Last Tuesday, I had the pleasurable task of being Master of Ceremonies for the Atlas Economic Research Foundation dinner in Washington, D.C., that celebrated the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Founded in 1981, the Atlas Foundation assists the formation of free market think tanks around the world to spread the ideas of personal liberty, private property rights and limited government. So far, they have been successful in at least 70 countries. Attending the two-day celebration were think-tank representatives from many of these countries, including those from Croatia, Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Cote d’Ivoire, Kenya, Mozambique, South Korea, Russia and Brazil.
Alan Kors, University of Pennsylvania history professor, gave the evening’s keynote address. What he revealed about the dereliction and character weakness of academics, intellectuals, media elites and politicians is by no means complimentary, but worse than that, dangerous. Professor Kors said that over the years, he has frequently asked students how many deaths were caused by Joseph Stalin and Mao Tsetung and their successors. Routinely, they gave numbers in the thousands. Kors says that’s equivalent to saying the Nazis are responsible for the deaths of just a few hundred Jews. But here’s the record: Nazis were responsible for the deaths of 20 million of their own people and those in nations they conquered. Between 1917 and 1983, Stalin and his successors murdered, or were otherwise responsible for the deaths of, 62 million of their own people. Between 1949 and 1987, Mao Tsetung and his successors were responsible for the deaths of 76 million Chinese.
Professor Kors asks why are the horrors of Nazism so well known and widely condemned, but not those of socialism and communism? For decades after World War II, people have hunted down and sought punishment for Nazi murderers. How much hunting down and seeking punishment for Stalinist and Maoist murderers? In Europe, especially Germany, hoisting the swastika-emblazoned Nazi flag is a crime.
It’s acceptable to hoist and march under a flag emblazoned with the former USSR’s hammer and sickle. Even in the U.S., it’s acceptable to praise mass murderers, as Anita Dunn, President Obama’s communications director, did in a commencement address for St. Andrews Episcopal High School at Washington National Cathedral where she said Mao Tsetung was one of her heroes. Whether it’s the academic community, the media elite or politicians, there is a great tolerance for the ideas of socialism — a system that has caused more deaths and human misery than all other systems combined.
Academics, media elites and leftist politicians both in the U.S. and Europe protested the actions and military buildup of President Ronald Reagan and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher that led to the fall of the Berlin Wall and ultimately the breakup of the Soviet Union. Recall the leftist hissy fit when Ronald Reagan called the Soviet Union the evil empire and predicted that communism would wind up on the trash heap of history.
Professor Alan Kors did not say this but the reason why the world’s leftists give the world’s most horrible murderers a pass is because they sympathize with their socioeconomic goals, which include government ownership and/or control over the means of production. In the U.S., the call is for government control, through regulations, as opposed to ownership. Unfortunately, it matters little whether there is a Democratically or Republican-controlled Congress and White House; the march toward greater government control continues. It just happens at a quicker pace with Democrats in charge.
You say, “Come on, Williams, there will never be the kind of socialist oppression seen elsewhere here!” You might be right because Americans have become very compliant with unconstitutional and immoral congressional edicts. But what do you think would happen if some Americans began to rise up and heed Thomas Jefferson’s admonition “Whensoever the General Government assumes undelegated powers, its acts are unauthoritative, void, and of no force.” and decided to disobey unconstitutional congressional edicts?
You Americans had best wise up, QUICKLY.
RIght now, Canada has a government considerably to the right of the one in the U. S., and that's not to say Canada has suddenly become a bastion of Conservative thought; it's to say that the U. S. has elected one of the most harshly uncaring, hard-left pandering buffoons in the history of Western civilization. Seriously. Get this asshole out of power soon, or your country will be unrecognizable. It won't take long.
The reason that the commies get an unreasonably soft ride for their murderous incompetence and illegalities is three-fold.
First, they're not thought to have much threatened other nations. People living 5,000 miles away won't change the mind of people who live one mile away from this so-called “deadly threat”.
Secondly, the position of moral superiority that the US/the West held in 1945 was squandered in so many ways by aggression in so many different directions – and not even being an ally protects you from the industrial killing machine, as Pakistan is discovering now. The West defended appalling horrors like Vietnam (and adopted the Nazi machine in Germany and Japan), making nonsense of the pious words we hear.
Thirdly, propaganda against the commies has been relentless – and often wilfully unfair or, most likely, untrue. Crying wolf doesn't go down well from poor people, but it sounds a lot worse from rich ones.
First -Agree, people tend to focus locally. A side note here should be the reluctance of some media outlets to document the horrors of the “progressive” elements.
2ndly- Aggression? Resistance to a rabidly expansive Soviet empire is not aggression. After seeing the subjugation of Eastern Europe, there was a decision made to resist the expansion of the Soviet influence/occupation. Only the left ever called this aggression. The horrors in Vietnam worsened to an enormous extent after the pull-out of the US forces. That was clearly documented by quietly ignored..
3rdly, Really? Did you write that down? What part of the Gulags was over stated? The horrors of living under a oppressive police state? The awful poverty imposed by the clumsy central state planning? The endless 5 year plans? This last statement is ludicrous. Often the reality of living under the horrors of the Communist system where understated as the reality would have been regarded as impossible.
andyFree, sir – What's that gibberish?
The communist Russia's history is that of constant unrelenting aggression against other nations, look closely at what happened to Eastern European countries both before and after World War II, with an enormous proportion of their population murdered or disappeared into labor camps never to return. Those are the hard facts, not just “deadly threat”. What about South East Asia? It all started with China and then spread like cancer into neighboring countries with tens of millions of people murdered in the name of the greater good.
What's that nonsense of the West adopting “the Nazi machine in Germany and Japan”? It all sounds like an excerpt from a Soviet propaganda booklet, devoid of sense or logic, a Leninist type of crap.
What's that “most likely, untrue” about “propaganda” against commies? Can propaganda be true or untrue? All it does is to fulfill certain ideological objectives, like a weapon. But there were serious books written about communism and its ruinous, degrading effect on human civilization.
It was so far from us and so few if not none of us where directly or indirectly affected.
See Darfur and RDC just yesterday.
Social democracies are in awe of these mighty destructive powers. And Arab Muslims wish they can do the same with Israel at the first opportunity
But we MUST clean-up the excesses of unbridle Capitalism.
For details of Stalin's horrors, read “Stalin's Jews” by Sever Plocker at the Israeli web site, Ynet.
http://www.ynet.co.il/english/articles/0,7340,L…
The question you need answering is “why did the commies get an unreasonably soft ride for their murderous incompetence and illegalities?”
And I've told you the answer (or three of them, anyway). Now, you're fully entitled to tell me I'm wrong – but only if you have a better answer. Unless you believe everyone else in the world is mad. Well, you don't have a better answer. And you do think everyone else is mad.
So which mad western nation is planning to bring the lessons of Iraq back home and apply them in their own cities? Oh, look it's all in the Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/ar…
Paulsheldonfoot:
I could not find any details of Stalin's horrors in that shallow article except that it chooses to vaguely focus on jewish participation in stalinist murders. What is the point?
We are already witnessing the beginnings of what will happen when Americans rise up and challenge the usurpation of power by the federal government. We are villified and marginalized. Laws are being passed or pushed to shut us up. As we get louder, the government will get more forceful. It can happen here in America. It is already beginning to happen. Americans must wake up before it is complete, and we witness another civil war.
Let us not forget the disproportionate demographic showing 23,000,000 missing females in present day China. The real numbers don't lie.
Dr. Jim Garrow
Executive Director
The Bethune Institute and Pink Pagoda
Nobel Peace Prize nominees – 2009
Would we trust the YNET news if it says “Many Jews sold their soul to the devil of the Communist revolution and have blood on their hands for eternity”?
No, I don't think we would trust it – it also says “As opposed to Eastern European nations, the Russians did not settle the score with their Stalinist past” which is complete trash and garbage.
Only one of the following overthrew it's communist regime by force and executed their former leaders: Slovenia, Croatia, Poland, Hungary, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Bulgariam, Romania, Yugoslavia, Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. In all those places, the communist party remains legal and communists continue to play significant roles in government.
Go on, tell us that the Europeans of 18 countries (and 5 Asian countries) are all mad. Either that or tell us the real reason that the commies all got a “Get out of Jail” card.
You are correct that the focus of the article “Stalin's Jews”
http://www.ynet.co.il/english/articles/0,7340,L…
was on a single Jew responsible for murdering only ten million Christians. Who cares about Christians? For a book-length account of who was responsible for the communist killings of more than one hundred million people around the world, read:
The Black Book of Communism: Crimes, Terror, Repression
http://www.amazon.com/Black-Book-Communism-Crim…
If you prefer to focus upon the evils of Zionists, then there is a free book online:
THE JEWISH GENOCIDE OF ARMENIAN CHRISTIANS
By Christopher Jon Bjerknes
Enlarged Second Edition
Complete 575 page book is available
by clicking here for the free PDF file (3.8 MB)
http://www.jewishracism.com/JewishGenocide.htm
For a book on the founder of Zionism by an Israeli professor, read:
Moses Hess: Prophet of Communism and Zionism
http://www.amazon.com/Moses-Hess-Prophet-Commun…
Moses Hess (nicknamed the “Communist Rabbi” by early Marxists) worked with Karl Marx on drafts of The Communist Manifesto and represented Marx at international communist gatherings. Moses Hess is buried in Israel.
Paul Sheldon Foote
Totalitarianism is totalitarianism. Pouring old wine into new bottles should not deceive anyone.
Hannah Arendt, in The Origins of Totalitarianism, noted correctly that there is no such thing as good totalitarians.
http://www.amazon.com/Origins-Totalitarianism-I…
Likewise, Professor Claes Ryn warned about the true nature of the neo-conservatives (neo-Trotskyites) in his book:
America the Virtuous: The Crisis of Democracy and the Quest for Empire
http://www.amazon.com/America-Virtuous-Crisis-D…
Paul Sheldon Foote
What is that picture of? An anti-communist being executed or are they showing off a new style of mustache, or what? An official caption would be nice.
KT
There was a murder in LA last night and FPM didn't say anything about it. Why is FPM silent about murder? Why do they naively go about their day as if murder wasn't important…don't they care about human life?
This is the kind of weak reasoning the writer uses to bring Mao and Stalin back into the conversation.
What law has been passed to do anything to you? To restrict you in any way, shape or form? If you are going to be loud, you better have a coherent message and not be an uneducated moron…
In eight years of Bush…all the secrecy and marginalizing of dissent, the protest areas, people arrested or kicked out of public places for wearing anti-bush t-shirts…after all that..,NOW you think your rights are being trampled upon and nothing has happened….
Paul Sheldon Foote:
You are sick in your mind.
There was a far greater number of non-Jews who participated in mass killings. Why focus on Jews? It escapes me.
Please enlighten me – when did any of this happen?
What about Stalin himself? Isn't it the case of a “christian” murdering 20 million other “christians”? After all, Yagoda and other “jews” never reached the very top. How could a handful of “jews” so efficiently murder tens of millions of “innocent christians” unless with helped by far more numerous and eager accomplices?
You may spout your sick rubbish for all you want. Rubbish will it remain notwithstanding your bogus sources.
bubba4
Wow! It looks like the ACORN OBAMNABLE mad dogs have invaded. Make it up on the fly! Any fantastic, wild statement goes! I guess you're out to destroy the utility and rationality of this site.
Reductio ad absurdum
George Bush, the liberal, is not president anymore. The prescription drug plan was one restriction on my liberty. I wouldn't call universal health care, nothing. Moreover, it is not just the passing of laws, but the repeal of laws already in place that is important, including, possibly the patriot act. There are many, many laws that have been passed that illegally restrict us in many ways. These didn't start under this administration, but this admiinistration “is” in office now, and continues them.
You know this gets worse and worse, but when you said LA, did you mean Louisiana? That is what I think of when I think of LA, but no matter. The weak reasoning is being done by you. Mao and Stalin had state sponsored murder (not that they were alone), but I don't believe there is any indication the murder in Louisiana last night was state sponsored.
I believe that your explanations for the relative soft-peddling of the horrors of communism in U.S. and Western popular culture are much closer to the truth than the explanation of the correspondent calling himself andyFree. The first, and most important, reality here is that the Western professoriate and academicians in general are sympathetic to communism and socialism. They are the “producers and disseminators of knowledge,” they are the people who write history, and their pro-socialist and communist sympathies are reflected in their scholarship. Whether the product of their scholarship is shoddy (like the political writings of Chomsky, who avers absurdly that the United States is among the greatest exporters of terrorism in history) or reasonably intelligent and coherent (such as Lloyd Gardner, who merely blames the U.S. for the Cold War, managing somehow to avert his gaze from the depredations and provocations of Soviet Communism), their prejudices are reflected in their work. This is true of most academics, even for those considered “middle of the road,” such as Michael Beschloss and Douglas Brinkley. The latter, for example, wrote a hagiography of Senator John Kerry before the 2004 election; one major purpose of the bio was to get Kerry elected (fortunately, we had the good sense THAT election not to elect a radical leftist).
America's academic leftists, generally speaking, have not had the misfortune of suffering under communism, socialism, leftism, Islamic socialism, etc. and consequently cannot fathom the reality of what many of us have seen up close. Only a person who never lived under a Stalin, a Castro, a Kim, or under Shariah could find such offensive governments praiseworthy.
Joseph Stalin was born in Georgia and attended a Georgian Orthodox seminary. In 1899, the Georgian Orthodox seminary expelled the rebellious student. As noted in Robert Service’s book, Stalin: A Biography, many students from this seminary rebelled against the Russian Orthodox Church and became famous Marxists.
http://books.google.com/books?id=hSWK6Dh4wRgC&p…
He joined Vladimir Lenin and the godless Marxists as a gangster and terrorist raising money through bank robberies, kidnappings, and extortion.
The godless communists in the Soviet Union murdered or sent to gulags thousands of Christian leaders. Those Christian leaders who co-operated with the KGB received secret supplementary salaries and code names.
http://97.74.65.51/readArticle.aspx?ARTID=35388
For details of Stalin’s Jewish mistresses, read Simon Sebag Montefiore’s Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar.
http://books.google.com/books?id=f-HerzgvxssC&p…
Stalin was a godless, communist monster, not a Christian.
Paul Sheldon Foote
Arendt is just another antisemitic Zionist, writing up Eichmann's trial in Jerusalem as the most appalling blood-libel on the entire Jewish leadership in Eastern Europe (the Judenrate): “The whole truth was that if the Jewish people had really been unorganized and leaderless, there would have been chaos and plenty of misery but the total number of victims would hardly have been between four and a half and six million people.”
And she is similarly muddled and flat-out wrong with the book you suggest. The first (of three) sections is on antisemitism, she claims it's the root of all totalitarianism. Which is nonsense – for just one example, Mussolini was (Capital-letter) Fascist and totalitarian, yet in the early 1930s he was busy helping train the Zionists for their attacks on the Palestinians. “The World Zionist Organisation’s attitude toward Italian Fascism was determined by one criterion: Italy’s position on Zionism. When Mussolini was hostile to them, Weizmann was critical of him; but when he became pro-Zionist, the Zionist leadership enthusiastically supported him. On the day Hitler came to power they were already friends with the first Fascist leader”.(Lenni Brenner “Zionism and Italian Fascism, 1922-1933″ http://www.marxists.de/middleast/brenner/ch04.htm)
My question still is: What is your point? Is it that godless monsters and jews murdering innocent christians in communist Russia?
Following Goebachev's “perestroika” (whatever it should have meant to be), the majority of people in Russia put on crucifixes around their necks. They turned into “christians” overnight. Today these same “christians” defend Stalin's policies and those of the former Soviet Union in general. Tomorrow, these “christians” will turn on their fellow “christians” and murder in the name of some new great “pursuits”, just like it was done in the past.
Back in the Soviet Union days, ordinary “decent” people denounced their neighbors, brothers, sisters, collegues on a regular basis, “christians” and non-christians alike, sometimes for the heck of it or to gain something like a room in a multifamily communal appartment that would become vacant as the result, but often sincerely because they believed that they did great service to the society. If you want to talk about monstrosity – this is it, but it's banal, bleak and ordinary. And this is what communism is really about. All this “jews murdered christians” crap makes no sense when one makes an effort to understand the reality of communism.
Thank you for your excellent points. Some have criticized Arendt because she would not distinguish between good and bad totalitarians as a general starting point. Communist totalitarians like to label all anti-communists as fascist totalitarians. As you have noted, when one researches in more detail, there are problems.
I would enjoy reading your comments on related details of history:
Perfidy by Ben Hecht
http://www.amazon.com/Perfidy-Ben-Hecht/dp/0964…
The Conspiracy of Silence, February 21, 2000
By ESAR SHVARTZ (Long Beach, CA) – See all my reviews
“Ben Hecht wrote this book in 1961. In the last 15 years, many historical studies have corroborated Hecht's findings: Ben Gurion and his socialist cronies, as well as most of the Jewish leaders in the U.S., did almost nothing to save the Jews of Europe in 1933 – 45; in many cases, they hindered efforts of rescue. Perfidy describes the shamful Kasztner affair where close to a million Hungarian Jews might have been saved but were betrayed in 1944. A similar pattern, however, occurred throughtout the Holocaust: The Jewish socialists in pre Israel Palestine bowed to the British who did not want any Jewish refugees in Palestine which would have offended the Arabs. The American Jewish leaders considered FDR as God. FDR, and his administration, did not want to help the Jews so everybody kept quiet and did nothing, including the Russians. The only ones who fought this conspiracy of silence were the Irgun members.”
The Hitler-Stalin pact has been criticized by some Marxists because Stalin supported Hitler over German communists.
http://nickcohen.net/2009/03/02/eric-hobsbawm-a…
Paul Sheldon Foote
Thank you for your excellent observations about human nature. My point is that it is very easy for totalitarian monsters to take power in any country because of ignorance.
The KGB discovered that many Christians are so stupid that the KGB could even send representatives to the World Council of Churches meetings.
The Kremlin's Religious Crusade By: Ion Mihai Pacepa
FrontPageMagazine.com | Tuesday, June 30, 2009
http://97.74.65.51/readArticle.aspx?ARTID=35388
Moses Hess attempted to the philosophy of Spinoza to blend Judaism, Christianity, and communism.
The communists have been very successful using liberation theology in Latin America with ignorant “Christians”.
The communists have had some success using liberation theology in Muslim countries. The Iranian Communist MEK (MKO, PMOI, NCRI, Rajavi Cult, or Pol Pot of Iran) terrorists attracted many followers away from the Stalinist Tudeh Party approach using liberation theology.
George Orwell, in his book Homage to Catalonia, explained how he nearly lost his life fighting in Spain. He wrote that newspapers reported battles that never happened and did not report major battles. His experiences with communists prompted him to write another book, 1984.
http://www.amazon.com/Homage-Catalonia-George-O…
Perhaps you can explain why religious Jews were willing to go to Israel to live with the Jewish atheists who wanted to create a communist (Zionist) state.
Paul Sheldon Foote
Religious Jews were willing to go to Israel not in order to live with the Jewish atheists but because there is only one Israel and these people had nowhere else to go otherwise. And so Israel is a home to many people with divergent ideas and opinions, but as a state she has never become totalitarian. So, again, I fail to see your point other than your attempting to accuse Jews as a people with a horrendous crime they never committed. It is a blood libel, sir. And I happen to be familiar with it.
You seem to be doing the following: you came up with an accusation and then present a myriad of selectively picked articles and essays as if collectively they were to prove your point. The trouble is that they don't. Many of them are irrelevant and as such fail to impress.
George Orwell's 1984 is a novel which incorporates the author's observations. But it is no sociological study done in a scientific manner. And communism -being a social phenomenon – has to be seriously studied. Same goes for magazine articles which you love to pepper your posts with. One does not make worthy conclusions based on science-fiction novels, editorials and pseudo-educated guesses. At least I don't.
For the most part I am in agreement with you. Many so-called academics are no more than ideologists, who use universities as a platform to disseminate their political beliefs. Theirs is a most inflexible, narrow-minded and dangerous kind who have little to do with scientific pursuits or anything else associated with knowledge and everything with indoctrination. And they would still praise a Stalin, a Castro or a Kim even if they experienced their regimes firsthand. Many of these academics are downright dishonest and drunk with the position of authority and hence power which professorship allows them. Manipulating minds in the name of some grand cause is a proven trick. Men did it throughout milleniums. It works. So here we are.
There are many religious Jews who do not share your views on the godless Zionists. For example:
http://www.nkusa.org/
Norman Finkelstein and others have proposed a one-state solution for Israel and Palestine.
http://www.normanfinkelstein.com/
Will you support one man, one vote?
For a lengthy book (1,102 pages), I suggest that you read Michael Hoffman's Judaism Discovered. Christians can read in their Old Testaments about the Jewish practice of murdering every man, woman, and child to steal their lands.
Recent events in Palestine are not the actions of a democratic state.
The Israeli Holocaust Against the Palestinians
by Michael Hoffman and Moshe Lieberman.
http://www.revisionisthistory.org/
UK Jewish MP: Israel acting like Nazis in Gaza
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMGuYjt6CP8
Paul Sheldon Foote
Kindly provide your list of the finest scientific studies you recommend for everyone to read. I have cited articles and lengthy books. What have you cited?
Paul Sheldon Foote
Sir,
I am sorry to say it but you are an ignoramus. And for your information: a stupidity will always be a stupidity regardless how many stupid and ignorant men “of authority” repeat it.
As for your “lengthy book” of 1,102 pages – quantity and quality are two different concepts.
I suggest you stop reading newspapers, magazines and opinions for a year to free your mind.
Recent actions in “Palestine” were the actions of a democratic state just like the actions against the Nazi Germany, fascist Italy and murderous Japan some 60 years ago were those of several democratic states.
I am not ashamed to use my real name in postings. My academic credentials can be found easily online.
Hopefully, you can find someone willing to use a real name to help your cause.
Paul Sheldon Foote
I know that you are not ashamed. Your academic credentials would be of little use here, I am afraid. Over the course of many years, I have learned not to fall for it. your posts on this site speak better than all of your credentials about who you are.
The uncomfortable, but recurring thought comes to me, that it is not simply the “nostalgia” for Utopia that acts in the depths of the minds of these radicals, but something far more insidious: the lust for blood! Look at Jaimie Glazov's book, “United in Hate”. In each section of that book, from the French Revolution onward, to the Bolshevik Revolution, to the Cuban takeover, to Nicaragua, to the abortive coups in Chile – to the Chinese Revolution, and the genocide and ethnic cleansing and genocide in Cambodia and in South Vietnam – each time! there was notable blood lust; not just satisfaction that the “oppressors” were being killed – that “social Justice” (i.e.: Retribution) was being done. but the bloodiest motives of which humans are capable.
I still have some faith in humanity, but none for the worldwide radical left, or for radical Islam.
I meant Los Angeles, but uh…the locations is arbitrary…the point is…it is intellectually dishonest to name an occurance or event and claim that someone is being “silent” about it….it's silly.
I don't know why you bother responding to me anymore….I wish you wouldn't
Did what happen? That was just the stuff off the top of my head. Look you have google…and I know it's hard with reality having a liberal bias, but you can go look it up…
You're honestly asking WHEN during Bush did they marginalize dissent? Are you kidding me?
huh? Are you writing with your little cultic labels and accusing me of being someone's “dog”? This site doesn't need anymore cultic clowns…they're full up…but thanks for coming.
“George Bush, the liberal, is not president anymore. The prescription drug plan was one restriction on my liberty.”
Yeah that was during Bush…I was asking HER what Obama has done to destroy her freedoms.
“I wouldn't call universal health care, nothing.”
Well it hasn't passed yet has it…and even when it does…how would that be villifying and marginalizing her or trying to shut her up? Do you even read the posts man…
” Moreover, it is not just the passing of laws, but the repeal of laws already in place that is important, including, possibly the patriot act.”
POSSIBLY!?? lol
“There are many, many laws that have been passed that illegally restrict us in many ways. These didn't start under this administration, but this admiinistration “is” in office now, and continues them.”
Yeah because everything unconstitutional…will you go away already…you repetitive, boring dipshit…
The Hecht book is a devastating indictment of the Zionists, particularly if you're sensitised to their profiteering. Checking Amazon reviews is extremely useful – but always start by reading the 1-star and 2-star reviews first! If the 5-star reviews hail the same things as the 2-star reviews condemn, then the book is almost certainly rubbish. Hecht's book gets 20 5-star reviews and just two very biased anti-reviews. Strangely, Wikipedia still rates Kastner a hero and Hecht a bit of a weirdo.
Here's a portion of the “INTRODUCTION TO THE NEW EDITION” in 1999:
What has come to be known as the “Kastner Affair” was one of the most painful chapters in the history of the state of Israel. The American fascination with the recent O.J Simpson trials pales in comparison to the degree to which the Israeli public and government were preoccupied with the progress of this nine-month trial in 1954-55. In the wake of the verdict of the trial, the Israeli government fell.
For the conspiracy-minded, the Kastner Affair has everything. The trial results were appealed, but before the appeal could be heard, Kastner was murdered. Some blamed right-wing fanatics and others who believed that Israeli intelligence had Kastner killed for fear of what he might reveal about contacts between the Nazis and the Israeli government during the time of the Holocaust.
Norman Finkelstein is a main-stream Zionist as far as I can tell. He insists that the two-state solution is the only way forward.
Yes, he is very critical of the actions of the Israeli government, but then so are lots of people. He joined a Gaza support group and then walked out again because (I think) Palestinians within it insisted that the “Right of Return” be included amongst the aims.
There's nothing magic about being democratic – pirate ships were always run that way. Everyone stands or falls together in defence of their criminal enterprise.
You are probably correct about Norman Finkelstein's position on the one-state solution. On television, I have heard him making comments supporting a one-state solution. However, this might have been nothing more than explaining both sides of the issue.
At his web site is a letter to the Oxford Union protesting the exclusion of Norman Finkelstein from a debate on the one-state solution. The author of the letter believed that Finkelstein would have spoken in favor of a two-state solution.
Finkelstein has posted the writings of others who do not favor a one-state solution:
http://www.normanfinkelstein.com/reasoned-rejec…
http://www.normanfinkelstein.com/one-state-or-t…
Paul Sheldon Foote
http://www.normanfinkelstein.com/category/lette…
I couldn't agree more with you on this , Welldoneson. I saw this coming long before the elections were over if he were to win. well, he won and we as Americans are the big losers. We either need to find a way to get him to resign or a way to impeach him. Either way, he needs to go before we can no longer recognize this nation and the greatness it use to be and stand for.