I never complained to Marty about the USA Chat although I did grumble to myself about it on more than one occasion. I can only speak as someone who lives here and who has lots of friends who love to visit. I have always appreciated this message board as a way to get current information and communicate with others both in Belize and abroad about local issues. I used it as a major point of reference many years ago before I even decided to move here and continued to appreciate the way that we could get local information in real time. It was also a place I could refer those who wanted to visit or learn more about Ambergris Caye so that they could pick the brains of locals, regular visitors and not so regular visitors about what to do, where to eat and what was going on. It became very frustrating when you would click on active topics for an update to find constant arguments and bickering between a relatively small group of people about nothing to do with Belize or Ambergris Caye - and, I can only say that if I had been confronted by that when I was researching Ambergris Caye as a place to visit and then later as a place to live, I would have started to look elsewhere.
I completely understand the argument that what happens in the USA affects everyone, but lots of us live here and visit here because we want to get away from all of that being in our faces day after day. I certainly did. So, with all due respect to those who might be upset at the loss of USA Chat, I implore you to put your considerable energies and articulate writing skills into doing something positive for our community in San Pedro - as the love for this place is the common thread that holds this message board together. *I'll step away from the podium now*
AmbergrisCaye.com 
