simple response:

Submitted by Jascha Kessler (United States), Sep 11, 2005 at 19:46

Unpopularity with the EU predisposed to condemn the US, mock at and laugh over? After 2 World Wars? Acrimony? from sanctimonious Stateists? Who are on the take always. Chirac in particular condemned even when running for Mayor of Paris, as a crook, by French friends I was staying with that week, who are in the know and upper caste? Acrimony from a Schroeder? A stumblebum? Mitterand? a failure for decades, at the top, too? European civilization has been dead since 1918, alas, qua civilization. Exhausted and decadent, and degenerate. And I like Europeans and have never had bad experiences ...with people. But the political culture has been a mess since 1918. And the populace, insofar as it expresses that culture, poor things.
Which is not to say Hurrah for the USA, not by any means. After 50 years in university classrooms, 45 at UCLA, I have some fair notions of what was and is, and alas, may be for the US tomorrow. As a Harvard person wrote me this morning — one who has long been on the outs with 99% of the Faculty, political folks, "The Democrats are racist ideologues [with all those defects, as one sees with the Senate today and tomorrow], and the Republicans are cowards. ..."
So here we are.
Do keep the strong clear statements.
Jascha Kessler
Professor of English, UCLA

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