why europeans just dont get america (someone in europe gets it)

london spectator | today | Mark Steyn

[TheRedSoxWinThePennant]

good article

[Niagara]

"(someone in europe gets it)"

Too bad it's a Canadian!

[TheRedSoxWinThePennant]

he is a canadian? my bad

[buzzyboop]

still a good article..

[Niagara]

He writes for the National Post (Canadian), I believe he was born in Canada and now lives in the US.

[TheRedSoxWinThePennant]

i thought so i especially like

. America is the only Western power in which a significant proportion of voters disdain the UN and all its works, and where for many years Congress declined to pay the country’s membership dues. Europeans assume this is some sort of primitive, redneck fear of ‘multilateralism’, but in fact it’s an entirely reasonable wariness of diluting the sovereignty of the American people in what is, in large part, a front for anti-democratic forces.

[My Identity]

Once a serf, always a serf.

[niteowl77]

The correct answer is probably ‘Neither of the above’, but the stampede of politicians and press to demonise Pim Fortuyn suggests it’s the Europhiles who are in the advanced state of derangement: when you’re that eager to tag as a fascist the guy who’s standing up to the fascists (the Islamofascists, that is), you’re in pretty bad shape.

Huey and Earl Long have got to be chuckling, wherever they are.

[texasbluebell]

Wasn't someone looking for a photo of Mark Steyn recently? Here's one from JWR. This guy writes some of the best columns around!

[MoJo2001]

Europeans don't get America because they don't get themselves. I've found it fascinating just how dysfunctional the European Union has become. Of course I believed they were trying to be a powerful alternative to the United States. However, this feel good ONE CONTINENT mentality isn't working well. Why? Because the French refuse to be anything but French. The Germans the same way. While you'd think they'd be more similar, they just aren't. It's rather sad, but then I don't want to diminish it too much. Many of us have relatives buried in Europe.

[Cicero]

The one thing that drew Europe together and gave its identity was Christianity. But beginning with the French Revolution, and partly in response to the Thirty Years' War, Europeans began to repudiate the mitigating and unifying influence of Christianity. Europe has suffered for it ever since.

Upon what enduring values does European government presently rest? Basically, on whatever crazy, utopian ideas the chattering classes have come up with most recently. They are sure they know what's best for ordinary citizens, and they aren't about to ask the great unwashed what they think about it.

[Paleo Conservative]

The last word is the important part: anyone can start a democracy, but keeping it going depends on an engaged, participating citizenry, not just folks who shuffle along to the polls once every four years to vote for some guy from a centrally approved list of party hacks.

This is precisely my objection to proportional representation systems. All the power for nominating is held centrally. thet presuppose a highly centralized government.

[Mike Darancette]

Bump for later.

[jdege]

The Party does the nominating? The central committee?

And they call that Democracy?

Who's party is it, anyway?

Two years ago, we had a Republican State Senator from Stillwater, Minnesota named Gary Laidig, who had accumulated a voting record far more liberal than many of his constituents were comfortable with, and who had been basically ignoring constituent contacts.

At his district's endorsing convention, a woman named Michelle Bachmann asked to speak, trying to convince the delegates of the importance of scrapping the state's current education mandate, called the "Profile of Learning". As she finished, Laidig made a remark about "we've had our humor for the evening."

The delegates were not amused.

Now Michelle had been lobbying for a platform change, she hadn't intended to run for the seat. But one of the delegates nominated her, it was seconded, she said she'd run if she was nominated, and bang, she was endorsed with 80% of the votes.

The party bigwigs were flabbergasted - the Senate leadership was quick to jump in to support Laidig in a primary fight against Bachmann. At the primary, Bachmann won, 81% to 19%. And then she won the general election.

It looks like exactly the same thing is going to be happening in Rochester, the incumbent, Shiela Kiscaden, did not get the endorsement, someone else did. The Senate Republican leadership is backing Kiscaden in the primary fight - we'll see what happens.

I know the statists think this sort of thing is messy, that the powers-that-be, being so much wiser than us peons, are better placed to make these decisions. But I don't buy it.

This sort of thing is essential to democracy.

[gcruse]

The only obstacle to this is; US politicians don't want to
look into a future.  Long ago, Marshall understood it well

Well, if it comes again to resurrecting a defeated, war
ravaged nation, look for the US to do it again.  If, on
the other hand, you are suggesting that the US finance
and direct the future of Europe, nobody here wants that
and nobody in Europe would tolerate it.  The nation/state
is the only way to go.  As for the rest of the world, you all
get to go to hell in your own basket.  Would you really
want it any other way?  It's that 'freedom' you admire.
It entails the freedom to fail.

[gcruse]

 
The nation/state is the only way to go – I would like
you to be more specific on that, if you can please.

Political entities above that of the nation/state,
cannot represent the cultural and social asperations
of the nations, if the definition of nation can be  a
group of people with similar desires and political
beliefs.  Thus the EU, UN, and to a large measure,
the federal government of the US, tend to destroy
regional culture and the freedom to live as one
chooses.

after all US economy and so is the world Economy goes hand by hand.

I think capitalism and free markets empower progress
and are the only way to go.  However, every nation must
be free to make its own way.  Bear in mind, I am a
libertarian, and many on these boards would disagree
with me.

Would you really want it any other way?  It's that 'freedom' you admire.
It entails the freedom to fail. --- What other way?

I may be wrong, but you implied by bringing up American
concern with the world future in terms of the Marshal plan
that the US must somehow keep other countries afloat.
I would not want it that way.  I believe to succeed, you
must also be free to fail.  Japan has to save Japan.

And yes, there is such a thing as communism.
Having money wouldn't do you much good in the USSR, where there was little to buy.