Notes from Carl in Berlin

Here is a great note I got from my friend Carl Bergquist after the election. Carl is a really sharp guy- a Swedish Foreign Service Graduate who lives in Berlin and has a Israeli Drivers license.
He is not conservative by any stretch, but loves the U.S.-

" Dear Friends,

E-mails reaching me are either jubilant or depressed. These extreme emotions scare me. Four years ago, I scared myself by being so jolted when Al Gore lost. Today that would no longer be the case, and thus I am calm following this election that met my two requirements: quick, clean, clear electoral college AND popular vote results. I am not eligible to vote, but could have voted for either candidate without expecting the world to end. On many social matters I lean ‘liberal’ while on economic and military issue I lean ‘conservative.’ Just like many who voted for Kerry and Bush, or anyone supporting the mainstream voices in our respective countries. Neither candidate would turn the US into a theocracy or communist state, even if that is why a minority voted for them.

Those of you unable/unwilling to see this, baffle me. You are guided by an entirely irrational fear, searching for a make-believe enemy. Unfortunately this seems to apply more to Kerry, i.e. anti-Bush, supporters. Are you members of the secular mirror-image of the Christian Coalition? It would seem so. If there is a propaganda machine out there, it was global and has indoctrinated you to believe that a Bush victory would mean a march towards a worldly Armageddon.

My greatest respect, understanding and apologies go out to those that voted for John Kerry for concrete policy reasons. You cannot be blamed for the Michael Moorist parasites that attached themselves to that worthy cause. But let your immune system expel them as soon as possible. They will wither away removed from your unwarranted hospitality.

Now, sit back, take a deep breath and read what I have to say. Then take a deeper breath and write back to me.

Today I believe that we should all of us be more than a little humble. This applies in equal measure to those on either side of what too many have called a great divide. It is my sincere conviction that the majority of Americans as well as non-Americans have little in common with the extreme fringes of either the Democratic or Republican Parties. Look at your own countries; analyze the positions of the major parties. Then I urge you to examine the positions of many Republicans and many Democrats. Can you then honestly feel threatened by the November 2 election result? Surely not, I hope.

Most of us will continue to disagree on any number of issues, but some afterthought would show us that these are disagreements within the realms of rational discourse. These are the REAL differences. Whether it be related to social, economic or military matters none of us are heartless, intolerant, cold, aggressive, weak…we have common benign goals and aspirations arising from the privilege of being reared in a free society. John Kerry and George Bush are no different. They disagree on the death penalty, taxation, gay rights, abortion etc as do we. That is NORMAL, and we will as always reach a compromise while agreeing to disagree.

The people that are different are on the fringe, they advocate the mad revolutionary goals of the fascists on the left and right. In the past we paid scant attention to them, and while we should ignore them when possible, we must also know by now that they have the means to threaten liberty. A liberty that every last one of us takes for granted. Ask your average North Korean, Burmese, or Zimbabwean…

I trust, and truly hope, that none of this alienates you. The three and half million votes advantage cannot surprise those that understand, respect, and love the United States.

John Kerry is one of those people, so I urge y’all to closely listen to his concession speech. Listen to it and realize that when he is speaking of America, he is also speaking of George W. Bush, AND he is inclusive. He does not speak of the caricature that so many, especially in Europe, took as gospel. You wanted to believe in it for whatever reason…Fine, but now please wake up and continue to support the fundamental Western alliance that is the ONLY force that can change the world for the better.

Should a Democrat win the White House next time yet Europe turn more conservative, this will continue to be the case. Is that so hard to understand?

Here in Berlin, there may a sense of disappointment among the most partisan (of which there are inexplicably many,) but there are encouraging signs of the sobriety I so yearn for. This is more than necessary, it is crucial. There can no reason to let the radicals on this earth set the agenda.

An agenda that was definitely anti-democratic and illiberal under the guise of being anti-Bush. It was then in large measure turning anti-American, threatening to become anti-Western. Are we so self-destructive to sit aside and watch this slowly become a reality?

Not me.

Your friend,
Carl"