Tocqueville's American (and Cartesian) Democracy

Alexis de Tocqueville

Did you know about Tocqueville’s remarkable insight that the Americans are Cartesians without having read a word of Descartes? But “the Cartesian method is also the democratic method, and it’s that democratic method that keeps Americans from reading the words of philosophers — Descartes or anyone else.” Read this and much more in an introduction to Tocqueville (.pdf) and his “contribution to the American reconciliation of greatness and justice in a true understanding of human liberty,” by Peter A. Lawler (published in LO SGUARDO – RIVISTA DI FILOSOFIA, N. 7, 2011 (III) – LIBERALISMO E DEMOCRAZIA). The author’s purpose is “to show the similarity between Tocqueville’s and Percy’s [the American Catholic novelist/philosopher Walker Percy] analysis of American disorientation, of a people confused by not knowing the whole truth about who they are and what they’re supposed to do.”

Via Postmodern Conservative.

Achtung, France!

[From the series, Who's the Next Domino to Fall?]

Top German economists are warning that French debt is likely to be downgraded in the months to come. In today's Spiegel Online International:

Ever since Europe's common currency crisis began erupting in earnest last year, two countries have been largely responsible for preventing a complete collapse of the euro zone: France and Germany. Without their support, Greece, Portugal and Ireland would have long since declared insolvency.

This year, though, with the euro crisis going from bad to worse, it is looking increasingly likely that France may not be able to emerge unscathed. Indeed, leading German economists on Monday told the website of financial daily Handelsblatt that French debt is likely to be downgraded in the months to come.

Occupy Goes Global (and Violent, Too)

See also here, here, and here.

However, what do “protests and riots in Rome” really mean? Well, here is the answer (from Fr. Philip Neri Powell, the best “foreign correspondent” in Italy). Simply priceless.

The Arab Spring Hasn’t Yet Begun

The winner of the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade in 2011, Boualem Sansal, is an Algerian engineer, an internationally acclaimed author, and a straightforward man. “Our choice this year”—said Gottfried Honnefelder, chairman of the German Publishers and Booksellers Association, at the start of the 2011 Buchtage Berlin (Berlin Book Days)—“is intended as a signal of encouragement for democracy movements in North Africa.” Yet, Boualem Sansal is not, as one might first think, a supporter of the Arab Spring, and this for the simple reason that, in his opinion, unfortunately the Arab Spring hasn’t yet begun. Here is what he told the Italian Corriere della Sera newspaper (English translation: mine):

The Arab Spring hasn’t yet begun. The big problems are still unsettled. It’s not only about dictators, who of course must disappear. No, there is also the question of culture and that of Islamism.
[...]
In studying the Third Reich, I saw that, over there, there were the same ingredients that I recognize in my own country and in the other Arab regimes. And they are: single-party system, militarization of the country, brainwashing, falsification of history, assertion of the existence of a conspiracy (the main culprits are Israel and America), glorification of the martyrs and of the supreme leader of the country, omnipresence of the police, huge mass meeting, pharaonic public works projects. When, and only when, Algerians, Tunisians, Egyptians, Libyans will get rid of this castle of lies, then the Arab Spring will can start. That’s why I stay in Algeria.

The idea that we have to analyze National Socialism if we are to keep Islamism in check is not new, but what is surprising is that this time it comes from the other side of the fence, and the frankness with which it is expressed. Here is how he put it in a May 6, 2010 interview:

There are enormous similarities [between Nazis and Jihadists] - the concept of conquering: of souls, but also of territories. And there is the idea of extermination - of all those who do not submit to the ideology of Islamism.

But then again, Boualem Sansal is first and foremost the author of the first Arabic novel about the Holocaust, a book originally written in French—like the author’s other works—and published in the U.S. as The German Mujahid and in the U.K. as An Unfinished Business. It tells the story of a German nazi who goes into hiding after the war as a member of the Algerian forces fighting for independence from France. The German Mujahid was honored with multiple international prizes and translations but, as was to be expected, it was banned in Algeria, a country which, according to Sansal himself, is becoming a bastion of Islamic extremism and where the Holocaust is not currently acknowledged.

It has to be noted that, whilst Boualem Sansal publicly and sternly denounces the worldwide rise of Islamic extremism, the mood in the U.S. and other Western countries is generally so anti-anti-Islam that politicians run for cover whenever Islam is raised as an issue. Let’s hope the once-lonely fight of Boualem Sansal serves as an inspiration and a wake-up call.

The Peace Prize award ceremony will take place tomorrow, October 16, 2011 in the Church of St. Paul in Frankfurt.

The Day the Mouse Roared (and Other Sories)

Not Just the Daily Grind: Today’s Must Reads (or so)

1. Yesterday the parliament of Slovakia voted against the expansion of the euro bailout fund, but EU Pins Hopes on Second Slovak Vote This Week. The government of Iveta Radicova has fallen but will continue in a caretaker role. It has pledged to get the measure through parliament in a second vote.  Alas, in vain the mouse roared...
2. Danes firmly against euro - The latest Statistics Denmark euro barometer shows Danes firmly opposed to joining the Single Currency. Nothing new under the Danish Sun. They didn't want in before the financial crash, and a fortiori they don't want in right now. There is something right in Denmark.
3. Italy Still Needs Silvio Berlusconi - Over at the National Review they think there's still hope for il Cavaliere. When the night is darkest the dawn is nearest...
   
4. The Académie française: custodians of the French language - The Académie française was created in 1635 by Cardinal Richelieu. Its aim was to "fix the French language, giving it rules, rendering it pure and comprehensible by all."
   
   

   Each French ministry has its own commission of terminology and neologisms, whose job is to track down English terms and offer French alternatives. They send their proposals to the Académie, which debates the new terms and rubber stamps them.
   Once published in the statues book, French civil servants are urged to use them. Its rulings, however, are only advisory; not binding on either the public or the government. About 300 such official French terms appear each year.
   However, not all catch on. The French term "prix hypotécaire à risqué" is not often heard in place of "subprime", for example.

   
   
5. Saudi Women Receive Husbands' Explicit Permission To Celebrate Right To Vote -
   
   

   In the wake of the watershed decision granting them the right to vote in the 2015 elections, Saudi women have received their husbands' explicit consent to rejoice, sources reported Wednesday. "It is with great pride that women all across Saudi Arabia have been allowed to leave their homes under the guardianship of a male relative and celebrate this cultural landmark," father of four Khalid al-Kazaz told reporters. "It brings us great pleasure to permit them a few moments in which to smile beneath their hijabs before returning to their daily duties." Saudi officials followed the announcement with another historic decree that lowered from 10 to 7 the number of lashes that will be administered to women who drive themselves to the voting booth.

   
   No further comment needed, right?
   

Double Standards

Cartoon by William Warren (click to enlarge)

...I guess no further comments are needed. Via NetRightDaily.com

The Debacle of the Italian Justice System: Who Is to Blame?

And now, after the verdict on Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito in the killing of British student Meredith Kercher, the U.S. media is getting its own back against the Italian justice system and, to a degree, against the Italians themselves (here are two eloquent examples). And, what’s worse, I think they are basically right: the Italian justice is a worldwide embarrassment, but a large number of Italians bear moral responsibility for that. I’m specifically talking of left-wingers and liberals, who for reasons of political calculation have been blindly rallying behind left-wing magistrates whose main purpose was/is to destroy their opponents—right-wingers and moderates, whom they regard as enemies, not just political rivals—rather than to pursue justice.

This attitude has understandably generated a sort of delirium of omnipotence on the part of a number of magistrates. They never fail, they never commit mistakes, they never even exaggerate, they always tell the truth and do not try to deceive people or break the law, and they are always super partes—no matter if they act as political activists and show their deep contempt for one political party or another, in both private and public occasions—this is, in the best case, the arrière pensée which “inspires” the vast majority of the Italian liberals and left-wingers. In the worst case, and not infrequently, they are obviously in bad faith, but the outcome is exactly the same.

Yet now, perhaps, it is time for those people to pay the bill, or to start doing so.

Not Just the Weekly Grind: Last Week’s Roundup

1. Notes on Perry - “I think Perry is undervalued at this point…” Well, so do I, to be honest. And as a matter of fact (see below)...
2. GOP Primary News And Notes - “Rick Perry may have had a less than stellar roll out with voters but he’s rolling in the dough.” Yeah, as the old saying goes (and with all due respect), “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.”
   
3. Employment in Italy -
   “Italy’s official statistics office ISTAT releases figures on employment and unemployment levels [...]. The figures reveal that there are anomalies concerning unemployment levels in Italy’s south.” Well, it’s actually quite surprising that there are only two anomalies... 
4. Tea Party Activist Gets Help from Morgan Freeman’s Neighbors -
   Ali Akbar, a Tea Party activist who sent a letter to Morgan Freeman inviting him to a Tea Party told Roger Simon that Freeman’s Mississippi neighbors would attempt to deliver the letter personally. Freeman, as many will recall, accused the Tea Party of racisim... “My evaluation of Akbar,” says Roger Simon, “is that he is quite determined to reach Freeman and get some response from the actor to his invitation.” Bloody hell, it might turn out to be a damn good fight!
5. Thirty Three Things (v. 55) - Issues and problems such as Holden Caulfield’s immortal question about where the ducks from the Central Park pond go in winter, but not only this. Some examples: Did Americans in 1776 have British accents? What would really happen if you nuked a volcano? Famous Quotes That Were Never Said, The Dead Sea Scrolls Are Online In High-Definition, Unusual Ways to Die Through the Ages, etc.
   

R.I.P. Steve Jobs

"The next plea..." (by Paolo Calleri) 

Lessons from the Amanda Knox Case

Giuliano Ferrara

According to Giuliano Ferrara, editor of the newspaper Il Foglio, there are things foreign correspondents in Italy might want to learn from the Amanda Knox trial about the Italian justice system. By the way, never forget that, apart from what may pertain Silvio Berlusconi’s troubles with it—defending the indefensible is impossible for nearly everyone—this is the same “justice” which has been holding the whole political system in check in this country since about 20 years, and, what is more, amidst much international fanfare and celebration. But read what Giuliano Ferrara has to say about the whole thing.

P.S. You might also want to read what I wrote about one year and a half ago—nothing news under the Italian sun...

Amanda and Raffaele: Free at Last

Amanda Knox and Carlo Dalla Vedova, her lawyer.

So at last the court overturned the homicide convictions of Amanda Knox and her co-defendant Raffaele Sollecito, allowing for their immediate release. I am very happy for them, even though, being far from an expert in judicial matters—in which I am neither well-versed nor, to be honest, particularly interested—I am not the most qualified person to write about this subject. And in fact, were it not for the half-dozen or so American friends of mine, who emailed me asking for an opinion on the Amanda Knox case, I wouldn’t be writing this post (I thought it was better to write a post rather than a half-dozen emails). Be it as it may, my very humble opinion is this: the more I have been reading about the Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito trial, the more I realize that there was no proof of their guilt. That’s why I cannot but agree with Amanda’s lawyer Carlo Dalla Vedova who told the court that his client had been “crucified, impaled in the piazza” for a crime she never committed, and that she had spent more than 1,000 days in prison on the basis of “evidence that cannot stand up to other hypotheses.” Not a good story for the Italian justice system. Yet, now justice seems to have been done. Let’s not forget, however, that what was at stake in Perugia was not only the future of Amanda and Raffaele, but also the reliability of the Italian justice system. And in the latter case there have been no winners, only survivors.

UPDATE — Wednesday, October 5, 2011 
This may also be of interest: Lessons from the Amanda Knox Case (according to Giuliano Ferrara, editor of the newspaper Il Foglio, there are things foreign correspondents in Italy might want to learn from the Amanda Knox trial about the Italian justice system).

The Angels Are Among Us

Benedict XVI at the Angelus, in regard to yesterday’s celebration of the Feast of the Guardian Angels:

God is always near and active in human history, and follows us with the unique presence of His angels, who today the Church venerates as the Guardian angels, in other words ministers of God’s concern for every man. From the beginning until death, human life is surrounded by their constant protection.

Via AsiaNews.it

Why America Is an Exception

“ America is the only nation in the world that is founded on a creed. That creed is set forth with dogmatic and even theological lucidity in the Declaration of Independence; perhaps the only piece of practical politics that is also theoretical politics and also great literature. It enunciates that all men are equal in their claim to justice, that governments exist to give them that justice, and that their authority is for that reason just. It certainly does condemn anarchism, and it does also by inference condemn atheism, since it clearly names the Creator as the ultimate authority from whom these equal rights are derived. Nobody expects a modern political system to proceed logically in the application of such dogmas, and in the matter of God and Government it is naturally God whose claim is taken more lightly. The point is that there is a creed, if not about divine, at least about human things. ”

~ Gilbert Keith Chesterton, What I Saw in America, 1922

This famous G.K. Chesterton quote is perhaps even more relevant today than it was when it was written, back in the early Twenties. Is the culture of the United States significantly different than that of Europe? Yes, and that’s why American Exceptionalism is still a closely held value by the American people. Here is how American political sociologist Seymour Martin Lipset—who was the son of Russian Jewish immigrants—put it in his 1996 American Exceptionalism: A Double-Edged Sword (by quoting, in turn, Chesterton):

Born out of revolution, the United States is a country organized around an ideology which includes a set of dogmas about the nature of a good society. Americanism, as different people have pointed out, is an "ism" or ideology in the same way that communism or fascism or liberalism are isms. As G. K. Chesterton put it: ‘America is the only nation in the world that is founded on a creed. That creed is set forth with dogmatic and even theological lucidity in the Declaration of Independence.’ … The nation’s ideology can be described in five words: liberty, egalitarianism, individualism, populism, and laissez-faire. The revolutionary ideology which became the American Creed is liberalism in its eighteenth- and nineteenth-century meanings, as distinct from conservative Toryism, statist communitarianism, mercantilism, and noblesse oblige dominant in monarchical, state-church-formed cultures.
Other countries' senses of themselves are derived from a common history. Winston Churchill once gave vivid evidence to the difference between a national identity rooted in history and one defined by ideology in objecting to a proposal in 1940 to outlaw the anti-war Communist Party. In a speech in the House of Commons, Churchill said that as far as he knew, the Communist Party was composed of Englishmen and he did not fear an Englishman. In Europe, nationality is related to community, and thus one cannot become un-English or un-Swedish. Being an American, however, is an ideological commitment. It is not a matter of birth. Those who reject American values are un-American.

Not Just the Daily Grind: Today’s Must Reads (or so) - Sept. 29, 2011

A giant statue of St Michael in Mexico City (CNS photo/Greg Tarczynski)

1. World Economy 2011: An FT Special Report (reg. required). 
   The need for concerted action is greater than ever, as imbalances across the eurozone are replicated globally. (You might enjoy this one in particular, especially if you are in low spirits: Financial institutions stare into the abyss)   
2. New Fox News Poll - Herman Cain rises to top 3, Newt Gingrich up, Rick Perry down after debate debacle (He lost ten points of his once substantial lead!).
3. Ron Paul’s Republican problem - On the one hand, his call for fiscal austerity resounds with tea party-affiliated primary voters. On the other, his views on foreign policy—including the idea that America all but incited the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11—are decidedly less popular.  (How many Paul-ites are actually Republicans? Awful question, I know)
   
4. Herman Cain: How high can he rise?
   Ever since his straw poll win in Florida last weekend, it’s been pretty clear that Cain has some momentum. (Be it as it may, but who said Republicans are racist?)
   
5. The saint who threw Satan out of heaven - (Today is the feast of Saint Michael the Archangel—not a saint for hopeless cases, such as both the eurozone crisis and Rick Perry... but he is the First Knight of the Kingdom, after all!)

A Lesson in Good Science (and Humility) for Global Warming Faithful from CERN Scientists

“Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence,” said last Friday cosmologist and astrophysicist Martin Rees soon after a team of scientists working at CERN (European Scientific Research Organization), published a research paper in which they announced that neutrinos generated at the CERN research facility located in Switzerland were found to travel faster than the speed of light. Which was indeed an “extraordinary claim,” and in fact the team—a collaboration between France’s National Institute for Nuclear and Particle Physics Research and Italy’s Gran Sasso National Laboratory—took many months to carefully check, recheck and check some more their data before deciding that they could not disprove what their own eyes were telling them. As a matter of fact, as the so-called “scientific method” demands, a good scientist never says “never.” That’s also why Antonio Ereditato, who participated in the experiment and speaks on behalf of the team, said: “We will continue our studies and we will wait patiently for the confirmation.”

Never say never. But now, if we expand our field of vision to include the issue of global warming and climate change, a question arises spontaneously:

Wouldn’t it be refreshing if left-wing politicians, the environmental left and the mainstream media took a minute to reflect that if something so set in stone as the absoluteness of the speed of light might be overturned, perhaps these claims that the “science is settled” when it comes to global warming are a bit misplaced? Wouldn’t it be nice if all of those people put some effort into understanding the scientific research that tends to refute the alarmists – and there’s plenty of it out there – rather than turning the issue into a show of hands?

Not Just the Daily Grind: Today’s Must Reads (or so) - Sept. 28, 2011

1. In Wealthy Germany, the Church Should Become Poor!
   Never before his third voyage to his native land had Benedict XVI given such powerful emphasis to the ideal of a Church poor in structures, in possessions, in power. At the same time, however, he insisted on the need for a vigorous "public presence" of this same Church. Is it possible to have both at once? (Also sprach der Papst von Rom - 4)
   
2. How at last my fellow Italians fell out of love with Silvio, by Beppe Severgnini, Italian political commentator and author of Mamma mia! Berlusconi’s Italy Explained for Posterity and Friends Abroad. Italy is currently crossing a treacherous border – perhaps the third and final such crossing, as far as Mr Berlusconi is concerned. The first border was between complicity and embarrassment. The second divides embarrassment from irritation and shame, while the third is between shame and anger. (This definitely fits to “italomaniacs” in search of strong emotions—sort of Cavalleria Rusticana in pinstripes)
3. Berlusconi “stunned and saddened” by bishop’s speech -
   Political sources said Berlusconi was left “stunned and saddened” by the speech by Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco (see my previous post), who said Italy needed to “purify the air.” “It’s one more nail in the coffin,” said James Walston, political science professor at the American University of Rome. “When and if Berlusconi stands for office again, the bishops’ message is clear: don’t vote for him.” (The definitive scientific prove that Silvio is human)
4. Harris Poll: Romney, Ron Paul Best Obama -
   Mitt Romney stands the best chance among Republican presidential contenders of beating President Barack Obama in next year’s election, according to a new Harris Interactive poll released Tuesday. The former Massachusetts governor also was the favored GOP candidate among independent voters, with Texas Rep. Ron Paul following close behind, according to the online survey of 2,462 adults taken in mid-September. The news was also good for Paul when pitted against Obama in a head-to-head matchup. (OK, but what the hell happened to Rick Perry?)
5. "It is time once again for the Church resolutely to set aside her worldliness"
   Only in this way can the real scandal of Christianity, that of the cross, shine among men, without being overshadowed "by other painful scandals on the part of the preachers of the faith." The pope's speech to German Catholics active in the Church and in society (Also sprach der Papst von Rom - 3)
   
   
   

How About Taking a Break, Mr. Prime Minister?

Anna Wintour

Do you know what the editor-in-chief of Vogue America, Anna Wintour, and the head of the Italian Bishops Conference, Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, have in common? Well, they both don’t like Silvio Berlusconi. Not even a little bit. At least not anymore (especially in the latter case). And they both take a great care to let the world know it. Of course there are also important differences between the two: one is that Mrs. Wintour hardly knows who this guy is and what he is like, whereas Cardinal Bagnasco—along with the rest of the Italian people—obviously knows Berlusconi all too well. Which is not a good sign for the Italian prime minister: you just don’t need to know him well to feel (Mrs. Wintour) “disgusted and embarrassed” by him, or “mortified” (Card. Bagnasco) by his “sad and hollow” behavior.

Add to this Pope Benedict XVI’ call—last Thursday, before he left for his third trip to Germany—for “an increasingly intense ethical renewal for the good of beloved Italy,” and you’re done!

Cardinal Bagnasco and Silvio Berlusconi

Well, it is true that Cardinal Bagnasco did not name explicitly the prime minister—nor, of course, did the pope—but there is little doubt about whom he was referring to when he denounced “licentious behavior and improper relations” or when he said that Italians had been left in a state of “dumbfounded astonishment” by their political class—not that the rest of the Italian political class are exactly saints…, er, au contraire, but, as the old Latin saying goes, “Est modus in rebus!”

All this, of course, while not only Berlusconi but all of Italy itself is now under a kind of worldwide microscope, after having had its sovereign credit rating cut by Standard & Poor’s, with the ratings agency keeping the country’s outlook on negative in a major surprise that adds to contagion fears in the debt-stressed eurozone.

Hard times, no doubt about it. One could argue that the prime minister has earned a well-deserved (and long) vacation for all the hard work he has done for the country, to say nothing about the inevitable exhaustion following his legendary “athletics exploits.” But I’m afraid he is too damn stubborn to admit—because of his strong sense of duty toward the country, of course—that taking a break might be a very extremely good idea. For the good of his health, of course. But you may be sure that I, along with crowds of conservatives, no matter whether Catholic or not, both here in Italy and abroad, are praying for him and will keep him in our thoughts and prayers until he decides to take a break from his stressful job, or better still to put an end to it once and for all. As the Jennifer Hudson song goes, “If this isn't love, tell me what it is.”

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Autumn Equinox

“ Lord, it is time. The summer was very big. 
Lay thy shadow on the sundials, and on the meadows let the winds go loose. Command the last fruits that they shall be full; give them another two more southerly days, press   them on to fulfillment and drive the last sweetness into the heavenly wine. ”

~ Rainer Maria Rilke

Beyond Einstein

CERN's Dario Auterio

“Nothing can go faster than the speed of light.” That’s one of the very pillars of physics and Einstein’s theory of relativity (and one of the few things I can remember of my science studies in high school). But that’s what seems to have been rocked by new findings from the world’s largest physics lab, the CERN of Geneva, which stunned the world of science by announcing they had observed tiny particles known as neutrinos travelling slightly faster than light (see here and here).

Researchers themselves were so astonished by their findings that they spent months checking their data, without finding any errors that would disprove their claim, and cautiously invited the world to prove them wrong. Yet, presenting the findings to a packed and clearly skeptical auditorium at CERN on Friday, Italian scientist Dario Auterio said they were of “high statistical accuracy” and could not be explained by extraneous effects such as seismic tremors or moon phases.

Not Just the Daily Grind: Today’s Must Reads (or so) - Sept. 24, 2011

1. The burning question of Martin Luther must once more become our question too -
   The pope to the Evangelical Church of Germany. Ecumenism stands or falls on the question of God and of evil. The twofold challenge of "evangelical" Protestantism and of secularization. How to revive the faith without watering it down. (Also sprach der Papst von Rom - 2)
2. Slipping into darkness - How much longer can Silvio Berlusconi go on? (Good question!)
3. The Weakness Behind Sarkozy's European Vision - French President Nicolas Sarkozy has a vision for Europe, one which involves increased solidarity to save the euro zone. His attempts to convince Chancellor Angela Merkel are hiding his own country's weaknesses. Some are concerned that Germany may soon stand alone. (Might be not a bad idea) 
4. Facebook announces redesigned profile pages, introduces Timeline at f8 conference -
   Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced major changes in Facebook’s profile pages, introducing a Timeline that will replace the old user page layout. In addition: Video - Mark Zuckerberg unveils Facebook Timeline. (I'm kinda fed up with facebook right now...)
5. There's a Judge in Berlin. And He Wants King Solomon Back - After Regensburg in 2006 and Paris in 2008, the third grand lecture of this pontificate. Pope Benedict holds it in the German capital, and in heart of its political system. Citing Saint Augustine: "Without justice what else is the state but a great band of robbers?" (Also sprach der Papst von Rom - 1)