Yes, to me, a particle accelerator in the U.S. that is the best in the world REALLY does make me respect our nation and love our culture more than if we did not have a cutting edge particle accelerator in the U.S. and needed to send our Physics graduate students to Europe to study.
Science is as worthy a pursuit as painting or poetry, and having great Scientists as our countrymen makes me as proud as having great painters writers and poets. Science can also possibly be of greater use; but it needn't be directly applicable to national defense in order to be of value.
Perhaps R.R. Wilson was a bit touchy on the subject, having worked on the Manhattan project (that is the Nuclear bomb program for those of you in Rio Linda). He obviously bristled at the suggestion that all physics could be good for was making a bomb with a bigger boom.
Missile technology was very much applicable to the national defense of the nation. So was getting to the moon before the Russians.
If you already agree with Wilson you're likely to find his comments wonderful. If aren't on his side to begin with, you may not be convinced.
And the "we can't afford not to spend the money" and "it's about our national greatness" arguments don't set a good standard for determining appropriations.