The Lead
Do You Dare Look Into the Minds of the Western 'Permanent War' Gang?
by David Shavin (EIRNS) — Jul. 28, 2024
The opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics may scar the memory of anyone who witnessed it, but perhaps it will go down in history as a turning point. There, floating down the Seine, was the vulgar, naked attack on Christianity—but, more specifically, on the beautiful, engaging and poignant moment captured by Leonardo da Vinci, his “Last Supper.” Beyond punk rock, beyond “Pussy Riot,” the intentional shock of a drag queen in the position of Christ, with a scattering of drag queens around the table as various apostles. But, of course, why stop there, when a naked fellow portraying Dionysios can sing to the assembled, and the former French Queen Marie Antoinette can appear after her visit to the guillotine, carrying her head in her arm.
Yesterday, Schiller Institute founder and chairwoman Helga Zepp-LaRouche, a guest speaker at panel in Italy on “The Ghost of Sovereignism Is Once Again Haunting Europe,” concluded a well-received presentation, in a different fashion:
Lastly, I think we need a cultural Renaissance. I heard some speakers yesterday and today saying we need a Greek-Roman-Christian foundation, and I fully agree with that. I would even go a step beyond and say we need a classical Renaissance of the best tradition of Europe (applause): the Greek classics, the contribution of Dante, Petrarca, of the Golden Renaissance in Italy, the German classical period from Bach to Beethoven, from Lessing to Schiller; these are important ideas and our young people have totally forgotten them. So, we have to revive that and make it real.
Furthermore, we need a dialogue between the best tradition of Europe and the best tradition of China, India, Africa, Latin America, because only if we understand the other culture, can we discover the beauty of the poetry, of music, and we start to love these other countries and that is the best medicine against any kind of chauvinism and wrongly understood nationalism (applause).
I have not heard Ursula von der Leyen, Olaf Scholz, Annalena Baerbock or any of these people, ever speak about any beautiful idea of Europe. That is why they are completely unfit to save Europe at this point (applause).
