OT: Turkey and the EU (Was: Happenings in Cyprus)

[Guest guest]

Howdy Ien,

 

> BBC world just had a really nice item on Turkey.

> Butch, you were on my mind when we watched it!

 

Thank you ma'am. :-P

 

> Stunningly beautiful place and I love the sound of the

> language.

 

It is certainly a beautiful country .. and the language is rather new

in that it was created from the old Ottoman by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk

when he created the Republic of Turkey from the ashes of the Ottoman

Empire following WW I. The language is designed so it has perfect

vowel harmony .. there will never be a hard vowel and a soft vowel in

the same sentence.

 

> I wasn't so sure it was a good idea to let them into the

> EU, but watching it sort of changed my mind. Not that it

> is any of my business..

 

Actually, from an Economic point of view .. Turkey would do more for

the EU than will be done by some of the ex-Soviet, Eastern European

countries that have now entered the EU. From a Secular point of view,

they are far more so than is Greece, who has permanent seats in the

Parliament for clergy .. and we Americans who still print " In God We

Trust " on our coins .. and the Europeans who have political parties

named " Christian Democrat " and such. All three of these examples hat

would be illegal in Turkey as they would obviously signify a lack of

separation between religion and state. ;-)

 

Howsomeever .. I hope Turkey never makes it into the EU because EU

entry would change/destroy too many things that are good about Turkey

now .. the price they would have to pay and what they would have to

give up in order to be a member is too great. ;-)

 

I've preached against Turkey entering the EU for 10 plus years. When

I can get a businessman, a general, a minister, a parliamentarian ..

or even some dude in a bar to listen I point out the down sides .. and

it appears, based on the latest polls, that only 30% of the Turks now

want to join the EU anyway .. they are wising up. ;-)

 

I think the West and Turkey would benefit more if Turkey stayed out of

the EU .. if they were supported by the West and assisted in becoming

a good example to the East of how a country can be modern, democratic,

capitalist, Western, secular and Moslem at the same time. :-)

 

> Ien in the Kootenays

> http://freegreenliving.com

 

Y'all have a good one .. and keep smiling. :-)

 

Butch http://www.AV-AT.com

[Guest guest]

Butch wrote:

 

I think the West and Turkey would benefit more if Turkey stayed out of

the EU .. if they were supported by the West and assisted in becoming

a good example to the East of how a country can be modern, democratic,

capitalist, Western, secular and Moslem at the same time. :-)

 

OK, if that is good for all, sounds fine to me. It has never mind sense

emotionally

to consider the place a European country.

After all, when Alexander cut the Gordian knot, he said: Asia is mine!