So writes Martin Kettle of Britain's Guardian newspaper in The Washington Post. Beltway types shrivel at the prospect of Euro sophisticates sneering at us colonists. They take it as a matter of faith that Europeans are better than we are. They cringe in shame when Continentals draw heavily on a Gauloise and denounce America's role in global warming. Since the Euros charge Champagne prices for gasoline, Europhiles argue America should gouge drivers.
Most European countries eschew the death penalty, so capital punishment is for hicks.
Don't expect this Yank to be cowed. If continental snoots want to compare values, let the game begin. Start with Holland, where de facto legalized assisted suicide has allowed doctors to kill disabled babies. While the Dutch system was supposed to allow for doctors to help patients who want to die, a 1992 government study found that Dutch doctors annually kill more than 1,000 sick adults who don't ask to be killed. The Dutch shouldn't scoff at Texas, not when they have a death penalty for sick and disabled people.