolish enough to say yes you could say goodbye to any time ashore unless of course under guard . Cheers JS.
This post is well named “ No Confidence” politics I have very little of such as stated regardless of title. Any person in power over others will have some influence to alter a persons living standards and morals in most matters. Myself I don’t vote for a party’s so called political aims , they can alter as soon as he/she attains that position. I vote on the person himself/ herself and just hope I am a good judge of character. I haven’t been very successful upto date . JS

[Louis the fly]

Going off course slightly, JS last comments brought a memory.
Lining up before the US immigration desk.
"Are you a member or ever have been a member of the communist party"?
"No"
"Is there any history of mental illness in your family"?
"Yes there must be, one of my Aunt's married a Yank".

[j.sabourn]

#49 one of my Aunties Louis , used to write to Ted Heath, think I mentioned once before, she must have also had a screw loose . Think I also mentioned about a document I found in a phone box in a motel outside of Southhampton with suspected terrorist connections and reference to the Morning Cloud which I passed to the police . Would we do the same again ? Who knows ? Maybe loose screws runs in family’s . Cheers JS.

[j.sabourn]

Louis you spent sometime offshore I believe , seems strange our paths never crossed especially with a name like Louis the Fly, I will list all the offshore vessels I was master on both here and Australia to make the list shorter. just in case our paths did cross.....
Seaforth Commander, Seaforth Victor, Seaforth Sovereign, Seaforth Viscount, Tamito, Ondur, Deventel, Penomi, Nautika, Silver Pit, Johnshaven, Burnhaven, Sandhaven, Seaboard Castor, Seaboard Sovereign, Seaboard Sceptre, Seaboard Illustrious, Seaboard Swift, British Magnus,Veesea Topaz, Chieftan, Pacific Dart, Smitt Lioyd 105,Pacific Marlin, Miclyn Pride, Mariner, Dickerson Tide,
About the same again as mate on other vessels. So may have rolled up and down the deck on the same wave sometime. Cheers JS

[happy daze john in oz]

A lose screw, no good mate prefer some thing a bit more solid.

Des, I see on the net today the gov say they will allow the independents more question time questions to lower the number from the opposition.
Yes Libs only had majority of one who was the speaker in the last parliament.

I have no problem with the Labor majority, my major concern, and that i think of many, was the possibility of the Greens having the balance of power.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

John S.
My first trip was to the States, and I was asked the same question, at 16 half even then I knew the difference between the US and Russia, and thought that if they wanted to stop you going ashore if you were a communist why have a Russian Embassy. A few years later in Baton Rouge a fireman who had no money left in his kitty said his family had been communist for years, he said it cost them money to watch he didn't go ashore.
Des

[j.sabourn]

Des I sailed with Chinese crews late sixties early 70s , they were ex Hong Kong but all came from different provinces in China and although communists were allowed ashore in the states. However so many jumped ship in the USA and cost the indian company that much money as was a $1000 surety on each, that they stipulated there would be no shore leave in the States and they signed on to that agreement. The company also employed Pinkerton security to enforce this. I flew out to Philadelphia to join this ship the Maratha Endeavour, the first night on arrival , although Pinkerton guards on gangway and mooring ropes , half the crew went AWOL and were never caught , shortly after this they changed to Indian crews , the lascar crews were just the opposite they preferred to jump ship in the UK, must have liked British Colonial Rule. ? JS....

[happy daze john in oz]

Have a good friend in Texas, went there from Oz on a Green card.
Took him almost 20 years before he was allowed an Oz passport so for that time could not leave USA as if he did he would not have been allowed back in.
For some reason did not want to take out USA citizenship.

[Rodney Mills]

60 years ago I, my first wife and my six month eldest son emigrated from Canada into the US. We became citizens just as fast as we could. fellow Brit, Peter. who I met my first year in the USA became a best friend and 59 years later still is.

He has three children born in the USA and thus are Americans. But Peter is British. He has no desire to return to England, yet cannot vote and must register every year to keep his green card. Like me, as a green carder way back, we both worried about getting drafted, as we both had to register for the draft. He expresses no disrespect for England and no nostalgia for the UK yet maintains his Brit passport and is quite vocal politically and as opinionated, as I am. Like me. his second wife is (in my case was) an American, so are his children and my other two sons and both our grandchildren. I don't understand him in this instant. He is as American as I am, yet legally he is British.

My eldest son is a "Trumper". I most definitely am not, having worked in Manhattan, New York and was, like the New Yorkers and the neighboring States voters well aware of what a person and lousy businessman he is.

My son got on about immigrants coming in and lumped them along with illegals. And that the country was full and immigration should be stopped and those with green cards returned to their country of birth. Well I let him rave on and when he ran out of breath I reminded him that he, his mother and myself then, according to his wishes should be given the boot, He to his country of birth Canada, myself and his mother to England. He blustered and said, but yes you are Americans and I became an American when you took out your citizenship. He knows my friend Peter as Uncle Pete, so I reminded him that "Uncle Pete" was still a Brit, so should he be sent back to the UK? A lot more blustering that seemed to end with his proposal being geared somewhat towards Mexicans and people of color, thus in his screwy political world Uncle Pete can stay.

Cheers, Rodney

[j.sabourn]

I am only a newcomer to Oz. On my first trip back to the uk I was an Australian Citizen and used the ozzy passport . On arrival Heathrow the immigration man said do you have a British passport , I said yes, he said I advice you to use it you will get through a lot quicker , and I have always done so for the past 31 years . I know Australia is a different case to America as is part of the Commonwealth, but is just another good reason for keeping the monarchy and the commonwealth intact. So I leave Australia with see you mate on the Australian passport and arrive Heathrow with Wots up Cock on the British one. JS