Posted on 11/19/2004 11:14:05 AM PST by quidnunc
In light of how the media and political elites in Europe continue to denounce the war in Iraq and openly criticize the reelection of President George W. Bush, it is surprising that their reaction to the replacement of Secretary of State Colin Powell with Condoleezza Rice has been so favorable. After all, Powell was widely regarded in Europe as the single moderate voice in an administration of hawks.
Despite the positive remarks about Condoleezza Rice from German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer and his French counterpart Michel Barnier, it is important not to underestimate the depth of anti-Americanism in Europe and its impact on U.S. foreign policy around the world.
-snip-
It is important to understand that modern American conservatism has no equivalent in Europe and has never been accepted as legitimate in European intellectual circles, which are monolithically both secular and liberal. There is no National Review or Weekly Standard, no talk radio personalities or Fox News to challenge the liberal orthodoxy. Serious ideological diversity among think-tanks and political foundations in any European country is negligible.
Just how much influence do these opinion shapers have? The Pew Research Center's Global Attitudes Survey from March this year noted that "solid majorities in France and Germany believe the U.S. is conducting the war on terrorism in order to control Mideast oil and dominate the world." In Turkey "as many as 31 percent say that suicide attacks against Americans and other Westerners in Iraq are justifiable." Turkey is important, because it stayed out of the coalition in Iraq and we know whose club it wants to join.
-snip-
(Excerpt) Read more at techcentralstation.com ...
golly gee
hun be thinkun
now pass the fat back and beans
neich spreken zee deutch
and i think i spelt it as good as is'nt?
Let me tell you a little story from personal experience. Two years ago, I hosted two young women, recent university graduates from germany, who hailed from my old home town in Bavaria. Their visit was marred for me as a result of their continual references to all that they perceived was 'wrong' with the USA. They disparraged everything, from character of its citizens, to the 'crass' commercialism, the food...(eat too much) and how loud the average American is...the US is a land of pornography and crime etc. I was glad to see them leave, their bitterness and hatred spoiled their entire visit for me, in Australia.
Loh and behold, the next part of their world tour took in a trip by road in a hire car across the US continent. On their return to germany, they wrote to me. The report went thus:
What a wonderful country! How kind and generous the people were! How great the food, how hospitable everyone was to them! How surprised they were to find that they were safe and need have no fear they would be robbed or attacked by muggers and rapers...etc.
I was happy to hear that at least two germans had overcome the propoganda. Europeans are so very good at asking both aussies and Americans 'but have you ever travelled?' forgetting that this question works both ways.
I think it's important to remember Friedrich Hayek's observation in the preface to "The Road to Serfdom." The only difference between the socialism of Britain and the socialism of Nazi Germany was maturity of practice. If England had continued unhindered for another twenty-five years there wouldn't have been a fig of difference between the two.
No one makes me eat Tacos and no one cares if I do or not. No one makes me go to church and no one cares if I do or I don't.
In 2006 1,000,000 Muslims will vote in Germany; by 2050 more Muslims will vote in Germany than ethnic Germans. I hope you enjoy living among your camel dung and Mosques.
In any case, we in America don't really care one way or the other unlike Europeans who want to foist their views on us.
Bump
"...I cannot prove that Euros would have been better, because we weren`t so stupid to start such a war..."
I never mentioned the war. I mentioned 9/11, our economy and a highly charged election. If you had a 9/11 attack you'd still be sitting around wondering who to apologize to so that you could avoid being attacked again.
Secondly, we didn't start the war, we're just finishing it...
people dont seem to realize, europeans dont like america. this is the general rule even in countries that we consider allies. this didnt just happen after the Iraq war its been like this for a very long time. my girlfriends mother lived in Spain a few decades ago and they hated america then also. people need to get a clue.
bump
Most of us eat a LOT of Mexican food in any case and enjoy it immensely. Mexico is strongly anticlerical and has been for many years, so I don't think we would be forced to join the Catholic Church. I have been following your comments on this thread. A lot of them have been really silly, IMO.
Not in my lifetime, nor the lifetime of my children.
But by then, the Islamics will own your country and ours will still be free.
NEVER FORGET 911!
Godspeed
I recently watched a program on German DW-TV where they explained that over 400,000 Germans, mostly highly trained and professionals, emigrated to America over the last 10 years.
DW-TV interviewed some of those people here and asked them whether any planned to return to Germany taking advantage of Mr. Schroeder's desperate attempt to lure some of them back with tax concessions and subsidies.
Not one said he would explaining that the technology and opportunities were so superior in America that nothing could lure them back to Germany.
DW also interviewed the German manager of the Stihl factory in Virginia Beach, VA who said he arrived here 30 years ago and had planned to stay 3 years but has now made America his home and he won't return to Germany.
We welcome those Germans and hope more come here as we do all freedom loving people who are industrious and who can contribute to our way of life.
While we have serious border problems, both north and south, it appears that our problems may not be as severe as Germany's. When Turkey becomes a member of the EU, Middle Eastern men with their 4 wives each and 35 children will be marching across Europe with their camel caravans aiming for the good life in Germany and France.
I wish you no ill will but offer you my sympathy and am so very happy my ancestors decided to leave Germany over 200 years ago and finally arrived in America after difficult intervening years. I would not like to live in Germany today and would not want my grandchildren to have to cope with your coming problems.
We are, without your help.
Since your government has been proven to be 'on the take' and you think that this 'the norm' I don't think europoliticians will ever be taken seriously again.......no one here thinks that the europeans as a people think that bribery is the the 'norm'.......but don't defend it .....fritzy.
"France and Germany I hate them I really and truly hate them.
"Ok... You hate them.
That`s fine, but why?
Any reasonable reasons? "
How about 70,000 dead U.S. soldiers that France doesn't give a flying crap about anymore!
Thank you for that post. It helps to explain some of the nonsense I have been reading here.
Thanks for the link. When comparing 2000 vs 2004 on a county by county basis, it looks like we're losing ground.
You're welcome. I think what we forget to take into account (in the US and Australia) is that the europeans are all about the group, not the individual. Remember how the germans and the japanese during WW2 found themselves on common ground? They both walk quite cheerfully in file, looking neither to the left nor right...it might be due to living under powerful monarchies...bowing, kow-towing and bending the knee, conditioned to serfdom for generations.
I noticed certain behaviours in germany that would never be tolerated in Australia. Example: At a street corner my five year old son and I stood waiting to cross at the lights. His coat was unbuttoned. A perfect stranger came up to him and took it upon herself to do up the buttons. I asked her, what makes you think you have a right to do that?
She replied, 'if you are his mother and don't understand that the child could easily catch a cold, then someone else has to do it for you.'
I was fascinated at her attitude. She really believed she had a right. Such interference from a stranger, such an insult could never happen in Australia. Certains aspects of the european attitude remind me of islam. They also believe we are uncouth, disgusting etc and their way is superior.
I doubt if the 'hun' will be back to reply to questions posed here. There are two things the euro's can't handle: courage and LOGIC!
Good Morning
"neich spreken zee deutch
and i think i spelt it as good as is'nt?"
Huh?
This *could* mean something like
"nicht sprechen Sie Deutsch", which tranlates as
"not you speak German"
Natürlich spreche ich Deutsch, aber was will uns
der Dichter damit sagen?
Hun
"Let me tell you a little story from personal experience. Two years ago, I hosted two young women, recent university graduates from germany..... "
You`re on track, that`s right.
But it seems to be an international behaviour.
My aunt is living in L.A. since 1961. When we visited
her in 1977, she proudly presented her home, but
claimed the Amis to be responsible for all which went
wrong in her life.
While she was talking about the dumb Amis all the
time, my mother was enthusiastic about what she saw
in California (cars, palms, museums), while my
father (an electrician) was astonihed about the
poor quality of the installations and homes and...
Coming back home, they both told everybody how
wonderful America is, and my aunt is still living
there.
Or....
My wife is from Moscow.
She just can`t stand my critics about her city
and her countrymen (chaotic, officials taking bribes...),
but is bitching around about life in Germany and
the Germans at all. In her opinion, most Germans
are pretty dumb (except her husband...) and the
only two good things are
a) the mild weather, no snow for 5 months/year
b) shopping at Aldi, a german supermarket
...but she`s glad when coming home from a visit
in Moscow.
I guess it`s just a kinda psychological effect to keep
your used identidy in a foreign country...
Hun
"Come on, get over it!? We GAVE YOU BACK your right to not support us!"
Does "We" include the British, the French and,
most of all, the Russians?
If so, I`d agree.
If you appreciated that and weren't invertebrates you'd be supporting us now...
Last time I`ve checked, Landstuhl and Ramstein
still used to be in Germany. And our troops in
Afghanistan are not on vacation.
Hun
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