Posted: 2/20/2003 6:44:49 PM EDT
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Dear Friends: The last few days have been quite interesting in Europe. We were treated to quite a broad display of French & German understanding of “free speech”. French President Chirac was busy scolding (Le Monde) the government of small sovereign countries that had the “audacity” to disagree in public with the French and German governments. His advice: “shut up” His threat: “do not be so sure about your successful application to the EU” The leader of the opposition in Germany, Angela Merkel, had the “audacity” to air her disagreement with the Schröder administration in an editorial in – gasp – an American newspaper (Washington Post). Leaders of the ruling coalition in Germany - Katrin Göring-Eckardt, Volker Beck and Olaf Scholz – were quick in expressing their outrage (SPIEGEL) about her speaking up. They accused her of “inflicting great damage on Germany’s reputation” and “defaming her own government while bowing for the U.S. administration”. So here is a little taste of what we can expect of a United Europe under French/German leadership. Obviously the French & German governments do not share our understanding of the concept of “free speech”: Imagine the Bush administration would have scolded former Presidents Carter & Clinton for criticizing them abroad. Or imagine the Bush administration telling France & Germany to “shut up”. The outcry would (justifiably) have had no end. Instead a standard European (i.e. French/German) complaint about the Bush administration is their “arrogance” and “diplomatic inadeptness.” Well, now you can’t say that the “writing on the wall” was not pointed out to you. Regards, FRIZ Le Monde http://www.lemonde.fr/article/0,5987,3210--309709-,00.html Der Spiegel http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/0,1518,237040,00.html The Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A32835-2003Feb19.html |
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Quoted: Dear Friends: The last few days have been quite interesting in Europe. We were treated to quite a broad display of French & German understanding of “free speech”. French President Chirac was busy scolding (Le Monde) the government of small sovereign countries that had the “audacity” to disagree in public with the French and German governments. His advice: “shut up” His threat: “do not be so sure about your successful application to the EU” The leader of the opposition in Germany, Angela Merkel, had the “audacity” to air her disagreement with the Schröder administration in an editorial in – gasp – an American newspaper (Washington Post). Leaders of the ruling coalition in Germany - Katrin Göring-Eckardt, Volker Beck and Olaf Scholz – were quick in expressing their outrage (SPIEGEL) about her speaking up. They accused her of “inflicting great damage on Germany’s reputation” and “defaming her own government while bowing for the U.S. administration”. So here is a little taste of what we can expect of a United Europe under French/German leadership. Obviously the French & German governments do not share our understanding of the concept of “free speech”: Imagine the Bush administration would have scolded former Presidents Carter & Clinton for criticizing them abroad. Or imagine the Bush administration telling France & Germany to “shut up”. The outcry would (justifiably) have had no end. Instead a standard European (i.e. French/German) complaint about the Bush administration is their “arrogance” and “diplomatic inadeptness.” Well, now you can’t say that the “writing on the wall” was not pointed out to you. Regards, FRIZ Le Monde [url=www.lemonde.fr/article/0,5987,3210--309709-,00.html ]http://www.lemonde.fr/article/0,5987,3210--309709-,00.html[/url] Der Spiegel [url=www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/0,1518,237040,00.html]http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/0,1518,237040,00.html[/url] The Washington Post [url=www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A32835-2003Feb19.html]http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A32835-2003Feb19.html[/url] Excellent post. |