Did you know. . .
In some backward-ass third world countries, it’s illegal to freely express yourself:
A right-wing British historian goes on trial Monday on charges of denying the Holocaust occurred — a crime punishable by up to 10 years’ imprisonment in this country once run by the Nazis.
No, I’m sorry. That’s Austria not the Middle East. Sure, he may be crazy or stupid or live in la-la land. But he should have a right to be crazy and say what he likes.
And shame on the media for equating Nazis as right leaning.
February 20th, 2006 at 8:42 am
It’s a matter of simple logic, really:
1. I don’t like you.
2. I don’t like the Nazis.
3. Therefore, you are a Nazi.
February 20th, 2006 at 1:15 pm
Where do they equate Nazis with right-leaning? They say the historian is right-leaning, but the don’t say that he’s a Nazi or that Nazis are right-leaning anywhere I can see. If the historian is not right-leaning, then by all means they should be dinged for reporting that incorrectly, but otherwise, I’m not quite sure where the foul is.
February 20th, 2006 at 6:44 pm
Tgirsch: Irving may have some views on inconsequential issues that could be construed as right or left, but by and large, he is known for one view, and one view only: denying the Holocaust. Also, if their basis for calling him right-wing was any issue other than his holocaust revisionism, it would be irrelevant to the story, just as it would be to report that a right-leaning (or left-leaning, or anything-else-leaning) bandit had just robbed the local 7-11. Thus, the only reasonable inference to be drawn is that the author of the story considered Irving right-wing because he holds (or held) a view of history that is unduly friendly to the Nazis.
February 21st, 2006 at 11:42 am
X:
Yeah, but if you use logic like that, you might infer from the 2003 SOTU that the president was telling us that Saddam Hussein was actively supporting the perpetrators of 9/11. So logic like that is clearly off-limits. 🙂 Aside from that, point taken.
That aside, as unjustifiable as it is, I’m not sure holocaust denial automatically qualifies one as a Nazi, or even a Nazi sympathizer.
February 21st, 2006 at 11:49 am
In what fantasy world is fascism not on the right side of the political spectrum?
February 21st, 2006 at 11:54 am
Key word: fantasy. Here in the real world, it could exist on both sides, since it means:
A system of government marked by centralization of authority under a dictator, stringent socioeconomic controls, suppression of the opposition through terror and censorship, and typically a policy of belligerent nationalism and racism.
That could fit communism as well as Mussolini’s brand of right wing fascism (specifically using the term right-wing because Mussolini did so himself).