It's tense in France but so far only tents in the U.S.

The global financial meltdown has sparked massive protests in Paris and elsewhere, where a million people — yes, a million — have taken to the streets and are expected to do so again in two months to rally against the French government's economic policies.

Meanwhile, Americans made homeless by the crisis are pitching tents (joining those who already were homeless), and European outlets are scouring the U.S. to report on it. See the above video, which the BBC has been airing, because the growth of tent cities is getting comparatively little national play here.

It's a good thing for U.S. government officials that they've spent decades destroying unions, because those in Europe are flexing their muscles by going out on strike, while here in the U.S. there have been no massive protests. See this morning's BBC story "New nationwide strike hits France."