This one is kind of old news. But, maybe some of you missed it.
A few weeks ago, French Euro-Deputy and co-president of France’s center-left Place Public party, Raphael Glucksmann, asserted the United States should return the Statue of Liberty as we are not the same country we were when it was gifted to us.
It appears one of his main arguments is our lack of support of Ukraine. He states we “have chosen to side with the tyrant,” and we have.
But, we Americans knew what we were electing. It was very clear.
During the run-up to the presidential election in 2016, after Trump received praise from Putin who called him a “talented person” and “the absolute leader of the presidential race,” Trump responded, “It is always a great honor to be so nicely complimented by a man so highly respected within his own country and beyond. I have always felt that Russia and the United States should be able to work well with each other towards defeating terrorism and restoring world peace, not to mention trade and all of the other benefits derived from mutual respect.” (https://www.cnn.com/2016/07/28/politics/donald-trump-vladimir-putin-quotes/index.html)
Apparently, his GOP rivals were not pleased with this statement. Of course, Trump didn’t take it back. Trump never takes anything back. Something else we should know by now.
As for Zelensky, per Newsweek, “Trump told the CPAC that he liked Zelensky because ‘during that ridiculous impeachment waste of time…the president of Ukraine said he [Trump] did nothing wrong’.(https://www.newsweek.com/what-trump-has-said-about-zelensky-since-2022-2039000)
Flattery will get you everywhere.
But, when the flattery stops . . . In his current presidency, Trump said “And Zelensky, I will say this, he wants to settle now, he’s had enough. He shouldn’t have allowed this to happen, either. You know, he’s no angel. He shouldn’t have allowed this war to happen.”
It’s kind of a weird take on his position on the white nationalists protest in Charlottesville that turned ugly: “some very fine people on both sides.” Only, in this case, there are some bad people on both sides. What was Zelensky thinking letting Russia invade?
To get back to the Statue of Liberty, it is hard not to see Glucksmann’s point. Trump has always seemed to have an affinity for the “strongmen” (authoritarians could be a good word substitute here).
Glucksmann went on to say we no longer value the freedom the Statue represents. Here are two portions of the inscription on the Statue:
“From her beacon-hand glows world-wide welcome.” Not so much anymore.
and
“With silent lips. ‘Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.’” These days I’m not feeling the freedom.
It’s hard to believe anyone really thought Glucksmann expected we would return the Statue of Liberty. It seemed pretty obvious to me it was meant as a symbolic statement that the US has lost its way.
Unfortunately, this administration seems to like the strongman approach. Here is White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt’s classy response:
“My advice to that unnamed, low-level French politician would be to remind them that it’s only because of the United States of America that the French are not speaking German right now. They should be very grateful.”Wow. Let’s throw insults while we ram that horror down their throats.
Honestly, it brings me shame just to read that.
Glucksmann’s response is a bit long. I have included it at the end. If you read it, it is poignant. It made Leavitt’s retort seem even more disgraceful.
Regarding the US WWII generation Leavitt alludes to, Journalist Tom Brokaw coined the term “The Greatest Generation” in reference to what he deemed “a generation of towering achievement and modest demeanor, a legacy of their formative years when they were participants in and witness to sacrifices of the highest order.…This is the greatest generation any society has produced.” (https://www.britannica.com/topic/Greatest-Generation)
Today’s Americans are nothing like The Greatest Generation. We have no idea of:
Towering achievement. Instead, we are decimating our scientific research, tearing down our educational institutions.
Modest demeanor. Instead we are bombastic bullies.
Sacrifice (let alone to the highest order): We’d rather see millions of people in other countries die than take a portion of our vast wealth to stop the dying.
We are anything but The Greatest Generation. We don’t even have a clue what greatness is all about.
.
Transcript of Raphael Glucksmann’s response:
“Dear Americans, Since the White House press secretary is attacking me today, I wanted to tell you this. Our two people are intimately linked by History, the blood we shed and the passion for freedom we share, a passion symbolized by this Statue that was offered to the United States by France to honor your glorious Revolution.
As the press secretary for this shameful Administration said: without your nation, France would have ‘spoken German.’ In my case, it goes further: I would simply not be here if hundreds of thousands of young Americans had not landed on our beaches in Normandy. Our gratitude to these heroes and their sacrifices is therefore eternal.
But the America of these heroes fought against tyrants, it did not flatter them. It was the enemy of fascism, not the friend of Putin. It helped the resistance and didn’t attack Zelensky. It celebrated science and didn’t fire researchers for using banned words. It welcomed the persecuted and didn’t target them.”
Glucksmann added, “It was far, so far from what your current President does, says, and embodies.” https://www.mediaite.com/news/french-official-who-suggested-taking-back-statue-of-liberty-fires-back-at-karoline-leavitt-slams-shameful-trump-administration/