It is wonderful to know you are learning each day. And to follow the new world view weekly magazines, or the daily British television, takes us around the world daily. We had just written about a meeting held last week between three delegates of the new Europe, discussing Kosovo with a delegate each from Russia and Serbia, ethnic Slav cousins. You recall Russian tanks arrived in Belgrade a decade ago. And that was from a then weakened Ivan, needing our help. Now much more angry Ivan has his vaults bulging, and is very angry that Mr Bush wants to point missiles at him from very nearby. No Patton, this Bush. Patton had his eye gleaming like diamonds for Berlin, until he was told to back off and let the Russians go first, they had suffered so much.



So while the mid east is on fire, and rather than push the more democratic Athens of Europe on Ukraine, Mr Bush would rather have it join his warrior group NATO. Which move is more likely to terrify and make crazy the bear? As always, this Bush should be gone before he presses any more wrong buttons. He seems to have that innate genius: toss in Iran, who quietly stood by while we bombed next door Afghanistan farther back into it's stone age, lost interest and wandered off to bomb in Iraq, leaving Canadian soldiers in the hot spot back where Osilly Bin Laffin still likely is.

Oh for those days that President Roosevelt teased Winston Churchill into giving up Churchill's beloved British Empire, particularly the jewel in the crown,India. What was this war all about, anyway, if not freeing people into democracy. By 1947 India and Pakistan were independent, and have generally followed British Magna Carta ideals, within the red hot madness between their religions. And likewise, we know Patton at a general to general level shouted that at just about every general from a country that he thought needed a reminder.

Until it got Patton demoted again, all allies now. I would bet Patton had to be held back at some meetings when he first had a heart to heart talk with a general from Russia about freedom and democracy. When Patton was sober he could not be controlled: imagine his language and volume after Patton had a few swift vodkas. He was quickly demoted, as we say, we were all allies now. We have had to do deals with the devils some time. Even again now. It is a question of how wisely we deal with huge problems.

A raging way in with no exit plan tends to dismay, not shock and awe. As Lady MacBeth would say, Out, out, damn spot. That spot of blood on her dress, implicating her. George Spot Bush, get out and go home, let your legions repair their wounds, if you have left any cash left in the vault. Oops, that is Chinese money IOU's in that vault. Back to Caesar and Charlemagne of today. We find that the recent grand reception and historic sleep over of the modern French Caesar is to jolly up to Britain as part of a historic new Anglo Franco Accord of greater understanding.

As Britain and France have now, amazingly the same 60,000,000 population, about the same gross national product and more and more people taking that Euro train passport free and moving between Paris to London, mostly. There are some 200,000 young French now working around London, some 20,000 English have mostly retired to the south of France. This was all mentioned in their talks of a deeper, growing bond of understanding, which is true.

But the new Caesar of France, who has been talking to former French colonies along the north African coast from Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt, to join France in some special accord. And the modern female German Charlemagne has said it will not be a north and south Europe, it will all be one greater Europe. All other nations in the club bobbed their head in agreement. So Napoleon does not get his southern old empire back. Remember that famous dog out at Fort Zinderzoof in the Sahara. He was a French foreign legion dog, watching for any locals who might sneak up and kill them, as a way to say go home.

So, what rich irony, that the inheritor of German Panzer tanks tells the President of Fort Zinderzoof those days are long over. One big happy family, or I will slap you until your eyes have all the old colonial coal dust out. Charlemagne was a Germanic Frank who united France, Germany and Rome enough that he created the modern core of a united Europe. Caesar ruled only the southern part of Europe and all north Africa, ignoring the Germanics to the north all too much until 450 A.D when Rome was sacked for the finale. It took two world wars between these core feuding family, and Uncle Sam and others come to crow bar them apart once more.

Since then, German American democracy and free enterprise rules, and Germany has learned that to give peace a chance makes you way richer and more happy and in say, 1945. Not a good year. So, as Uncle Sam explained it to Charlemagne, and as Lady Charlie has explained to Frank the Gaul, we will need to take the biblical word Holy out of our new Holy Roman Empire, but it is a true new beginning for all. When Rome really began to fall apart was when they split into east and west. After Rome went down, it took another thousand years for the eastern Roman Empire at Constantinople to fall, to evolve into now majestic Istanbul.

So, can you see what I see? One day healthy green clean bullet trains not only take you on the Orient Express from Paris to Istanbul, soon without borders, and then somehow we look forward over the Pillars of Hercules, now called Gibraltar. And we can all leave Berlin, over to Paris, still inside the same empire, and zip down to Casablanca. Have a gin fizzic with Rick, Louie, Ms Hans, and who else from Lapland to the east Sahara who wants in, come on in. We smoke your peace pipe, left our swords, panzers, foreign legion hat and gun, all back in Paris, or Berlin, or Rome. What diamond thinking.

And here we see and understand. The coal dust out of our eyes, we see this historic opening. Diamonds in such ideas.