Give me your poor, your oppressed, your drug users and your most crazy and I, yes I shall put them all on Greyhound. Won't you come a wandering with me?

Passing the gang of black guys lounging smoking on the footpath, get pan-handled for some money ("can you spare 68c?, I just need to buy some medicine") to then pass the white guys in wife beater singlets sporting Confederate blag flag caps with their girlfriends of 22yrs holding an oversized teddy bear you enter the pit. Sometimes it is even clean.

Greybound is first come, first served (refer to most annoying things of America). Most US citizens have never caught a Greyhound in their lives so they do not know that to get a seat you need to be there at least 1hr prior to departure. You line up from the boarding door - first come first served means that once the 55 seats are taken you miss the bus. they don't stop selling tickets at 55 but keep going for as long as possible. Get the picture?

Typical Scene - about 4 well dressed adults compete with a couple of bands of kids with their mum (never a dad in sight, almost always black), a few young guys in oversized clothing (good for hiding a gun you'd say), a white guy with a tatoo of a horse and rider on his upper check, 2 other white guys with tatoos on their necks (hhm attractive, going to real easy to get a job with that look); a huge obese black guy wearing bright yellow shirt, blue shorts and matching yellow/blue Nikes with his teeth "grilled" golden in addition to a couple of Hispanic guys, middle aged and one dignified hispanic guy in sweater and hat.

Survival Tips Now everyone I spoke too said "don't go Greyhound". People who complain about Greyhound show themselves to be defeated, you need a PLAN, stan. With the following tips the chances of getting shanked are lower and you can even have a reasonably interesting time. Wih the following Matts Planet tactics and strategies you too can be a master of Greyhound. First the tips....

1. Dress Warm - Greyhounds are about -10 degrees. Nothing settles a crowd like plunging core body temperature. A hot bus means upset people. Frozen hands can't grip the blade all that well and I guess it is harder to find a vein.

2. It is better to chose, than be chosen - first come, first served and over selling of tickets means that window berth means nothing. Someone WILL sit next to you eventually. So take advantage of your time in line to check out who you want to sit next to. With so much communication non-verbal you can improve your odds by going for someone:

a) who has washed their hair in the last decade
b) who has washed their clothes in the last month
c) who is not talking to themselves
d) who can stand upright
e) who is not hiding from her boyfriend who has just gotten into a fight and caused the police to attend
f) who is small enough that you get some seat space

These basic points are all part of the "Greyhound interview" you should be conducting from the moment you arrive at the station. You can then select on race, colour and creed if you so want - mixing things up can make it interesting.

3. Sit near the front of the bus. Yep, just like school the most random people sit towards the back here as well.

4. If you are a couple arrive early if you want any hope of sitting together.

5. If by yourself do not line up too early in the que or you put yourself at risk of being chosen by the "random" in the crowd.

6. If in the event you have a good companion for the journey who leaves before you reach your destination you need to take an isle seat. As everyone files into the bus looking for their "own" seat (yeah, real likely) carry out another evaluation of passengers and ask someone if they want to sit next to you. If conversation does not floor them you are in luck.

and now the People you can meet

- ex-Marine, joined as 18yr old, fought Iraq 1991 as expert sniper. trying to make sense of the world and why he was killing people so far from "home" as a Porto Rico first generation American. Studying Islam while teaching martial arts. Good to discuss the logistics of Lee Harvey Oswolds decision to shot JFK as he drove away from him - recoil means less distance to bring gun down for next shot than having to adjust further downwards as the car comes underneath you - very interesting.

- sister of soon to be ex-marine from trailer park town. No job to speak of bc employment so limited. Brother shot in Iraq just weeks earlier. While 3 platoon mates died he lost three fingers on a hand and paralysis of his arm. Still to come home.

- dignified older black lady who lived thru the segregation laws of the south unable to sit at the front of a bus, vote in elections without harrassment, go to certain schools, movies, etc.

- young black guy doing volunteer work at an IT Club drop in youth centre in Miami

- funking braided hair girl traveling 14 hrs for a 10 second try out for American Idol.

- one complaining Pom talking about how rude Americans are in general life. I mean it is polite to say thank you to someone who opens the door for you (without expecting you give them a tip). trouble is I agreed with her!

Why it is good America rules the world

This could have been titled Washington DC but who would have read it?

Washington as a city is all about projecting its place in the world. Romantic style temples housing government buildings were constructed using more modern building techniques but remind me of courts built in Europe, something similar to the Vienna palaces in Austria.

The Capital Hill is striking. The words even more so - quotes of the founding fathers basically scream the philisophy that it is America's role to fight tryanny where ever it may be. On the Commerce Building the inscription notes the importance of how a strong America is the best thing that can free mankind and make a better place.

The US History Smithsonian (what cool guy he was, making all the museums free) had an exhibit on the US battles for freedom. they trace WWI, WWII, Korea and of course Vietnam. No mention was made that the French were colonial powers, that it was Vietnamese fighting for their own country. Still the benefit of hindsight shows this to be true.

Also understood that the US war of independence against the British was essentially a guerilla war. Britain lost this, US lost to Vietnamese, USSR lost to Afghanistan, you can see where this is heading....

But it makes sense why the US is actually there. Thoughts are to take the fight to them and use your troops to fight rather than have then attack you at home Sept 11 style.

Travel in bus with a girl whose brother lost three fingers and suffered paralysis in arm in Sept05 and still not back home so the war is not just theory.

Still as far as world superpowers go I'll take the US any day. the other options are far less savoury - i mean China, Russia, India all fail some of the basic human right records. I'd just disappear if I was to write some of this stuff. Think about next time you bag America - you get to do it and live.