Op-Ed: Time For Europeans To Butt Out Of American Politics

Brit Russell Brand's rant against Americans and campaigning for Obama on MTV illustrates a recent phenomenon with European Socialists: making a national sport of slamming Americans and meddling in our politics. Maybe it's time to buy them some mirrors.

First, some prime snippets from British comedian Russell Brand's peculiar brand of standup comedy on the MTV Awards: If his aim was to be noticed by America, Russell Brand more than achieved his goal last night as he ranted that President Bush was a “retarded cowboy” while hosting the MTV awards.

The British comedian, who is a virtual unknown in America, left the crème of the music world stunned as he championed Barack Obama, ran down George Bush and made lewd jokes about the Christian pop band Jonas Brothers.

Ignoring the renowned patriotism of Americans, Brand told the Hollywood audience they must vote for Barrack Obama “on behalf of the world”, before insinuating that America had lower standards than Britain when it came to picking leaders.

"Some people, I think they're called racists, say America is not ready for a black president.

"But I know America to be a forward thinking country because otherwise why would you have let that retard and cowboy fella be president for eight years? In England, he wouldn't be trusted with a pair of scissors." After Brand, a self-confessed sex addict, went on a lewd rant against abstinence 'promise rings' and the Christian band Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus stood up and let him have it: The teenage singer, who wears a ring symbolising her belief in abstaining from sex until marriage, snapped at Brand: "I just want to say, it's not bad to wear a promise ring because not every guy and girl wants to be a slut, OK?"

Brand, a self-confessed sex addict known for his huge hair and boundary-pushing act, apologized for the crack but later went on to make another bawdy joke. It's bad enough we have to listen to homegrown American left-wingers call all Americans racist at heart, or Bush a Hitlerite retard, our soldiers Nazis, or use Christians as fodder for the rudest insults imaginable. Or worse, doing it on foreign soil. From this sex-addicted British Rasta lamebrain on MTV, it's intolerable. You can link to the video at LGF and see for yourself. Who the hell is Russell Brand to judge us? Who is any Brit, for that matter? Britain has racial, social and political problems of its own, just as bad or worse than ours, and have for a very long time. It's why we're not their colony anymore. We're racist, Russell? Here's one damning quote from no less than one of your MPs: Bernie Grant, a British Parliament member says, "Racism is an international phenomenon and certainly the types of racism we get in Britain is very, very similar to the racism in the United States."

Grant says that British institutions have a 'de-facto' glass ceiling that bars blacks from advancing. "In the U.S., black people are able to achieve. For instance, Colin Powell could be the next President of the United States. There's no question of any black person being the next Prime Minister in Britain."

One of the most important differences between Britain and America is that in Britain, the issue of race relations is relatively low on the political agenda for both the major political parties. Want to count beans? Here are the hard numbers for you, Russell: Minority members of Parliament: 14 out of 646. Percentage: 2% Minority population in Britain: 7.9% Minorities in Congress: 78 out of 435. Percentage: 17.9% Minority population in America: 33% We have double the representation for minorities in national office than Britain, Russell. Who are the racists again? Also, Russell, you don't see Americans waiting years for a dentist, or resorting en masse to pulling their own goddamn teeth because the situation's so bad. I'd say you got a few problems to worry about at home before you start slamming us, Russell. Besides, I thought we settled the issue of British meddling in American political affairs a long time ago. And that is the crux of the matter. Outside the United States, what is considered one of America's greatest past sins is its political meddling in the affairs of other nations. Yet strangely, other nations seem to have no compunction in meddling in the political affairs of Americans. Some have said that because of America's stature in the world, choosing its leader should not be a domestic affair alone. Yet isn't all politics local? Don't the Europeans have enough domestic problems to contend with without meddling in ours? Most importantly, have we not fought long and hard for the right to decide our own destiny, and not have foreigners choose our leadership and tell us what to do like we're a bunch of peasant subjects? For better or worse, American citizens have chosen their own presidents for nearly 230 years, and we've done it without putting a Hitler, a Mussolini, Stalin or Milosevic into power (George W. Bush aside, of course), which is a hell of a lot more than Europeans can say. We're supposed to trust their judgment on leadership? Lastly, to be fair, I will offer that Europeans can have a say in American domestic politics after they've had to invade our shores and spill oceans of blood and treasure to save our sorry asses. Twice. Haven't they learned not to step into a fight between two brothers? All that will get you is a beating by both of them. It's the same in Europe, last I checked.