McFreedom

I'm by no means the first to note the recent editorial by the leaders of Spain, Portugal, Italy, the UK, Hungary, Poland, Denmark and Czechoslovakia. But I have to say, I was very glad to see it. I was especially appreciative of this bit: "Thanks in large part to American bravery, generosity and farsightedness, Europe was set free from the two forms of tyranny that devastated our continent in the 20th century: Nazism and communism. Thanks, too, to the continued cooperation between Europe and the U.S. we have managed to guarantee peace and freedom on our continent."

After all the crap we hear, it's just so good to hear someone say "Thanks" to the brave men and women who keep the rest of the world freer than they have any right to expect. And, while our sacrifices are much smaller, the American taxpayer can accept a pat on the back from these fellows, too.

It's only human nature to be resentful of those who pick you up, of course. As Mark Twain commented, "If you take a dog which is starving and feed him and make him prosperous, that dog will not bite you. This is the primary difference between a dog and a man." It's nice to see some of Europe overcoming their baser natures.