But so far as countries are concerned, I don't go to a place to see what's there, but who is there.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
I wish the world could better know this country for what it really is. Not just a greedy economic giant crouching fearfully behind its walls, not just a panoplied warrior nervously fingering his weapons. What is this, is a people who gather together in thousands to give a people's government its essential vitality.
I know people are looking at what's happening in Washington and then they also look at events in Europe, in Greece and Portugal and other places and worry about that.
One of the things I'm fascinated by as a traveler is watching how different countries control how they let the world encounter them.
Americans, perhaps more than most people, have pondered the question of who they are and what their country is.
I am deeply concerned about America.
Politics, nature, and what is happening all over the world is important to who we are and where we live.
I'm very concerned about the countries bordering Russia. But let's stay off that stuff.
I've been to Uganda and to North Korea and to Eritrea, countless horror spots around the world.
Name a country, and I have probably been there.
Every part of the country has its story to tell, so I'm always looking for the next place to be.