I woke up and checked in on the site this morning, and thought, "ahh, I love the sound of a (another) converted American in the morning!" (Good call on front paging this, Jerome...I had similar sentiments).

I can't recall you posting here before, Captain Future, but great first article, thank you! Awhile back I posted a similar article, though just focusing on the
Geoghegan article "Europe's Secret Success Story" from the same Nation article. I don't think this subject can be talked about too much, since we do need to counter the tide of neo-con propaganda coming from the US. I also like how you have woven in
mentions of THE UNCONQUERABLE WORLD by Jonathan Schell, and THE EUROPEAN DREAM by Jeremy Rifkin (both of which I'd enjoy hearing more about your impressions on...here or in other diaries, were you willing to elaborate).

What Europe has a is a very good thing...and if more Americans truly realized what a good thing it is, they would (will be?) clamoring for it too. After all, Americans don't like to consider themselves as being second class to anyone...but in important ways, Europeans have it much better.

As for defense budgets...the US spends more than the whole rest of the world on "defense"...though a LOT of that is going into certain people's pockets. No, funding defense is not the best way to spend the citizens money, I believe.

"Once in awhile we get shown the light, in the strangest of places, if we look at it right" - Hunter/Garcia