Letters from Europe:

Letters from Europe - Campaigning on the EU Constitution begins in earnest

GRENOBLE, France - In France, there are official sites to put up posters supporting or against whatever the next election discusses. For example, in the last election for representatives to the European parliament, posters were put up supporting various candidates or parties.

In the upcoming referendum on acceptance or rejection of the European Constitution, last week the official poster placement sites were put up. Next to my apartment, they put up special temporary boards on which to post up placards. Apparently, since the small side street behind my building leads to the base of a cable car that carries tourists and others up to the Bastille that dominates the area, and the street is right next to the city Parc du Jardin, or "Garden Park" where many city sponsored festivals and events are held, it is regarded as a central location, despite being a very quiet street.

For those who don't read or speak French, the text on the poster:

The main text (in the blue box on the left), "The hope, May 29th, the vote, NO, the French Communist Party".

The alligator is about to eat a newspaper called "Humanity", and the title of the white box is "Humanity is a daily fight".

The text in the yellow boxes says "38 million euros have flowed into a box, VOTE NO".

The red box at the bottom center states, "Together, let us change this world here and now".

The smaller sign on the top is "free posting, city of Grenoble".

They have other, similar signs, both in the designated areas where signs for elections are to be freely posted, and areas where signs either must be paid for, or are not to be posted.

It is interesting that the French Communist Party opposes the European Constitution, because the European Union pushes governments in Europe towards the true Communist principles more than away from them, especially in transferring wealth from the richest nations in Europe to the poorest nations.

Ironically enough, that wealth transfer is one of the main concerns of many here in France who oppose the new Constitution.

I have overheard many intense discussions on the upcoming vote on the European Constitution at my workplace, and there is much more actual discussion of the issues than I have ever heard in the United States. Admittedly, I have had to ask my office mates to help me with translating some of the discussions, especially when they get fast because of the intensity, but even interpreting solely the intonations it is obvious that they are true discussions and not mere shouting matches as what we call "debate" in the United States has become, if people even bother to participate in it.

Even I, an American, have been asked more than once what my opinion on the European Constitution was, even though I do not have a vote, nor a true right to an opinion (at least, that would be what many would say in the United States in similar circumstances).

My reply? I am forced to say in French, "It is difficult for me to describe in French because I do not know the right words, can I explain in English?"

After their usual ready assent, I explain to them that my main concern is the size of the proposed EU constitution, which is over 200 pages even in English, one of the more compact languages in Europe, since it is very long and complex especially when compared with the United States Constitution, which has only 8 articles and 27 amendments in total.

The United States Constitution is much shorter even considering the amendments, and it has the virtue of surviving over 200 years and through a major Civil War.

I try to explain my belief that despite any language or philosophical differences, the foundation of ANY government needs to be simple and easily understandable to ALL the citizens.

Fortunately, I had an interest in French history long before I even knew I might move to France, so in many cases, I know more about the history of the country than everyone from France that I have spoken to so far.

The knowledge of their own history has assisted me in advancing my point that a Constitution that is too long is far, far too detailed to have the flexibility that has enabled the US Constitution to last over 200 years, even if recent events seem to put the foundations of our Constitution in danger, and that is indeed the perception here regarding recent history in the US, not solely my own view.

What we in the United States do not understand is the origins of the belief in Socialism in Europe, especially in Continental Europe.

In the United States, at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, there was always the opportunity to move to the Frontier.

In other words, those in Europe didn't have the escape that those in the United States had from the abuses of the the companies and corporations in the Industrial Revolution.

And abuses there indeed were. Any who deny them are in the same class as those who deny the atrocities of the Nazis and other fascists in the early to mid-twentieth century, or the genocide committed by the Russian or Chinese "Communists" of the latter part of the twentieth century.

That fundamental difference in escapes, a frontier versus immigration, has had a profound difference in shaping the culture of the United States versus Europe, a difference that we ignore at our peril.

That fundamental difference is the origin of the conflicts between the non-Anglo-Saxon parts of Europe and the United States in the years since George W. Bush was first elected President.

I will not debate the policy, philosophical, or political differences between Europe and the United States at this time, instead I will ask you to instead read the links I have included above.

Think for a while, and consider how YOUR viewpoint may indeed be influenced by the tragedies and triumphs that affected your forefathers and ancestors, and how those stories, views, and cultural influences just may have affected both your culture and how YOU view the world.

More on these differences later.

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