Former Yugoslavia and the former soviet states I won’t contest. They’ve still a long way to go. I’m told that there were some very loud “bring back communism all is forgiven” protests during the downturn.

German airport police carry pistols as standard. This surprised me since even British ones carry SMGs. When they were policing the protests about a nuclear waste train going through Germany I remember the police having both hands free as well. I wasn’t paying attention to their guns but when some protestors broke through a secure area and made for the train the police paired up and two of them carried each protestor back to where they were meant to be and dumped them on the floor.

I haven’t been to Paris but when I was in France, believe me if there were security conscious armed police around the way I was dressed they’d have made themselves known.

I’m curious when you were in Berlin. I’ve only seen it in the late 90s, pre 9/11 and long post reunification. I don’t actually remember the year, they were getting ready to move the parliament proper from Bonn.

I was in Italy 2 years ago, Paris 3 times in the last 5 years, Athens and Barcelona 4 years ago, and a number of other such cities going back to 1963. In most European countries, there are 3 types of police, I know I said “military”, I really meant police. You have your local, town city PD, then you have your state/territory/regional PD, and at the top of the PD food chain are the Federal PD. They are the ones who dress in a more military style, your local/state/regional and state PD look pretty much like, police officer. The other distinguishing characteristic is in the firearms they carry, the federal PD carry small automatic weapons, probably H&K’s MP5, or other similar light automatic rifles. You’ll see them at airports, train stations, patrolling the streets. In Pairs, you’ll also see just standing around in 20 man clusters, just waiting, on what I have no idea, but at times you’ll see them racing through the streets in their troop trucks. On weekends in Paris, they gather in the open areas of places like the Jardin des Tuileries, the park that runs next to the Louvre Museum, the Champs-Elysees and well known public gathering areas. It would be hard not to see them, but most visitors not knowing there is a difference would think they are either military or riot police.

When were you last in those cities you name? I have never seen a military uniform in Barcelona and in Berlin only at train stations when the people wearing them were going between platforms.

Paul,

This is why health insurance should be as available as car and life insurance. The reason it isn’t is because of Congress.

Where people get confused between health coverage here in the US and that found in most European countries, except for the Swizz, is medicine, general medical practice, and specialized medical practices. Like Said for colds, cuts bruises, Europe is one up on America, but when it comes to specializing in medical procedures the world looks towards the US.

If your prescription isn’t a tier 3 medicine, code name for a brand name as seen on TV, your insurance company would have no problem paying for the generic equivalent. I have a friend who will not take a generic medicine, but then bitches because he has to pay a high deductible. Go figure.

If you have traveled in Europe anytime during the last 55 years, you’ll see something that you only see here in the States during times of turmoil. Truck transport full of armed military police patrolling the streets. They are not hard to spot, dark jumpsuits black boots with bloused pants and are carrying automatic rifles. The regular police, state and locals, carry side arms. Wonder what the ACLU would have to say about that?

As they say, you really have to be careful for what you wish for, you just might get it.