Victor Davis Hanson: Western liberalism proving to be only idea left standing

jewishworldreview.com ^ | June 2, 2005 | Victor Davis Hanson

[Tolik]

The French and Dutch rebuffs of the European Union constitution will soon be followed by other rejections. Millions of proud, educated Europeans are tired of being told by unelected grandees that the mess they see is really abstract art.  

The E.U. constitution — and its promise of a new Europe — supposedly offered a corrective to the Anglo-American strain of Western civilization. More government, higher taxes, richer entitlements, pacifism, statism and atheism would make a more humane and powerful new continent of over 400 million to outpace a retrograde United States.  

Instead, Europe faces a declining population, unassimilated minorities, low growth, high unemployment and an inability to defend itself, either militarily or morally. Somehow the directorate of the European Union has figured out how to have too few citizens while having too many of them out of work.  

The only question that remains is just how low will the 100,000 bureaucrats of the European Union go in shrieking to their defiant electorates as they stampede for the exits.  

In fact, 2005 is a culmination of dying ideas. Despite the boasts and threats, almost every political alternative to Western liberalism over the last quarter-century is crashing or already in flames.

[Tolik]

jewishworldreview.com is a MUST EXCERPT website

[Tolik]

    Victor Davis Hanson Ping ! 

       Let me know if you want in or out

[KarlInOhio]

Despite the boasts and threats, almost every political alternative to Western liberalism over the last quarter-century is crashing or already in flames.

In this case it appears that liberalism retains its original meaning of freedom, not FDR's bastardization of the word to mean "almost, but not quite, as totalitarian as Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy"

[metesky]

JWR won't load for me... First time for everything.

[everitt12]

Could I get in on the VDH pings please? Thank you.

[FreedomPoster]

Classic liberalism, not modern Orwellianly-redefined so-called liberalism. As in, "progressive" is a code word for "liberal", which was a hijacked, Orwellianly-redefined word for "socialist", which was a euphemism for "communist".

[FreedomPoster]

Their ad banners appear to be breaking the site right now, is how it feels to me. I get the JWR banner, then an ad banner loads, then the page load dies.

[metesky]

Yup...
:O(

[FreedomPoster]

I've tried two machines, and two browsers. I just emailed someone at the site, with an addy I found.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Loads fine for me, but I am running Firefox on Xandros ( Linux ).....

[FreedomPoster]

It's working now, for me, with no changes on this end. Pretty much tells me where the problem was at.

[Dilbert56]

Touch 'em all Mr. Hanson - another home run.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

OK

Related Topic:

BBC: Euro report whips up German storm ~~ government may be distancing itself from the EURO

[Tolik]

No problems on my IE / winXP.

[goldstategop]

The time of the old ideas is past. We're witness to a second American Century! Sure, we hear of bombings every day in Iraq, we hear of Castro's boasts of socialism until death, we hear pampered European elites defend statism, we hear Bin Laden talk about restoring the 7th Century and we hear North Korea rattle its nuclear sabers. But none of these opponents of America offer the world a fresh idea of how to make life better for the world. The American idea is the last one still standing that packs a punch. And our adversaries know it.

(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)

[Tolik]

Added to the VDH ping list.

Thanks.

[FreedomPoster]

I saw that headline, then got sidetracked. I shall read it now. Very, very interesting. I would imagine it's about the Germans getting tired of subsidizing the rest of the EU?

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Just posted this:

BBC: EU struggles to save constitution

The EuroBureacrats are shocked! Just shocked!

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Please add me to your ping list...Hansen is the best.

[Valin]

JWR won't load for me... First time for everything.

Loaded fine for me. I suspect a plot.