to the Denver Post, Colorado, USA
21.10.1999


Dear Madam/Sir,

As yet unnoticed by the American media and the American public the fate of Raoul Wuthrich has the potential to become a symbol for a turning-point in the Worlds relations to the US.

For Europeans, for instance, the American justice system is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish from the justice system of, let's say, Iran. Executions, puritanism, religious bigotry and other "fundamentalisms" make the US a place that holds little attraction for Europeans. Where they once looked to America for "Liberty for all" they now only see "Liberalism for the few".

There is in fact far more Liberty to be found in the "Old World" these days. And Europeans are not likely to follow the American Way in more than one aspect: "Liberalism" of the commercial kind is much resented in fact, because there is sufficient evidence to suggest that it doesn't lead to more Liberty. Whereas the opposite seems to be true: America, with roughly the same population as Europe has a staggering threefold prison-population. A result of the inhuman "dog eat dog"-capitalism, US-Style, as most Europeans would probably hasten to conclude.

"None of your business", a righteous American Citizen might respond. Yet it is quite self-understood that the rest of the World is accountable to the US even though it is increasingly to be found in the ranks of human rights violators. What a relief to know that these human rights violations are democratically "elected".

Sending ten year old children to jail in handcuffs and chains, for a behaviour that most Europeans would regard, at worst, as neurotic, perhaps as "a bit naughty", or even as "normal growing up stuff", is perceived as blatantly perverse in the Free World outside the US. And the insanity of such a case feeds back into the minds of children and especially teenagers and Jim Morrisons lyrical prophecy becomes chilling in this context when we hear a central line from "The End": "...And all the Children are Insane..."

And it seems America is going "insane" and getting out of touch with sound human behaviour: removed into a hysteric and frigid Nirvana of legalities we can clearly discern the same fear of ambiguity that fuelled the spanish inquisition.

We used to love America even when we said "Yankee Go Home" in the Vietnam days. We loved it for it's music, a freer life-style and perhaps in a way, for more honesty. But the bigotry that always existed there is becoming epidemic, bizarre and legally codified.

We may still be married to the US but Europe is just starting to scratch it's head, wondering if it has been betrayed and if it should consider filing for divorce. The American Dream is dead and the American Nightmare has just begun...

Related Sites: Amnesty International about Americas "War on Juveniles"