21,000 dead and you still like Carlos Santana and The Motorcycle Diaries

Communism=Fascism. I don’t care how you want to argue the different flavor; evil and genocide is a rancid broth regardless of what name you want to put on it. Besides the fringe, the farce, and the goofball, Western Fascism from the mid 1900’s is gone. Unfortunately, the corpse of that Communist death merchant still walks in North Korea, Cuba, Vietnam, Laos, and China and people still love it.



Of the hundreds of millions of souls that these two European philosophies have consumed over the last 87 years, the vast majority of the butcher’s bill belongs to the Red, not the Black. Yet, to this day there is a certain “Commie Chic” out there that is a prime example of willful ignorance, the Che fest of Carlos Santana and Hollywood just two examples. I don’t see a way to marginalize the Reds like the Fascists have been, so I always go by to visit the Commissar when I need to calm down.

To the point, on 05 MAR 1940, an order was signed by Stalin for the execution of 21,000 Polish military officers, intellectuals, and priests in the forests of Katyn. The population of Poland at the outset of WWII was 35 million: 21,000 out of that population would equate to 180,000 Americans today. The educated elite. Pol Pot learned well from the master.

Krystyna Balcer, a 62-year-old retiree whose uncle was killed in Katyn, remained angry about the massacre and the Soviet invasion of Poland prior to World War II, carried out under a secret agreement between Stalin and Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.

"They betrayed us they stuck a knife in our backs," she said of the Soviets invading Poland from the east in 1939, 17 days after Germans entered from the west. The massacre "was unimaginable cruelty, it was genocide."

Yep, that is Communism for you. Power to the people, indeed.

Sunday Funnies

OK, Maybe I should give up on the Dutch

I find this funny, sad, confusing, and weird all wrapped up in a nice ball of Gefilte Fish.

We have soccer, football - whatever, in that very European "we're so bored we want to taunt and fight with the other team's supporters" thing going on, with the wonderful institution of clueless institutional anti-Semitism.

Not that bad, I guess. We do have the Washington Redskins. But how did the leading Dutch soccer (I'm an American, I will call this particular behavior soccer-not football) team Ajax Amsterdam, named after a Greek mythological character, become associated with anti-Semitism?

Let's go to the quotes from The Telegraph article.

Ajax Amsterdam is struggling to stamp out the bizarre tradition by which its most devoted fans call themselves "Jews", even tattooing themselves with Stars of David and waving Israeli flags, although they are not Jewish and know little of Judaism.

Of all places, we need to go to Le Monde to get the right background.

A burning carcass. That is what remained of the Ajax Supporters' Home when Ruben arrived on the scene, late at night on Sunday January 30th. Even before he gave the ruins a closer look the Ajax supporter had no doubt: fans of ADO Den Haag (the team they had played that afternoon) were the arsonists... Two weeks later the police are still investigating.

Interesting. In America we burn down our own cities if we win. In Europe they burn down the other teams fan's house.....and the whole Star of David thingy doesn't help either.

The two clubs have an old rivalry. They're not alone in the Netherlands, where the most hardcore supporters - so-called 'siders' - have been engaged in a merciless struggle for a long time. In March 1997 the fight between gangs of supporters from Feyenoord and Ajax led to the death of a young man. But the violence is also verbal. Since a dominant part of the Ajax fans began proudly calling themselves Joden ('Jews') in repetitive chants, they've been bombarded with hissing sounds from their opponents, references to the death camps and anti-semitic yells.....According to Simon Kuper (author of Ajax, the Dutch, the War), Israeli symbols appeared in the early 1980s in the section of the F-Side, the old stand of the club's hard core, soon after the visit by Tottenham, a club known for its connection to the Jewish community of North London. Jewish symbols soon accompanied the 'Jews! Jews!' yells that replaced the 'Boeren! Boeren!' ('Farmers! Farmers!'), which that Amsterdam supporters used to yell at their opponents. Rival fans soon replied with 'ssssssssssss' (the hissing sound of gas) and, more recently, 'Hamas! Hamas! The Jews to the gas!'

Well that's cute. I guess it is better than the usual European tradition of, "I'm bored. Let's invade someone. Oh, while we are at it, lets do a pogrom as well."

Although the large part of the Amsterdam followers have no clue as to what Jewish religion is about, they've had the curious habit of carrying Jewish symbols for some time. Before it burnt down the Supporters Home, built adjecent to the Ajax training pitches, was covered with Israeli flags. Willem, the barman, wears the Star of David on his T-shirt, as do many others on their hats or scarves. On match days these F-Siders, around 5,000 people, shout Joden, Joden ('Jews, Jews') and wave huge Israeli flags. "These chants are part of our culture and they're really important to us," explains Erwin Pieters of the Onafhankelijke Fanclub Ajax (OFA), an independent fan club. "We call ourselves Jews in order to to deprive the opposing supporters of the pleasure of calling us so, as if it were an insult."

Harrumph. I like that guy.

You know, there is a little more here than meets the eye.

There have been debates about the alleged Jewish identity of the club regularly ever since the foundation of the club in 1900. According to historians the Jewish connection was down to simple geographical facts in the first place: Ajax and the Jewish neighborhoods were both in the East of Amsterdam. Nobody would deny the link, though. For the best, but also for the worst. During World War II, according to Simon Kuper, the club followed the orders of the Germans very strictly in the fall of 1941, expelling twelve Jewish players and board members.

Mmmmm. Maybe not a good idea. Should remind everyone why there are no longer Jews on the team or in Holland at all. How soon we forget that prior to the German invasion, there were 140,000 Jews in Holland. Today there are 30,000. You do the math. Let the fans have their mascot and tradition, if for no other reason than to torque off the homegrown jihadi and anti-Semites.

Another angle to this is that the focus, as many things are in Europe right now, is off focus. The problem isn't Jewish symbols used by Ajax fans, lovingly mind you, but the reaction to the other side. The fans are right. Everyone should bugger off if they can't deal with the Star of David. Unlike the Washington Redskins issue here, the problem isn't the mascot, but the reaction to it. Even more of a reason to keep it. If nothing else, if you changed things, this guy would get real pissed off.


Hat tip Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler.

VAMPIRE - VAMPIRE - VAMPIRE: The coming crackdown on blogging

Everyone here needs Declan McCullagh's interview with Bradley Smith, one of six commissioners at the Federal Election Commission, charge with extending the 2002 campaign finance law to the Internet.

Here is enough of the interview to get the blood boiling, but you really need to read it all.

What would you like to see happen?
I'd like someone to say that unpaid activity over the Internet is not an expenditure or contribution, or at least activity done by regular Internet journals, to cover sites like CNET, Slate and Salon. Otherwise, it's very likely that the Internet is going to be regulated, and the FEC and Congress will be inundated with e-mails saying, "How dare you do this!"

What happens next?
It's going to be a battle, and if nobody in Congress is willing to stand up and say, "Keep your hands off of this, and we'll change the statute to make it clear," then I think grassroots Internet activity is in danger. The impact would affect e-mail lists, especially if there's any sense that they're done in coordination with the campaign. If I forward something from the campaign to my personal list of several hundred people, which is a great grassroots activity, that's what we're talking about having to look at.

Senators McCain and Feingold have argued that we have to regulate the Internet, that we have to regulate e-mail. They sued us in court over this and they won.

If Congress doesn't change the law, what kind of activities will the FEC have to target?
We're talking about any decision by an individual to put a link (to a political candidate) on their home page, set up a blog, send out mass e-mails, any kind of activity that can be done on the Internet.

Again, blogging could also get us into issues about online journals and non-online journals. Why should CNET get an exemption but not an informal blog? Why should Salon or Slate get an exemption? Should Nytimes.com and Opinionjournal.com get an exemption but not online sites, just because the newspapers have a print edition as well?

....and yes, McCainiacs, you can thank your buddy for this Constitutional nightmare. Professor Bainbridge has a great quote from Spremem Court Justice Hugo Black.

Without deviation, without exception, without any ifs, buts, or whereases, freedom of speech means that you shall not do something to people either for the views they express, or the words they speak or write.

I don't know about you, but I have about 60 days of leave on the books and am a short drive from DC. I'm waiting for the uberbloggers to set a date. I'm marching. All enemies, foreign and domestic.


Hat tip LGF, Instapundit, Captain Ed, and Professor Bainbridge.

God: "The rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated"

This article from WorldTribune.com cracks me up. Anyone who has had their finger on the pulse of the world could have told you this.

There seems to be a growing consensus around the globe that godlessness is in trouble. "Atheism as a theoretical position is in decline worldwide," Munich theologian Wolfhart Pannenberg told United Press International Tuesday.

Especially among the youth.

Two developments are plaguing atheism these days. One is that it appears to be losing its scientific underpinnings. The other is the historical experience of hundreds of millions of people worldwide that atheists are in no position to claim the moral high ground.

When did they ever have the moral high ground? Moral? Where does Atheism get its morals from? I'm just an ignorant Christian. I guess I can't figure it out.

"Atheism, which people have tried to for hundreds of years as 'the ways of reason and science,' is proving to be mere irrationality and ignorance."

As British philosopher Anthony Flew, once as hard-nosed a humanist as any, mused when turning his back on his former belief: It is, for example, impossible for evolution to account for the fact than one single cell can carry more data than all the volumes of the Encyclopedia Britannica put together.

Yea, what he said. Both of 'em.

For although in every major European city except Paris spirituality is booming, according to Zulehner, this only proves the emergence of a diffuse belief system, Pannenberg said, but not the revitalization of traditional Christian religious faith.

Paris. France. Big surprise. Define "traditional." Sloppy, lazy writing. I don't belong to a "traditional" Church, but I'm not a Zoroastrian either.

Pannenberg, a Lutheran, praised the Roman Catholic Church for handling this peril more wisely than many of his fellow Protestants. "The Catholics stick to the central message of Christianity without making any concessions in the ethical realm," he said, referring to issues such as same-sex "marriages" and abortion.

I'm not a Catholic, but he is right. People seeking faith, salvation, and spiritual meaning in their lives are looking for a firm rock to anchor themselves to, not a lump of room-temp lime jello. I was lost for most of my adult life because of a lump of jello denomination. Thank goodness I have found a rock.

In a similar vain, Zulehner, a Catholic, sees Christianity's greatest opportunity when its message addresses two seemingly irreconcilable quests of contemporary humanity - the quest for freedom and truth. "Christianity alone affirms that truth and God's dependability are inseparable properties to which freedom is linked."

Another home run. Freedom.

Hmmmm. One thing missing from this article; it weighs about 800 pounds, is dark, and seems to be a primate.

ISLAM. With all that is going on in the world, no mention of ISLAM. ARRRGHHHHHH!!! Sloppy writing. Ball-less, weak, lilly livered editor, limp iceberg lettuce writing.

That being said, let's give credit where credit is due.

"The great world religions are best placed," he said. As a distant second he sees the diffuse forms of spirituality. Atheism, he insisted, will come in at the tail end.

I'll put my money on that.

Is Canada of any use?

It is great to see that there is a growing debate inside Canada about their refusal to carry their load of defending the West and guarding their own security.

Individual Canadian members of the armed forces are outstanding, but as a whole, since they went from the Red Ensign to the Maple Leaf flag, it has all been downhill WRT having any type of military to speak of.

"we (Canada) spend a smaller share of our national wealth on military obligations than any NATO nation except tiny Luxembourg and Iceland (which has no military at all)."

That is just shameful.

I know, I can hear the bleating already. "But what about foreign aid? Canada does a lot."

While our military neglect is common knowledge, Canadians may also be in need of a reality check when it comes to foreign aid. As UN Millennium Project manager John W. McArthur noted in these pages yesterday, our official development assistance (ODA) did not even amount to 0.3% of GDP in 2004 -- less than half the 0.7% standard wealthy nations have embraced as a goal. Notwithstanding Bono's boosterism and the government's chest-thumping, the truth is that tiny European nations such as Norway are putting us to shame not only in military spending but also in aid.

Harumph.

Credibility is eroding fast for our friendly neighbor to the North. Hope we once had for the new PM is fading fast.

Our refusal to participate in the U.S. ballistic missile shield, a project that would protect Canadian and American cities alike from immolation, is perhaps the best example yet of how thoroughly fantasy and reality diverge in Ottawa. On Thursday, our government declared it would have nothing to do with the shield -- a foolish gesture meant to placate the pacifists in the Liberal caucus. But the next day, our PM advanced the conceit that the Americans would still have to consult with us before activating the system. One can practically hear the howls of laughter emanating from the few Washington officials who still bother to inform themselves of Ottawa's pronouncements: Can anyone seriously imagine that the President would ask our PM for permission to shoot down a missile heading for a U.S. target?

Yes, laughing is heard. Angry laughing.

Canadians should worry that they are becoming a joke. Pity (like the Canadian Forces I worked with in Bahrain showing up in 100F+ weather wearing HEAVY dark green uniforms), is starting to turn into distain.

Canada might well be described as a braggart who is all talk, no action. Consider this past week's grandiose promise by the Prime Minister to do "whatever is required" to end the humanitarian crisis in Darfur -- as if Canada had the capacity to do even a small fraction of what is needed in war-torn Sudan. A similar boast from Hungary or Latvia would have been more credible.

Don't listen to me. I'm just an American. I'll let the National Post end up this entry.

We stand at a crossroads. Either we will continue to shrivel into our role as the world's impotent scold. Or we can begin to reclaim our status as a leader on the international stage. We urge the Prime Minister and his Cabinet to use the upcoming foreign-policy and military reviews to restore Canada's place in the world community and put an end to our unconscionable drift.

The Fascists of Higher Education: Part Deux

Why I blog anonymously.

I have looked for Professor Klocek's exact words that got him in so much trouble, so I won't take a position one way or another about the offending quotes, as I cannot find them. That being said, it is no surprise that at the home of Fascist oppression in America, AKA academia, they would try to silence an opposing view. I will bet a per diem check that Depaul never suspended a professor for challenging pro-Israel issues, pro-Bush, pro-American, pro-Capitalism, pro-Reagan opinions. Good grief, with Depaul's standards, I could have had all my English, half my Economics, most of my Marketing, and a good balance of my technical course Professors suspended from my undergrad and graduate school universities.

Oh, wait. They had the 'correct' views. Sorry, I forgot.

Note the difference here between Ward Churchill. Though in my estimation, Churchill's opinions are a bunch of garbage, he is entitled to them. What he is not entitled to is to lie and steal. The only action being taken against Churchill comes from the fact he is a proven fraud WRT his "art", his military service, his writing, and academic credentials.

Last fall, DePaul University professor Thomas Klocek was suspended without a hearing for challenging the viewpoints of certain Muslim students on campus at a student activities fair.

.... and what were those comments beyond the not-hard-to-defend-or-radical position that historically Palestinians are not a distinct people? Are they so benign that the Left is afraid to repeat them?

Klocek showed up to the news conference bound and gagged, illustrating what he believes the university did to him by censoring his views on the Middle East.

BAAAWAAAHAHAHA. That is rich. I love street theater.

The students claimed professor Klocek's arguments were racist and hurt their feelings.

Awwww, poor wittle ting. Its feeling were hurt. That never happens in the real world. Our students should never learn to deal with different opinions, they might have to think hard to defend their own opinion. Poor wittle ting. We just can't have Muslim opinions challenged at University. Heavens no. Hypocrites.

Klocek is being attacked for his opinions alone. Check out the video to seem more of the street theater, and to see the newsreader's important lesson on the dangers of excessive collagen injection and dermabrasion.