Posted on 01/09/2007 5:57:13 PM PST by quidnunc
If you ever wanted to see Paris or Rome before you die, but haven't had a chance to do so, you might want to hurry. Soon enough, most of what we now think of as Western Europe will be transformed into a branch of the Muslim world, which is sure to make it an even less welcoming place for Americans, Israelis and for Jews.
That, at least, is the unpleasant, yet entirely unavoidable conclusion to be drawn from Europe's headlong demographic drive toward oblivion.
Think I'm exaggerating? Consider a few cold hard facts.
According to a recent report by the Rand Corporation, "Across Europe, birth rates are falling and family sizes are shrinking. The total fertility rate is now less than two children per woman in every member nation in the European Union."
Needless to say, demographers consider a birthrate of 2.1 children per family to be the replacement level at which a society's population size remains stable. Barring large-scale immigration, anything less means decline and dissolution.
A research study published last year in the International Journal of Andrology found a similar trend, concluding that, "Fertility rates have fallen and are now below replacement level in all European Union (EU) Member States. In the 20-year period since 1982," it noted, "most EU Member State countries have had total fertility rates continuously below replacement level."
At the bottom of the list are Spain, Italy and Greece, where birthrates hover around just 1.3 per couple, leading some forecasters to suggest, for example, that Italy's population could shrink by one-third by the middle of the century.
Others, such as Germany's 1.37, the UK's 1.74 and Sweden's 1.75, aren't all much better.
-snip-
(Excerpt) Read more at jpost.com ...
This makes it far less likely that Israel and the US can count on Europe — if they ever really could — at times of crisis in the decades ahead. Just pick an issue, from the war on terror to Palestinian statehood, and you'll see what I mean.
For however unbalanced Europe's stance has been until now, it will likely only grow worse in the years to come.
Europe as we know it is a thing of the past, and it is time for Israeli and American decision-makers to take this into account as they plan for the future. The face of Europe is changing rapidly, and with it the continent's social and political make-up.
My dad was in France during WWII. My favorite quote of his was " They should have left the Germans in France for two years after the war. They would have cleaned it up. The people were pigs .!"
Heard this news from a Belgium friend now living in U.S., more than 8 years ago. Muslims changing the face of Europe, lurking about, causing trouble, bloated socialist states don't know what to do.
Kind of a preview of what's happening here.
I hope that means I can get an Italian villa in Tuscany for a song.
Pretty much sums up one of the three main themes in Steyn's book.
The current demographic trends of the muslims combined with our PC, multicultural mentality make me very fearful for the future.
Guess I need to make another trip down to the gun shop.
A more frightening thought is the concept that having a low birth rate would ultimately shrink military size..... in a matter of years, unless the population were to suddenly boom, there would be an awfully large stock yard filled with all manner of: Tanks, Jets, and WMD's, with relatively no guards at all. with the population so low, what would be stopping Jihadist Muslims from taking our european allies weapons technology.
Europe has a lot of technology similar to our own.
Now i don't want to cause a panic or anything, but what i'm trying to say is that we may be looking at another War on terror, but this time with a foe that has an equal potential to our own military......
You'll have to fight some sand nazi for it.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
I'm really getting sick of reading opinion pieces that suggest that Europeans (and Americans) should undertake some sort of breeding contest with the Arabs. Maybe we should also start grooming our young men to undertake suicide-homicide missions in which they fly airplanes into skyscrapers and blow themselves up in the middle of crowded shopping areas. Hey, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em, right?
The Arabs breed like feral cats, and prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that high volume breeding doesn't translate into a civilized society. The trouble with Western Europe and to a growing extent the US, is S-O-C-I-A-L-I-S-M. Competent, responsible people are ceasing to reproduce because half or more of their earnings are being confiscated to support irresponsible adults and their offspring, and to fund all sorts of idiotic government prorrams that have no benefit to competent, responsible people. And people are too busy working to support all the irresponsible people and government programs, to put much energy into dumping their governments and shutting down the government-run brainwashing centers that have caused otherwise intelligent, rational people to believe that letting hordes of refugees from uncivilized countries swarm over the borders into civilized countries is a good thing -- gotta be "compassionate", musn't be "ethnocentric", and all that crap.
There's nothing wrong with reproducing at replacement rate, or even with gradual population decline, as long as the freeloaders are kept out of the pockets of productive people and foreign freeloaders are kept out of the country.
From which my conclusioin is. .. we either 'heed' the warning - NOW - and make some cultural shifts; of Mind as well as policy. . .
OR. . . we can just beg to get it over with.
I am leaving for Germany in the next couple of weeks, I will be there until just before Christmas. I fully intend to take full advantage of my 6+ weeks of paid vacation to see all the major sites.
I agree with this article, went for the first time to Europe, 1990. UK had too many Indian restaurants there to see authentic to me back then.
That continent is drastically changing and it is not necessarilly for the better...
we have everything in the planet coming here. What made this country great, is disappearing as third world nations who have no concept of our history throw themselves here.
DIVERSITY is NOT our strength, it is our DEMISE.
And you'd think that in a democracy, if the people of the nation voted for that, then that's what they'd get.
But not here.
The gist of this article is true. For example, Paris looks more like the Middle East and North Africa every day. It is really disconcerting when you see it, especially when it was only a bit like that 15 years ago and not at all like that 30 years ago. I would estimate that something like 1/3 of the people in Paris are from those the ME and Africa.
And it is truly bizarre to be searched by an Asian at the checkpoint at CDG, at least an Asian who is not Vietnamese, but appeared ethnically Chinese.
I'll let all the 70 year olds know that you consider them "freeloaders". You're missing the point. If native Europeans are having 1.2 children per couple, and European immigrants who are Muslim are having 4 or 5 children per couple, how long before the continent is primarily Muslim? Muslim majority plus democratic goverment = Muslim government.
THAT goes back to the UK's relationship with occupying India for so many years. Same for the Dutch, who have had trade relations with that area for CENTURIES.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.