De la Démocratie en Amérique
By glazou on Wednesday 3 November 2004, 15:29 - General - Permalink
From an american friend of mine:
" We're America. We're slow, fat and stupid. We don't need democracy anymore. We just like to pretend we do. "
Next events
- 9-11 may-2012, CSS WG meeting, Hamburg, Germany
- 29 oct-2 nov 2012, W3C Technical Plenary Meeting, Lyon, France
Comments
Al the time I was unsure if I shouldn't vote for Bush. In case that Kerry would have won, he had to face the results of Bush's politics:
- all time high loss
- bad american image
- 100 other things.
So I hope that the Bush regime will collapse and the US will recognize what they did. In the meantime I fear we have to face the loss thousands of lifes in Iraq and propably in Iran soon.
It's not the best example but what would have happended when Hitler would have been killed in '44? Germany would have never faced the real horror of the ultra right policy.
Remember: Hitler's actual rise to power was rather easy (it was handed to him).
History repeats itself.
I found an interesting correlation on my blog though:
robert.accettura.com/arch...
Areas most effected by 9/11 seems to have been no more likely to go Bush. Northeast Corridor, 5 boroughs... all solid anti-bush.
But they're aren't eating any french fries for some time now, so I would expect they slowly become slimmer now
I'm kinda fed up with all this "poor american people who reelected Bush etc..." in France.
It's just exactly what happened in France in 2002 : people scared (of terror in the US, of thieves and murderers in France) and the conservative party that instrumentalizes it (with the kind help of dominant media) to be reelected.
But i guess it's much more convenient to blame others for making the same mistakes as you did.
I can't be suspected of being a Bush backer but i just notice that M. Moore's "Farenheit 911" was a hit in France (and in the US) while M. Carles's "Pas vu pas pris" could only be screened thanx to donations after all TVs (public and private) dropped out of the project (it talked about friendship and collusion between leading journalists and politicians).
So I'm definitely not happy with today's result but I relly hate all this French sobbing stuff. It's sooo easy.
Laurent, just two important details: (a) Chirac did not start a war, sending people to death, on false reasons (b) we all had to vote for Chirac because Chirac wanted it... Pasqua recently ack'd he had the 500 signatures and was asked to remove his name to oust Jospin on first round. Chirac played very well - even if dangerously - that game. He did nothing illegal, nothing really harmful.
Sorry for you Americans...
But that is not why I think I have to write here. People you shocked me.
The comparison with Hitler is not acceptable, not fair, it can be for no one, even for Bush : to begin Hitler never won an election. Power came to him naturally, but from the circumstances, not from the people. Hindenburg was elected in 1932, then took Hitler, second of the election and whom he clearly despised, as his Chancelor to form a majority, and died a few months later (no murder : he was very old). Hitler then never organized elections again, and became the Führer.
Hitler never won an election. Bush, even if his victory in 2000 can be discussed, won apparently clearly and by quite far in 2004. Even if I do not agree with him I consider nobody can say his reelection was not democratic.
I think... it can seem extreme, but I think NOTHING can even be compared to Hitler. Hitler is certainly the most absolute evil known in history (the concept of an industry of killing is hopefully unique, even Saddam bombed his kurds, but never made such a monstruousity, even Staline had the goulag, to get rid of political opponents and make them work for his projects, but no place just to kill people), and believe me, an atheist does not use religious-oriented words like 'evil' on any occasion. Passions around Hitler are too strong, his deeds too terrible... Bush is stupid, dangerous, criminal in his stupidity sometimes, but Hitler was Absolute Evil.
Bush is not Hitler, no one is Hitler. Sorry, the comparison did really shock me a lot.
Sorry if I was long. The old Europe has memory. Or tries to have.
Daniel :
a. right
b. we all had to vote to Chirac because all this paranoia about home security (remember the news just before the poll) resulted in a second round somewhat disturbing and i suppose the rest of the world did not find it really pretty...
Once again, i'm not here to find silly excuses to the american people nor draw comparison between Chirac and Bush, that would be quite stupid and useless.
I just want to point out that it looks like French people and French media are much more eager to talk about other people's mistakes than their owns. It's all about pride i suppose.
Bernard: Stereotype kind of answer: As soon as someone makes a Hitler comparison, someone else says that nothing can be compared to the real evil.
But: I'm afraid that the third reich could have happened to every other country as well and it currently something similiar might happen to the US. I'm not afraid of Bush, I'm afraid of Abu Ghraib, of the Patriot Act and:
I'm shocked that 50% of americans want Bush as a leader regardless of these issues. That's exactly what happened in germany 70 years ago. Hitler came to power by Hindenburg but the people yelled for him.
Maybe you're right that this comparison is a bit too hard but we all, and especially the US people, should learn to watch carefully what will happen.
BTW: Hitler didn't have nukes, Bush, Cheney, Wolfoitz and co. have...
@Daniel: What happened to you, you talked about Chirac without being irritated and using names ?! Have you forgotten he is right-wing ? I hope you recover soon from your temporary weakness
Let's sing in chord everyone : « We're all living in Amerika »
dascritch.ath.cx/blog.php...