Violence Puts Poor Tourist on Defensive

The Travel Section in (Sept. 19) highly recommended that I contact the State Department before traveling to the Mideast, southern Asia or North Africa. There may be some risk due to the troubled conditions in these areas and my government wants to protect me.

Late-night travelers are warned to be wary of highway robberies in the South of France, and in some parts of Spain and Italy. Venezuela and Kenya are experiencing unrest due to budget crises, and American tourists are advised to proceed with caution.

As a resident of south Orange County, I have not been urged to steer clear of Los Angeles, but news stories about the Crips and the Bloods keep me away.

Because of drive-by shootings, I avoid the streets of Santa Ana whenever possible. The gangs in Westminster put that city out of bounds, and the killing of convenience store owners in Garden Grove imperil both residents and visitors.

I plan to stay away from Washington, the capital of our country. Carnage is so common there that it is recorded only if the victim is very young or very old.

Muggers lie in wait for potential victims in New York, so I don’t plan on viewing 5th Avenue. Danger lurks in the streets of Chicago, I will bypass a trip to the Windy City.

Tourists in Florida must strip vehicles of any evidence that cars are rented, lest armed car-jackers attack them. That eliminates Miami Beach.

Cut someone off on the freeway, and I might take a bullet in the head. Make a mistake and ring the wrong doorbell and I may not live to talk about it. I must take care when I socialize with a fellow worker; if he disagrees with my philosophies, he could use his semiautomatic pistol.

Women present a new market for gun manufacturers. Guns are now designed in fashion colors with rhinestone holsters. Winchester-Olin has introduced a new bullet specially made with six razorlike talons that travel eight inches into the body before they expand.

The National Rifle Assn. continues to fight the mildest forms of gun control.

My vacation credits are accumulating rapidly, and hopefully outer space travel will becomes available soon, so I can plan an itinerary.

DOROTHY CHAPMAN

San Clemente