Mr. Obama in Europe...a total success? Mr. Z doesn't think so.........

Obama’s Europe Trip of Missteps

The expectations were huge. Here comes this young, new American President to Europe, who, in his own words, „doesn’t look like the other Presidents on the dollar bill“, and who has a charming wife who has turned into a fashion icon and has just appeared on the cover of Vogue. Obamania was in full swing, and he charmed his way through Europe, always displaying his big, nice smile, and radiating this almost exotic appeal which attracts so many people who want to come and see for themselves! Despite several protocol missteps, including hugging the Queen and bringing her an iPod including his own speech from 2004, this aspect of his trip was a success. He looked popular.

The situation is completely different, however, when it comes to the substance of the trip. It was rough to see an American president, who instead of leading, came, in his own words, to come to listen and not lead. The problem started exactly at that point. If the U.S. President is not leading, who is expected to lead? Well, actually, Merkel and Sarkozy did very well in that category. But I am getting ahead of myself. We’ll take the different subjects one at a time, shall we?

Obama and Russia. Obama had a meeting with Russian President Medvedev before the G20 meeting. Main subject: A new, comprehensive and binding Disarmament Agreement, meaning a stark reduction of strategic nuclear weapons. Russia agreed to such agreement, but Obama does not realize that he cannot trust the Russians to live up to such agreement (that is why Medvedev grinned after the meeting). But it gets worse: Obama made a public declaration later during the trip (in Prague) that all nuclear weapons should be eliminated. The response from the Kremlin didn’t take long to come: A sound “nyet”. Conclusion: Full failure.

Obama and the G20. As far as Obama’s role is concerned, this was a complete disaster. Merkel and Sarkozy got their view of tight control of the financial system accepted (in view of toxicity of assets and the Soros-style casino-like gambling with derivatives an absolute necessity), and also defeated Obama in his quest to have everybody accept socialist-style stimuli and bailouts. He got, of course, support from the socialist British Prime Minister Brown who appealed particularly to Merkel to provide more stimuli in Europe, since he wanted to take advantage of that because Britain had already spent, spent, spent more than they could ever afford over the years – just a little preview of what is going to happen in the United States of Obama, unless this is somehow stopped. But Merkel refused. Back to Obama, he failed to convince the participants not to pump more money into international organizations. The U.S. should have never given money for some bureaucrats in international organizations to distribute at their discretion. Conclusion: Full failure.

Obama and the NATO. At NATO’s 60^th birthday meeting, a new Secretary General needed to be elected. Turkey had blocked the person proposed by Angela Merkel, the Danish Prime Minister Rasmussen, because it had been in Denmark that the Muhammad caricatures had appeared years ago! Instead of telling Turkey to take a hike, Obama intervened and got Turkey to accept Rasmussen. Conclusion: While at the surface Obama helped Merkel to save face, it came at a price – some concessions to Turkey, like important posts in NATO, which remained obscure (at least to me), and maybe his requests on behalf of Turkey (see below). Since this was more like a celebratory event, no assessment relative to NATO can be made. However, we don’t know yet what the long-term effect of the concessions to Turkey mean.

Obama and Europe. While a certain smoothing of the tone with the European allies was certainly a positive move, Obama went too far by calling the European Union “the world leader“. Europe has an important role to play, for sure, but at least in the current state of affairs in the European Union, the EU fails to take a uniform position even for the most miniscule issues, and is deeply divided over the its role and future constitution after the last attempt in Lisbon a couple of years ago turned out be a dismal failure. But history in general just seems to escape Obama. And then there was this large public speech in Prague where he did what he did his best to provide a well presented speech from the teleprompter. Other than platitudes, his speech was marred, however, by two items which show complete ignorance of history: (1) He announced his intent to make the world “nuclear-weapon-free”. This, of course, is a crowd pleaser everywhere, where you find socialists and communists – and there are plenty, not only in the U.S. So, the crowd cheered. But the response from Russia came promptly: “Nyet”. (2) He requested that Turkey must be accepted in the EU. The response came promptly from Paris (“Non”) and Berlin (“Nein”). Conclusion: Form over substance. Form: A “reach-out” was well received. Substance: Obama stepped from one mishap into the other.

Obama and Turkey. It is worth noting that Turkey was Obama’s first real foreign State Visit. Was it an accident that he chose an Islamic State for that occasion? Remember, his first telephone call after being President was to Mahmud Abbas in Palestine, and his first public TV interview was with an Arabic Station. His visit in Turkey was commented upon in a German newspaper, it said that Obama felt “that Turkey serves as a role model”. He also said in the speech at the Parliament in Ankara that “Turkey had so much history in common with Europe” that it is only logical when he requests that Turkey be allowed to enter the EU. This only shows complete and utter ignorance of history as well as the situation of today with Turks in Europe. The strongly negative reaction from Berlin and Paris came immediately. Well, in addition, he also said that the United States is not a Christian or Jewish or Muslim Nation, but a Nation of citizens. Conclusion: Complete disaster.

While everything looked so nice, and Obama was so friendly and open, the objective assessment of the trip can only be called a complete failure. He destroyed any notion of the U.S. as a powerful Nation on which other countries can rely. His proposals were all rejected. His ideas were repudiated. And on top of that, when he was just in full swing and announcing all his wonderful ideas about a new world order, the North Koreans launched a rocket (to which his reaction was more than weak). It has become abundantly clear – the international political leaders are Merkel and Sarkozy these days, and the new world powers are Russia and China. So, other than schmoozing with everybody, making a nice impression, and having a First-Lady-Contest between Michelle Obama and Carla Bruni-Sarkozy , in terms of substance the trip was a catastrophe for the United States.

This is how the German centrist newspaper summarizes Obama’s Europe trip: Naïve Visions instead of Concrete Results.

Z: Obviously, this was written from Mr. Z's points of view on the various subjects, but he arrives at them with a good understanding of history and a great love of his adopted country, America.

The biggest problem is the MEDIA...that the trip is touted so favorably and that "Europe Loves Mr. Obama"....we need truth in the media, folks....it isn't happening these days. There were plenty of headlines like the one from FAZ (Frankfurter Allgemeine) just above here. I personally applauded his reaching out to the kids in Turkey as I think we DO have to soften their hearts and give them the true American story, not what THEY hear. I don't have enough information on the students in France and how Mr. Obama did there. But, their apparent admiration for this president is a great boon to our country and, if he plays his cards right, telling of OUR GREATNESS and how we've done SO much for them and that we want PEACE, that can't hurt, eh?

I pray that happens and I believe the Turkey meeting was a good start. That's all I admired about his visit to Turkey, though I'm not totally sure it's not a terrible thing for the moderate Muslims to hear that we're not against THEM. (I wish he'd added that we could use more HELP FROM MODERATES in our fight against terrorism. If he did, I'd love to hear about that and would appreciate links.)

thanks! And thanks to Mr. Z for this article...!

z

Are WE doing the same thing?......

Watching what the media wants us to know and ignoring what's RIGHT THERE? I think so. So, how do we fix that?

z

The Korean rocket...........from Der Spiegel

Quite a shot, eh? Not the rocket, but the photo? heh heh

"In Normandy, we LOVE the Americans..........."

A true story we can all be proud of:
At ten thirty, she sweeps up the torn Metro tickets, the crumpled, empty cigarette packs, and paper sugar cube covers. I watch her every morning, as my husband and I have our morning café crème and baguette with butter. That is to say, as my husband has those delicious things, and I have a bitter, black café with cold water, a taste combination I have grown to savor. We say “bonjour” to everybody who’s behind the counter as we walk in, the proprietor, Serge, the black-vested barman, Brigitte, the blonde woman with a braid down her back which brushes her waist, and a little blonde woman with overly pinked cheeks. Every morning, it’s “bonjour,” or “merci, au revoir”, when we leave through the crowds standing at the bar getting their morning fix of caffeine and nicotine. She never leaves the back of the bar except to sweep, and we’ve never come to know her name.

We do know the names of our favorite servers we have come to know since we’ve lived near the Place Victor Hugo in Paris. We have felt like family for the last year, with Jean Paul, Mayda, and Jean Claude. They kiss our cheeks, or my hand, as we come in every morning, or on the evenings when we have dinner there. We talk about recipes, discussing the benefits of adding an egg yolk to mashed potatoes, or chestnuts to red cabbage at Christmas (Jean Paul went almost down to his knees in rapture when he talked about that!).

In the 2 ½ years we’ve come in to the café, I know the little blonde woman with the rouged cheeks has learned we’re not French…one only has to listen to my ‘Bon Jour’ to know that. I like to think that whatever else Jean Paul or Mayda might have said about us is kind. We have deep affection for these people and I think they do for us, too.

This morning, the blonde woman and I spoke for the first time. My husband and I sat fairly close to the bar and she had to sweep around our table so I lifted my purse off the ground to get it out of her way. “Don’t move, Madame, it is fine there,” she said in French. My husband made a comment about the mess on the floor, “there are ashtrays on the tables, why are there cigarette butts on the floor?” he complained. “The Parisians,” she said. “I’m from Normandy. You won’t see this there. Have you been there?”

“Normandy,” I said, “yes, we have been there. There are so many beautiful towns, and I love the specialties in Normandy, all the wonderful butter and cream, the blanquette de veau.” She looked proud. Tell the French you love their food, they’ll be yours forever. “Ah, oui, blanquette de veau…c’est magnifique!” She dragged her broom around floor under my chair and then stopped again. “In Normandy, we love the Americans,” she said, smiling.

“OH, I don’t think so!” I said to her..“I thought the French don’t usually like Americans,” I said, baiting her a bit but enjoying the compliment. She stopped sweeping, held the broom straight up in front of her, and looked directly into my eyes. “In Normandy we do…we will never forget what the Americans did for us. In Normandy, we like the Americans very much.”

I watched as she continued sweeping. She looked up from the floor and caught my eyes again, “very much.” I was almost moved to tears. She stopped again, leaning the broom stick in the cradle of her arm. “In Normandy, we have a statue of Patton….THIS high,” she gestured to about 7 feet in the air. We will never forget what the Americans did for us. Maybe in Paris they forget, but never in Normandy.” Suddenly, I felt seven feet tall, too.

I watched the blonde woman as she finished sweeping and brushed everything into the dustpan and into the trash. She put her broom away in the corner and went back behind the bar where she, again, became a one-woman perpetual café machine……never stopping, never ceasing to be pleasant, to offer a croissant, telling people to have a good day “bonne journee!” on their way out.

She looked up through the crowd and smiled at me, as she leaned forward, wiping off the bar top with a towel. How proud I felt this morning, like I’d actually helped the French myself! Who was I to take the compliment, I thought? Who am I? I wasn’t even born then. But I am an American. And, this morning, it felt even better than usual.

Z: Written in France, in 2002, I published this last January, but, after this last week, I felt it was right to do so again. This French waitress didn't need anybody apologizing for America.....

I LOVE THIS GUY! start clappin'.........

Hip Hop Flight Attendant @ Yahoo! Video

".........Thank you for flying Southwestern!" Wouldn't life be more fun if more people "had a good time" with the mundane?!

z

This man is a French Socialist ....

…… he was the Foreign Minister in the Jospin Government, and has no good word for Obama’s “No-nuclear” initiative.

From Der Spiegel, 040609 Translated by Mr. Z....funny that our media's not got translators so Americans can REALLY know what's happening...................................here. In America. When THEY get it 'righter' than WE do, we have real problems.....getting straightened out by socialist anti-nuke nuts? Oh, GREAT. (and yes, it was in French, translated into German and now it's in English. Yes, the Germans actually DO care what people around the world say. Of course, the American media does too, IF it's something they want YOU to know)

FRANKREICHS EX-AUSSENMINISTER VÉDRINE

"Obama betreibt Volksverdummung" Obama engages in stultification of the people

Der frühere französische Außenminister Védrine hält nichts von den Abrüstungsplänen des US-Präsidenten: Obamas Wunsch nach einer Welt ohne Atomwaffen sei pure Demagogie, sagte der Politiker - und warf ihm Volksverdummung vor. The former French Foreign Minister Védrine doesn’t think anything good about the demilitarization plans of the US King: Obama’s desire for a world without nuclear weapons is pure demagoguery, says the politician – and accused him of treating people as stupid.

Thanks, France....that's what most of us think, too.

Turkey and Tornados.......curious Times

There's a certain blog you might want read to learn about a magazine published in North Carolina. Check it out!

Imagine that published here? Wouldn't we figure that anybody associated with an ideology so against OURS might need investigation? Instead, there they are... publishing? WHAT?

By the way...here's a clip from Obama's speech today (the link has it in its entirety):

"Let me be clear: the United States strongly supports Turkey’s bid to become a member of the European Union. We speak not as members of the EU, but as close friends of Turkey and Europe. Turkey has been a resolute ally and a responsible partner in transatlantic and European institutions."

But, Mr. Obama...Turkey, the only majority Muslim country in NATO, refused use of its territory as an invasion route to Iraq....Is that "resolute and responsible?" Oh, then there's this statement in the speech: "Finally, we share the common goal of denying al Qaeda a safe-haven in Pakistan or Afghanistan." Ain't THAT rich? You'd think denying them safe-haven HERE might be a priority FIRST?

Obama also said "Centuries of shared history, culture, and commerce bring you together. Europe gains by diversity of ethnicity, tradition and faith – it is not diminished by it." Anybody know their European history enough to remember how muslims treated Europe over the centuries? How's about talking about the Armenian problem? Mr. Obama promised to make sure Turkey would finally admit to the massacres but, today, he's leaving that to Turkey and Armenia. THAT's worked before, huh? And, don't forget; one of the things keeping Turkey out of the EU is the EU's disgust that Turkey hasn't admitted guilt of the Armenian genocide. Today, Mr. Obama's pushing for EU admittance...which will make Europe a caliphate within 10 years (sort of like their plans over the last centuries, come to think of it)...I'm not sure he knows that citizens in countries within the EU don't need passports to travel within EU countries. Let that sink in.

Meanwhile, is it "resolute and responsible" to allow a terrorist magazine to be published here!? Or can we even CALL it "terrorist"? Maybe it's just a "Man Called Disaster Publication", huh? Sort of like the "Tornado Times"?

More: "The United States has been enriched by Muslim Americans. Many other Americans have Muslims in their family, or have lived in a Muslim-majority country – I know, because I am one of them."


(thanks, Flopping Aces and The Jawa Report)
z

Military votes not counted in New York.....

How will the Democrats spin this, and why is it being put up with? WHAT is going on? Why aren't both parties embarrassed that this is happening IN AMERICA? To OUR MILITARY?

Here is a snippet from the article linked here:

The outcome of a special Congressional election in New York’s 20th Congressional District will likely turn on the illegal exclusion of up to 1,000 overseas military ballots, which otherwise would have tipped the race in favor of James Tedisco (R). Tedisco and Scott Murphy (D) are in a dead heat, with 77,225 votes each.

Democrats on the state elections board blocked GOP attempts to allow overseas military voting in the special election. Overseas ballots take weeks to reach voters and be returned unless special measures are taken to speed things up. But the elections officials refused to do anything to speed things up, or mail the ballots out early enough. The result is that perhaps 90 percent of the ballots will be tossed in the trash without ever being counted. (Military ballots are cast mostly for Republican candidates).

Please read the whole linked article, there are some other things that need to be known that you won't hear in the mainstream media. Though, who really cares? We're not DOING anything about this atrocious behavior. And, please, address the military votes in your comments...especially you lefties, I'd like to know how this sits with Americans on your side. I know how it sits with Americans who respect the military. This is not respecting them. And, please, FOCUS...on this information TODAY. Thanks.

BY THE WAY...fascinating that so many elections are THIS TIGHT in a country whose media is now totally lying or mischaracterizing things in favor of the Left, isn't it? I find that optimistic in a world recently full of such utter negativity.

z

6 more days until CHOCOLATE...........

Help me, God!

Sunday Faith Blog...this week it's PRAISE SONGS!

In 'UnGodly" Germany....the churches take to the Bavarian streets....so sweet, so pure

Last week, we did HYMNS. This week, let's list our favorite PRAISE SONGS! Include YouTube links if you can....Today is Palm Sunday....

Mark 11:9-10
⁹Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted,
"Hossanah!"
"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"
¹⁰"Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!"
"Hosanna in the highest!"

Glory be to God...have a fabulous Sunday, everybody! (and leave a favorite praise song, don't forget!)

z