Our Friends the Europeans: A letter from an effete Belgian snob...

The Ottawa Citizen ^ | Wednesday, July 10, 2002 | Georges Clermont

[NorthernRight]

U.S. leaders ignore lessons of history (Barf Alert!)

Georges Clermont
The Ottawa Citizen

Wednesday, July 10, 2002

Reuters
An armed British police officer stands guard outside the American Embassy in central London to discourage Independence Day attacks. A writer suggests policy changes might work better.

Re: An all-American bash, July 4.

It is befitting to wish your American neighbours the best on Independence Day. Denigrating our other allies, such as the Europeans, in your editorial was mean and betrays the dislikes of your newspaper's chain for the more balanced policies advocated by the European Union on the Palestinian-Israel dispute.

The simplistic approach of the American president is smiled at in European capitals. It is too easy to blame it on their envy of the United States.

Europeans have great admiration for many American symbols and way of life and are quick to adopt or adapt to them. No question that they are envious of many of the things that we enjoy in North America.

But when it comes to international politics, culture and history, they do smile at the immaturity of our North American politicians and institutions. Understandably so. History is the best guide to the future. You cannot acquire centuries of it in a few decades.

The U.S. has produced a few great leaders: Ben Franklin, Franklin D. Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy. The others have been good for the politics of small-town U.S.A. but have failed miserably on the international front.

Absent the defunct Soviet republic, it is imperative that we ensure the success of the European Union to counter the often disastrous and immature politics and policies of U.S. governments.

President George W. Bush has demonstrated his incapacity to take a rational and consistent international stands: free trade and huge tariffs on steel; complaints of subsidies abroad and billions to the farm bill; peace moderator in the Middle East and subservience to the Jewish lobbies at home. The constant reminder of potential terrorist attacks provides a perfect smokescreen for his total ineptitude.

Sept. 11 was a shock to most Europeans but one could feel the "they got it coming" attitude. This was not caused by envy but was born out of the realization that the American Middle East policy is biased, twisted and unintelligible. The Wild West mentality longs for a Texan shootout with bin Laden and the Mullah Omar on the theory that killing them will solve the long-term problem: just another sign of not having learned from history.

Georges Clermont,

Bruxelles, Belgium

© Copyright 2002 The Ottawa Citizen

[NorthernRight]

Rife with clichés and falsehoods, this letter is a virtual self-parody. Here in one single letter, we find all the attributes and prejudices that cause North American conservatives to despise European elitists.

[Great Dane]

You are right, but I do agree with the subsidy issue, the US is saying,"do as we say, not as we do." :-}

[NorthernRight]

Ping

[NorthernRight]

Notwithstanding subsidies, which are a legitimate economic issue, the rest of the article is filled with the typical arrogant conceits of an oh-so-superior European snob.

The hypocracy and hubris is breathtaking!

[McGavin999]

But when it comes to international politics, culture and history, they do smile at the immaturity of our North American politicians and institutions. Understandably so. History is the best guide to the future. You cannot acquire centuries of it in a few decades

Dear George:

Name one international despot who came from America.

BTW George, I notice that, although you mentioned the demise of the Soviet Union, you did not even give a tip of the hat to the man who brought it to it's knees without even firing a shot. Tut tut George, such a lapse of good manners.

[NorthernRight]

Ping

[syriacus]

History is the best guide to the future.

Here are some very important dates from history.

September 29, 1938, Chamberlain, Adolf Hitler, Edouard Daladier and Benito Mussolini signed the Munich Agreement which transferred the Sudetenland to Germany.

D-Day June 6, 1944

"VE-Day" May 8, 1945

[dennisw]

This clown writes the way the old PRAVDA used to. Chockful of lame cliches about the USofA. Not clever and not a sign of intelligence.

[Shermy]

Subsidies? The EU is a terrible abuser of this.

For me, it's enjoyable watching them yell about steel, knowing they know so little about their own politics.

[Jorge]

But when it comes to international politics, culture and history, they do smile at the immaturity of our North American politicians and institutions. Understandably so. History is the best guide to the future. You cannot acquire centuries of it in a few decades

History provides the best argument by far against the European politicians and institutions as any kind of example to follow.

[SpinyNorman]

Ah yes, the fine lessons of a rich history that Europe has taught us. Let us ponder their contributions to world politics and history: Hitler, Stalin, Chamberlain, Mussolini, etc., Socialism, Marxism, Communism, the Inqusition, the Dark Ages, the French, child labor, Yugos, Fiats and French cars in general, innumerable wars, including two world wars that they dragged us into, and a royal mess in Viet Nam we were left to resolve. The list goes on a and on. Our history seems so pale in comparison: the most successful republic on the planet, breadbasket to the world, the goal of freedom seekers around the world. Immature indeed.

Let us review the many contributions of Belgium to the world: waffles and "cultured" armchair political revisionist Belgians like Georges Clermont. LOL!

It is times like this that I fondly recall an old Monty Python skit, where the goal of a game show was to create a racial epithet for Belgians. The winner was from an old woman (Terry Jones in drag): "Miserable fat Belgian ba$tards!" As Rush would say, the best comedy is based on some indisputable truth.

[TAP ONLINE]

Yes the haughty Europeans, calling us immature and reckless. Lets see, the date early spring 1914, European civilization at its finest. One could travel across the channel and take a train to Moscow and farther east if one had a mind to, in safety with the gold Sovereign. Laws protecting life and property existed in all of Europe. Istanbul was also reachable without conflict. But the civilized Europeans ended all that in spite of the fact that they had hundreds of years to become civilized.

While we in the US were still immature and just over the shame of the Indian Genocide and slavery. Of course the actions of the civilized Europeans towards their African protectorates and colonies was just short of rape and plunder. Ah the Belgians lecture us on civilization while they continue to support all sides in a massive civil war over gems and strategic metals.

Europe still thinks they are a continent and still thinks they have a value system that anyone would like to emulate. They hate us not because we thrust our system and culture on them but because they cannot save theirs from decay and change. Autocrats as always whether they are from the left or from the right. They shriek at us because they fear no one cares what they say. They get together like the old rich in a declining town carping and complaining about change and the nouvea rich.

They act like they are the ones with morals because they practice the diplomacy developed over hundreds of years of civilization. The same diplomacy that allowed WW1 to occur and later dealt with the devils in Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy and evil that was (?) known as communism throughout Europe whether in Russia, its vassals, or their own political parties. Never absolute in judging its enemies but always absolute when ridiculing or judging the US

The Mideast, to Europe without its oil would be only a topic of derision. With oil they would sell their souls, if they still had them. They are decadent and tired. They try to become a United States of Europe, but with no purpose. The French might someday go to war with us, but it will not be over a important matter, probably over a farm subsidy. Their bluster on the world stage, but they are only off Broadway. Hitler once derided Great Britain for being a nation of shop keepers. He was right and that is why he failed. Europe alas is a “continent” of impotent old men with old ideas and no one to tell them to.

[JohnHuang2]

Thanks for the ping, friend.

[NorthernRight]

Thanks for the ping, friend.

Just returning the favor! :^)

[glc1173@aol.com]

Only good thing that ever came out of Belgium was a Browning!

[Great Dane]

The hypocricy of increasing your country's farm subsidies by 75-80%, then telling Canada to cut subsidies to milk production, or we will take you to court.

By the way, the US already had a very high subsidy rate before this increase.

[Great Dane]

#9....... But it is Canada they are going after, and Canada has cut subsidy's to farmers to next to nothing.... compared to all other countries.

[Movemout]

Monsieur Clemont, I seemed to have misplaced the Congo. Have you seen it lately?

[hellinahandcart]

Let us review the many contributions of Belgium to the world: waffles and "cultured" armchair political revisionist Belgians like Georges Clermont. LOL!

To be fair, they make decent chocolate too.

And they have a beef stew made with beer, that's pretty tasty as well...

[NorthernRight]

The hypocricy of increasing your country's farm subsidies...

Emmm...I'm Canadian. lol! (Check my profile.)   :^D