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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Machaon who wrote (376791)	3/23/2003 3:48:31 PM
From: Crossy	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769667

Robert, thx for your reply. Generally the attitudes of the people here in Austria is somwhat like in germany - differentiated alongside party lines. Greens and social-democrats (yesterday's socialists) are mostly strongly opposed. Conservatives are generally neutral or pro-American, libertarians usually pro-American (unlike the US where this corner is more divided), the nationalist right wing factions are usually anti-US in Germany as in France and the rest doesn't have a clue. The local news here is a shame. Our press is pretty heavily concentrated and has a more "liberal" leaning as the US. The "intellectual" press has a really leftward tilt to it ("the standard" to some extent even the "kurier") - usually going after every "environmental" and "social" cause they can find and push us down our throat. Mainstream mass media is critical of Bush ("Cowboy politics") Conservative press like "die presse" neutral of slightly pro-American. All are cautious. Too cautious I think - the whining attitude just makes me sick. Others stand up for their values. The civilized world seemed to be stuck in agony and self-restraint. Good that the US finally cut the Gordian Knot and came back to action. Radio is a tad better here but you must realize that Austria still only has a state-owned terrestial TV network (back from our "social democrat" age which ended 3 years ago). However cable and SAT TV is available everywhere so the effect is mitigated. The state owned channel is usually tilted like the BBC. Somewhat liberal - in the past it was terrible anti-market and left-wing. Now it's getting better. But the Gulf war is still covered in a way not really friendly to US interests.. << The backstabbing French are not using the UN to uphold international law, they want to use the UN to further French interests, and to make America subservient to France, and it's corrupt partners. It won't happen! >> The illusions of the "multilaterlists". I don't need a "world order" where dictatorships on the UN constrain the agenda of the rest of the world or even the US. That seems to be the game plan of the "EU-directoire" (France, Belgium and the left-wing factions of Germany). << International law is only valid if it is backed by democratic nations, and who's purpose is the promotion of freedom and democracy. If international law does not promote freedom and democracy, then it will just be used as a tool of oppression >> Exactly ! Syria and Libia with big roles in the "human rights commission" is just indicative of this. The "racism" conferences with their transparent blackmail and anti-American agenda. Had enough of this. The last organization that was hollowed out succesfully was the cartel-like ITU in the 80ies. Remember the time when the world buerocrats colluded and agreed to charge artifically high phone charges for termination and origination of voice calls ? The US together with technology dismantled this iron web very succesfully in the 80ies. The ITU still exists but the cartel-like structure was wiped out. Just gone. Instead the WTO mandates openness. The same fate could await other parts of the UN. I have no regrets here.. << If Saddam was allowed to stay in power, and continue to develop WMDs, it could only get worse for his people, and for the world. Perhaps we've been able to stop him before his WMDs were truly "deliverable"? >> why should we wait until MR. Saddam is in a position to blackmail us with intercontinetal missiles and atomic warheads ? It was right to preempt this and act now. Tomorrow SDI will provide another line of defence. Too bad for rogue nations with too high aspirations. Yesterday's games won't do it anymore.. << At one time, the French weren't the backstabbing, blood suckers that they are now. For instance, the huge Statue of Liberty came from France. At one time, France was appreciative that Americans sacrificed their lives and their limbs to liberate France, and to keep France free >> Well I learnt in history class that La Follette and his "expedition" battalion landed in Rhode Island in support of US independence fron England. Then there's the "Patriot Man" I forgot his name but his name was French if I remember it correctly. He was a big hero when the US nation formed. << We are finding out that the EU has gone power crazy, and has little regard for freedom and democracy >> There are 2 thrusts inside the EU going on. France, Belgium and the political left of many other countries except the UK and the Netherlands (Germany, Italy etc.) usually support an intensified "political union" this means more centrally dictated rules. A "directoire" so to say. However the small countries and the political right of most other countries detest this. The centralists want "harmonization", the others (like me) want competition to derive at solutions. I usually point out that "harmonization" is just an euphemism for CARTEL. Economically the failed French approach "planification" amounted to just this. Good for Europe that Tony Blair has learned enough lessons from Maggie Thatcher to emerge as a contrast. You should be aware that Europe tilted very much to the Right in the recent 2-3 years. There was a tendency underway before but September 11 just accelerated this. In Austria in 2000 our conservative party finally had enough of their old alliance with the social-democrats and tried to form a coalition government with the more rightward Freedom party. It was met by mass protests of the united left who turned out to be rather bad and unwilling losers. After snap-election were called this fall chancellor Schussel (conservative) snapped up record gains at the poll (his party gained more than 15% votes - 42% in total) and formed another government with the decimated freedom party. This was remarkable because he achieved victory despite some unusual (for Austria) adjustments of a bloated social buerocracy etc.. In 2000 we had the only center right government apart from Spain, IRland and Luxemburg in Europe. In the last years other leftwing countries changed their direction: Italy, Netherlands, Denmark, Portugal, Norway (not EU but European), France (makes no difference there) and recently Finland. The leftwing "social democrat" way just lost appeal.. best rgrds CROSSY