# I did NOT NEED to be told THAT. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 15, 2001, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-did-not-need-to-be-told-that/81819 "2001-09-15T14:58:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2001, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-did-not-need-to-be-told-that/81819/1 "2001-09-15T14:58:43Z")
[http://www.cbc.ca/cgi-bin/templates/view.cgi?/news/2001/09/14/afghan\_010914](http://www.cbc.ca/cgi-bin/templates/view.cgi?/news/2001/09/14/afghan_010914) > [@](#): > > The region is considered extremely dangerous right now. Ottawa has warned Canadians to avoid travel to Afghanistan, Pakistan and other countries in the area. You don’t say! ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2001, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-did-not-need-to-be-told-that/81819/2 "2001-09-15T15:14:04Z")
Well, you know how we’re always so trusting, **matt\_mcl**. Now give me back my bank card. ---
**Author:** ![Mauvaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mauvaise/32/11084_2.png) [@Mauvaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mauvaise)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2001, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-did-not-need-to-be-told-that/81819/3 "2001-09-15T15:55:37Z")
:rolleyes: Talk about stating the obvious. Sheesh. ---
**Author:** ![Weirddave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Weirddave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirddave)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2001, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-did-not-need-to-be-told-that/81819/4 "2001-09-15T16:21:33Z")
Does that apply to us Americans too? I need to know quick so I can change my vacation plans. ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2001, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-did-not-need-to-be-told-that/81819/5 "2001-09-15T16:32:39Z")
:::reading Afghanistan travel brochure::: I wonder what they mean by, “Expect temperatures in the thousands of degrees, and wear ear plugs as it may get real loud sometime. Be prepared to furnish your own food, water, transportation, electricity and medical care for months at a time.”? ---
**Author:** ![detop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@detop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/detop)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2001, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-did-not-need-to-be-told-that/81819/6 "2001-09-15T16:35:38Z")
It’s nice to see how dumb they think we are. ---
**Author:** ![kylen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed655f/32.png) [@kylen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kylen)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2001, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-did-not-need-to-be-told-that/81819/7 "2001-09-15T16:40:43Z")
Yeah, but I am still waiting for the US response. I was/am planning on being in Turkey in a few weeks. How the US/NATO responds could very well affect my trip to the ‘friendly’ Middle Eastern Nations… I am optimistic when people like Colin Powell speak intelligently of things to come, but I still am nervous about my travels… Any thoughts on Middle Eastern travel? ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2001, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-did-not-need-to-be-told-that/81819/8 "2001-09-15T16:53:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by kylen \* > \*\*Any thoughts on Middle Eastern travel? \*\* Not to be a pessimist, but I would postpone any travel to the area that wasn’t strictly necessary. Even if there is no military action by the U.S. in that specific region, tensions are high and the effects of actions elsewhere will inevitably reverberate throughout the area (if not the world). ---
**Author:** ![Cyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e4f/32.png) [@Cyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyn)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2001, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-did-not-need-to-be-told-that/81819/9 "2001-09-15T17:00:40Z")
There’s a big prison about 19 miles outside my hometown in California, away out in the alkali flats, middle of nowhere. In front of it, in sight of the huge guard towers and razor-wire fences, there’s a big sign. DO NOT PICK UP HITCH HIKERS Damn. You know how us fine young ladies love to drive away out in the middle of nowhere to pick up strange men thumbing rides. Now you tell me we can’t vacation in Afghanistan. Party-poopers. ---
**Author:** ![Shadowfox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Shadowfox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shadowfox)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2001, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-did-not-need-to-be-told-that/81819/10 "2001-09-15T17:17:15Z")
My question would be: Who would want to vacation in Afghanistan? From all of the pictures I have seen of the country, there doesn’t look like there would be much to see anyways, unless you are really into barren land. There used to be many ancient monuments that would have been worth seeing, but the Taliban took care of all of those last year by destroying most of them. ---
**Author:** ![anya\_marie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ebca7d/32.png) [@anya\_marie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anya_marie)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2001, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-did-not-need-to-be-told-that/81819/11 "2001-09-16T00:47:59Z")
And here i was thinking of staying Stateside for my vacation, and so ya say we should not travel to Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the Middle East? Now that is what i call quality thinking. ---
**Author:** ![Fredge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/258eb7/32.png) [@Fredge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fredge)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2001, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-did-not-need-to-be-told-that/81819/12 "2001-09-16T01:15:14Z")
Forget the State Department warnings. The real good info on places you most likely don’t want to vacation at is [Danger Finders](http://www.comebackalive.com/df/index.htm). ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2001, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-did-not-need-to-be-told-that/81819/13 "2001-09-16T18:52:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Fredge \* > \*\*Forget the State Department warnings. The real good info on places you most likely don’t want to vacation at is [Danger Finders](http://www.comebackalive.com/df/index.htm). \*\* Hmmm. According to these people, this United States of America they speak of is a very dangerous place, and they don’t seem to have updated their info since before 9/11/01! ---
**Author:** ![lurkernomore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@lurkernomore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lurkernomore)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2001, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-did-not-need-to-be-told-that/81819/14 "2001-09-16T19:03:51Z")
Matt, I think you’ve found [the guy who told us not to stop our chainsaws with our genitals](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=72475) in his new job. Signed, Squeeky