Alien Nation

I'm no sociologist, but it seems as if assimilation issues in the United States are far less complex than in Britain. While in London I witnessed fierce Irish nationalism, followed the ongoing debate over incorporating Sharia into the legal system, read anti-Polish rhetoric in newspapers and experienced tension in Brixton. An ugly incident at the Tower of London was most shocking of all. A couple dozen French-speaking hooligans so brutally tormented a guard that he had to be relieved lest he use his bayonet or rifle. The gist of the taunts questioned not just the manhood of this flustered young man but the very existence of England.