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February 14th, 2002 | Comments are closed
 Like all self respecting cabals of sinister globalist illuminati, we have a 
February 14th, 2002 | Comments are closed
Slobodan Milosevic Is the Scapegoat in a Show Trial by Marko Lopusina and Andre Huzsvai is nothing less than lies on the scale that the Nazi holocaust never happened. Marko Lopusina and Andre Huzsvai are not ‘presenting an interpretation’ when they make remarks like:
“War crimes” in Bosnia and Croatia? What were they then, a mass suicide? And the idea that Zajedno would have toppled Milosevic in 1996 is preposterous. Lopusina and Huzsvai are deluded fantasist apologists for a mass murderer. If they wish to sue me for defaming them I will be happy to give them my address and see these two sacks of shit in court. Natalija was going to write a first hand account of why these two pieces of crap are wrong but was so distressed by it that she decided to just ignore these cretins. The editors of the L.A. Times should hang their heads in shame for allowing this travesty of the facts to touch the pages of their publication. Shameful and disgraceful. The L.A. Times belongs nowhere except in the bottom of cat litter trays. Kudos to Matt Welch for heaping righteous disdain on these people and for Brian Hoffman‘s letter to Matt. Coming soon to the L.A. Times: the serialisation of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion February 14th, 2002 | Comments are closed
Of all people, the Germans have gone and stuck the boot into the fledgling Euro. By rejecting warnings from the European Commission about their swelling budget deficit, they have done just a little more to hasten the decline of the Euro to the status of Monopoly money The warnings in question arise as a result of the Germans breaching the Stability and Growth Pact drawn up in 1997 (mostly by the Germans, ironically) and which limited Eurozone countries to a ceiling on their budget deficits of 3 percent of GDP. Clearly an intended shackle on high-spending governments, it was seen as a bitter pill that had to be swallowed if the Euro was going to attract investment and prove a success But, it appears, that the success of the Euro is as nothing when compared to the prospect of losing an election. Germany’s economy is deep in recession, unemployment is already at 4.5 million and rising and Gerhard Schroder knows that unless he can dole out the largesse before the next election then his name will be added to that growing list The German deficit is already at 2.7 percent and will assuredly go over the 3 percent barrier in the next few months. The German government have told the Commission to go and take a flying f*ck but has promised to reduce its deficit to zero by 2004 (and if anyone believes that, then I have a bridge in Sarajevo to sell them) The ‘Stability Pact’ balloon is going up, filled with all the hot-air about ‘reform’ Still, I couldn’t be happier. If Gerhard Schroder has done his bit to hasten the demise of the Euro then my Valentine Card is already on its way to Berlin to tell him that he has a not-so-secret admirer in London February 13th, 2002 | Comments are closed
The Scottish Parliament has just done what unfettered democratic institutions do: make the prejudices of the majority into laws backed by violence to suppress minority view points. They have now banned fox hunting in Scotland, refusing even to compensate the people who will lose their livelihoods as a result. On the later point I am actually glad as the immoral viscousness of this statist intrusion is made all the more stark to see. Until people start to respond in kind and impose a physical cost on such actions by the state, and on supporters of such actions, it is unlikely much will change. Given the complete lack of viable political opposition to the socialist Labour and National Socialist SNP in Scotland, it is horrifying that only Sinn Fein, a grotesque organisation whose objectives are antithetical to liberty, provides the only viable model for friends of liberty who wish to oppose the increasingly repressive intrusions of the state. February 13th, 2002 | Comments are closed
[ Sabina Kupershmidt points out that behind the gloss of smiling athletes, China remains under the control of a brutal and totalitarian communist regime which forbids even non-political free association that does not have the state as the core of its focus] The Chinese government has been persecuting the spiritual group Falun Gong (also called Falun Dafa) since July 22,1999. So far, the ban has resulted in the arrest of 100,000 peaceful Chinese citizens. Tens of thousands are languishing in labor camps having received long sentences (6-10 years) without trial. 1,000 have been put into mental hospitals. 360 are confirmed dead as a result of torture by Chinese police and/or prison camp personnel, although the true number may be much higher (probably more than 1,600). The deaths are often dismissed by the same officials as ‘suicides’ and the bodies are quickly burned, presumably to hide evidence of torture. Why is China afraid of Falun Gong, a group which has never made any political statements? An official government report in early 1999 showed that 70 million Chinese citizens, including members of the Communist Party and government officials participated in the movement. The true number of practitioners is probably closer to 100 million. The Chinese government, like any other totalitarian government does not like grass-roots movements and could not tolerate so many adherents to a system of belief not centred on the state. Persecution and harassment of practitioners ensued which in turn resulted in a spontaneous gathering of 10,000 practitioners who quietly protested outside the central government compound, Zhongnanhai, in Beijing (April 1999). This led to a complete ban on Falun Gong in July of 1999 and since then practitioners have been arrested and brutally tortured. I don’t want to relate the many horror stories of their mistreatment but you can check on-line for more information. I will try to explain what Falun Gong is all about, since I myself practice it. It is basically a method to improve body, mind and spirit through meditative exercises and through a lifestyle attuned to the three principles of “Truth, Compassion and Forbearance”. Everything is voluntary and free, including all reading materials and all teachings (which can be downloaded from the web). Every practitioner to whom I’ve ever spoken reports great improvements in health, which is also my experience. There are no politics involved anywhere. From February 7th-9th, I attended a protest organized by the “Western US Falun Gong” group at the Winter Olympics intended to draw attention to the Chinese mistreatment of Falun Gong. According to my own estimates, about 1,500 people showed up for the march through downtown Salt Lake City on Thursday (the best-attended event). Most of the participants were Chinese, although some Western practitioners were also there. We first had group practice in a downtown SLC park, then the march and a press conference. In the afternoon we passed out informational brochures downtown, seeking to engage people in discussions about the situation in China. In the evening we held a candle-light vigil in the park until 10 pm. On Friday, the day of the opening ceremonies, we again spent the whole day outdoors, mostly on a hillside close to the Olympic Stadium holding banners and sitting in meditation. After nightfall, we again held a candlelight vigil. To my relief, we had indoor activities on Saturday. I found the schedule physically demanding. After all, we spent 12 hours a day for two days in cold weather and in the snow. We didn’t even take lunch or dinner indoors which might have warmed us up. Also, we did not stay in hotels (there were no hotel rooms available in Salt Lake City) but in a few rented houses; consequently, most of us slept on the floor and were rather sleep-deprived. The age range of participants was 3 years old to mid-80 years old, but the majority of practitioners seemed to be ladies well over 50. A lot were over 60. These folks traveled from all over the US to sit in the snow in Salt Lake City and meditate. Many of them don’t even speak English. I hope there were enough beds for the elderly folks, although where I stayed the first night, there was a man from Durham, NC, who looked close to 70, sleeping on the floor in the kitchen. Many of the same tireless people had participated in a protest against Chinese repression at the World Economic Forum in New York City on the preceding weekend. Quite a lot of them have experienced imprisonment and harassment in China due to their practice of Falun Gong. One of the 80+ year old ladies I saw, once traveled from her present home in California to Beijing in order to appeal to the government about the persecution, knowing full well that she would be arrested. And she did in fact get arrested. Now, she’s back in the US, willing to spend many hours in the cold weather, hoping to attract our attention to the situation in China. I also saw two Western practitioners, both young men, who had traveled to China last November. They had met up on Tiananmen Square with 36 Western Falun Gong practitioners, unfurled a banner that read “Falun Gong is good. Truth Compassion and Forbearance”, started meditation, and promptly got arrested and some got beaten up badly by police. I was very moved by a college student from San Francisco who explained how worried his parents were when he told them of his plans to make his appeal on Tiananmen Square. He argued with them that if men of principle had not stood up for their beliefs throughout history, the world would be an awful place (I’m paraphrasing; he said it better than that). Fortunately, his parents supported him afterwards. Please take time to tell your Senators, Congressman and Congresswoman not to neglect the human rights situation in China. President Bush is going to China this week; please write him an e-mail to direct his attention to this situation (president@whitehouse.gov). We have granted China many economic privileges during the last year. We feel that we need China in our corner, especially when our own country is under attack. Do you remember that our own country supported the Taliban 15 years ago? We understand that the situation is very complex and needs to be considered from many angles, however, it never pays to support evil. You can also sign a petition in favor of Falun Gong. Sabina Kupershmidt February 13th, 2002 | Comments are closed
It is rather surprising, in the year 2002, to find someone expressing the thoughts noted in this article to which the Opinion Journal’s handy e-mail newsletter directed me.
I think someone should warn Mr Ragab of what we did to the Nazi’s the last time around. Note: If anyone has a link to photo’s of the hangings of the Nazi war criminals, I would appreciate it. February 13th, 2002 | Comments are closed
A bit of a no-brainer question, I suppose. An outstanding article in The Times of London today by Michael Gove demolishes the haughty conceits of European Commissioner Chris Patten. Patten, some may recall, was the UK’s final Governor of Hong Kong, who carries the dubious honour of being the man who handed that fine capitalist piece of the planet to the Chinese Communist Party. Patten’s beef with the recent “Axis of Evil” speech by President Bush is that it was, er, frightfully “simplistic”, definitely the mark of a vulgar west Texan and definitely not the sort of thing one would hear at an Oxford dining table or a Brussels drawing room. The important thing, he implies, is to be “sophisticated”. You know, like the French. Patten also questions whether the governments of Iraq, Iran and North Korea can be characterised as “evil”. For a Roman Catholic, it seems a bit rum that this man has such trouble with the concept. I wonder if Patten has the remotest idea of how arrogant he and his like sound to our cousins across the big pond? Hopefully this is another blow to America’s unwise support for the EU as an institution. If Patten helps show the EU mindset for what it is, then I guess we should be kind of grateful. February 13th, 2002 | Comments are closed
Sorry, but if Kevin Holtsberry can come up with the wonderful title Pornucopia, then I must say that writing about the subject again makes him a porn again Christian. February 13th, 2002 | Comments are closed
I oppose Gun Control and I oppose Porn Control. In the War on Drugs, I am confident that the side I back (Drugs) will eventually be declared the winner. But what I actually like is classical music, and about a week ago I visited Mr CD in Soho, which is my second-favourite second-hand CD shop in London, to get another fix. Just now, some of the CDs there are particularly fine bargains. Two purchases from Mr CD have given me special joy, namely two double albums of violin concertos by Vivaldi, at £2 (~$3) per album, i.e. £1 per CD. I have a love hate relationship with the music of Vivaldi. I love it when it is played as I love it to be played, and I hate it when it is played as I hate it to be played. And I hate it when Vivaldi is played in the “authentic” style, on “original instruments”, by musicians who also fancy themselves as scholars. What this means in practice is coming down on the first beat of every bar with a great bulge of over-emphasis. What I like is best described by the Italian word “legato”, a steady line of melody in which the volume doesn’t come and go within each note. And of all the famous composers, I find that the gap between how good it can sound and how bad it can sound is greatest with Vivaldi. Good Vivaldi is heartbreakingly lovely. “Authentic” Vivaldi is boringly, relentlessly pointless, like the worst sort of ‘elevator music’. The most detestably authentic musicians I’ve ever heard are some people called “Musica Antiqua Köln“, who are misdirected by a man called Reinhard Goebel. I have a CD by these people, which I have only kept so that I could one day denounce them to the entire world without miss-spelling their names. They shouldn’t all be taken out and shot by a firing squad which specialises in using original weapons, because that would be wrong. As a libertarian I defend the right of people to express themselves in any way that does not aggress against the rights of others, no matter how horribly they avail themselves of this right. But you get my point. But ah joy, the Vivaldi CDs I came upon in Mr CD were played by the Chamber Orchestra of the Vienna State Opera, in other words by real musicians. I think this orchestra may be a slimmed-down version of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra itself, no less, a suspicion strengthened by the fact that one of the solo violinists in the Opus 3 Concertos (“L’Estro Armonico”) is the great Willi Boskovsky, the VPO’s long time leader. The recording was made in 1964, long before authenticity struck, but just recently enough for the sound quality of the recording to be okay. Viennese opera musicians wouldn’t be allowed anywhere near a baroque recording project these days. I played the CDs eagerly as soon as I got home, and all the joy I used to get in my youth from listening to Vivaldi came flooding rapturously back. The difference between this sort of music making and Musica Antiqua Köln is the difference between making lingeringly rapturous love, and merely humping up and down, trying and failing to force on an orgasm. On the same expedition I also acquired the latest recording in the LSO Live series, a beautiful performance of Elgar’s First Symphony conducted by Sir Colin Davis, brand new this time, for a mere £5. This is my favorite LSO Live CD so far. (You can find out more about this and the other excellent and keenly priced CDs in this series, and about how to purchase them, by going to the London Symphony Orchestra website.) The impression usually left in the mind of the listener by this wonderful symphony is of great dignity and great splendour, the main tune of the first movement being especially dignified and splendid (it’s marked “nobilmente”). But in this performance it was the quieter and subtler orchestral details that most caught my attention. Sir Colin Davis is quoted in the sleeve notes thus:
For once, the artist’s sleeve note claim and the artist’s actual artistic achievement correspond perfectly. People who say that money can’t buy happiness are just no good at shopping. February 13th, 2002 | Comments are closed
I realise I have already written once about this ludicrous EU plan to compel even foreign companies who want to deliver goods and services on-line to people within the EU to collect VAT on digital goods and services from their customers and pass it on to the EU. But how do they propose to force people to register for Value Added Tax if they are in, say, India or Croatia or Ukraine? What possible motivations could an off-shore company have for collecting taxes on behalf of the European Union? How are they going to prove they have even delivered the ‘taxable’ digital goods? Even if the vendor in is a country willing to cooperate with the EU tax authorities, they can just use disposable third-party re-sellers (i.e. “Acme Sprockets Resale Limited of Bangladesh”). How stupid are these people? At least I have an answer to that last question… 
February 13th, 2002 | Comments are closed
Between 1937 and 1945, Heinz produced a version of alphabet spaghetti for the German market that consisted solely of little pasta swastikas. [Update: probably an Urban Legend. Too bad, I rather liked the image of little baby Fritz having a tantrum on May 9 1945 “Waddaya mean, no more yummy little swastikas?”] February 13th, 2002 | Comments are closed
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