Europe can be a warfare state or a welfare state, but not both. From Patrick Lawrence at consortiumnews.com:
It is many years now since the French, bless them, revolted as Disneyland Paris arose near the previously uninvaded village of Marne-la–Vallée–Chessy.
Soon enough came the Disney Hôtel New York, the Disney Hôtel Santa Fe, the Disney Hôtel Cheyenne, the Disney Newport Club, the Disney Sequoia Lodge, Disney Village, Parc Disneyland, Parc Walt Disney Studios. Let us not omit Star Wars Hypersonic Mountain among these monuments to the Americanization of Europe.
Blocking imports of American “culture,” and we need the quotation marks, is among the world’s more quixotic undertakings, given the failure rate. But losing the battle against the infantilization of European sensibilities seems the least of the Continent’s worries at this point.
The irrational Russophobia, the proxy war in Ukraine, the disruption of the Continent’s natural place as Eurasia’s western flank, the conjured-from-nothing “threat” of Russian expansionism, support of Israel’s siege of Gaza: These are U.S. imports, too, and Europe finds itself in crisis in consequence of them.
Harold the Brain brought back a jar of Normandy sand on a visit and it wasn’t Europastan yet when he visited.
Made a DVD for him of the trip from phone footage and the open air double decker bus was awesome and Notre Dame is in there with Arch de Triomphe and Eiffel Tower.
I love the 2001 Van Helsing where he battles the giant with the rotating saw blades at the ET, I added some to the weapons pack but not attached to a Dremel.
Me thinks Ivan is going to help them sort out their identity crisis and rump vassal status.