Good for the world

Another military memory.

Before going to Vietnam, I spent a year and a half in Germany. One of the favorite pastimes of young troopers was seeking out American tourists of a similar age as we tried to stay in touch with the kinds of changes at home that didn't get covered in Stars & Stripes. It was harder than it might seem, though, because many young tourists from the States disguised themselves with Canadian flag patches as they discovered that the welcome wasn't always so warm for folks from Nixon's America.

That was a sometimes effective fix for them, but it's harder for American expatriates to keep friends, neighbors and co-workers from knowing just where they're from, and a good many of those folks are taking steps to distinguish themselves from Bush's America.

They used the occasion of the 4th of July to draw the distinctions in Europe.

BERLIN (Reuters) - Dozens of American and German supporters of U.S. presidential candidate John Kerry rallied in front of Berlin's Brandenburg Gate on Sunday to mark the U.S. Fourth of July holiday.

They carried banners in the center of the German capital criticizing President Bush and handed out leaflets urging U.S. expatriates in Berlin to register to vote in November. "More than 10,000 live in Berlin," read a leaflet, printed in German and English. "They can vote but most don't. Do you want a new American president? Then tell an American to vote."

And on the other side of the world, John L. McCreery, International Vice Chair of Democrats Abroad, wrote for the ex-pat journal Tokyo Weekender.

What will John Kerry’s election mean to Americans living in Japan?

The obvious answer is straightforward, a feeling of immense relief. It will be simply and truly wonderful not having to cringe every time a Japanese or European friend mentions the Bush administration and asks about its arbitrarily walking away from international treaties, the missing weapons of mass destruction, the missing link between Iraq and Al Qaeda, the pictures from Abu Ghraib, the memos from administration lawyers claiming that the President may authorize torture and decide arbitrarily who is or is not an “enemy combatant,” or—from the business minded—the fiscal insanity that is putting the whole global economy at risk.

And maybe tourists can start wearing American flag patches with pride instead of trepidation.