We're still a racist country, but we've come a long way since the civil rights eras and we are still a homophobic country, but we've come a long way in that regard. And we still got a war on marijuana and have come along in that regard.

It's just in Washington we're talking about equal rights for gay people, civil liberty to smoke marijuana, taking care of the environment, and it's all just decency and common sense and patriotism. And in other parts of the country that would be, like, inconceivable.

Travel is rich with learning opportunities, and the ultimate sourvenir is a broader perspective.

There's a huge difference between the more progressive and more regressive parts of America. That's just the way it is.

We're still a racist country, but we've come a long way since the civil rights eras and we are still a homophobic country, but we've come a long way in that regard. And we still got a war on marijuana and have come along in that regard.

As a traveler, I've often found that the more a culture differs from my own, the more I am struck by its essential humanity.

A society has to make a choice: tolerate alternative lifestyles or build more prisons.