Final Word from Monday, January 23, 2017
Donald Trump's inaugural address was music to the ears of his supporters, esp. the part of the speech about putting America First. In Trump's eyes, the establishment in Washington has "reaped the rewards of government" and is to blame for the "carnage" across the country. How does this message translate to the Czech environment? Not that easily, because Czechs are even less in control of their own destiny than everyday Americans are. Decisions are made in Brussels and Washington that reverberate from Aš to Zlín. Milan Chovanec can push for a constitutional right to bear arms, but he knows it's only a show, because Brussels' laws are above the Czech Constitution. It works the other way too. The Czech establishment can shirk the blame for an increasing number of crimes, from subsidy robbery to defense-budget campaign kickbacks, by blaming the EU and Nato. America First will continue to draw large crowds, because it's at least theoretically possible. [Czech Republic European Union ČSSD Interior Minister president]
Glossary of difficult words
carnage - the killing of a large number of people;
to reverberate - to have continuing and serious effects;
to shirk - to avoid or neglect (a duty or responsibility);
kickback - an illicit payment made to someone in return for facilitating a transaction or appointment.