Enfin Libres
The Message to the USA from a rational Country
“Finally free” is the headline of the local newspaper,
Sud Ouest, in Bordeaux. On the second page the headline is “Now Liberty will
become the rule again.” Ask yourself when you will see that on the frontpage of
the NYT.
This a clear
example of the results of having a thoughtful rational leader who gives a clear
consistent message. Our motto is E
Pluribus Unum, from “many comes one.” The French national motto is “Liberte’, equalite’
and fraternite’. Roughly translated, by
a non French speaker, as liberty, equality and brotherhood. This phrase governed the reaction of a
socialist leaning country as they responded to the epidemic. France is a very
regulated society that allows freedom in concert with equality and reverence
for the common good.. There was no absence
of griping and some lack of Masques in stores but generally they daily filled
out an attestation which they carried with them, checking the boxes which stated
their destination: doctor, work , visiting a sick relative , going to court or
government office or exercising themselves or their dogs. These documents were
available on line at midnight on the first day of Confinement. I was stopped twice by gendarmes who
inspected my document. In case you don’t have a computer and printer the back
page of the paper had four copies everyday for you and your family to fill out.
Seen from
this vantage point it is clear that equality and brotherhood are not in our
souls. The events of Minneapolis and the
widespread protests against wearing a mask or staying out of large groups
reflects a failure of our society to believe that the common good should be the
driving force. The concept that liberty allows one to do whatever they want
will not produce a functional or livable society.
This epidemic ripped th,e mask off our facade that we care about one
another. It has exposed in all its
ugliness, the truth that Me, ME, Me and me will not work. Sometimes we have to accept restrictions for
the purpose of making it better for everyone.
Make no
mistake! Small shop owners and
restaurants and barbershop and hairdressers and pedicurists and manicurists
suffered in this time. Monday will be the 75th day since confinement began. I know the woman who owns my favorite
restaurant and we have talked about her financial situation. She and her husband and son have been damaged
economically but not destroyed. They
have health care and the school has opened up on a limited basis and no one is
going to evict them from their home. In the midst of all of this, she ran for
city council, and although her list lost, because of proportional voting, she
has one of the two opposition seats on the council. It took her a month to gear up to do take out but she
is keeping the wolf from the door. This is La Pen (Trump) country but here
everyone generally wore masks. Working in a vineyard is not like working in the
Renault Auto plant. But they recognized the fears and concern of their
neighbors.
What makes
it sad for me is seeing that if Our beloved leader had simply worn a mask and
made it a masculine symbol of virility on
March 10th we could all be recovering
in a few days. But he has adopted a program that seems to say, “ let the old
and weak and the young take care of themselves.
We 20-60 year olds won’t get sick so lets do whatever we want. Let’s be free and don’t you dare tread on me.”
The
resultant chaos has led to 1000’s of layoffs The resultant chaos in tourism,
travel , higher education and health care will take a long painful time to
repair. It didn’t have to be this way if
we had remembered that America was not built by rugged individualists on Harley-Davidsons. It was built by ill prepared Pilgrims who were
saved from starvation by Native people who had been here for thousands of years.
Our Capitol was built with slave labor and the West was by railroads built by
Chinese that weren’t allowed in the picture of driving the Golden Spike in
Utah. Barns were built and grain harvested by communal labor, not by “sharpies”
from Chicago in Suits and white shirts.
My hope is
that this epidemic will rekindle the “common good flame” in the American people
so we can add “equality and brotherhood” to our national motto.
