Reader Bob Silver writes us about reports that Americans are being sold tee shirts proclaiming themselves Canadian, for travel in Europe, due to America's unpopularity.

The hype about traveling to Europe disguised as a Canadian is just so much agit—prop. I lived in Europe for two months this year and conversed with many Europeans.  It was never a problem to be an American, or even to declare my support for US policies. In general Europeans don't care that much.  Most disagree with the US, but have no good reasons.

I believe most are influenced by fatalism, pacifism, and an understandable fear of US power. In their history whatever nation attained great power always misused it. Idealism is dead in much of Europe. The idea of sacrificing to promote Democracy is inexplicable to them. Volunteerism is almost non—existant. I enjoyed nearly all the Europeans I met. I learned much from them. But they live in a different world. Their media is far more one—sided than ours. They got used to the US providing their security during the cold war and are not seriously taking responsibility for it themselves. They excuse this by denying the severity of the problem we now face. They are also, and this is big, afraid of upsetting the Muslim minorities among them.

Eastern Europeans, in general, positively love Americans