Winter in Virginia.

It is winter in Virginia.
After weeks of mild and downright warm weather, we have had a pretty good snow storm last week-end.
Having some time to watch the news in both Europe and America, I find the different focus of their respective media to be revealing.
In Europe, the citizens, as usual are upset. They are in the streets to protest. No, they are not exactly protesting against the Scandinavian caricatures that caused scandal. Neither are they struggling to defend their freedom of speech, threatened that it is by sharia. Concerned European citizens are demonstrating and going on strike against a European bill called "The Bolkestein directive"
The Bolkestein directive is named after a Dutch Commissioner whose responsibility was to study and draft rules allowing the new EU members to work in the founding EU states. In other words, it would allow Polish plumbers to work in France or Belgium. One would think that, attacked by an implacable islamist foe, besieged by globalisation, abandonned by their former protector embarked on a global ego trip, the Europeans would circle the wagons and seriously get to the business of building Europe.
That would be too simple
Although Mr Bolkestein, had obtained the agreement of his fellow Commissioners, that countless Commission and EU Council conferences had whittled and refined the draft directive to the point where it passed the last hoops and became a Directive, the Dutch and French voters discovered it belatedly and decided to use Bolkestein as a scarecrow and voted NO to the referendum. European politicians were struck with amnesia, do not remember signing on the directive and are now openly disparage Bolkestein along with globalisation.
The cowardice of European politicians, along with the short-sightedness of the unions, are fooling the average citizen into believing they can still live in the 1950's.
Meanwhile, Mittal, the Indian steel giant came uninvited to remind everybody that there is a World out there and that Arcelor, the jewel in the crown of European steel making was up for grabs.
Given the anemic GDP growth of 1,4 % Europe should wake up and face reality rather than marching in the streets every time progress knocks at its door.

In America, the Media are fascinated by the latest mystery of Mr Cheney's cynegetic adventures. A true "Tartarin de Tarascon" a la Daudet!
But coming after the Katrina affair, the Abramoff affair, the Valerie Plame affair, the Able danger affair, the Abu Ghraib affair, the WMD affair, not to mention the many revelations we can expect if the Democrats take over either the House ot the Senate, that shot truly "rang around the world".
In the US, nobody is bothered by Bolkestein, although the voters fear globalisation every bit as much as their European cousins. Their income AND their jobs are going south. A true capitalist country, the US is the only OECD member not to have the state as unique provider of medical and retirement insurance. The result is that auto companies that were the pillars of the country's economy can no longer face globalisation, burdened that they are by legacy liabilities.

And in Europe, the average tv viewer laughs at the ineptitude of American leaders, usually lampooned in devastatingly funny puppet shows. He should realize that both Europe and the US are in the same boat.