SoCal, yes I do live in France, I am an eu citizen but not French and you are right about the regulations.
In fact, I have started my JAA PPL here in France, I've got my JAA PPL kowlegde exam but here in Europe things move really slowly. I tried to accelerate the process in the club where I fly but instructors do not want to do that kind of training. Also, the wether is getting worst now and we will not be able to fly a lot. So, I decided to have a FAA training to the US. Once I have the FAA PPL (I only have 4-5 weeks) and come back in Europe I will get the JAA exam. Anyway, I sent this "message in the bottle" because, as I said, I wish to have information from people who have experienced schools in the US and of course those flying schools should be able to offer the part 141 PPL and be able to issue visa papers.
DFR