January 16, 2008 ... Let's go Europe, the new platform of terror.

According to the United States' Secretary of Homeland Security Michael-terrorists under the bed-Chertoff, Europe is now a primary platform from which terrorism is likely to have a deadly and direct impact on the United States' security. Working from this bunker-mentality perspective, it must surely be simpler for the United States to regard the entire world beyond its soft-boundaries as enemy combatants who must comply with whatever draconian requirements are demanded by Washington.

For Europeans to complain about this is unlikely to be of any use whatsoever. However, as per the vastly more persuasive laws of economics, it would be better for European holiday makers and tourists to spend their money in Europe, and refrain from bothering with the hassle of, including the very possible threat to one's liberty should one's name coincide with one on a terrorist watch-list, for instance, by not choosing to visit the United States. This will send a powerful message to the American people and their wallets--still most welcome in Europe--that we Europeans have preferable alternatives.

London, is now connected by high-speed rail link from London's St-Pancras directly to the continental mainland. Inexpensive flights abound and enable travellers from the likes of Belfast and Dublin to get to Berlin in under two hours. The currency is mostly normalised with the Euro, especially with plastic. Hotels and alternative accommodations are affordable and plentiful. Given the awesome variety of places and culture to go visit in Europe, it is very difficult to understand why travelling in Europe would not be an attractive alternative to the United States. It is true that the US-Dollar is especially weak and offers some attractive spending opportunities for Europeans. It is also true that most Europeans do not use English for communication. But that just adds to the adventure of it all, with a reasonably amicable Moscow a mere 35 hours from Berlin's Hauptbahnhof :-)