I am jealous Rod. I have been reading and preparing for a trip to Buenos Aires and when I read this post, it didn’t make any sense. We all know big cities have crime. When we went to Spain a few years back, we heard the same kind of exaggerated warnings. Can’t tell if he was forcing a political/economic point, a tourist that never leaves the hotel or wildely influenced by tales a pickpockets. Your account is dead on with what I have been reading. His is not.

Of course, using common sense helps. However, the crime wave in Buenos Aires is real and the warning is valid. I was born there and return often. Though, knock on wood, I’ve never been robbed, most of my friends have. Some multiple times. It is usually non violent though quite often involves a threat with a weapon.
You are advised not to wear ostentatious jewelry ,not to carry a lot of cash on you or hang out in internet cafes with fancy laptops. Whenever possible, It’s preferable not to carry an atm card. You also have to be cautious with taxis. Better use radio taxis or car service.
There use to be a time when you could walk the street of Buenos Aires at all hours of the night. Not any longer.
New York, where I live, is infinitely safer than B.A.

I am left to wonder what kind of traveling you do. As you know, Argentina is on the hot list of travelers now. Your experience is the first I have heard of a crime wave.
Maybe you could put it in perspective… is it worst than NYC? How about Miami? Is Argentina on the State Department’s watch list?
Seriously, if the Bush daughters are going there, how bad could the crime be? Kind of makes you look like a bit of a drama queen.
I guess the crime wave you describe fits nicely with your political story but maybe a bit to conveniently. Details are important. How does the crime in say Buenes Aires compare to crime rates in other major cities of the world?

Pickpockets are rife in Buenos Aires.
The Brits warn:
“The most frequent problems involve distraction theft, bag snatching and armed robberies in the street, in taxis and restaurants. Distraction thefts commonly occur in public areas such as Internet cafes, and train and bus stations. You should keep a close hold on your personal possessions and bags. Con men have also robbed tourists while an accomplice pretends to help remove ketchup or mustard which has been “accidentally” sprayed on them. Another common occurrence is the slitting of handbags in crowded places. Be particularly attentive in popular tourist areas, such as San Telmo. You should avoid carrying too much cash or wearing ostentatious jewellery.”

However, Argentina as a whole is not crime ridden and it has become a hot tourist destination because, aside from its diverse natural beauty, from deserts in the north to glaciers in the south, for American and European tourists it is dirt cheap. Though prices have gone up by 30 percent in the past 3 years, you still get great value for your dollar.
(Menem pegged the dollar to the peso, 1 to 1- now it is 3 to1 )
So, it is great for tourists to hang out in a fabulous and truly cosmopolitan city like Buenos Aires, think Paris, and feel everything is affordable.

Regarding the above comment by Tony, 121:

Like it or not, the administration of Nestor Kirchner is an improvement over the arrogant, corrupt, catastrophic presidency of Bush family buddy and GHB golf partner Carlos Menem. Argentina has managed to overcome its worse economic crisis despite the unfair demands and lack of cooperation from the World Bank and the U.S. government. Fortunately, it failed to prop up again its south american lap dog, the disgraceful Menem, in the last election!

As far as the rumored 98.840 acre Paraguayan Bush spread reported by Prensa Latina on October 18,2006:

It might be connected to the longstanding Bush family links to Unification Church’s Sun Myung Moon.

Published reports claim Rev. Moon bought 1.5 million acres of agricultural lands in Paraguay.

“Moon’s land acquisitions in Chaco Province are just north of the huge Guarani aquifer, one of the world’s largest sources of fresh water. In addition, Moon has acquired large tracts of land on the Brazilian side of the Paraguayan border. Local villagers in Paraguay and Brazil claim that most of Moon’s land acquisitions were fraudulent and illegal. Moon’s World Unification Church operates in Paraguay under a corporate contrivance called the Victoria Company. Paraguay has also announced that everyone entering and leaving Paraguay will be photographed and fingerprinted. Not coincidentally, the new border control system is being financed by South Korea.”

It is worth noting, in 1996 George Herbert Bush, for a fee of 100.000 dollars traveled to Argentina to help Moon launch his South American journalistic venture, the right wing propaganda rag “Tiempos del Mundo.”

And this is what he said:
“I want to salute Reverend Moon, who is the founder of The Washington Times and also of Tiempos del Mundo. A lot of my friends in South America don’t know about The Washington Times, but it is an independent voice. The editors of The Washington Times tell me that never once has the man with the vision interfered with the running of the paper, a paper that in my view brings sanity to Washington, D.C. I am convinced that Tiempos del Mundo is going to do the same thing” in Latin America”

Could this be the connection to the Paraguayan property rumored to belong to the Bushes? Maybe a “gift” from Moon?

And an apropos question from Wonkette:
“Here’s a fun question for Tony Snow: Why might the president and his family need a 98.840-acre ranch in Paraguay protected by a semi-secret U.S. military base manned by American troops who have been exempted from war-crimes prosecution by the Paraguayan government?”

And while we are at it, re. new South Korean U.N. Secretary General: “Although Ban Ki-moon and Sun Myung Moon are not related, some UN members may sense that there is something amiss about the Bush administration’s strong support for the South Korean Foreign Minister given the close links between some Bush officials and the “Moonies.”

http://www.consortiumnews.com
http://www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/print.asp?ID=3447

I have been to BA about six times. I really don’t think the alert tourist who stays in crowds has much to fear. Bush’s daughter was probably pasted when she was robbed.