The Clashing of Symbols

A few days ago the flag of the European Union (EU) was raised above the Prague Castle, seat of government for the Czech Republic. It is the first time the flag has flown over the castle since the Czech Republic joined the EU in 2004. Not everyone is happy about this symbol of authority being raised at the castle. In fact, the issue was raised with me by my neighbor, who thinks this is a despicable act.

A think tank associated with former President Vaclav Klaus has criticized the move severely. A paper circulated by the group says

  ...”apart from the Czech flag only the Nazi flag flew over Prague Castle - during World War Two.
Not even the communists dared to hoist the Soviet flag at the castle, the think tank writes.” (see full story here).

Klaus was known as a “Eurosceptic,” keeping an arms length from the European Union, especially the “Euro Zone,” of which the Czech Republic is not a member, continuing to use its own currency the Korunna. New President (since March) Miloš Zeman is considerably more favorable to Europe, even signing the latest bailout accords, the most recent attempt to shore up failing Euro Zone economies.

All was not quiet as the flag was hoisted. According to an Associated Press story,

A small but noisy demonstration on Wednesday tried to drown out the ceremony at Prague Castle, where Zeman stood alongside European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.
With a smattering of tourists watching as the flag was raised alongside the Czech one, several hundred opponents booed and whistled. One sign demanded a referendum to vote on whether to quit the EU.
The Free Citizens Party, which organized the rally and is aligned to Klaus, launched a petition campaign Wednesday to hold a referendum on terminating EU membership.
"We're looking forward to taking the flag down one day," said party chairman Petr Mach, whose group is not represented in Parliament. (story here).

Flags are a symbol of sovereignty. When a nation is conquered, the flag of the victor is flown over its castle. National sovereignty seems to be the enemy of those who seek a cozier world of one nation and one government. It is not a minor thing that citizens of this nation, so often overrun by enemies (Austro-Hungarian Empire, Nazi Germany, Soviet Russia) would feel queasy over yet another non-Czech flag being flown over their castle.

There is one form of sovereignty which will neither be diminished, nor destroyed. That is God’s sovereignty over His creation. An entire study on this doctrine would be worthwhile for any of my readers. Let us just leave it at this: The LORD has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all. (Psalm 103:19, ESV).

Election Reflection

By Carlo Schneider in Tageblatt, Luxembourg's largest daily

I waited a few days to write this as I sorted out the various viewpoints on what happened in America on November 6.

Immediately, as is usually the case, the blame game began. Conservatives blamed the Republicans. Whites blamed anybody who isn’t. Christians blamed one another. Donald Trump labelled the election a travesty and called for a march on Washington.

An interesting Christian-demographic breakdown has been provided by author and blogger Joel Rosenberg. He leads with this statistic: “25 million self-described evangelicals voted for Obama.” That’s just devastating.

The European press, almost unanimously cheerleading for Obama’s re-election, has had some interesting responses. Presseurop a news aggregator of European media, led its 8 November editorial with the headline: “‘Obama 2.0’ Urged Not to Disappoint.” The lead editorial is titled “Obama, a Lackluster Ally,” stating that “it is a known fact that Barack Obama symbolises a turning point in an America that no longer has affinities with the Old Continent.”

Yet, not unlike their American counterparts, the European media did at least give two cheers at the election result. Again, they were wary, however. As presseurop stated it, “Reflecting a public opinion largely favourable to Barack Obama, the European press heaves a sigh of relief after his re-election. But the illusions of 2008 about his commitment to Europe have vanished.”

Here in the Czech Republic, although Obama was certainly favored over candidate Romney, it seems as though the love affair is over. The response of President Vaclav Klaus was lukewarm, at best. Although  recognizing that at least there would be continuity in the relations between Czech Republic and the U.S., Klaus stated, "Though it is known that my heart is beating on the right side rather than the left, I would like to congratulate President Obama.”

Maybe the Europeans are beginning to understand some things that the American electorate missed. Obama has not kept his promises to anybody. Maybe it would be good if Obama read some of the European press instead of the press release bureaus that pass for journalism in America these days. It might be sobering reading. It might help.