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Victor Davis Hanson: Western liberalism proving to be only idea left standing
jewishworldreview.com ^
| June 2, 2005
| Victor Davis Hanson
Posted on 06/02/2005 4:35:42 AM PDT by 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.
(Excerpt) Read more at jewishworldreview.com ...
TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Foreign Affairs; Philosophy
KEYWORDS: bushdoctrine; cary; eu; europe; geopolitics; libertydoctrine; vdh; victordavishanson; west
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jewishworldreview.com is a MUST EXCERPT website
1
posted on
06/02/2005 4:35:43 AM PDT
by
Tolik
To: neverdem; Lando Lincoln; quidnunc; .cnI redruM; yonif; SJackson; dennisw; monkeyshine; Alouette; ...
Victor Davis Hanson Ping ! Let me know if you want in or out
2
posted on
06/02/2005 4:36:32 AM PDT
by
Tolik
To: Tolik
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"
3
posted on
06/02/2005 4:42:45 AM PDT
by
KarlInOhio
(Republicans and Democrats no longer exist. There are only Fabian and revolutionary socialists.)
To: Tolik
JWR won't load for me... First time for everything.
4
posted on
06/02/2005 4:49:14 AM PDT
by
metesky
("Brethren, leave us go amongst them." Rev. Capt. Samuel Johnston Clayton - Ward Bond- The Searchers)
To: Tolik
Could I get in on the VDH pings please? Thank you.
5
posted on
06/02/2005 4:59:14 AM PDT
by
everitt12
To: KarlInOhio
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".
6
posted on
06/02/2005 5:01:17 AM PDT
by
FreedomPoster
(Official Ruling Class Oligarch Oppressor)
To: metesky
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.
7
posted on
06/02/2005 5:03:11 AM PDT
by
FreedomPoster
(Official Ruling Class Oligarch Oppressor)
To: FreedomPoster
Yup...
:O(
8
posted on
06/02/2005 5:07:23 AM PDT
by
metesky
("Brethren, leave us go amongst them." Rev. Capt. Samuel Johnston Clayton - Ward Bond- The Searchers)
To: metesky
I've tried two machines, and two browsers. I just emailed someone at the site, with an addy I found.
9
posted on
06/02/2005 5:11:19 AM PDT
by
FreedomPoster
(Official Ruling Class Oligarch Oppressor)
To: FreedomPoster; metesky; Tolik
Loads fine for me, but I am running Firefox on Xandros ( Linux ).....
10
posted on
06/02/2005 5:43:01 AM PDT
by
Ernest_at_the_Beach
(This tagline no longer operative....floated away in the flood of 2005 ,)
To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
It's working now, for me, with no changes on this end. Pretty much tells me where the problem was at.
11
posted on
06/02/2005 5:45:52 AM PDT
by
FreedomPoster
(Official Ruling Class Oligarch Oppressor)
To: Tolik
Touch 'em all Mr. Hanson - another home run.
To: FreedomPoster; metesky; Tolik
13
posted on
06/02/2005 5:49:40 AM PDT
by
Ernest_at_the_Beach
(This tagline no longer operative....floated away in the flood of 2005 ,)
To: metesky
No problems on my IE / winXP.
14
posted on
06/02/2005 5:55:14 AM PDT
by
Tolik
To: Tolik
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".)
15
posted on
06/02/2005 5:55:27 AM PDT
by
goldstategop
(In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives On In My Heart Forever)
To: everitt12
Added to the VDH ping list.
Thanks.
16
posted on
06/02/2005 5:56:03 AM PDT
by
Tolik
To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
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?
17
posted on
06/02/2005 5:58:48 AM PDT
by
FreedomPoster
(Official Ruling Class Oligarch Oppressor)
To: FreedomPoster
18
posted on
06/02/2005 6:04:46 AM PDT
by
Ernest_at_the_Beach
(This tagline no longer operative....floated away in the flood of 2005 ,)
To: Tolik
Please add me to your ping list...Hansen is the best.
19
posted on
06/02/2005 6:05:43 AM PDT
by
Ernest_at_the_Beach
(This tagline no longer operative....floated away in the flood of 2005 ,)
To: metesky
JWR won't load for me... First time for everything.
Loaded fine for me. I suspect a plot.
20
posted on
06/02/2005 6:07:55 AM PDT
by
Valin
(The right to do something does not mean that doing it is right.)
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