Guest editorial from Peter O'Keefe, an expatriate American in Paris and one of the earliest readers of No Pasarán (now in its 14th year):
Shortly
after World War II, there was rarely a week that passed without someone
in my social circle saying, ”You know … the Germans are perfectly nice
people, just like you and me.
“It’s just that they were duped by the Nazi propaganda machine.”
Years
passed before it occurred to me that if there was such a machine, every
government on the planet, not to mention every business and every
ambitious politician, would commit murder to get their hands on it.
A recent American headline was broadcast across the international wire services:
Most
European readers immediately conclude that American President Donald
Trump loves guns and hunters, hates forests and wildlife, and is
abandoning the grizzly to the bloodlust of NRA zealots.
This interpretation was, of course, encouraged by the headline’s author, and endorsed by the editor(s).
This interpretation is, of course, entirely wrong.
Closer
inspection of the article reveals that the Federal government is
returning the responsibility for the management of wildlife to the
various States. This is a deliberate Trump Policy, consistent with the
stratification of authority outlined in the U.S. Constitution, and
supported by two centuries of positive results.
The grizzly will again be cared for by people who know something about them.
Duh.
Unfortunately, few readers will delve beyond a headline unless the subject is of particular interest to them.
They will, however, recognize the implied message, and place it upon the balance scale of their judgement.
Regrettably, there is no equivalent to Rush Limbaugh in France.
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