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Where’s a Virginian when you need one?

While I’ve been out of the office for the past week on personal business, the French went and demonstrated for all the world to see that they are, in fact, French. It seems that to the French, a Constitution with 448 Articles to make life livable in ‘La belle Europa’ just isn’t over-controlling and smothering enough, they want even more! As it is today, If Martin Luther wanted to nail a copy of the EU constitution to the door; he would need a full size construction quality pneumatic nail gun for the job.

Now, on one hand, I have to admit that I laughed along with the rest of America at the sound of the iceberg of reality hitting the hull of the good ship EU, but on the other hand I’m actually kind of sad. I say this with all possible candor and with complete honesty, I really want the EU to work. I think we need the EU to work. I don’t want a weak Europe, and I think that the EU is not a bad idea; it’s just that it the creation of the EU has been horribly executed.

But, let’s be clear here, making a nation when its populated by Europeans is damn hard work. There’s a reason why the Germans go crazy every 20 years and start ripping into their neighbors gardens with their armies. Europe doesn’t wear the crown of the second most fought over place on the earth after the Levant for nothing. It’s not the weather, the food, or something in the water, it’s the Europeans themselves.

Europe is in big trouble. It is growing at roughly half the rate of the US and its population is dropping faster than Pets.com stock in the year 2000. Its unemployment rate is at levels no one in the US has seen since the Carter Administration, with no sign of that changing anytime soon.

Europeans states have two choices; to do nothing, insist on living in the reflected glory of the past and end up as a failed state like Canada or band together.

Oh, but Canada’s not so bad, is it? Canada was once a proud and virile State, is now like a tottering old folks home resident that cannot remember what day it is. The slow narcotic of socialism has taken its toll on our northern neighbors and like burned out heroin junkies, the effects of the drug will go for years afterwards even if they were to stop their addiction today.

America is in a tough position. It needs a strong Europe, but it cannot interfere lest it be charged with “imperialism”. Yet, we cannot afford another failed state in our midst during the current war against Islamic-fascism. Canada and Mexico, who can’t be bothered to protect their own borders, present too much risk for the US as it is. Russia with its corrupt political situation and easy and ready access to nuclear and biological weapons represents a great threat to the US. The failure of Europe would put the US at further risk, from which we could likely not recover. The European governments have already shown themselves to be easy victims of blackmail and bribery. If the EU were to fall even further down the pipe, its ability to give cover and sanctuary to our enemies would only grow.

There are many in Europe who want be in the EU to act as a counterbalance to America, and they say this as if America were the only threat in the world. I know there are a great many people who really do believe that America is the only threat to world peace, many of them live in the blue states of the US, but most of them live in Europe. To the Socialists and the Communists, it must seem to be the case that the one great remaining free market Capitalist bastion is the only threat to the world, but its not really the case.

Well, if that helps get the European nations to give up some of their sovereignty so they will bind together, then so be it. It doesn’t bother me in the least. I have never felt the slightest threat from the EU, even with De Villepan with his fangs in full display. You want trade protection, ok, we can do that too. You want to charge us with “Genetically Modified Food” and other such crap designed only to keep our goods out of their markets, ok, we can play that game too. We have 200+ years of dealing with European protectionist policies, been there, done that, and bought the T-shirt.

I feel about the EU the way Francis Drake felt about the Spanish Armada, All that firepower doesn’t mean a thing if you don’t have top notch sailors and your ships cant maneuver. The EU, as the people of France have once again demonstrated, can’t maneuver.

So, Just How bad is it for Europe?

America is a country is at war, bearing all of that expense unilaterally. It is also under stress due to its foolish leftist anti-nuclear policies of the 1970’s, which have placed it in the unenviable position of importing a high amount of its fuel from very unstable portions of the world. And yet, it is still growing, and at a rate roughly twice what the unencumbered French and Europeans are doing at the same time. Imagine where we would be if we were not at war, and oil was half its current price? Now, does that help us understand why the Europeans have been somewhat less than helpful in our fighting the war on terror?

But like I said, I really want the EU to be successful. So in that spirit here’s my suggestion for the EU Constitution (Version II).

First, get an Englishman to write your constitution. It worked for us; it can work for you too! President Valery Giscard D’estang? What were you thinking? For gods’ sake, the French can write 2000 pages on the various color of apples without breaking a sweat. Its not getting them to talk that’s the trick, it’s getting them to shut up. You don’t put a Scotsman in the kitchen, you don’t put a Frenchman near a pen and paper, its one of life’s little rules.

Second. This time, instead of writing a constitution that works out every little possible permutation of happiness and then calls them “rights”, lets do this instead; write a constitution that simply limits how far the EU federal government can go. Leave the rest up to people themselves to figure out what they need and what makes them happy. See, when our European forefathers wrote our constitution, they came up with this idea that “rights” came from God, and not men. I know that its offensive for many of todays Europeans to even discuss the idea that there might be something more important than government officials, but there is a lot to be said for that simple idea, whether you believe in a god or not. Our forefathers’ thought that the governments of men were meant to be restrained, and men, being free men, could in fact best take care of themselves. Governments could not give you rights, nor could they guarantee them. Your rights were yours, and the government according to our constitution was explicitly and legally restricted from taking them away from you, as they were not the governments to give in the first place.

Third. Our whole constitution turns on one simple problem. How do you balance the power of the larger States with the smaller States. If the Nation is called the “United States” how can Rhode Island and Virginia sit in equal power when they are most clearly not? More simply put, how can you keep a large State or a group of large States from dominating the rest of the States? In our country, States matter and States have equal representation in at least one half of the legislature. Each State, no matter its size or population only has 2 Senators. Population determines representation in the House of Representatives, but the Senate, the senior house is equal among the states. The Senate also holds say over the executive branch and the foreign policy by requiring that treaties are ratified by the senate (see: Kyoto treaty, and why it will never be ratified by the US)
More important, the Federal Election for President is done by using the Electoral College, which has the effect of mitigating the population impact in the election. In this manner, small States can effectively counter the influence of the larger States by ensuring that the Candidates for President cannot ignore entire States without losing their electoral votes.

In this manner, States can effectively maintain their sovereignty and yet have equal influence in the EU political operations, so in the end France and Germany will not matter more than say, Denmark or Holland.

Look, I don’t want to sound paternalistic, but next time you sit down to draw up a multinational, multiethnic federal government that draws together what were once sovereign states in their own right, try to look at one that exists already, and yet I might add one that is also pretty successful. Not France, but the United States of America.

And people of Europe, please remember: we want you to succeed. We really, really do. When you succeed, Europe will be free of the nightmare of death and destruction that has befallen so many of your ancestors and resulted in the Diaspora that led to the formation of America in the first place. If you fail, it means another generation of American children will go on to populate the graves that surround your battlefields to provide you with your liberty.

For their sake, and for your sake, lets get it right this time, shall we?

Posted @ May 31, 2005 06:36 PM | Current Events

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