A requirement before marrying these predatory scum should be for all of these dumb broads to watch the movie, “Not Without My Daughter”. Not that it would help much because these desperate women are brain-dead, however, there should at least be impediments put in place before these barbarians are allowed access into MY country.

Thee_Bruno on June 22, 2006 at 9:26 am

I believe in instant attraction but not in instant love. Chatting online for a few weeks to a month, and then flying off to meet, only to become love struck smacks more of Hollywood than reality. It is a desperate fantasy that is being played and preyed upon by the unscruplous for their own agenda. As for how to control it, that’s a good question. Even if a cooling off period where to be implemented where if the marriage went south within a year or two the person would lose citizenship and be deported were enacted, how would you enforce it. As people just disappear all the time who don’t want to be found. As to the My Space statement about being more accepted in Canada or Europe. That is probably true I am sad to say.
One curious thing I did see on the Visa Journey sight (and here the name says it all: where is the LOVE) was a woman named “gimygirl” who used a Darwin Fish as her symbol. Natural Selection and Islam are both at extreme ends of each other, and not even remotely compatible.

Canadian Infidel on June 22, 2006 at 9:28 am

Darwin was right. At least partially. Get these stupid twits outa my genepool.

mercy on June 22, 2006 at 11:11 am

Thee Bruno, I rarely agree with you (or at least think you take a view I might expouse to it’s most extremist end), but this time I say “Right On”. “Not Without My Daughter” was an excellent movie and should be required watching for these gullible nitwits.

hairymon on June 22, 2006 at 11:52 am

It’s a Meshuggenah Nation, Debbie. These unstable, low expectation-having women are beyond desperate if they’re willing to travel to the armpit of the world (Morocco) to find their under-nourished husband.

Yiddish Steel on June 22, 2006 at 12:04 pm

There are evolutionary patterns that women follow when they get married. Foreign men and lonely American girls w/DSL may be a tough nut to crack.

shleppy on June 22, 2006 at 1:43 pm

In case you missed it, VisaJourney members have significant others from all over the world. Whether our SOs are from Europe or Egypt, whether we met online or studying abroad, the members come together for the common purpose of bringing our loved ones to the United States. Those of us with Middle East/North African SOs are but a small minority out of the overall population of tens of thousands who apply for marriage based visas each year. If you read the board, it’s full of american women and men who have met their canadian/german/russian/chinese/british/moroccan/peruvian/insert random nationality here SO on the internet.
Posting snippy comments and making assumptions about the women who post on the board are exactly what I worried about when I posted the link to your blog in the thread. Thankfully, we have to deal with this kind of prejudice only on occasion in the real world.

rahma on June 22, 2006 at 2:26 pm

I am a veteran member of visajourney.com. Rahma has brought this thread to our attention – http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=18822
I would like to make a few points. I’d also like to make it clear that I speak only for myself.
1. In my years as a member of visajourney.com, I have read of more visa fraud come from Caucasian men who travel to the Phillipine islands or Vietnam to find younger, waifier, women, than from any other single destination.
2. In recent months, the U.S. consular post in Morocco has tightened down its procedures quite a bit. One must take care not to read too much, or too little, into this. The State Dept is clearly aware of fraudulent applications being filed at this consulate. That is why these security measures have been put in the place. However, this is not something that is by any means unique to Morocco. Other consulates are still much more difficult to get visas from, for example Ho Chi Minh City, Manila, Lagos, etc. The amount of fraud in these posts dwarfs anything we’ve seen happen in Morocco.
A little perspective, please.
3. One last point. This is important. Let’s assume you’re right about most of these men using these women. Why therefore jump to the further conclusion that these guys are all crazy jihadis? Why not jump to the more obvious (and simpler) conclusion that they want a better life and are using these girls as a means of achieving that?
Your tactic of immediately assuming these men are terrorists is very revealing. Your agenda is clear.
ps. I wonder what kind of legal grounds you are treading on by posting their photos on your blog without their permission and captioning them in a manner that subjects them to mock and ridicule. I will find out. Stay tuned, sweety.

CloakingDevice on June 22, 2006 at 3:03 pm

I think that you have gone one step too far with this post. One thing is expressing your personal opinions about topics that may “spark your very limited and narrowminded interest” and yet another thing is what you have done with this post. You have no right to pass judgment, make uneducated assumptions and tarnish the image or reputation of innocent individuals whom you do not know. This is an outrageous and hurtful move on your side and I am not sure what is it that you want to accomplish. I know that we live in a free country and freedom of speech is one of our most basic rights but please do not abuse same to feed some hurtful mission of yours. You have no right to post pictures or profiles of these women?that is simply wrong?who are you to judge as to people?s decision of how they want to run their private lives that have no affect on you whatsoever?You should educate yourself a little more as to what Visa Journey is all about and who are the participants, but I think you should just stay away from VJ altogether as you are not capable of seeing the truth?It is very easy to criticize what is different and what you don?t understand but not on the expense innocent people that have not caused you any harm?Please be very careful as to how you talk about these woman as clearly you have no clue what they are all about?Just relax and direct your petty commentaries in a different direction as I think that you are doing more harm then good?

ella74ny on June 22, 2006 at 3:34 pm

Although there are cases where women and men are used by foreign men and women to obtain a green card, it?s appalling to see that someone who claims to have knowledge and common sense making such a post. Your article is racist, has no facts in which to base itself on, and furthermore it?s prejudicial, and disrespectful towards the thousands of people who just happen to have met their loved ones in a country other than their own.
I assure you the proportion of people who marry an USC to get a green card is inexistent compared to those that marry foreigners and have a successful relationship. According to you, ALL that live in Asia and the Middle East are automatically terrorists, liars, and are just decieving american women. You should know your facts before making such assumption.
The error of a teenager cannot be taken as a rule for others, that all women meet their future husbands through the internet and get married after knowing them for a short time and without truly knowing each other.
This article and following comments just prove how close minded people are. If you had read about the process to bring a foreigner to marry an american you?d know there are strict security checks, document requirements and other precautions to prevent ?fake? marriages from taking place.
Lastly, it?s unnaceptable that you?d use couples who already go through so much, to be treated like liars and fooled women, and post their pictures to support your racist comments.

Ihateracists on June 22, 2006 at 3:43 pm

In regards to you and some of the posters blindly following after you, my new name here says it all. You speak about the ‘nitwits’ on VisaJourney, and the ‘barbarians’ they’re bringing over. I have some crow here especially for you to go with that massive stereotype you’re trying to feed us for lunch. Do you know any of these people? Of course you don’t, but you feel free to write whatever comes to your tiny mind about them while you sit behind the security of your little desk there. How very brave of you, and how grateful we are that you’re here to spread the word about these nitwits and barbarians, and further promote racism in the United States. I applaud you. [/hugeamountsofsarcasm]I, for one, would much rather have the people you speak of, and whose pictures you display in MY country than I would have the likes of racist people like you. You make me ill, and I hope those that read this blog are able to think for themselves and see the lack of YOUR ability for real cognition,and instead see your hateful remarks for what they are. BTW, NO I did not desperately ‘find’ MY husband in any of the places you refer to in your article before you jump to THAT conclusion, and, as you felt it appropriate to comment on some of the ladies ‘looks’, I wish to add that there are many women far more beautiful than yourself on VisaJourney.com. Come and have a look; I hope you won’t feel too inferior.

apparentlyignoranceisbliss on June 22, 2006 at 3:44 pm

Your information regarding my “marriage” and location is erroneous. I am not currently married and the city listed in my personal information was for a local service, not my city of residence. This isn’t where the errors in this article end, but I personally feel that the opinions stated here are nothing more then that–opinion, not fact. I find what you say offensive, and that’s my right to state as much as it your’s. I have lived in Egypt. I know the truths about the culture. I am happy with my choice of future husband for my own reasons, none of which are in alignment with the opinion you stated. You have chosen to use my personal information without my permission. I find the ethics behind that to be lacking and should be a testament to the validity of what you print here. I really have no use for bigotry and I will not be returning. But because you are such a true blue American I would like to remind you of the words of our own Declaration of Independence, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” I have the right to mine and do not appreciate your defamations. May I also remind you that this is a nation founded by immigrants and that very few of those reading this or posting here can claim a “pure american lineage”. Our families all ultimately came from somewhere else. I realize that it is quite socially fashionable these days to lamblast the people of the middle east, but it’s bigotry nonetheless and our own declaration stood against it. It’s a shame human beings revel in causing others pain. I regret ever happening on this forum. It’s a sad commentary on a certain mentality in this country.

just_waiting on June 22, 2006 at 3:49 pm

I would tread carefully if I were you. What you have just done is accuse specific individuals of visa fraud, which is a serious crime with serious punishment, including bars from entering the United States. I would suggest that, unless you have specific facts to back up those claims, that you keep your suspicions to yourself. Same as if I walked out of my office right now and called someone a rapist, because he looked a certain way. We just don’t do that in polite society, and you should be ashamed of yourself. This is not to say that fraud does not occur, but that is up to the US Immigration to decide, not someone who looked at a web site for 5 minutes and now thinks she knows everything.

MissLiss on June 22, 2006 at 3:52 pm

mercuryroad….resident jokester on visajourney
You have insulted good people in your hate laced tirade. These are my brothers and sisters that have gone on a journey that people from the outside cannot understand. We only seek love and our right to be happy.
Many people like you enter our lives and give us a million reasons why things would not work…but all of us on that site only need believe in the one reason why it will work.
We come from all parts of the world and come together in our imperfect community and manage to coexist, something I wish the rest of the world could learn as well.
This process is difficult enough and they do not need any additional pain.
I hope whatever torments your heart will be lifted and that you do the right thing and post a retraction and apologize for this abuse.
I also hope you do not call yourself a Christian or practice any other religion, because you have embarassed yourself and your God on this day.
Via con dios senora. I wish you the best on your journey, and hopefully you can do the same for us.

mercuryroad on June 22, 2006 at 4:09 pm

I agree with the other posters. As someone who says you have attained a law degree, you should be fully aware of your accusations. Moreover, as someone who has attended law school you should be aware of the numerous fallacies you have committed within this article. “These vulnerable women, desperate for attention, are extremely gullible and easily agreeable to a quickie marriage. They are just some of those born to P.T. Barnum’s predicted birthrate of suckers”. This is a AD HOMINEM, you have personally attacked these women. How can you call yourself a columnist? You are not worthy of the degree you hold. Of all the terrorists that have attacked the US how many of them were married to US citizens?! POST HOC; ERGO PROPTER HOC. Causal Fallacy incase you don’t know any latin.
Stop trying to sleep your way to fame. Your ignorant article is a testament to the racist and stereotypical views of so many Amerians.
You are a prime example of yellow journalism. I recommend you issue an apology before your site is taken down for false accusation and unethical writing. (I’m sure you’re aware of the rules of your ISP).

Ignorancebreedsignorance on June 22, 2006 at 4:50 pm

It’s worth mentioning that not everyone at visajourney met their fiancees online. It is a wonderful site with information regarding all sorts of family based immigration. But thank you for the attention…theres no such thing as bad publicity.

hrmmm1234 on June 22, 2006 at 4:52 pm

National Security? Give me a break. You’re worried about sullying the country with more Arab Muslims whose ideals and religion repulse you.
Just to enlighten you, because obviously you only took the time to glance at the website long enough to get enough flimsy info for your blog and grab some photos to use without permission, it is not an easy process to get a marriage or fiance visa to the U.S. You must go through a long applications process, paying hundreds of dollars in fees, getting police reports, having security checks run upon the foreign national (during ALL stages of the process),having medical examinations taken, biometrics taken, financial reports scrutinized, and going through consular interviews.
At all points, you must prove you have a valid relationship. There is no “quickie” in any of this process.
What would you do if you met a man in Israel, fell in love, and wanted to marry him? Would you somehow feel you are more entitled to getting your husband here than someone with a husband from Morocco? From reading your blog, I think you would feel that way. You have some strange sense of entitlement which pervades all of your posts. Who are you to state that someone is desperate because her husband comes from the Middle East?
For you to presume to know about the process and all about the statistics of those going through the process is not only ill-advised, but downright stupid. You are a racist, and it’s people like you who flame the religious war that’s been going on between Muslims and Jews for centuries. There are Muslims who do it, too; you’re their Jewish counterpart. (see there? just by reading this site for 5 minutes, I assume you are Jewish.) All of the Jewish people I know personally are intelligent, kind, and tolerant, and it shocked me to see this hatred coming from you.
Personally, I’m marrying my fiance who is from the ME/North Africa. I’m not older than he is, I’ve never been married, I have no children, and I have plenty of American men to choose from. I just happened to fall in love with him. We’ve been together for five years, so no “quickie” marriage. He’s Muslim, I’m Christian, and guess what? A Jewish man is performing our ceremony.

ilovemyman on June 22, 2006 at 4:52 pm

Most women who travel to the middle east are drawn in by these men who will eventually use them in the long run. They dont see it now but most do have a motive to come to the US and leave these women. There are several threads on this Visa Journey website detailing of women having the same thing happen to them…being used and abandoned. These women claim never forseeing it happening but in all honesty the writing Im sure was on the wall. Im sure not all men from there should be catergorized this way but sure most are using these naive starry eyed women.

ITisTRUE on June 22, 2006 at 5:11 pm

I find it shocking that someone can snoop around on another website – seemingly to find information to substantiate her narrow and biased views. If I were any of the person’s whose privacy has been violated I would sue you. To me, you are the worst kind of scum – a hate-mongerer, with a narrow and insular view of the world at large. Not everyone wants to go to the USA… I certainly do not; unfortunately my fiance’s mother does not keep well otherwise nothing in the world would induce me to live in a country which is innundated with red-necks and ignorant, un-educated twats like you.

MeloGypsy on June 22, 2006 at 5:25 pm

“Most women who travel to the middle east are drawn in by these men who will eventually use them in the long run.” Chicka
Please site your source…it sounds like you have done extensive research on the subject.
Does fraud happen, sure. It happens in a variety of countries and situations. To categorize an entire group because of your biased perception of what they represent is entirely un-American.

mercuryroad on June 22, 2006 at 5:28 pm

To all the Visa Journey losers: Get a life! And try to use your brains if you can. Have you checked the profiles of terrorists or terrorist supporters? Most of them are married to stupid (usually white) American or European women. They need an easy entry into the west to islamize the rest of the people.
And No! It is not racist to criticize a marriage where one is a white and the other an Arab. If you had brains, you’d look deeper into the situation. You don’t need to be a MENSA member to figure it out. Unfortunately, the be-tolerant-of-other-cultures rubbish you learn in American high schools trivialises the dangers of multi-cultural societies and lowers your IQ (probably everyone on Visa Journey has IQ < 1)

anonymous twit on June 22, 2006 at 5:45 pm

Chicka you still have not named your sources. Where are these profiles of all of these white wives you speak of?
You’re speaking on emotion and not intelligence.
Islamize the rest of the world? Wow…and you speak about our IQ level.
You have a debate without merit and ideas without evidence. I’d say your argument is over don’t you?
Really, you are embarassing yourself.

mercuryroad on June 22, 2006 at 5:58 pm

Uhh you misread the line. I didn’t say what you are referring to, ITisTRUE is the one who said that.

Chicka on June 22, 2006 at 6:07 pm

My apologies Chicka!
I messed it up because my IQ is .25

mercuryroad on June 22, 2006 at 6:11 pm

I’ve long wondered about some of the couples on VJ and when seeing the breakup of middle-eastern/American relationships I have to ask myself what the real impetus behind the relationship was to start with.
And yes, VJ is just ripe for the pickens…all one has to do is read a lot of the timelines either in signatures or linked automatically in the profiles to ascertain how to go about getting yourself to the states via a single/gullible woman with low self-esteem who doesn’t know how to value herself unless she has a man. Some of the horror stories one reads on VJ and sites just like it, raise the hair on the back of my neck.
However, to be fair, it’s not just the Islamic/Muslim relationships that that have visa fraud issues, there are a lot of former eastern block nations where visa and immigration fraud runs rampant.
But you’ll never see it addressed on VJ in the manner in which it should be, as evidenced by all the comments above.
Want to learn how to find an easy ride to the USA? Visa Journey
Want to learn the fast and easy way to defraud the system? Visa Journey
Want free legal advice that is anything but legal posted by people who play arm-chair immigration attorney? Visa Journey
And to the folks on VJ who are horrified or shocked at the statements posted on this blog. You get what you pay for when you post piccies on the net along with all kinds of personal information that is better kept to yourselves.
Ms. Schussel isn’t to blame, you are.

Gumby on June 22, 2006 at 6:33 pm

Gumby
VJ is not an internet dating service nor does it claim to be. I don’t understand the comment about ripe for the pickens in that regard.
Your lack of knowledge and understanding of the process is evident by your claims of easy entry into this country. You are making broad based generalizations that have no factual basis or merit.
Please clarify what is easy about this process. I would certainly like to know, having gone through it myself.
“You get what you pay for when you post piccies on the net along with all kinds of personal information that is better kept to yourselves. ”
Any real journalist would not do such a thing. Any real journalist would interview those people or at a minimum do their homeword and present factual information.
This is not journalism….this is the spread of fear and hate. This kind of racism must be met by those of us who dare to believe in what this country is supposed to be about.
Are there horror stories….you bet. I hear horror stories about marriage all the time. Nothing is perfect and there will be instances. That however, yields no right to generalize an entire group. That is a flagrant violation to what an ethical journalist should do.

mercuryroad on June 22, 2006 at 6:42 pm

Debbie, consider this a way for you to get rid of Oprah! 🙂

Boycott Watch on June 22, 2006 at 6:54 pm

Grumby, say what you will.
But I will be sitting here laughing my ass off when she gets hit with a lawsuit.
Since you seem to know who to blame, are you going to be the one “Ms. Schussel” crawls to, no less on her knees when her career spirals downward?
Please.

Ignorancebreedsignorance on June 22, 2006 at 7:19 pm

I think the last thing VJ wants or needs right now is any attention, be it the victim or victimizer, I know of a certain attorney that would be all too willing to lead the calvary charge to bring the site down. A lawsuit would only bring attention to the site and show it for what it is, a haven for UPL!
Tsk tsk tsk chilren’ this could be the start of the end.
For the rest of you, get your panties out of a bunch. You run the risk of your relationship being criticized when you post it for all the world to see on the web. Oh and Merc…I do know the process, backwards and forwards, I too have been through it. Read between the lines dumbass.
Lawsuit, ha! She’ll remove the pictures and references to timelines and that will be that. Hell, there’s more copyright infringement on VJ than anywhere else I’ve seen. And at least Ms. Schussel has the decency to link back.
The chance of this going to court is nill. Too many people are far too paranoid about Muslims and those practicing Islam finding refuge in our country and far too many people are going to agree with her. The outcry will be over how many are immigrating to the US after seemingly knowing these women for such a short period of time. Rome was not built in a day and neither were long lasting relationships that stand the test of time. The outcry will not be over some silly perceived slight but over how many men get away with this kind of crap.
GUMBY:
WHAT IS “UPL”?
DEBBIE SCHLUSSEL

Gumby on June 22, 2006 at 7:29 pm

Debbie pissed off the arabs,debbie pissed off the arabs.Na na na na na na

danny on June 22, 2006 at 7:37 pm

Quite frankly, your ignorance is astounding. If you choose to broadcast such deporable propaganda, you should at least have the courtesy to fully research your issue.
Perhaps it did not occur to you that these women like something in these men; that rather than them being the “suckers”, you are in fact the sucker for settling for simply what is on your doorstep rather than taking advantage of the wonderful, rich diversity that lays at your fingertips. It is this kind of narrowmindedness which kept the country racially segregated. I think it is sad that you are unable to overcome your xenophobia.
As for VisaJourney, I hardly think that a quick flick around the site is going to provide you with the information from which you can write such an article. If you take the time to look around the site, you will find it to be a place of open support and one of the most tolerant places on the internet. I find it slightly amusing that by choosing to debase the site, you have proven yourself to be against legalised immigration, racial tolerance and diversity (remember, this is “the great American melting pot) and against the very principles on which this country was founded.
Your biased opinions show you very clearly to be a disgrace to your profession, along with your UNAUTHORISED use of personal information information to further your own (sadly misguided) political agenda.

MrsM on June 22, 2006 at 7:37 pm

Gumby I can read between the lines. I can also see the lines and see that they have been crossed in this hate text.
I’m unimpressed and unphased by your name calling. I have been known to be a dumb@ss sometimes, but who hasn’t.
Your anger towards me is an admission of your own lack of intelligence and ability to carry on a debate.
In fact, I think you should stop hiding behind your cowardice and reveal your screen name.
I have shown mine and have nothing to hide.
Danny –
She didn’t piss off Arabs….she pissed off Americans. Americans that believe in something Ms. Schlussel clearly does not understand.

mercuryroad on June 22, 2006 at 7:45 pm

Merc you are wasting your time trying to reason with a pack of rabid hate-mongerers. These are the kind of people who in days of yore would have set fire to women calling them witches. These are fearful, narrow-minded, ignorant, inherently stupid red-necks. They are a waste of time trying to reason with – too dumb to understand. Sub-normal cretins is the way I see them…

MeloGypsy on June 22, 2006 at 8:18 pm

it is a sad state…when a person can jusde people//couples based on principles of bigotry and a personal agenda… you should be ashaned debbie.but i doubt that you have the capacity to feel anything but hatered towards anyone that does not fit your ideal vision of america.almaty

dean on June 22, 2006 at 8:27 pm

Debbie,
UPL is the Unathorized/Unlicensed Practise of Law.
Sites like Visa Journey, British Expats, Immigrate2US et al are havens for UPL and the “netarios” who frequent them that have little better to do than advise those seeking information on the procedure to immigrate a loved one to the US.

Gumby on June 22, 2006 at 8:36 pm

C’mon Gumby….reveal yourself.
Now you are lecturing a lawyer about law…..very full of yourself aren’t you?

mercuryroad on June 22, 2006 at 8:40 pm

Looking at the structure of this thread it would seem that a straw-man argument has been set up with calls of Ad-Hominem attacks and the charge of racism, when the only real Ad-Hominem attacks are levied against Ms. Schlussel. The blog as I read it was about the concern of less than scrupulous individuals who can and do exploit the system and fellow human beings to achieve personal ends that could result in issues of national security. That a twenty-five year old man wishes to marry a sixteen year old girl should be of concern to any rational thinking person. That the person in question is a Palestinian should be brought to the table and examined as it is largely those of Islamic-Arab descent that are committing acts of terrorism against the west. That the system has the potential to be used and abused should also be examined in light of these quickie relationships and marriages as they fall outside of the norm of most unions which take place over years and not weeks. How do you as the person involved in the affair know if you are being used or not as the heart will often lie for the euphoria of love.
That Visa Journey is plugged into the public domain makes it open to criticisms of all types, and I have yet to see any kind of slander or bigotry from the host of this site. what I do see are hurt feelings from members of Visa Journey who have mounted a spam campaign going by the thread above. Willingly or not.
To Visa Journey members posting here I can only say your voice is weakened when you stray from the argument and throw out charges of racism and hate mongering in light of the facts.
Maybe it is time you look at your own actions, and the actions and intentions of your beaus, and ask yourself if any of what has been said here can be applied to your situation.

Canadian Infidel on June 22, 2006 at 8:47 pm

oh come on now Canadian Infidel, those women she openly mocks did not agree to be part of an article. She is certainly free to say what she wants, but a respected journalist/blogger sticks to facts and does not prey on people to get a point across.
Had the point been put across without the venom, I’d say there would be nothing to really complain about. People are going to disagree in life, and that’s fine. But you don’t need to put someone down to make yourself look better.

hrmmm1234 on June 22, 2006 at 8:54 pm

Posted by: Canadian Infidel at June 22, 2006 08:47 PM
“…and I have yet to see any kind of slander or bigotry from the host of this site.”
Did you read the article or did you just read the comments and decided to put in your 2 cents worth?

cheekywolf on June 22, 2006 at 9:03 pm

To Visa Journey members posting here I can only say your voice is weakened when you stray from the argument and throw out charges of racism and hate mongering in light of the facts.
The implied message above was that these girls listed on Visa Journey have no self esteem and need a man for validation….a man they could not get in the U.S. Their relationship is put into question based on the fact that the men are from the M/E.
That’s racism, bigotry and hatred. The reason the pictures were posted were to try to illustrate that somehow these women are not attractive and could not possibly be with these men, thus making the relationship illegitamate and also implying these women are naive and stupid.
Tell me that’s not racism and hate mongering. There are men out there that would do this, and they come from many countries.
The fact as you would put it is that these women from VJ were singled out without consent or an interview.
That’s lopsided journalism at it’s worse and the sole purpose was to propagate a racist agenda against immigrants from the M/E.
Americans should be appalled by this behavior and reject the notion that love is not possible between an American woman and a Middle Eastern man and that all Middle Eastern men are terrorists in waiting.
That is the implication of this hate speech. The message diverted from the real tradgedy and the real issue. The author exposed herself and her personal beliefs…..and we found her to be a hate preacher.
Those are the facts. Ms. Schlussel needs to divert her eyes from the “white light” that has blinded her perception. Judgement should be reserved for individuals, not groups of people.

mercuryroad on June 22, 2006 at 9:20 pm

ummmmmmmmmmmmm Sofyan isnt palestinian….lol….assumptions much?
UMMMMMMMMMMMMM, HE’S JORDANIAN, WHICH MEANS HE’S ALMOST CERTAINLY PALESTINIAN, AS UPWARDS OF 75% OF ALL JORDANIANS ARE, IN FACT, PALESTINIANS…………LOL……….KNOWLEDGE MUCH.
DEBBIE SCHLUSSEL

dollface41601 on June 22, 2006 at 9:26 pm

I dont see the VJ site as a supportive and tolerant place. I see cliques going on and constant arguing with lock threads and who can gain the most blue boxes with hearts.
One can read about a lot of these women’s families own apprehension about marrying these Arab men on VJ. So these women struggle with not only outsiders but their own family concerns. There are valid reasons to be scrutinizing these relationships. You can ask most people their view of these relationships and they will tell these women to be heedful.

ITisTRUE on June 22, 2006 at 9:42 pm

This is what happens when we raise our daughters to be unpatriotic whores

KnightoftheImpaler on June 22, 2006 at 9:50 pm

This is seriously laughable at best. Having just waded through most of a 13 page thread on VJ devoted to bashing, flaming, slamming and generally calling Debbie every nasty name in the book, those freaky folks at VJ have once again proven how petty they really are. Lash out when you feel you’ve been lashed out at, sure, that’s mature.
Nothing is going to happen. VJ doesn’t need to involve itself in a law suit because the whole tenuous house of cards that site rests on will come tumbling down. I think there are two people, Arijit and Fishdude who are intelligent enough to realize that and have commented along those lines.
So what, she basically said you are unattractive women who have such little self esteem that you COULD easily be taken advantage of by some unscrupulous man from the middle east who is trying to get into the US. She did not however state that this IS the case, nor did she state she had proof that ANY visa fraud was going on. Therein lies the rub. Aint a damn thing you can do about any of this except ask her to remove the photos from the blog and the timeline items. Everything else is just her opinion and litigating against an opinion is like pissing in the wind.
Calm down and get some perspective and get over it. I think the “offended” women are more upset about being called undesirable and zaftig than anything else.

Gumby on June 22, 2006 at 10:05 pm

Well Gumby, I think you’ve just revealed yourself to be a disgruntled ex-VJ member who didn’t manage to get enough hearts to join the “clique”. Not that there is one. People with a common experience and understanding, yes. The kind of experience that breeds a certain level of intimacy, yes. A clique? No. VJ is a supportive place, or you would not be seeing the backlash that is going on right now.
To comment on the self esteem of women that she has never even spoken to is honestly risible. It’s also unfair. A practising attorney this blogger may be, but a pyschiatrist she ain’t. To put thoughts into the minds of your readers is one thing, but when you drag into it people who are innocent and misrepresent them and their relationships you may not have crossed a legal line, but you have crossed the lines of human decency.
Gumby, for you to say that the offended women have nothing more to be upset about than being called undesirable and zaftig is being obnoxious and short-sighted. It’s not a good reflection on your character, and does nothing to boost your credibility in this argument. I believe that you’re far smarter than to think that’s the only issue involved here, and you’re doing yourself a disservice by resorting to this.
Why is this article not on the mail-order bride phenomenon? Why not pick up on Russian brides, or Philipinas? Why assume that only Middle Eastern men are marrying USCs for the green card? I’m British; maybe I married my husband for a green card, and hey, I could be a football hooligan. This whole piece smacks of fear of the ME, based on the narrow-mindedness and ignorance which led the author to write it.
This “article” is a piece of sensationalist junk, and ought to be seen as such. That’s what most so-called “journalism” is in the United States of America, and it’s a sad indictment of the citizens of this country when so many of them take as verbatum a pie-in-the-sky potshot at people who did nothing wrong.

MrsM on June 22, 2006 at 10:35 pm

“and since she decided to slap my picture right on top…I must add i think i am a hell of alot more desirable than her ogre ass…..anyone else agree?”
dollface41601: Since you asked, I should disagree. You may be beautiful by Arab standards, but you ARE UGLY anywhere else… No wonder you had to look so far away for your Prince Charming! You might do us a favor and change your ID (dollface) to something more appropriate (for example: crapface).

anonymous twit on June 22, 2006 at 10:42 pm

Gumby
What’s laughable is that you are obviously a member of that site and have been for quite some time now. That irony is a little hard to swallow.
The only reason to be a member of that site for that long is if you derived value from it.
Yet, you are on here throwing flames….quite convieniently I may add as you refuse to reveal your identity.
At least Ms. Schlussel gave us that courtesy.
You call us freaky folks yet you are one. Show some courage and reveal who you are if you feel so strongly about this issue.

mercuryroad on June 22, 2006 at 10:43 pm

“dollface41601: Since you asked, I should disagree. You may be beautiful by Arab standards, but you ARE UGLY anywhere else… No wonder you had to look so far away for your Prince Charming! You might do us a favor and change your ID (dollface) to something more appropriate (for example: crapface).”
Quite a lovely following you have here Ms. Schlussel….lovely indeed.
You must be proud of your like minded following and the wisdom and understanding they provide to the world.
This fan of yours is evidence of your fall. I would reconsider my fan base and do some thinking about what types of people you are attracting to your word.

mercuryroad on June 22, 2006 at 10:46 pm

MrsM: How many Russian, Filipina or British mail-order imports do you find are potential terrorists or terrorist supporters? Do a reality check — most of them (including the silent majority from the mid-east) ARE Arabs or of Arab origin.

anonymous twit on June 22, 2006 at 10:48 pm

I am not going to insult you as a person Debbie, but it is very unbecoming to post an article containing half-truths and some flat out false information. Obviously you have upset some couples, whose lives you know nothing about besides reading a few sentences about them. You are only using them as examples because of where their husband or fiance is from. You do not know the true stories of each of the couples you posted about. You are using them as way to make yourself look well researched.
It would be appropriate in such a matter to apologize for posting content that is not truthful. YOu don’t need to apologize for your opinions on the overall subject, but you DO need to apologize to the couples you have hurt because you have posted very horrible things about them.
An opinion is how we each truly feel, and every one is entitled to an opinion. You are entitled to believe that certain men scam certain women, but it is down right dirty to use real people who you know nothing about, to “prove” your point. Which in essence only proves your point to those who also know NOTHING about the couples you posted about besides the lies you have told them. For people who really know, they cannot believe what they are reading.
The truth in the article: yes these women are marrying men from certain countries, and you don’t like it!
The false in it: That they have all only met once and just say yes to marriage without thinking, and the manner in which their relationships have taken place. You know nothing about each couple you mentioned besides their visa process that you listed! You don’t know how they came to that point.
I’d ask the fans of Debbie, please decipher the truth from the lies in the article, which was not well researched. I’m not telling you to hate Debbie or stop liking her. If you agree with her opinions on the subject, then that’s your right. And it’s also my right to disagree. But there is a line that is crossed when false info comes into play to only hurt people.

mashedpotatoes on June 22, 2006 at 10:55 pm