The narrative of the USA is a constant self reflection and self criticsm, leading to the reforms, conflicts and "movements" comprising our history.
It has also led to the excess of PC.
The correlation to this is that THIS type of culture is worth preserving.
I think Norwegians will succeed in what needs to be done.
BTW, have you read Fjordman ?
Thankfully there are a few blogs that are raising these issues that are becoming very popular and at last the message is getting out.
One of the best selling books at the moment is called "Letter to Lady Liberty" which is a book written by a former conservative member of parliament. Letter to lady liberty implies a letter to the United States (the statute of liberty).
Here is a synopsis of the book:
"Western Values in Danger
The goal of militant and imperialist Islam is absolute grandiose and global. The first step to world supremacy is to turn Europe into a Eurabia. The methods are not by armies, but combinations of oil, emigration, fertility, exploitation of tolerance and democracy, spread of fear, uninhibited terrorism, and millenial patience.
So far, Europe has been asleep. A confused continent, without a gathering purpose, and without sustainable integration policies, is at a loss what to do.
The Euro-Arab “bridge-building measures” are self-deceiving, as long as there is only one-way traffic on the bridge.
The author maintains the United States the only power in the world that may secure the world’s free nations. He is discussing the growing anti-Americanism in Europe, a phenomenon evolving despite America’s role as a guaranteeing force for democracy and freedom. Anti-American sleepwalkers do not see that if the American way goes down the drain, Europe will follow.
Hallgrim Berg attacks international leftism, which is constantly marketing twisted stereotypes of America, and is also criticizing the feebleness of European politicians, particularly France, where hypocrisy is developed into mastery.
Challenged by the most comprising and hard-core totalitarianism the world has seen, the only hope for Western democracy, culture, and our way of living is a more confident cooperation and pooling of resources among European nations and the United States."
The author, Hallgrim Berg, was incidently listed by the late Oriana Fallaci as one of the last heros of Europe, when he attacked the Eurabians in the Europan parliament, and stood up for liberty and the European way of life.
As for the original Norwegian constitution and our big celebration of it... One of the main stories I remember growing up with was Wergeland's, one of our national poets, fight against the "jewish paragrap" in the constitution. He argued against it mostly based on Christian scripture (also somewhat on the liberal tradition of the enlightenment), and won trough.
The constitution of 1814 (which btw was heavily influenced by the U.S. constitution) was ammended in 1851 and the jewish paragraph was removed. Oddly enough, the jesuit part was kept, and only removed in the 1950's.
I hope that Norwegians will be able to set it right. In one way, I think that the main problem with Norway is that liberalims has gone too far with its PC excesses. I do not think that outright anti-semitism has played a major factor in contemporary Norwegian politics.
Unfortunately real anti-semitism is growing rapidly in tune with muslim immigration.
However, the grass roots in Norway are very different from the elites in government and the media.
Frankly, I am somewhat hopeful. The "awakening" is increasing in pace and magnitude.
Our next parliamentarian elections is in 2009, and a lot of analysts now predict that the pro American, pro-Israel progress party will lead the next government.
Cheers.