It turns out that London is just not safe for Florida school children:
Ridicu-link
Living down here in the backwater that is Lee County and having been to Londinium twice, I can really feel for these kids because of everything that they’re going to miss out on. I was contemplating pitting our school supervisor and his ilk, but why bother? Ignorance is already his punishment.
Got a diffeent link?
I just couldn’t make that damn ad go away! :mad:
All the relevant results I gooogled were on that newspaper site. So good luck finding something better. And yes, that ad sucks.
Try The Times Online .
Redefined my search:
When? Oh WHEN?!.. will America learn to wipe the manure off it’s own boots, before it goes into somebody else’s house?
Truly, we are hicks.
:smack: 
:smack: :smack:
That makes me embarassed to be American. I am just back from London–I went with my family-and received the nicest treatment, and never did I feel unsafe. Instead of hand wringing and melodrama, the Brits just get on with things–we could learn alot from UK.
Those kids are being shafted and to what purpose? It makes Southwest FL look ridiculous, but also makes USA look foolish as well. Can the nay sayers and the liability people really have such a stranglehold on this school district? If they were invited to Oklahoma City, would they turn that down as well? How about NYC?
It’s sickening.
Well, they did accept an invitation to Atlanta, site of the olympic bombings.
I’m glad I don’t have kids in the Lee County school system.
I must say I agree. Horrifying place. Why, the last time I was there, there was a guy who looked sort of foreign, who looked at me funny. Well, I think he was foreign. Probably Belgian, because he was wearing a blue coat. I could also have been run over by a bus, if I had stepped out in front of it. AND to make matters worse, a pigeon nearly crapped on me - or it would have, if it had needed a crap at the time.
Yes, the potential for trouble is there, so I avoid it. I’d rather go to Kabul before I go to London - but I’d have to fly out of London to get there, so there’s my vacation out the window.
When the people in charge of your education are that shockingly ignorant, what kind of future can you have?
FWIW, I’d feel safer walking through London buck naked with a 50 pound note taped to my forehead than I would in most parts of Florida I’ve been to (yes, I’ve been to many places in Florida).
I don’t get it. From the Times artice:
I’m very shaky on statistics, but the numbers in the article seem to indicate the opposite where assaults are concerned. (Bolding mine)
My favourite part of that Times comparison was this:
Yes, but on the other hand Ft Myers has 10 times the murder rate of London! And double the rate of rape. Bloody hell.
um…yeah…sorry, we laughed a lot at you guys yesterday. It’s nothing personal. 
I’d laugh too, if I weren’t so chagrinned…
Can you imagine if the kids band had been invited to <horrors!> Greece or Italy or…France?
I’m just glad you can laugh amidst all the terror you have to deal with. Way to not let the terrorists win.
We’re only terrified by Americans who get on the tube and TALK! Not just that, but they talk LOUDLY! And sometimes they talk to US! So we either have to talk on the tube in return or else be thought impolite :eek:
All the bombings and violent assaults and French people and stuff just leave us a bit miffed. They are as nothing compared to the terror of loud people who talk on the tube and say things like “we’re so lucky everyone in Britain speaks English well”
In defense of the school board, I would say that a terrorist attack is probably more likely during a public event taking place on a significant date in London than in some random small american city…
I’m pretty sure I saw someone doing that in Key West.
I, for one, commend the school officials for their zealous approach to student safety. So the kids aren’t too disappointed at being deprived of a trip overseas, I suggest the principal sign them up for the New Year’s Day parade… in Fallujah. :eek: